Del Frisco's Grille | Tampa stands out among the dozens of restaurants studded along Tampa’s restaurant row across from International Plaza. Its rooftop bar is a popular destination during cooler months but if you haven’t had the chance to experience the dining room, you are missing out. Del Frisco’s menu is full of selections that combine ingredients you know and love, skillfully prepared and thoughtfully presented. The results are beautiful dishes with wonderful flavors and textures and a focus on flavor. It’s a place to meet friends, experience new taste sensations, try new wines and spirits, and make family memories over all the celebrations of life.
Del Frisco’s appetizer menu is a great place to start, whether looking for a small plate to enjoy with a drink at the bar or the opening act of a special dinner. Selections include all-time favorites as well as one-of-a-kind bites. Everyone loves the cheesesteak eggrolls (and for good reason) so along with them, order the artichoke beignets as well. The crunchy shell gives way to a warm fontina and parmesan center. They come sitting on a pool of sweet basil dressing that perfectly complements the beignets. The crunch from the shell and the warm, salty cheese is combined with the earthy sweetness of the basil dressing. Crunchy. . . salty. . .sweet. . . it’s everything you want all in one delicious bite.
Artichoke Beignets at Del Frisco's Grille are a perfect combination of crispy, salty, creamy and sweet.
Del Frisco's offers a variety of entrees accessible to everyone with a selection of steaks, seasonally prepared fresh seafood and comforting dishes like prime beef short rib stroganoff. One item that shouldn’t be missed is the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake. One cake can be ordered as an appetizer, doubled as an entrée or paired with one of Del Frisco’s signature steaks to create a custom surf and turf. It is loaded with sweet crabmeat and delicately seasoned to bring out the taste of the ocean. This crab cake is plated over a rich Cajun cream sauce that coats your tongue and finishes with a warm tingle. Crab cakes are offered on many restaurant menus. Del Frisco’s crab cake sets the gold standard in Tampa Bay.
The Tampa Bay area is home to several great steakhouses and Del Frisco’s can stand up to all of them. The minute our server, Trent, mentioned a bone-in filet mignon, I was sold. Bone-in steaks are the most flavorful cuts of beef and a bone-in filet is a jewel in the crown. You get all the flavor of a ribeye or sirloin with all the tenderness and lush mouthfeel of a filet at the same time. Hands down, this is one of the best steaks you’ll ever eat. I dove into this steak like it contained the last amount of breathable oxygen on the planet. It was just that good.
Bone-in steaks, like the ones served at Del Frisco's Grille, are the most flavorful cuts of meat.
There are several unique side items that deserve a try, especially the roasted beets. This is a layered vegetable dish, starting with a pureed beet and goat cheese spread. Next, roasted red beets are cut in planks and topped with slices of round, roasted golden beets. The whole dish is crowned with chopped pistachios and orange zest. The presentation is gorgeous, the orange subtly flavors each bite and the goat cheese adds a tangy richness. It’s simply sublime. Baby zucchinis are dusted with parmesan and paired with blistered tomatoes. The sweetness of the baby zucchini and the salt from the cheese is balanced perfectly with the acid from the tomatoes.
Del Frisco’s pastry chef has created a dessert menu full of soul-satisfying treats featuring chocolate, peanut butter, coconut, and lemon. The Nutella bread pudding comes with a caramel sauce and espresso gelato that contains a trace of Frangelico liqueur. The marriage of the challah bread with warm Nutella is complemented by the cold gelato and the flavors of espresso and caramel. At the very end, the hazelnut flavor blooms on your tongue like a sweet surprise and leaves you wanting more. The Lemon Doberge Cake is composed of six thin layers of a light lemon cake separated by lemon buttercream. This cake is so light it could lift off the plate by itself! And the buttercream is the perfect flavor combination of sweet and tart. Simple. Elegant. Perfect.
Whether you’re meeting friends for drinks on the rooftop bar, a wine flight paired with tasty appetizers, a special dinner or a casual night out, Del Frisco’s Grille is right choice for any occasion, they have a focus on flavor and they fire up great taste in every dish they create. The atmosphere is warm and sophisticated, the staff is well trained and knowledgeable, and the food is thoughtfully prepared. The flavor and texture combinations create unique and memorable dishes on their menu sure to delight everyone.
Del Frisco's is located at 4138 W Boy Scout Blvd. They open every day at 11 a.m., closing at 10 p.m. during the week and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings. For more information, they can be reached at 813.878.6890 or make a reservation to secure your spot in advance!
Facade and artichoke beignets photos courtesy of Del Frisco's Grille, steak photo courtesy Paul Hermann and Unsplash
