Pete's Bagels opens Gulfport outpost, Stone Soup Cafe closes, and more local food news

Openings

Pete’s Bagels (Gulfport) More gluten is coming to Gulfport this week. According to its website and social media pages, Pete’s Bagels newest outpost resides at 1407 49th St. S adjacent to other popular concepts like Island Flavors & Tings and 1 Chick 1 Bro Cafe—but unlike its other Tampa Bay locations, it will only serve as a grab ‘n go shop. Pete's Gulfport shop officially opens on Thursday, May 2. Pete’s new walk-up window will dish out fresh bagels and bulk cream cheeses, in addition to espresso and coffee from up-and-coming roaster Look Alive. The Gabber says that the new production space and grab ‘n go concept can crank out about 2,000 bagels a day—and its glowing “fresh bagels” sign will act as a Batman signal for fresh bakes. Pete’s offers a variety of expected bagels like plain, everything, poppyseed, salt and sesame, plus a few unique flavors like cheddar jalapeño and cinnamon raisin. Its grab ‘n go cream cheese options will be scallion, garden herb, harissa, jalapeño and cinnamon, with a few vegan options on their way. In addition to its flagship location in St. Pete’s Grand Central District (2361 1st Ave. S), Pete’s also operates a daytime cafe in Ybor City (1804 E 4th Ave.) and will soon debut a one-of-a-kind drive-thru shop on the corner of 4th St. S and 25th Ave. During its soft opening from Thursday-Sunday this week, Pete's new Gulfport spot will be open from 6 a.m.-1 p.m. Head to @petes_general on Instagram for the latest updates on its operating hours and menu items. 1407 49th St. S, Gulfport. petesbagels.com

Rakki While Ichicoro’s 2023 closure still leaves Seminole Heights residents craving traditional ramen, a newly-opened restaurant with globally-inspired Asian fare may help fill that void. After two years of building out its space, Asian-fusion concept Rakki finally opened its doors on Tuesday, April 30. Seminole Heights’ newest restaurant is in one of Tampa's best strip malls nestled between Gulf Coast Sourdough Sandwich House and Mekenita Cantina at 6705 N Florida Ave., adjacent to other popular concepts like Wicked Oak Barbecue and Revolution Ice Cream Co. Rakki’s dining room seats about 16 people, and a few sidewalk tables are coming soon. The restaurant is named after the Japanese word for "lucky." While Rakki's intimate menu boasts higher-end dishes that pull from a range of Asian cuisines—from truffle mac and cheese ramen to short rib birria baos—owner and Executive Chef Israel Mora tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the concept may pivot to more casual fare sometime soon, in addition to expanding its hours to include lunch. Rakki’s menu will experience a few changes as it continues its soft opening phase, with Chef Mora drawing on his learned career and creative bent to eventually finalize Rakki’s offerings. Other unique plates on Rakki’s current menu are its chili bouillabaisse ramen, a riff on the classic French dish, a cheesy twist on a Thai fried egg salad (Yum Kai Dao) and five-spiced-gyozas with lamb, ginger and a yogurt, lemon and cumin sauce. Folks can choose between a Basque-style cheesecake and a coconut panna cotta with lime-coconut foam for dessert. 6705 N Florida Ave., Tampa.  rakkitampa.com

Closings

Stone Soup Cafe One of the more seasoned businesses along Ybor City's bustling 7th Avenue took to social media to announce its abrupt closure earlier this week. “Effective immediately, The Stone Soup Company will cease operations. We would like to thank all the current and past employees, the Ybor and Tampa community, and our guests who have supported us over the last 13 years,” ownership wrote on the restaurant’s Facebook today. “We appreciated the opportunity to serve you all! Thank you!” The casual restaurant at 1919 E 7th Ave. was known for its menu of Cuban sandwiches, empanadas, burgers, salads and of course, soup—which ranged from lobster bisque and chicken noodle to tomato basil and Spanish black bean. Beer, wine, and cocktails were offered, too. The Stone Soup Company’s original owner Ilya Benjamin Goldberg opened his Ybor City restaurant in 2009 and its reputation for tasty Cuban sammies and quick service grew over the years, as well as its sizable "Best of the Bay" award collection. In late 2022, Goldberg announced that he was retiring and enabling the help of Teamshares to transition the Ybor City restaurant into an employee-owned business. He then stated in a press release that this process would "ensure that Stone Soup can never be sold again and will be around for many years of growth"—an unfortunate statement in light of today's closing announcement. 1919 E 7th Ave., Ybor City. stonesoupcafe.com

Events

Busch Gardens’ Food & Wine Festival At Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, your best bets for grub usually range from chicken tenders, to pizza, and barbecue from the smokehouse—but for a month each year, there’s a little more variety. The theme park and zoo’s 2024 Food & Wine Festival runs weekends and wraps on May 19. It features twists on food from around the world including South African curry stew (bunny chow) and baked meat pies (bobotie), or options from Argentina (beef chimichurri), France (ratatouille), Spanish meatballs (albondigas), the U.S. (lobster rolls) and way more, all paired wines, too. Access to the food—plus concerts from the likes of Boys LIke Girls, .38 Special—is included with park admission, but items are priced a la carte, with sampler lanyard options ($70-$85), too. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s 2024 Food & Wine Festival happens Fridays-Sundays through May 19 and included with park admission.  10165 McKinley Dr., Tampa.  buschgardens.com

ICYMI

V.M. Ybor bakery Elevenses brings back wildly-popular ‘Gilmore Girls’ menu this month Lovers of the slice-of-life, cult classic show can indulge in some TV nostalgia this month when Elevenses hosts its annual run of "Gilmore Girls"-themed menu items. “Hello fellow townspeople—It is with great excitement (and only a smidgeon of trepidation ) that we announce our annual trip to Stars Hollow!” Elevenses owner Jade Yelvington writes on social media. “Last time your enthusiasm for this themed menu was seriously unmatched, so we’re going even bigger this time.” This year’s “Gilmore Girls” menu—which boasts the theme of “a thousand yellow daises"—runs from Wednesday, May 15 to Saturday, June 1. Elevenses’ hours will remain normal throughout these three weeks—noon-6 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday (or until sold out.) Elevenses will be closed May 5-11 to prepare for its three week-long themed menu. Elevenses' specialty baked goods and beverage menu draws inspiration from the fictional Connecticut town of Stars Hollow, referencing different characters and places. A few offerings are even based on dishes that were sold at Luke’s Diner, a regular gathering place within the show. A few sweet treats that will be offered at this month’s event include “Breakfast at Luke’s” macarons (blueberry pancakes, French toast, Luke’s coffee, eggs & bacon), yellow daisy sugar cookies, “Babette ate oatmeal” cream pies, blueberry sweet corn cookies, “Sookie’s dream” s’mores cake slices, blueberry “shortcake” pavlovas and brown sugar pop tarts. A few savory items will be up for grabs as well, including “Jackson’s Greenhouse” tomato tarts, soft pretzels and “Sleeping with the Zucchinis” muffins. 1001 E Columbus Ave., Tampa. @elevensesco on Instagram

After code complaints temporarily closed doors, Nana’s fights for survival in Ybor City Last summer, the team at Nana’s Restaurant & Juice Bar was all smiles celebrating the plant-based concept’s first birthday. Seven months later, the once-bustling little green building on Ybor City’s Fourth Avenue is temporarily shuttered and no longer slinging popular Caribbean-inspired fare. Nana’s Restaurant & Juice Bar, located at 1601 E 4th Ave., took to social media earlier this month to announce that the popular vegan eatery would be temporarily closed until further notice. Owner Anisa Mejia has passed all health inspections and successfully operated on the premises for almost two years, but has been forced to shut down following code complaints filed with the City of Tampa’s Code Enforcement department. One complaint mentions a “change of use without permit,” since the property is not zoned for a restaurant—something Mejia assumed wasn’t a problem since the building was once a barbecue restaurant. Nana’s received a stop work order on Wednesday, April 10 while the enforcement complaints are under investigation; Mejia has since started the change of use application process in order to reopen as soon as possible. She’s also working with a lawyer to help her with these rezoning issues. Since the closure earlier this month, Mejia has hosted pop-ups at other vegan spots throughout the greater Tampa area, including fellow Ybor City haunt La Sétima Club, Brandon’s Vine Vegan and WeVegan Cafe. She’s also had a recurring guest spot at a popular food truck park at 4914 E Broadway Ave. @nanas_ybor on Instagram.

Fresh off celebrating its one year anniversary in Westshore, Union New American (1111 N Westshore Blvd.) is launching its new brunch menu on Sunday, May 5 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. with new dishes like chilaquiles, Korean fried chicken and waffles, avocado toast and food-fried shrimp and grits. Reservations for brunch (or its regular dinner service) can be made on Opentable.com.

After only a year or so at 201 2nd Ave. N in downtown St. Pete, American restaurant Dirty Shirley has closed and will soon be replaced by a new French concept called Cognac from the owners of Bacchus Wine Bistro. ILovetheBurg says that Cognac will be a "laid back Parisian bistro with ample indoor/outdoor seating," that's slated to open later this year.

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