The newest location of GrillSmith South Tampa is a shining star in the constellation of Grillsmith restaurants scattered across the Tampa Bay Area. It’s warm and inviting, with a great bar featuring craft beers, margaritas, and top-shelf whiskey, plus seasonal menus that change with the calendar, custom cuts of steak and a highly trained staff of kitchen and service professionals working tirelessly to ensure the guest experience is a cut above the rest.
The Best Damn Margarita at Grillsmith.
The seasonal menu currently featured is called Craft Comfort and full of items you know and love, but with a special twist that spotlights Grillsmith’s attention to detail and technique. The wood-fired avocado toast starts with slices of artisan bread, topped with fresh avocado, watercress, red onion, and radishes. The crunch and flavor of the radish and red onion is a perfect foil for the velvety avocado and the pink Himalayan sea salt brightens each bite. Another item on the craft comfort menu is Guli’s Cast Iron Meatballs. The Italian sausage in the mix provides a wonderful texture that is complemented by a bright tomato sauce and artisan bread. Each item in this dish is a star and can easily stand out on its own. Yet each works together to create a perfect marriage of flavor and texture that every Italian grandmother would be proud to serve.
Wood-fired Avocado Toast at Grillsmith.
The 1881 Reserve Ribeye is served with portobello mushroom fries and creamy horseradish. The steak showcases the flavor that comes from their exclusive cut and at 16oz, it’s big enough to satisfy a hearty appetite. The portobello fries get a great crunch from the panko crust and the meaty flavor of the mushroom goes perfectly with the steak. These portobello fries are delicious and rarely seen on menus around town. They are also available as an appetizer and would be a great snack with any of the red wines or top-shelf bourbons GrillSmith South Tampa offers. Black mussels from Prince Edward Island are gently sautéed in a lemon butter and white wine reduction, then topped with roasted tomatoes, basil and served alongside slices of artisan bread. The mussels are tender and firm with a hint of the sea in each bite. The sauce is light with a hint of tomato that perfectly accompanies the seafood. Ask for extra bread because you’re going want to sop up every drop of the sauce! Great food can transport you to another place and if you close your eyes, and these mussels make you think you are dining alfresco along the canals of Venice.
Key Lime Pie at Grillsmith.
Save room for dessert at Grillsmith and a perfect dessert for the whole family is the Caramel Peanut Chocolate Pudding. Layers of rich chocolate pudding surround a decadent salted caramel ribbon, studded with peanuts and topped with house-made whipped cream. Then it’s topped with caramel corn and a serving of chocolate mousse on the side! My advice is eat half the pudding, then add the mousse to the remaining half. Mixing the remaining pudding with the cloud of mousse creates a whole new flavor and texture profile. It’s like getting two desserts in one. Everyone at your table is going to want in on this, so be sure to order at least two and get spoons for all.
The Key Lime Pie is possibly the best I’ve ever eaten. It strikes a perfect balance of sweet and tart while candied pecans in the graham cracker crust give it a special twist, and is beautifully presented alongside kiwi-lime sauce. I've eaten my share of Key Lime Pie so I thought I was just going to sample this slice, but with each bite, it just kept pulling me in until every crumb on the plate was gone. It was just that good!
GrillSmith South Tampa is a place where attention to detail, professional technique, thoughtful sourcing and tireless training create a restaurant full of happy guests. It’s a great place for happy hour with friends, a comfortable dinner with the family or a special occasion over a menu of seasonal specialties that satisfies on every level. From your first experience in the new South Tampa Location or their location in your neighborhood, Grillsmith is a place your destined to return to over and over again. It's located on Dale Mabry just north of Kennedy Boulevard and open for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch.
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All photos courtesy of Grillsmith Restaurants/Scratch Concepts
