Write Around Tampa

Maple Street Biscuit Company

13028 N Dale Mabry Hwy
Tampa

A friend of mine is totally in love with the Biscuit Company. She stocks the freezer with biscuits and gives them out as presents—not the frozen ones. Those are for her. I’ve been several times, but never to write. For that I chose a Saturday morning, around 10:30. The place was packed, mostly all tables taken inside and outside (as I sit and write the line to order is three-deep). Clearly Maple Street is a Carrollwood fave among its residents. But how does it fare for writers? Well I’ll tell you:

Quality and pricing of food and drink:
They’ve definitely upped their game from when they first opened. Yesterday I was here for takeout and got a Florentine benny. Today’s meal is the hash bowl with over medium eggs. Both meals were delicious, the latter with fresh veggies, seasoned perfectly, no need to add salt and pepper. Both meals are reasonably priced at $10, but today I added the golden biscuit with homemade jam, which added another $3. They didn’t have bottled water, so I got free water from the soda fountain, but if you add drinks—perhaps a coffee and juice or signature lemonade—your breakfast could run you upwards of $20.

Are there enough outlets?
There’s a corner window nook with eight tall chairs and a counter with wall plugs that is deliberately writer-friendly. There are scattered outlets but the design is clear: there are no two-tops here, only solo chairs or tables that fit four or eight—a large round table off the middle of the room seats eleven—so come alone or with a brood. Either way, it’s safe to say you’ll find an outlet.

How’s the wifi?
Took two tries to connect, and I had to offer up my name and email, but once I was in signal was strong.

Will my muse come out?
You might not be able to hear her if she does during peak time. Noise is in abundance, from the other conversations, the kid with the noisy tablet playing shut up so mommy and daddy can eat but bother everybody else cartoons, the staff yelling out order pick-up names, John Denver singing about Calypso in the background. Off-peak the atmosphere is peaceful, country-homey, bright and just the right atmosphere for a creative powwow for just the two of you.

How long can I park it?
Until 2:00 pm, when they close. Since it’s like being in a southern kitchen, you won’t mind hanging for a while.

Final rating: 3.75 out of 5 laptops

Rachel Remick’s fiction and non-fiction stories have appeared in various magazines, among them Rosebud, Bluestem and ellipsis . . . literature and art. A frequent contributor to women’s magazine Sasee, her writing has also been published in several volumes of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books. She lives in Tampa, Florida.