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I've recently received some new medical information that has me looking even closer at what I put into my body. This couldn't have come at a more improper time. With the starting in of this food blog, and contributing to others like this one, eating food will essentially become another one of my side jobs. Because I can no longer eat what my heart desires, I've enlisted the help of a few friends to come along with me to local restaurants, bars, and dives to experience and report it all. They come with me when I know I won't be sitting down to eat anything fried. My new mission is to scour my part of the world for the best soups, salads, and sandwiches of our locally owned establishments. I already know Tampa spots pretty well, so I figured I would revisit some of my favorite places and try some of the things I have previously passed up. I used to only eat one kind of meal when going out... unhealthy, so I'd like to highlight some of the alternatives that are already present on their menus. My first stop for this experiment is Dogwater Cafe. It is somewhat of a staple to Tampa, so I headed over to see what I could find. You'll see I was pleasantly surprised.;)
The first time I visited Dogwater, I remember being put off by the name somewhat. Upon looking at their menus, I quickly realized they had a theme going. You guessed it. Dogs. Along with their motto, "We treat you like the dog you are," their menu has clever, dog themed names for whatever you'd like to order. And don't worry. I've been there multiple times, and as far as I know, the servers there do NOT go out of their way to treat you like a dog. Names like "Alaskan 'Mush'rooms", "Boxer Poppers", and their curly fries lovingly referred to as "French Poodles", try to describe, almost comically, what you are about to order. Your food arrives in pet dishes and dog bowls, accompanied with a smile.In my effort to eat a little healthier, I decided to try out their wraps. I chose the "Mr. Limpet's Grouper", which can be ordered grilled, fried, or blackened. A nice touch, seeing as authentic grouper in 'bar' style establishments is hard to come by anyway, let alone them giving you an option of how it's prepared. I keep wanting to try it prepared differently, but every time I go back, I get the grilled version with lettuce, tomato, and no onions. [ See pic. ] The price is reasonable [ around $10 ] and it comes with their own home made chips, which I keep, instead of substituting fries at $1.50. Frankly, the home made chips are amazing, not greasy, and definitely worth a try. The taste of the grouper pulls through over the fresh veggies without an entirely 'fishy' taste, a sign that they know what they are doing when you put a new order in.
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Last, but definitely not least, is their selection of beers on tap and liquor choices. Since they know I am somewhat of a connoisseur, they recently offered up a new beer for my tasting. It's called Longboard Island Lager, and it's from Hawaii. Reminiscent of some lighter ales, this lager has a bit of an aftertaste, which is usually a bad thing, but this one actually complimented the experience. The pitcher was shared with a friend and gone within a single sitting, which is another compliment in itself. I'm usually a liquor kinda guy. A bit on the expensive side, though, to be honest [ around $10 ].My overall experience at this restaurant/bar is always a pleasant one. The staff is friendly, the TV's are plentiful, and on certain nights you can catch poker and karaoke. Weekends offer up drink specials on beer and two-for-one on well drinks. Carry-out is also available. Almost every person I bring there tries the grouper wrap first. If you stop in [ location below ], tell them Darren from the FEN Food Blog sent ya. Maybe they'll rename it after me. Cheers!
Dogwater Cafe
3611 W. Hillsborough Avenue
Tampa, FL 33614-5757
(813) 877-5241
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