Writes of Passage

3632 Lithia Pinecrest Rd,
Valrico, FL 33596

… more pix & videos on Google Maps, Yelp, TA

Will return for ambience, food/drinks, and service.

We’ve got four beers, two red wines, and boiled peanuts (the way Chinese like them), which is a surprise because Americans prefer their peanuts crunchy. They’re yummy, salty, spicy (fit me perfectly), and messy: my fingers and nails have black rings.

A small table sits up front, selling cigars. The pretty lady is very personable, trying to remember all her customers’ names.

They’re indoor and outdoor sections. When we arrived around 7 pm on a Saturday, a singer was performing indoors. Two staff members are operating the bar and the fort. Another man is in the green cabboos/kitchen in the outdoor section.

Another surprise is how few drinkers there are: by the time we leave, around 9:30, it’s still pretty empty.

A young family with three kids, one is an infant – not judging, just happy for the parents who have a night out with their kids.
A little gossip: the cigar lady has just married the owner three months ago. She has two, and he has a triplet: best wishes for the union.

Despite a brewery, their wine glasses are decent: thank you!

The only complaint I’ve is their wobbly tables.

Bullfrog Creek Brewing Co. isn’t an Asian eatery but very surprised to find the boiled peanut on the menu (Chinese love this version). It’s delicious, mushy and messy – my finger nails are black.

Have a great weekend!

12350 US-301
Riverview, FL 33579

… more pix on Google Maps & Yelp.

Will return for the food.

We’ve

~ Falafels
~ Beef shawarma
~ Gyro
~ Chicken plater

All are fresh and yummy. Falafels look good and taste great, except the sauce is too little – they charge for the extra, which I do not mind.

Spacious. Neat. Order from the counter and server brings over to your table.

277 Central Ave,
St. Petersburg, FL 33701

… more pix & vid on Google Maps, Yelp & TA

Will return for the service.

A corner bar, with all sliding doors open, in this 94 degree day, with ac in full blast. That’s Florida, or USA.

We’ve an hour to kill before dinner. Mubadala Citi DC Open is going on, so we wandered in. I asked the bar tender if he could turn one screen to tennis and he did – thank you.

(Taylor Townsend def Sofia Kenin 3 and love, advanced to quarter final… followed by Pegula v Canadian Fernandez, in a yellow/orangy outfit – pretty… but I’m rooting for Jessie!!)

That block of Central Ave, between 3rd St N and 2nd St N is filled with bars and restaurants, includes Sauvignon wine Locker American Trattoria. Diagonally opposite is the James Museum.

7508-7534 Sunshine Skyway Ln S,
St. Petersburg, FL 33711

… more pix n videos on Google Maps, TA

A toll-free bridge over Lower Tampa Bay, connecting St. Petersburg with Manatee County in Florida. The tall yellow cable is very striking.

The ocean views from Manatee County is vast and beautiful.

150 Central Ave,
St. Petersburg, FL 33701

… more pix on google maps, Yelp & TA

Will return to this wonderfully curated museum of contemporary art. 小巧玲珑 精心策划的当代艺术博物馆

The $75m James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art is created by Tom and Mary James, opened in 2018.

Thomas James (born 1942 or 43) is the chairman of Raymond James Financial, which was founded by his father Robert James (1909-83). It’s based in St. Pete. I think the firm is more like eTrade than Morgan Stanley.

• Keturah Belknap & the Oregon Trail
• a few Chinese
• 8 statues
• a few statues / scuptures
• a few paintings
• $6,506 Yelp  & acrobats

The museum has eight galleries/sections, showcasing sculptures, paintings, jewelry, and other artifacts by 20th & 21st centuries artists:

1. Early West
2. Native Life
3. Native Artists
4. the Jewel Box
5. Frontier
6. Wildlife
7. New West
8. Intro

Keturah Belknap (1820-1913) documented her journey from Ohio to Oregon, beginning in 1840.

The Oregon Trail was first developed by fur traders in the early 1800s, the Oregon Trail became a major east-west wagon route to travel from Missouri to the Oregon Territory. The potential for opportunity and fertile land enticed more than 400,000 settlers to make the journey west traversing dusty plains, steep mountains, flowing rivers, and dense forests. Groups of wagons traveled single-file and came to be known as wagon trains. It took four to six months to complete the 2,100-mile route, leaving by April to hopefully arrive in the fall before the first snow. The Oregon Trail was in use for several decades until 1869, when the transcontinental railroad was completed. Some markers and remnants remain today.

At another corner, I saw a few paintings about Chinese railroad labors.

John Coleman (1949-), Bronze (4/15), 2011

The Greeter, Black Moccasin Meeting Lewis and Clark

Hidatsa Chief Black Moccasin is said to have been the First of his tribe in greet the Lewis and Clark Expedition as they came up the Missouri River in 1834. Thirty years later he greeted artist George Catlin during his journey, and today he greets you. This chiet, who was described as kindhearted, lived to be approsmately 105 vears old. Coleman’s interpretation shows the eider welconing the expedition group with a calumet, or pesce pipe, and waving an eagle fan.

… And the Clint Eastwood, by Ben Steele (1977-), oil on canvas. Mr. Eastwood (1930-) is closely associated with the “spaghetti western” film genre. This painting captured his charactoer from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966) Italian film, directed Sergio Leone (1929-89). 克林特·伊斯特伍德, 本·斯蒂尔(1977-), 布面油画. 老伊与“意大利式西部片”风格密切相关. 这幅画作捕捉了他在意大利电影黄金三镖客 (1966) 中的角色, 由塞尔吉奥·莱昂内(1929-1989)导演. 老伊最初在祖国找不到工作 只能东飘. 三十好几漂洋过海揾食… 幸好他执着, 没有半途而废. 他的经典作太多. 不过 2008 的 Gran Torino (自导/演/制) 该片有大量 Hmong (南亚) 美国演员, 这在美国主流电影中尚属首次: 印象深刻.

… oh don’t they look like …

• Tropicana Field
• Where’s Jubes
• St. Pete
• Sunshine Skyway Bridge
• Yelp cosmic rodeo

823 Water St C100,
Tampa, FL 33602

Def will return.

Location: 5
Ambience: 5
Service: 4
Food: 5
Picayune: sleeker wine glass

… more pix & vid on Google Maps, Yelp & TA

For a light lunch, we’ve:

– NE oysters
– Parmesan baked clams
– Garlic shrimps
– Benvolio Pinot Grigio

The open kitchen churns out delicious foods. The horseradish is freshly grind (right?).

Their oyster repertoire is extensive, from both coasts: Washburn (Cape Cod), Miyagi (Pacific oysters, from Japan but nowadays … fm Washington’s Hood Canal), Olympia (fm the Puget Sound area), etc. We stayed with NE, while still thinking the NW at Oye in Durango. Theirs are fresh, skinny, which I like!!!

Baked clams and shrimps are very flavorful but not greasy. The shrimps are succulent. (The plate for the clams is too shallow, risky of spilling. Maybe in a soup plate?) Both sauces are perfect for dipping, even their breads are to die for on their own. (Thinking to take the sauces home… ha ha ha … I might leave without a husband if I asked.)

It’s Wimbledon semi finals day. Taylor Fritz is playing. We passed by Boulon but didn’t see any tv monitors. So The Pearl it is. I asked for it and the hostess is very kind, immediately changed the channel – thank you so much.

Part of Cameron Mitchell and a Michelin Guide restaurant, this location has high ceiling, relaxing atmosphere, tasteful decor, and is near the Riverwalk. Electrical outlets under the bar counter.

Walco utensils look bit fussy for the deco. The Peroni beer glass is sleek and beautiful: it’s simply not fair, how could a beer glass outshine the wine glass -:)

It’s a pretty large restaurant, with multiple sections, corners and seating arrangements. The path to their bathrooms remind me of Sixty Vines in Miami, even how the staff huddled together for a quick meeting. No light switch in the bathroom tho. For my aging eyes, it’s a little too dark.

There are many hocks on the walls. I tried to figure out where were they from, perhaps from the docks (?) but the bar tender said it’s above his pay grade.

The bill is presented inside a real book, like at The Library. A little odd but I did find “Let’s Go Islanders” comments on the front page – Amalie Arean is next door. Love Tampa’s Lightning but Ya, let’s go Islanders 😉 this place is probably packed on the games day or night.

Fritz lost in four sets just as we were sitting down, unfortunately. (Sinner took out Djokovic in three if anyone cares.) Now I’ll concentrate my cheering for Amanda Anisimova tomorrow. Do help me out, TIA.

7004 W Hillsborough Ave,
Tampa, FL 33634

… more pix on Google Maps

Surprisingly, a great experience: courteous staff, clean office, efficient service, and ample parking spaces.

A gentleman, like hotel concierge, standing by the front entrance, with great smile and kind manner. First asking if we’re in the correct office, then directing us to sign in, at the two kiosks.

The waiting crowd is very quiet.

The agent called us 10 minutes earlier than the scheduled time, who is a mild manner and soft spoken, Harley Davison type of guy, with a painter’s cap. Behind him is a modern office. He is patient, knowledgeable and solved our issue effortlessly.

The bathroom is spacious and clean. As I was trying to open the door, Mr Concierge said, “just push it.”
Once inside, I didn’t see the lock function. Thinking geeee, maybe it’s also auto detected? So I asked him about it. He explained that there is a lock … “… don’t know why did they give us this complicated door knob. …”

We made an appointment days ago. The waiting time was all but five minutes. Now I’ll have to think where to spend the budgeted time before my lunch.

3808 W Swann Ave
Tampa, FL 33609

… more pix on Google maps

Got this organic basil $4.49 from Trader Joe’s … also got Zhoug spicy sauce, which is good, as usual.

I’ll see how long this pot of basil will last in my brown thumbs. Picked leaves right away, and repot into two the following day. Hope it will grow a little longer than one time thing.

They’re promoting Butternut Sauvignon Blanc 2021 @ $3.99: it’s pretty good – dry.

339 19th Ave NE
Ruskin, FL 33570

… more pix on Yelp, TA

Another lunch here with my fellow book clubers.

I’ve the Mini Devil Crab, which has a little more than Devil Crab, the small plate. I also tried skipper’s Cuban Sandwich – delish and it’s my next lunch! Thanks

The best part is, we’re seated in the middle of the room, facing the two tv monitors above the bar, both are turned to Wimbledon: left is Alcaraz def British Norrie (2,3,3), and right side monitor is showing Amanda Anisimova (2001-) defeating Anastasia “Nastia” Pavlyuchenkova (1991-) 6-1, 7-6 ^11:9 a tight second set.

I watched AA’s debut match at Roland Garros in 2019 – she was very shapely, sharp featured and moved like chetah. I instantly felt in love with her. … then her father passed away and she dropped out of sight … until 2021 when she lost to my other fave – Karolína Plíšková in the night match @ US Open. I think Pliskova might have retired or about to … Hope AA fare better a.k.a. wins a slam or two or three.  GO AA, all the way.

Thanks Skipper -:)

They’re quick to contact me, but VERY irresponsible in the end.

^{Posting this review on TrustPilot isn’t easy: first it picked on me because I used names; then it wrote “getopenlaw.com has flagged your review because they don’t think it’s based on a genuine experience.” I challenged it, but has not received reply, as of today, July 10. So I’m reposting it, with the screenshots of text messages with OpenLaw from last November 2024.}  

I got a mail from them in Nov 2024, in all caps, stating:

Action required: Pop n Sons Diner filed a lawsuit against you …

At the time, I didn’t know Pop n Sons Diner was Hales Blackbrick (d/b/a). So I dismissed it as another junk mail. But then they followed it up by calling me on Nov 19, the day before I was being served.

The caller (George?) said they usually get to the lawsuits before the defendants are even informed; and that he was a call scheduler, to arrange a call with an assistant (? Sunshine?) who would assign us to an appropriate attorney. I was very relieved and grateful.

He looked at his calendar and offered a slot a few days (or a week?) later.

“We’re leaving the country in two days.” I said.

He was kind enough to schedule us the next day at noon.

Sunshine (?) called the following day, two hours earlier than the scheduled time. She was through. At the end of our conversation, she said an attorney would contact us shortly.

Later that day, I was served.

However, after this call with Sunshine, all contact (phone and messenger text) from them ceased, no matter how many attempts we made.

The problem was, I was about to leave for Asia for a month (part of it were at remote areas without wifi and or internet) – and I told both George and Sunshine about this. The state I’m in, has 20 days max to response to a lawsuit. Should I know their behavior, I would NOT have to count on them, I could have found an attorney within the last two days while still in the country. It was a terrible situation they put me in: 12 hours time difference, plus spotty internet service, making communication to extend the responding of the lawsuit very difficult.

… P.S. Eventually and shortly, we found an attorney online, who extended the extension of time, and ultimately won the lawsuit. Case was closed a week after Helen Freund of Tampa Bay Times wrote about this case that published on June 4th, 2025: She reviewed a Tampa restaurant on Yelp. Then came a lawsuit.