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Mr. T's Restaurant Reopens In SoHo

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By MICHAEL H. SAMUELS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 9, 2008

Updated: 01/07/2008 07:11 pm

TAMPA - There will be no live opera singing at the new Mr. T's Ristorante Italiano, but there will be the same authentic Italian cuisine.

Tino Ricciardi has reopened Mr. T's at 927 S. Howard Ave., five months after his lease ended at Kennedy and North boulevards.

He took over the space originally vacated when Westshore Pizza moved downtown. A new restaurant, SoHo Pizza, run by the owners of Hugo's next door, opened briefly before making way for Mr. T's.

Although the place is smaller than Ricciardi's Kennedy restaurant, he said it's just the right size.

"I'm getting old," Ricciardi said. "I want to slow down a little bit."

The restaurant specializes in New York-style and Sicilian pizza along with sandwiches and pasta dishes.

"It's almost the same operation as before," Ricciardi said. "Only smaller in size."

Ricciardi opened Mr. T's on Davis Islands in 1980, moving to Kennedy 10 years ago.

"Everything was new back then," he said. "Nobody in Tampa knew anything about Italian food. It was all Chef Boyardee."

Mr. T's is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and noon to 11 p.m. Saturday.

For information, call (813) 251-3969.

Mr. Empanada Opening On Gandy

Mr. Empanada is on the move.

The Central Tampa-based chain of empanada restaurants is adding to its portfolio, opening a restaurant on Gandy Boulevard and planning others in Brandon and near the University of South Florida.

There are Mr. Empanadas on Armenia Avenue, Kennedy Boulevard, Hillsborough Avenue and in Carrollwood. The new South Tampa location will be at 4711 W. Gandy Blvd.

"Strategically speaking, it is the next place to go," said Audrey Perez, who owns the chain with her husband, Al. "It is more south than the Kennedy location. We're pretty much going from the center out, fingering out to all the areas of Tampa."

The restaurants serve a variety of empanadas, crescent-shaped turnovers made from different kinds of dough and stuffed with combinations of meat, chicken, seafood, vegetables or fruit.

Prices are $1.89 to $2.79.

The restaurant is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

For information, call (813) 832-6232.

David Dann Imports On Bay To Bay

Eight years ago, one of David Dann's friends went to Bali to go surfing.

Predictably, he met a girl and stayed and married her. Then he tried to make a living. One of the first things he did was send furniture back to Dann.

Dann, a cook at the time, didn't know what to do with it. Now he has his own business, David Dann Imports, selling Balinese and teak furniture and accessories.

"People love this stuff," said Dann, who shared space at the Bamboo Trader for 2½ years before opening his store at 3204-A W. Bay to Bay Blvd. a month ago.

He said most customers buy something as an accent piece or for the architectural quality.

"It's eclectic," he said. "They love the simplicity. They love the Asian and island feel."

The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

For information, call (813) 832-2710.

Opening a new business? Expanding or relocating? Contact reporter Michael H. Samuels at msamuels@tampatrib.com or (813) 835-2109.

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