It might seem like I only eat what I’ve foraged from the farmers market, and that my diet is solely pasture-fed and all-organic. To an extent that is my philosophy, but don’t expect me to pull a Gwyneth-style mea culpa—I have always loved Italian meats and cheeses and no healthy diet is going to change that.  Truly, a life without Prosciutto di Parma and hard salami is no life at all.

Leave the gun, take the cannoli (cake)

Thankfully, there’s Mazzaro’s Italian Market in St. Petersburg, essentially Tampa Bay’s holy grail of Italian foods. When I am jonseing for authentic Italian ingredients to make a meal at home, or want a quick Mediterranean fix, I head to Mazzaro’s.  The reasons are numerous, but it’s a one-stop shop. Featuring an amazing bakery with homemade bread (the cannoli cake alone is worth the trip), there is also an extensive butcher’s counter and market with a huge selection of oils, vinegars and other Italian non-perishables.

Mazzaro’s deli and prepared foods are a great value. Their hot and cold Italian sub sandwiches are $5-$6 and can easily feed two people—topped with a delicious Italian coleslaw that balances the salty meats and gives the sandwich a little crunch. The prepared food offerings are voluminous and vary day to day, but you can expect lots of sides like Fennel and Orange Salad with Olives, entrées like Pork Osso Buco and Chicken Milanese, all priced per pound.  The homemade sauces and fresh pasta case makes an easy to grab-n-go, an important tip because Mazzaro’s can be a little overwhelming because it’s always crowed.

My suggestion if you come during the lunch rush, relax and plan on spending an hour there. There is an Italian patio in the back of the store where you can enjoy sandwiches and the prepared foods you selected and coolers full of cold drinks including soda from Italy. Be sure to grab an espresso on your way out—Mazzaro’s roasts all their beans in-house.

Check out more of my Mazzaro’s photos on Instagram.

2909 22nd Avenue N, St. Petersburg, Florida. Tel: (727) 321-2400. Closed at 2pm on Saturdays and closed Sundays.

Croque Madam with local cured wild boar and quail egg. Photo Courtesy of Tasting Tampa

Last week I had the pleasure of sampling the new, hyper-local menu at Marchand’s, the main restaurant at the Renaissance Vinoy in St. Petersburg. Already a fan of the restaurant and its ambiance, the new menu gives me more reasons to return, season after season.

Executive Chef Mark Heimann’s vision is to elevate the offerings at Marchand’s beyond what is expected at a large resort property, and he’s doing this by centering the menu around meats, fish and produce sourced from local farms like 3 Boys, Seelys Ark and Pasture Prime Family Farm in Summerfield. The farm to table movement is perhaps the most prevalent trend in American cuisine today, evidenced by the resurgence of the local farmer’s market and community farms.  But at Marchand’s, the new menu isn’t for the sake of chasing fads, it provides great synergy with the entire experience at the Vinoy–a resort credited with the rebirth of downtown St. Petersburg. The new menu makes perfect sense at a place that embraces the quirkiness that makes St. Petersburg, and for that matter, Florida, unique.

Lobby at the Vinoy

The Chef’s first impression, made with a whimsical Mangalitsa “Croquet Madame” with Georgia Red, Fried Quail Egg, and a Silk Onion Soup Shooter set the tone for the delightful, six course Chef’s Surprise tasting menu, reasonably priced at $80 per person with a additional $30 for wine parings with each course. The house-cured, pasture-raised wild boar and melted Georgia Red cheese were tempered by an unctuous quail egg and the sweetness of the onion soup. Equally as delicious was the next course, succulent Golden Tile with Romanesco Cauliflower on a Rock Shrimp Nage, topped with a precious Sun Choke Hush Puppy. The seafood was sourced from Florida’s Gulf waters, and it shined against the subtle tarragon-infused nage.

Other highlights of the meal were the tomato vinaigrette accompanying the Key West Yellow Tail Snapper and the bacon-smoked collard greens that provided texture and acidity to the tangerine-barbequed pork cheek perched atop fried Mac n’ Cheese.

On my list to try next time? The Corned Beef Short Rib with Cabbage Gnocchi and the Florida Pink Prawns with Watermelon Relish and Lychee salad. Marchand’s Bar & Grille, 501 5th Ave NE,  St. Petersburg, FL 33701. Tel: (727) 824-8072

I was not compensated for writing this review, however, my meal was provided gratis by the Vinoy and Marchand’s.