Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle

DREAMSCAPES FALL/ WINTER 2023 34 T R A V E L S L E U T H o n the food front, The Big Guava (one of Tampa's nicknames) is a melting pot of cultures best reflected on dinner plates across the city. Think Cuban clas- sics, as well as Spanish, South and Native American spices and influences. Yet this popular Floridian city perched on the Gulf Coast hasn't been known exactly for its exceptional fare until recently. Last autumn, I visited Cigar City, another moniker attributed to its earlier cigar-making days, with the aim of tasting the local flavours and to dispel any connections to the once-tired food scene. A closer look reveals how Tampa is on the cusp of a new culinary frontier that's been adding flair to a landscape of locavore shrines. In June 2022, the inaugural edition of the Michelin Guide Miami, Orlando and Tampa was unveiled, which recognized 118 restaurants, including 16 in Tampa. And to date, Michelin-recognized restaurants now have been boosted to 24, further solidifying Tampa's global reputation as a culinary destination. A STEAKHOUSE LIKE NO OTHER In the Hyde Park district, Bern's Steak House is not only a fabled steak and wine mecca but with nearly 7,000 wine choices, and over half a million bot- tles, it's also purportedly home to the largest wine inventory on earth. With its Michelin-Recommended status, a ranking that nearly meets the higher standard of Bib Gourmand or the chef-obsessed Michelin star, I can't wait to sink my teeth into a mouth-watering 9-oz chateaubriand, paired with an Argentinian Malbec, which accentuates the nuanced flavours of this seared, lean tenderloin cut. Before long, the scent of honey and cinnamon lures as a Bananas Foster, a Bern's must, is prepared tableside upstairs at the equally famous Harry Waugh Dessert Room. I savour a mortal trinity of caramelized bananas, rum and vanilla bean ice cream. THE CUBAN AT THE COLUMBIA IN YBOR CITY In 1905, Casimiro Hernandez Sr., a Cuban immigrant, opened the 60-seat Columbia Restaurant, serving Spanish family favourites, and something called the Cuban sandwich. Today, the Columbia in Ybor City is a Michelin-Recommended culinary cathedral. I do myself the honour, order the Cuban, and bite into authentic history. Made using Casimiro's original recipe of ham, roasted pork, pickles, mustard, Swiss cheese, and Genoa salami that are layered in soft, yet crispy Cuban bread from La Segunda bakery—incredibly, the same supplier of BY JIM BAMBOULIS THE HOT TAMPA FOOD GUIDE SERVED WITH SOME EXTRA MIAMI + ORLANDO

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