Gino's Bar & Restaurant is my favorite place for Italian food in Tampa.  I love Italian food.  I do not claim to be an expert.  I have dated an Italian girl whose grandmother made the best sauce I have ever tasted.  Still, I don't think that qualifies me as an expert. I would like to add I am not a fan of the more popular Italian chain restaurants.  Frankly, if I never ate at Carrabba's and Olive Garden again, I would feel no loss at all. But I digress… Gino's Bar & Restaurant is located at 10006 N. Armenia Avenue in the Forest Hills area of Tampa. It is truly the textbook definition of a … [Read more...]

If you have read my blog before, you will note that I have done barbecue restaurant reviews.  While I am cognizant of the fact that I cannot categorize Lee Roy Selmon's as strictly a barbecue restaurant, they smoke some pretty good meat. I hope readers do not confuse my words of praise with idol worship. While it may be true that Lee Roy Selmon was the first Buccaneer in franchise history and its only member of the Hall of Fame, these fact are in no way shaping my positive review of Selmon's Restaurant. If you are in the mood for an appetizer, you can not go wrong with the Chicken Back Country Nachos ("no okra, … [Read more...]

Hi Guys and Gals, Without question, I have been judging barbeque more than 25 years.  When I was 17 years old, I took a job with Lupton's Fatman's BBQ as a busboy.  Within in a year, I was cooking on the dinner shift.  Later, I became a catering supervisor and started cooking for hundreds (and occasionally thousands) in one day. This started my education with barbecue.  I continue to educate myself and have built my own smoker. About 18 months ago, I became a Certified Barbeque Judge with the Kansas City Barbeque Society.  I liked the course.  It taught me a lot.  Mostly, it confirmed my own personal … [Read more...]