Carlos Eats: F&B Brings Quality Espresso Tonic To Downtown Tampa + Updates
I took a look last weekend and liked what I saw.
Hello and Happy Juneteenth! I am revamping my newsletters. Carlos Eats will be less location focused and more of a journal food journal with some discussions around what is happening in the food industry.
The goal will be to more nimble and to provide more updates when we have slower news days especially with the current state of the media. I hope you will support me as I work on this. I will also cover places I have visited, upcoming experiences, and insights. If you have any feedback, as always my inbox and comments are open.
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Espresso Tonic arrives in downtown Tampa at Flatbread & Butter:
I have long advocated for the espresso tonic. It is the natural evolution of the iconic espresso and sparkling water combo in Italy. I love how it really showcases the quality of the coffee AND espresso pour at a cafe and the creativity different shops put into it. It never tastes the same at different shops. Tampa shops have been slow to catch on. Many do not even have sparkling water when requested with an espresso pour.
Tampa’s coffee scene experienced a boom before the pandemic and has slowed in recent years. Expansion plans have not worked out for some and for others entire concepts and chains folded. The price of coffee is rising and accessibility is changing. People are still taking a shot at it though and indeed I am sipping a coffee as I type this.
One bright spot is Ybor City Coffee & Tea (yborcitycoffeeandtea.co) which held a great latte throwdown in March. It’s a precarious time to be running a business in Ybor City so I am wishing them all the best. They have maintained their coffee focus, while also moving out into more food and unique options, even roasting their own coffee.
There is a new place in downtown Tampa though next to Straz Center called Flatbread & Butter (F&B). The area is part of effort to create an arts district in Tampa. The concept is originally from across the bridge in St. Petersburg. The shop’s sleek look with a retro pink look is similar to a place I frequent on the West Coast called Cafe Réveille. There is a good amount of seating both indoors and outdoors and some bar seats.
F&B is hidden in the back of building and closer to Ashley than one would think. Employees are friendly and they have some brunch items such as avocado toast. I would like to some Tampa flair in the Tampa location.
The coffee is not cheap. You’ll spend about $7 on an espresso tonic, but it is incredible. An Americano is around $3.50. F&B sources locally with beans from a popular shop in St. Petersburg that is also known for pushing the local coffee scene. That focus on local is really important for changing the food and drink scene in downtown Tampa, so much of it has not focuses in that direction. Love to see it. It’s one of the reasons why The Lab has remained one of my top coffee shops over the years, even though I don’t make it there much these days.
The espresso tonic is often presented similar to a cocktail complete with glassware and straws. The citrus is not always used, but in Tokyo some coffee shops had a twist with grapefruit or other fruits used including lime. It’s a fun creative drink and sometimes there is citrus added to the simple syrup as well. It is the king of iced coffee choices.
I have yet to try the food menu, but am excited to try it soon. I’ll be back.
Flatbread & Butter. 101 W Tyler St, Tampa, FL 33602. flatbreadandbutter.com
Some recent adventures thanks to Truffle for tracking:
Tada’s Kitchen: There is a menu change happening at Tada’s Kitchen in Brandon with more creativity going from just rice bowls, banh mi, and pho. Exciting to see the chef experiment some more.
KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot: It is incredible how popular KPOT is getting in Brandon. My last visit it was packed! Good news for Korean BBQ fans in Tampa. Hopefully we are going to see more growth in that space.
Sonata Restaurant: So much creativity happening at Sonata from Chef Ted Dorsey, can’t wait to go back soon and have some more.
Sushii Paper: A focus on rice paper for sushi is intriguing. The location is not far from Oldsmar and Clearwater, accessible to most Pinellas County residents.
Hope to have more for you soon. Thank you for sticking with me!
-Carlos Hernandez