Chef Michelle Bernstein Hosting Pop-up This Weekend At Hard Rock Tampa

TAMPA, FL – James Beard award-winning Chef Michelle Bernstein is hosting a pop-up this weekend called La Cañita this weekend at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa inside their restaurant, The Rez Grill located at 5223 Orient Rd. The pop-up is a celebration of the cuisines of Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and beyond and this is one pop-up you do not want to miss featuring food and live music as well as excellent cocktails.

Chef Michelle Bernstein (affectionately known to many as “Michy”) is a culinary trendsetter since her emergence to the food scene in South Florida in the late-1990’s. Recently Bernstein opened some of Miami’s most popular restaurants, including Sra. Martinez, the original Michy’s, Café La Trova , a robust catering operation (MBC Catering) and, most recently, La Cañita.

She is also well-known and recognized for two television shows, PBS Television’s “Check, Please!” and “SoFLo Taste” on WPLG ABC 10. In 2008, she made history as the first woman to win the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast.

Menu items include Prawn Trifongo with yuca-green-ripe plantain, grilled shrimp and red chimichurri; Ricotta Gnocchi with rabo encendido; Cuban Panzanella Salad with toasted Cuban bread, queso blanco, tomato, avocado, and mojo vinaigrette; and for dessert, a Passion Fruit Tres Leches.

Specialty cocktails for the pop-up include the Mojito Criollo, a refreshing blend of rum, lime juice, sugar, mint, soda water, and bitters; the Disco Inferno, a bold mix of reposado tequila, passion fruit, and spicy agave; the Domino Old Fashioned, a rich combination of rum, rye whiskey, demerara, and chocolate bitters; and La Cañita, a tropical fusion of classic rum, banana liqueur, guava, strawberry, and lime.

The Rez Grill is located on the mezzanine level of the casino at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa, accessible from the Orient Road Garage.

Reservations can be made online at: sevenrooms.com/reservations/therezgrilltampa

About me: Hello my name is Carlos Hernandez and I am a writer and journalist with over 15 years of experience. I write the food and travel blog Carlos Eats (https://www.carloseats.com) and also contribute to several newspapers and magazines on numerous topics.