Founded in 1905 by Cuban immigrant Casimiro Hernandez, Sr., the Columbia Restaurant is Florida’s oldest restaurant, and the largest Spanish restaurant in the world. To this day, six of the Columbia restaurants are still owned and operated by the founding family, including The Columbia Cafe located in the Tampa Bay History Center downtown. With a rich history and incredibly flavorful menu, The Columbia Cafe has become a mandatory stop for visitors who want to truly experience the taste of Tampa.
“One of the most picturesque dining spots on the downtown Tampa waterfront, the cafe has indoor and outdoor seating overlooking Garrison Channel separating downtown from Harbour Island. The cafe serves the most popular dishes from the restaurant’s flagship in Ybor City, including the Original 1905 Salad and chicken and yellow rice. The cafe also serves cocktails, beer and wine, including the Spanish cava sangria made tableside” – Tampa Bay Times
This week the Columbia Restaurant was kind enough to share their family recipe for Picadillo with us. We hope you all enjoy making this delicious dish at home and visit our newsroom for more recipes from local restaurants every Wednesday.
What you’ll need:
2 pounds of lean boneless beef (preferably chuck), trimmed of excess fat and ground 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil 1 cup of onions, finely chopped 2 teaspoons of garlic, minced 2 large green peppers, finely chopped 1 teaspoon of oregano 2 teaspoons of salt Freshly ground pepper to taste 4 bay leaves 6 medium-size ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped (or 2 cups canned whole tomatoes, drained and chopped) 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 cup small pimento-stuffed green olives 1/4 cup seedless raisins 1 tablespoon of white vinegar 1 cup of burgundy
Traditionally, picadillo is served with fluffy white rice and, when available, fried ripe plantains.
Bamboozle Cafe is one of the most popular restaurants in Tampa’s Downtown. Known for its fresh rolls and pho soups, this isn’t your ordinary Vietnamese restaurant. As founder, Lynn Pham has stated, Bamboozle Cafe’s focus is “giving the community an affordable and healthy lifestyle option” and we are ecstatic about featuring them this week as they are certainly doing that and so much more. This week Bamboozle Cafe was kind enough to share their delicious “Vietnamese Haas Avocado Smoothie” recipe with us. We hope you all enjoy making this delectable drink at home and visit our newsroom for more recipes from local restaurants every Wednesday. Cheers!
What you’ll need: Ice Blender Measuring Cups Knife/tool to slice avocado Ingredients listed below
Ingredients: Makes one 16 ounce smoothie Half fresh haas avocado 2 oz Half & Half 1 oz Condensed milk 2 oz Simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) 1 cup Ice 2 oz Unsweet green tea (or water)
Vegan option: Substitute half & half and condensed milk with 3 oz soy milk or almond milk.
Oxford Exchange is one of the premier restaurants in Tampa’s Downtown. Known for its elegance, the restaurant opened its Champagne Bar late last year and has been debuting new cocktails ever since. This week Oxford Exchange was kind enough to share their delicious “French 75” recipe with us. We hope you all enjoy making this refreshing drink at home and visit our newsroom for more recipes from local restaurants every Wednesday. Cheers!
Hendricks Gin, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup and Chandon Brut
What you’ll need: Ice Coupe Glass Shaker Lemon peel (as a garnish)
This week the Columbia Restaurant was kind enough to share their famous Red Sangria recipe with us. We hope you all enjoy making this delicious drink at home and visit our newsroom for more recipes from local restaurants every Wednesday.
What you’ll need: 1 packet of the Columbia Restaurant Sangria Mix 1 750 ml bottle of Red Wine – they use a Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1 bottle of Brandy – they use the Torres 5 Brandy 1 Orange 1 Lime 10 Cherries Pitcher Knife to cut up fruit Wine glass Ice
Harpoon Harry’s Crab House, located at the Tampa Convention Center, is known as a bastion of summertime indulgences. Customers not only have their pick of fresh seafood, steaks and sushi but are right in the heart of downtown, close enough to walk to places like Amalie Arena or The Florida Aquarium. This week Harpoon Harry’s Crab House was kind enough to share their fan favorite Crab Stuffed Shrimp recipe with us. We hope you all enjoy making this delicious dish at home and visit our newsroom for more recipes from local restaurants every Wednesday.
What you’ll need: All ingredients listed below Large baking pan Knife to create slit in shrimp Mixing bowl
Ingredients: 4 servings 12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and a slit cut to hold stuffing 8 oz jumbo lump crab meat 1/2 stalk of celery, finely minced 1 small shallot, finely minced 1 clove of garlic, minced 1/4 cup mayonnaise 2 tbsp sour cream 1 tsp lemon juice 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning 1/2 tsp black pepper and salt 1 tsp hot sauce such as Franks brand 2 tbsp butter, melted 1/8 cup white wine 4 slices of bacon, cut into pieces 1/2 cup shredded cheese (They use mix of pepper jack, sharp cheddar and Italian four cheese blend)
