Ellen in Tampa(part 3) SALT ROCK GRILL, RED MESA, STONEWOOD GRILL

I was in TAMPA from Dec. 13th-17th, 2008
Here's my Part 3.. "Dec. 15th,  Day 3; continued"..
 
After St. Pete Beach, it was time for an early dinner (Ted Peters burger was my lunch......as posted in Part 2)
I chose the SALT ROCK GRILL in nearby INDIAN SHORES to due some recent publicity in the Tampa Bay Times weekly freebie.(www.tampabay.com)
Dec. 12th edition... it gave an honorable mention for the "Salt Rock Grill steaks cooked with 1200 degree heat".... good article on "BEST STEAKS in TAMPA"
SALT ROCK GRILL, Indian Shores, FL (near St. Pete Beach)

Pretty pastel colored buildings across street, INDIAN SHORES, FL
 
The menu sure LOOKS good......
It's NOT a good thing when the BATHROOM ends up being my favorite part
The salad was "okay",  the house dressing did'nt have much taste to me

  I chose the NY STEAK, ... $26.90, including salad and potatoes

I did'nt care for it......it did NOT have a good, beefy taste... did'nt have much of a nice charbroiled taste , either...
The meat did not have that extra fresh taste to me,
something was off, but I kept giving it a chance, thinking it would taste better with the next bite........but it never really did..
 
Best part of the meal was the waiter , Rich....he was just so perfect...
very professional, but also real down to earth... (not snooty)
I also LOVED the mashed potatoes, and like I said before, loved that BATHROOM..
with those individual wooden style doors.
 
The SALT ROCK GRILL is espescially known for their fresh SEAFOOD
They even have a "DAYBOAT" menu, with items that just came in off the boat.
The waiter, Rich, mentioned I was welcome to go outside to their deck...
and VIOLA, there's a small crowd starting to gather......looks like the
DAYBOAT is about to come in ! I hear the waitresses yelling "hi, Captain Brian!"
 

The SALT ROCK GRILL "DAYBOAT" has just docked, 5:30 pm
The Captains assistant helps carry freshly caught GROUPER off the boat.
Looks like it was a good catch that day!
FRESHLY CAUGHT GROUPER... this was a cheap thrill for me to see!
I've never witnessed this kind of commerical operation before...

  On my way out, I snapped a pic of their open grill

Stumbled upon this ICE CREAM, (etc.!!) joint in nearby MADEIRA BEACH.
It had started raining again, but I did'nt let that stop ME!
Both the HOMEMADE ice cream AND the owners were real nice.... 
interesting JAMS and jellies in there, too....
 
On my way back thru ST. PETE, I  pass by SUNKEN GARDENS.
I see that there is now a CARRABA'S attached to it..

I appreciate the NEON lighting, and I bet my buddy, SIGNMAN, will too!  
 
I then noticed the RED MESA restaurant in ST PETE on 4th St.
Lots of cars at 8:30 pm on a rainy night; a good sign!?!
www.redmesarestaurant.com       I LOVE southwestern food!

I was NOT hungry at all as I'd just got done with the Salt Rock Grill,
BUT I wanted to find a dinner that agreed with me more, so......
Here's my STEAK TAMPICO COMBINADO.. $15.00

I LOVED it, but it certainly did NOT photograph well, huh ????
You can see the description of my dish in this RED MESA menu pic..

As much as I love Mexican food, this Southwestern cuisine excites me even more!
They even serve breakfast, but just on Sundays.. I want some CHILAQUILAS ROJA !! And huevos rancheros!  That "DIVORICADOS" dish is cute, huh?

Even their "TRADITIONAL" breakfast items does'nt sound so traditional.....cool!

There were about 7 tables of people there, including a table of about 12 celebrating a b-day. It was a hip place....I also loved their salsas and dipping sauces.  Next time I get back down to Tampa/St. Pete, I want to have at least a few more meals there!! 
 
Here is their APPETIZER menu..  and the Red Mesa also serves LUNCH

 

I have been eating at the Salt Rock and sister Island Way Grille ever since they opened.  I have been a winter resident at Clearwater Beach for years, and have taken many people to both places.  I never had a bad meal (or steak) at either place.  If you had a problem with your steak, you should have asked for the manager, and they would have been happy to replace it.  Maybe you don't know difference between a good or bad steak.  As for servers, if Rich was that good, he would have recognized you were not enjoying your meal and corrected the problem.

myterry2

  Maybe you don't know difference between a good or bad steak. 

You say maybe I don't know the difference between a good steak and a bad one? OUCH !!!!!  I beg to differ on that one.. 
.. let's just say it was'nt a good steak for ME, okay????         
I often DO send items back, perhaps too often.  This time,  I just chose to accept that the steak flavor "is what it is", instead of rocking the boat.
In retrospect , I should've said "this steak does'nt really have a good beefy taste to me". But, it still would NOT have changed the fact that their "oak and citrus wood cooked" steak didn't have a rich, succulent, crusty, chargrilled flavor to me.  Once again, I said "to ME"..
A new one would've been the SAME- -----UNDERWHELMING...
MOST of the time, a restaurant manager IS eager to oblige, I know that..... 

If I was a seafood eater, I'd go back for the extra fresh "right off the boat" catch!

Ellen I recently went to tampa and had an outstanding steak at "Charleys" it was an awesome meal with a real cool atmosphere also!! My friend and I had the 20-20 split special. It was a 20 ounce lobster tail and a 20 ounce center cut filet split for the both of us!! amazing!!

dannybotz


Ellen I recently went to tampa and had an outstanding steak at "Charleys"

Hi Danny! Happy New Year!
I also had the recent pleasure of going to CHARLEY'S Steakhouse, when I was in Orlando in June.  I had a NY STEAK and loved it! It was just the way I like it...
hot and crusty on the outside , and a perfect PINK inside! And it was so tender, it was like eating filet !
 
I even posted these pics of it in one of my Orlando trip reports.. 
CHARLEY'S STEAKHOUSE, ORLANDO (during my 6-08 Florida adventure)

This steak definitely met up to my personal expectations!!!

Attached Image(s)

Next day, Tuesday, December 16th, 2008, DAY 4
My first meal of the day , STONEWOOD GRILL in TAMPA for lunch

It's in the area that is called "new Tampa", about 15 minutes north of city
It is near Wesley Chapel, another new section of town, with bad traffic, too. My friend Robin (from part 2) rented a house in Wesley Chapel .
 
I had the HOMEMADE POTATO CHIPS and BUFFALO WINGS for appetizers.

They were both really good!! 
Here's a close up on those chips.( The dark balsamic sauce was a bit too sweet for my own personal tastes, though.... easy to work around it, though)

This is my 2nd time at a Stonewood, (I went to the Jacksonville, FL one in Nov)
and I can thank my Roadfood buddy Baah Ben for hooking me up with this place!!  I had their infamous BURGER last time; it was EXCELLENT !!!!
This time I went for the NY STEAK , $27.50, including fries and vegetable

It had a great charbroiled taste, and it was cooked perfectly! Hot and pink!

 
I decided to make my STONEWOOD GRILL lunch about the only meal I would have this day. (gotta cut back a little sometime, figuratively speaking)
 
However, I did sneak ONE MORE stop in !

No, I don't mean Walgreen's, although I did buy some postcards there..
And NO, I did'nt go wild and give my rental car a lube job..
Tough for me to resist these Steak and Shake drive thru's.

Ate about half the burger, it was good and messy..only a few of the fries, as they were lukewarm.  (Not like I was hungry or anything, anyway..)
It was hard holding that messy burger up for the pic!  It fell apart after..
 
Part 4 coming soon, the final chapter!
ARCO ISIS, TOO JAYS, ALESSI BAKERY, and WILD WINGS !  ASAP!

Ellen.I missed this trip report...wow another great one....you sure rack up the miles with your trips..thanks and keep them coming!!!

Ellen - As far as I am concerned..You know steak just fine!  You've probably consumed a hell of a lot more of it than most just by the fact that you do eat out a lot and don't eat fish or pork.  So, that puts you in a lot of situations at all of these places to choose a steak off the menu.   I wish I had your food budget$$$$

Thanks for the great pictures as usual.  Glad to hear that your most recent Stonewood was also consistant.  I've been to two of them, both nearby, and they were both consistant although I like the one in Port Orange better.  

Are Stonewood Grill  and Bonefish Grill owned by the same group? Their websites are very similar.

Two dinners in one night, I don't know how you do that? Another good report and pictures.  

Ellen, The Red Mesa Looks great.  What a great menu.  My choice would be Sunday breakfast.  I would have to order one of each.
 
You handled the poor quality steak situation very well, as usual.  Glad to hear Stonewood came through for you again.
 
myterry2  , That was a pretty crappy comment to make.  The only other person more knowledgeable about steak is Peter Luger Himself.                   
 
 

"Ellen Queen of the roadtrip"

A stop at Steak n' Shake & you didn't order a shake...you've got more willpower than I do!

acer2x


Are Stonewood Grill  and Bonefish Grill owned by the same group? Their websites are very similar.

Acer, I believe they are part of the same group...also, if you noticed on the menu the chef's last name is Rathbun....he's a very well known chef as his brother.

ellen4641

myterry2

  Maybe you don't know difference between a good or bad steak. 

You say maybe I don't know the difference between a good steak and a bad one? OUCH !!!!!  I beg to differ on that one.. 
.. let's just say it was'nt a good steak for ME, okay????         
I often DO send items back, perhaps too often.  This time,  I just chose to accept that the steak flavor "is what it is", instead of rocking the boat.
In retrospect , I should've said "this steak does'nt really have a good beefy taste to me". But, it still would NOT have changed the fact that their "oak and citrus wood cooked" steak didn't have a rich, succulent, crusty, chargrilled flavor to me.  Once again, I said "to ME"..
A new one would've been the SAME- -----UNDERWHELMING...
MOST of the time, a restaurant manager IS eager to oblige, I know that..... 

If I was a seafood eater, I'd go back for the extra fresh "right off the boat" catch!

myt

myterry has perhaps has developed a taste for underwhelming.  I'll follow Ellen's palate any day.

well, I just googled Salt Rock Grill reviews, and I see some posters on URBANSPOON.COM felt like I did! (steakwise, etc)
So, it's all subjective, and I'm not losing my mind, after all!!!!!

p.s. Thanks , Joe Rogo , Baah Ben, and Gregg for the "overwheming" support!
(on my being "underwhelmed"!)

acer2x


Are Stonewood Grill  and Bonefish Grill owned by the same group? Their websites are very similar.

HI Steve,
No, as Bonefish Grill is owned by the Outback group....

Baah Ben


Ellen - As far as I am concerned..You know steak just fine!  You've probably consumed a hell of a lot more of it than most just by the fact that you do eat out a lot and don't eat fish or pork.  So, that puts you in a lot of situations at all of these places to choose a steak off the menu.   I wish I had your food budget$$$$

I wish I had her apparent imperviousness to cholesterol...
 
The Stonewood wings look good, too.  How were the fries?
 
Brad

Hi Brad,
I've been lucky with the cholesterol.....I finally got it checked a year or so ago....
(it had been too long!) and my numbers surprisingly came up real good! Amazing, considering all the junk I eat...
But,I'm still trying to shake off these 20 pounds I've gained the last few years.
 
Regarding the Stonewood FRIES, I liked them a lot, but I liked the ones in the Jacksonville Stonewood even MORE; they were even crispier,  plus they had a slightly oily taste... (and grease/oil is one of my major food groups!)
 

ellen4641


I've been lucky with the cholesterol.....I finally got it checked a year or so ago....
(it had been too long!) and my numbers surprisingly came up real good! Amazing, considering all the junk I eat...
But,I'm still trying to shake off these 20 pounds I've gained the last few years.

I bet I have you beat. My cholesterol was 165, and that was before I lost 50 lbs. Of course I don't (and couldn't) eat nearly as  much red meat as you do.

Now regarding losing 20 lbs, I'll agree it isn't easy, but hell, if I lost 50 lbs, then you can lose 20 lbs, you just have to set your mind to it, and perhaps stop roadfooding for a few months, if you start now, then in a few months spring will be here and you can splurge again.

Brad - Stonewood's fries are frozen..thin fast food cut so to speak.  But they are a decent quality.  They remind me of Steak n Shake's fries but they are cooked far better and arrive much crispier.

Acer - We have both a Bonefish and a Stonewood in our town, which is kind of ironic because this sure as hell is not the mecca of decent choices for dining out. 

Bonefish put up a really beautiful place here in Ormond Beach.  It's nicer than the one I saw in Orlando recently off SR 435 (?).  It's also nicer than the one in St. Petersburgh.

Anyway, there's pretty good competiton between the two places here.  No, Stonewood does not own Bonefish.  Personally I like Stonewood better, but it's close.  I always tout Stonewood's wings, burgers and chocloate bread pudding.  Many people do not even bother with those items.  They choose their steaks, fish dishes, tuna, etc.  

Bonefish doesn't have burgers, wings or things like that...Hey, it's a fish house, but they do have a decent steak and a very good pork chop.  For me, the best menu offerings at Bonefish are their appetizers and specifically their coconut shrimp and Bang Bang shrimp.   If you like fish, they have a number of fresh catches of the day that they do with all different types of sauces and preparation treatments.

Decor wise, Bonefish wins hands down here.  It is a really nice looking yet casual restaurant with very good service.  Stonewood is not as nice looking insdie or outside, but also has good service.

wanderingjew

 perhaps stop roadfooding for a few months, if you start now, then in a few months spring will be here and you can splurge again.

Yup, that's exactly my goal........to lose 20 pounds by spring...
I'm not going to travel quite so much till then..
I'm like you in that I don't do as much pigging out when I on my home turf....
I've just gotta stick WITH it this time....(and not just for 3 or 4 days!)
 
Kudos to you, WJ, for losing all that weight and keeping it off!

Ben,

The Bonefish in St. Pete just moved to better quarters in December.  There was a restaurant property in a strip center just down the street from the original Bonefish.  After two different concepts that did not work out for a different restauranteur, Bonefish took over the space.  I have not seen the new space yet but it should fit their needs much better than the previous location.

John

Hi, Ellen4641. I really enjoyed your pictures of your Tampa trip. Sorry that your Salt Rock Grill experience was such a disappointment ( that steak sure LOOKED good, but you sure can't go by that, huh? ) Glad that Stonewood came through for you, though. That steak was truly gorgeous! I'm looking forward to more of your food photos and descriptions.                  Bob ( the new guy ) 

Ellen:  You hardly need to lose 20 lbs.  You will look like a rail.  Not attractive.  Great report as always.

ellen4641

myterry2

  Maybe you don't know difference between a good or bad steak. 

You say maybe I don't know the difference between a good steak and a bad one? OUCH !!!!!  I beg to differ on that one.. 
.. let's just say it was'nt a good steak for ME, okay???? 

 
I admire your restraint.
 
See, I've come to realize, I don't like a heavy charbroilled flavor. This undoubtablely put me in the minority. I'd rather have a steak done under the broiler or on a flat top grill. Maybe I'd like Salt Rock.
 
I LOVE reading your reports! I may never be able to use the info - not able to travel much right now - but I'm very entertained.
 
Cathy, who would love for you to come to Williamsburg

Nice report Ellen.  I cant believe that someone told our resident carnivore that they lacked taste in meats.  As you said "Ouch".
Looking at the steak you liked, I as suprized.  The way it was cooked, It looked like it came from the "nerve end".
I was also suprized by your punctuation.(was'nt, did'nt)  I had never noticed you doing that before.
Im glad you had a great trip again. 

Great report, Ellen. I also admire your restraint. Nicely handled. For me, that "Dayboat Sampler" menu would have been fantastic. Thanks for pointing it out....it will be appreciated by others. I don't think you need to lose 20 lbs. either.

brittneal


Nice report Ellen.  I cant believe that someone told our resident carnivore that they lacked taste in meats.  As you said "Ouch".
Looking at the steak you liked, I as suprized.  The way it was cooked, It looked like it came from the "nerve end".
I was also suprized by your punctuation.(was'nt, did'nt)  I had never noticed you doing that before.
Im glad you had a great trip again. 

Why don't you lighten up and check your OWN spelling and puncuation?

Hi Cathy (WILLIAMSBURGER),
So nice to hear that my reports are entertaining for you!
Went to Williamsburg about 5 or so years ago, doing the Busch Gardens thing with sis and family..
also did Virginia Beach on my own a few times...could'nt really find enough good Roadfood places to eat at....I guess I had bad luck, or?..
If I'm ever down there again, I'll look you up...
And I appreciate you stating your steak "cooking preferences"...
like you said, not everyone likes a heavy charbroiled taste....
and you enlightened me more on that...
 
BRITTNEAL : Thanks for believing in your "steak carnivore" Ellen
... even if some of my punctuation caught you off guard...
 
PANCHO:  Yes, I bet you would've loved that DAYBOAT SAMPLER
                 It was a shame I was'nt a seafood eater...what a
                 waste that time...
 
                 Thanks for the weight support! I do have a little bit too
                 in the stomach and hips.... (I just photo well!)
                 But I've lost about 3 or so pounds already, so it's a
                 start!