This was the original Seminole Heights blog with commentary about life in and around the urban neighborhood of Seminole Heights in Tampa, Florida. Musings about other topics as my mood permits. The blog is essentially inactive since I moved to Lutz. Go to The Official Unofficial Seminole Heights Blog - www.seminoleheightsblog.com for active content.
Alan Snel (Bike Stories Blog) rode by the restaurant that is replacing Viva's and took some photos. He also referenced a St. Pete Times article about it.
"Ana and Carlos Vasquez will lease the 3,200-square-foot building, with an option to buy. Ana Vasquez said the restaurant will serve Spanish food, but will also include American items."
Posted by
David Scott Banghart
at
2/21/2007 12:51:00 PM
12 comments:
Man, I hope the food is worth eating. I'm praying it is good food, since it's only 2 blocks away from my residence! Would be a good addition to the small list of good places to eat in Seminole Heights. Woo-hoo.
catracho = slang for honduran man?
Wow, one more spanish restaurant. They say that the fastest failing business is a restaurant. Now, put one more spanish restaurant. I can count at least 20 within 5 minutes. Do we need to call the Rocket scientist to explain how this may work?
Think Armenia Blvd. Have you not noticed the increasing Latinization of this area?
Perhaps if you have a problem with spanish food you should move out of Tampa?
Banghart posted a while ago some statistics on the ethnic makeup of Seminole Heights. We have a large latino population here.
I welcome a Honduran restaraunt in the neighborhood. I think it has potential. And heck, it's replacing a latin cuisine restaraunt so no change there.
My only worry, in so far as I desire to have more choice in the neighborhood, is that this could end up being one of those places designed to cater to the local latino community and be generally unwelcoming to non-latino customers. I've seen this sort of thing in cuban, vietnamiese, and mexican restaraunts in the area--they'll serve you, but if you don't speak their language and aren't part of their culture, your experience will be frustrating. That this one will include some Yankee food gives me hope (not that I'd EAT the Yankee food, mind you.)
From Wikipedia:
"A Honduran can be called a Catracho or Catracha (fem) in Spanish. The word is derived from the last name of the French Honduran General Florencio Xatruch, who, in 1857, led Honduran armed forces against an attempted invasion by North American adventurer William Walker. The nickname is considered complimentary, not derogatory."
I too hope that this restaurant takes for all the right reasons. My only fear, having been in the restaurant biz including a couple openings, is that the opening seems a bit hasty. The article claims that it is opening this Friday? Didn't we just get the news on the passing of Frida's? Anyway, you know what they say about first impressions. I hope it works well.
We need a mourning period?!
Frida's has been quietly for sale for over a year. Given the similarities between Honduran and Mexican cuisine, doubtless all the equipment is already there. All the tables are there. The garish paint is there. And most likely, they aren't caring that much about designing a unique "look" for their brand. Restaraunts of this type generally just open using whatever they can get to satisfy the need and worry less about style. (which explains why the chairs in chinese restaraunts rarely look oriental.)
I bet they slap up a huge sign (done), hang numerous baby-blue Honduran flags, at least one picture of that cartoon kid with his hat on backwards looking all gangsta, and maybe a photograph of some influential Honduran personage. All of which will take them less than a day.
Wow, generalize much?
I looked into VLF before it sold and it was essentially a turn key operation. The decor is fine, the equipment is all there, it just needed a bit of cleaning to be good to go.
If the doors aren't open, your losing money. If I were to open a place I'd kill for a turn around as fast as they have.
We drove by on Saturday evening and were surprised to see how packed the parking lot was. We didn't stop to eat there, as we already had other plans. But the parking lot was almost full. Not bad for the first weekend. We'll try it soon.
Has anyone tried them out yet?
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