Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
362
However you perceive the decor, this is a carnivore's paradise, and I actually drove from
Miami and back just for dinner. Was it worth it? Sort of, but I wouldn't make a special
trip just for Bern's again. I would, however, eat there without question if I were in town.
At Bern's, you order and pay for grilled steaks of perfectly aged beef according to the
thickness and weight (the 60-oz., 3-in.-thick porterhouse can feed four adults). The
phone book-size wine list—one of the restaurant's most famous attributes—has more
than 7,000 selections, many available by the glass. Ask your server for a sampling before
you purchase a bottle. Upstairs, the restaurant's other most famous attribute—the dessert
quarters—has 50 romantic booths paneled in aged California redwood; each can pri-
vately seat from 2 to 12 guests. All of these little chambers are equipped with phones for
placing your order and closed-circuit TVs for watching and listening to a resident pianist.
The dessert menu has almost 100 selections, plus some 1,400 after-dinner drinks. It's
possible to reserve a booth for dessert only, but preference is given to those who dine.
The big secret here is that steak sandwiches are available at the bar but are not men-
tioned on the menu. Smaller versions of the chargrilled steaks served in the dining rooms,
they come with a choice of french fries or crispy onion rings. Add a salad, and you have
a terrific meal for about half the price of the least expensive main course.
Sidebern's,
2208 W. Morrison Ave., at South Howard Avenue (
&
813/258-2233
), is
the restaurant's New American offshoot. It's also quite good, but choose the original:
Missing Bern's would be like watching the remake of
Psycho
without ever seeing the
original. And in 2007, plans were announced for Bern's very own hotel, the
Epicurean
Hotel,
a 75-room boutique condo/hotel with a new Bern's restaurant, wine shop culinary
school, and day spa located right next door to the original restaurant. Construction was,
at press time, on hold because of the economy.
1208 S. Howard Ave. (at Marjory Ave.).
&
813/251-2421.
www.bernssteakhouse.com. Reservations
recommended. Main courses $17-$60; sandwiches $9-$15. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Daily 5-11pm. Closed
Christmas. Valet parking $5.
10
Restaurant BT
VIETNAMESE I live in Miami and when I heard about this
restaurant, I drove the 5 hours to Tampa to see what all the hype was about. It was worth
every service plaza, toll fare, and then some! One reviewer called it one of the hippest,
most innovative Vietnamese restaurants in the United States. Chef Trina Nguyen-Batley
is a genius, creating a chic, sophisticated, stylish oasis of French Vietnamese fare that's as
gorgeous as it is delicious. An appetizer of roast sea eel with
ponzu
sauce, rice vinegar, and
sesame seeds on chilled cucumber salad prepares the palate for an outstanding onslaught
of flavors and textures to come. Baby lamb spareribs braised in star anise, garlic, rice
wine, and tamarind are equally spectacular, but if you like spicy, and I do, the spicy
prawns in chili, ginger, and garlic sauce over steamed rice is the way to go. Come to think
of it, you can't go wrong with anything here. It's authentic, awe-inspiring, and, yes, even
worth a 5-hour drive, more so than Bern's, actually.
1633 W. Snow Ave.
&
813/258-1916.
www.restaurantbt.com. Reservations recommended. Main
courses $18-$29. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Thurs 11:30am-2:30pm and 5:30-9:30pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am-
2:30pm and 5:30-10:30pm.
Moderate
Mise en Place
ECLECTIC Look around at all those happy, stylish people soak-
ing up the trendy ambience, and you'll know why chef Marty Blitz and his wife Maryann
have been among the culinary darlings of Tampa since 1986. They present the freshest
of ingredients in a creative, award-winning menu that changes weekly. Main courses
