THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Datz Awards

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Datz Restaurant Review:

Formerly retailers in New York, Suzanne and Roger Perry then became restaurateurs in Tampa. They admit that the road to culinary life was not as easy as they thought it would be, but they have achieved tasty success. Their two-level Datz restaurant conveys a sense of comfort as soon as you pass through its doors. With a bar on each floor, there’s plenty of room to try the house-made cocktails. At the retail store you can buy pastries, chocolates, local honey and jams, and also choose from a large selection of American craft boutique spirits. When it comes to the menu, the Perrys, along with their chef, have created comfort food dishes that are made with as many locally sourced products as possible. Peruse the offerings, which are presented in the form of a newspaper, and order the eggs barbacoa (pulled pork with cilantro and Monterey jack cheese over corn tortillas) or the red velvet tower made of four fluffy red velvet pancakes for breakfast. For lunch, you will find a watermelon salad and sandwiches such as the “April in Paris,” warm melted Brie, tomato, arugula and basil pesto served on hot grilled country bread. Burgers are available at both lunch and dinner, as are flatbreads and a margherita pizza. If you are a fan of chicken-waffle, order the “Waffles n’ Tweet” made with boneless fried chicken and served with cheddar cheese waffles and jalapeño-maple syrup. If you haven’t tried it, this version is a good introduction. Two must-haves are the Creole shrimps and grits and the pastrami pork belly on a bed of delicious homemade sauerkraut. Artisan cheeses are available before you move on to the peppercorn cheesecake or the Vosges macarons and chocolates. Accompany your meal with American wines --- you can catch a peek of the wine cellar upstairs --- or craft beers. If Datz is what we call a “neighborhood restaurant,” it should be more than that, as this is a dining destination for all of the Bay and out-of-towners, too.