Meat Market, Capital Grille, Dave's Hot Chicken: Restaurant News

TAMPA, FL — Tampa abounds in restaurants from casual, family-style to fine dining.

Here are a few to check out this weekend:

Meat Market

From July 1 to 4, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Meat Market will offer four days of brunch to celebrate Independence Day.

Among the popular brunch selections are Crab Cake Bene with asparagus, Southern-style crab, a poached egg and Béarnaise sauce; Crispy Waffle and Duck with a sweet potato waffle, confit duck and Plant City strawberry marmalade; and Breakfast Gnocchi with pork belly, sun-dried tomato, mushrooms, Parmesan cream and a sous vide poached egg.

Combined with its unmatched dedication to quality, service, and hospitality, the team behind Meat Market is excited to bring their chic modern steakhouse concept north to its newest location, Meat Market Tampa at 1606 Snow Ave. in Hyde Park Village.

Meat Market features 6,000 square feet of stylish décor complete with high ceilings, camel leather banquettes, unique lighting and the same dedication to guest experiences that have made Meat Market one of the best restaurants in South Florida.

The Lounge by Meat Market, open Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., offers a more glamorous take on nightlife. The first of its kind in Tampa, The Lounge by Meat Market has a sophisticated, refined mood with the right lighting and plush seating. Click here for reservations.

Capital Grille

On July 3, The Capital Grille, 2223 N Westshore Blvd., a fine dining restaurant known for dry-aged steaks, fresh seafood and a world-class wine list, will launch its 15th annual summer wine-tasting event, The Generous Pour.

Through Sept. 3, guests are invited into the restaurant to sample a variety of world-class wines for the price of $35 and the purchase of dinner, each hand-selected to pair with the menu, from two famous winemakers: Wine Enthusiast 2019 Winemaker of the Year Dave Phinney of Orin Swift Cellars and 2022 Winemaker of the Year Nicole Hitchcock of J Vineyards & Winery.

Meant to educate guests on exceptional winemakers and how different wines pair with items on The Capital Grille menu, The Generous Pour is also a chance for guests to taste wines they may not normally get to try by the glass while enjoying more of their favorites throughout their meal. This year’s lineup includes:

• Department 66 “Fragile” Rosé (Maury, France) – aromas of white flowers, raspberry and watermelon with flavors of summer stone fruit and fresh strawberries
• J Vineyards Pinot Gris (California) – fragrant jasmine and honeysuckle with an inviting palate of white peach, pear, kiwi and lime zest
• J Vineyards Chardonnay (California Tri-Appellation) – aromas of lightly buttered toast and freshly picked citrus with notes of baked apple pastry, caramelized pear and grilled pineapple
• J Vineyards Pinot Noir (California Tri-Appellation) – notes of red and black cherry, ripe berries and plum layered with hints of cocoa, earth and toast
• 8 Years in the Desert Red Wine (California) – aromas of wild blackberry, oatmeal raisin cookie and spices, dark berries and black cherry with a palate featuring a hint of cocoa and a long finish
• Abstract Red Wine (California) – a deep purple wine with notes of blue and blackberries and hints of dark chocolate and seasoned leather
• Palermo Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley, Calif.) – opens with aromas of ripe cassis and blackberry, followed by dark chocolate and toasted oak

The lighter wines are meant to pair with appetizers and the first course, with the remaining reds intended to complement the bold flavors of The Capital Grille’s entrées like the dry, aged New York strip au Poivre with Courvoisier cream, the porcini-rubbed bone-in ribeye with 15-year aged balsamic, the seared salmon with heirloom tomatoes, white wine butter and lemon basil mosto.

Click here for reservations.

Dave's Hot Chicken

Dave’s Hot Chicken, the scrappy late-night pop-up turned hot chicken sensation, has opened its first Tampa restaurant at 2540 E. Fowler Ave.

The new restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight.

From an East Hollywood parking lot pop-up to becoming the fastest-growing restaurant chain in America, Dave’s Hot Chicken has come a long way in a short time.

In a modern-day American dream story, Arman Oganesyan and best friends Chef Dave Kopushyan and Tommy Rubenyan launched Dave’s Hot Chicken in an East Hollywood parking lot pop-up on May 2, 2017, funded by their combined life savings of $900. Seven months later, with the backing of Gary Rubenyan, the four launched Dave’s first brick-and-mortar restaurant a few blocks from the original pop-up.

Dave’s Hot Chicken specializes in hot chicken tenders and sliders, along with sides of house-made kale slaw, creamy mac & cheese and crispy, seasoned french fries. Offered at seven spice levels ranging from No Spice to Reaper (which requires a signed waiver for those who dare), each jumbo-sized chicken tender is hand-breaded and spiced to order using a spice-blend crafted specifically for its heat level or no-spice.

“As our first-ever review said, ‘Dave’s Hot Chicken just might blow your mind!’ Every tender is hot, juicy and spicy,” said Bill Phelps, Dave’s Hot Chicken’s CEO. “Six years ago, four friends created something phenomenal."