Rain or shine the City Bike Tampa Urban Restaurant Tour was on tonight!
And – trust me – there was rain!
But luckily it cleared out just in time to leave me with a wet seat for the first ride.
No biggie. π
I had so much fun on my first Urban Restaurant Tour last month, that as soon as registration open for this month’s ‘Ode to Ybor’ edition, I jumped on it. Any excuse to explore local restaurants is a-ok in my book. π
The $10 price tag and change to explore Tampa by bike helps too.
And this time I had friends! Everyone say Hi Megan and Jessica!
At the first stop (Sono Cafe) we enjoyed gelato (so sad this was the only dessert of the tour)
And mini Paninis (the prosciutto one was delish)
Once the rain cleared, we were off.
Side note – riding my bike with clipless pedals, but no clipless shoes is weird.
Look who decided to join us on the way to stop #2. π
Courtney got a little lost finding the first meeting spot, but after a little phone talking she was able to met us on the road.
It was a simple two mile bike ride that brought us to our first Ybor spot: Gaspar’s Grotto
A funky, local bar that was decked out in preparation for our arrival.
The food.
Kind of weird how they served the chicken wings, chips and salsa in individual serving cups, but it worked.
The meaty marinara sauce covered bread was eh, but the chicken wing was a great mix of sweet and spciy.
Next!
Tampa Bay Brewing Company
LOVED the hummus.
Spaghetti Warehouse is such a hidden restaurant, I’m pretty sure I would NEVER have seen it if we didn’t stop right in front of it. π
I loved the inside of this place. It had a great historic feel to it, especially with an old trolley resting smack dab in the middle of the dining room.
Most restaurants on the tour focus on sandwiches because it’s easy. I appreciated that the Spaghetti Warehouse went to extra step with lasagna and salad. It was good lasagna too! π
I was getting full at this point and the pizza wasn’t too appealing, so I skipped it.
And focused on water instead. π
The final stop was my favorite. I <3 The Bricks!
This was the ONLY stop to provide water cups. BIG BONUS points in my opinion. π
They win for best salsa of the night.
They also win for most creative sandwich.
Peanut Butter & Pickle?
I was too scared to try it (oddly enough it was the Jiffy Peanut Butter that scared me away more the actual pickle), but Megan couldn’t resist a bite.
Her thoughts? Not bad. π
The evening ended with a few door prizes.
I think I need to buy a lottery ticket – my luck is at an all time high! – for the second night in a row I won a giveaway!
A water bottle holder! Sweet!
Sorry for such a brief post. It’s after midnight and I’m ready for bed.
\
Good Night!
Eating and biking is the perfect night! I wish my town would do something like this π
Kate (What Kate is Cooking) recently posted..WIAW and Blender Explosions
I can’t believe, with your love for pickles and peanut butter, you’ve never had a PBP Sandwich! A definite staple of my childhood. So delicious with the sweet PB and the cool crunchy sourness of the pickle. MMMMMmmmmmm.
We grew up eating peanut butter and pickle sandwiches too! Sweet, sour, AND salty? Heaven.
Madeline – Greens and Jeans recently posted..coffee shop musings
Uhh, I wish I could do something super fun like that for $10!
Sana recently posted..Spice and Bright Colors
I love Spaghetti Warehouse! We have one here in Toledo, OH and their lasagna is super…as well as quite a few other dishes π
WOW! What a neat experience. Two of my favorite things: Biking and Eating. Happy Friday!
SheFit recently posted..Berry Fulfilling Greek Yogurt Pancakes
My husband and I ate at a Greek restaurant in Ybor City the day before I donated a kidney at Tampa General last fall. We loved the area – it was totally cute!
This reminds me of the Wine Tours we take when visiting the Finerlakes. If you put wine into this kind of tour, it could get dangerous, but so much fun! π
Lauren recently posted..Good Day Declaration
First of all, I need to find one of these traveling food tours in Baltimore—ASAP!
Second of all, there used to be a Spaghetti Warehouse in RI when I was a kid! It was the coolest place to have your birthday party! Wow, you just brought so many memories back.
Hillary recently posted..Thatβs Bananas!
I totally had the chance to go to the TBBC a few months ago when I wasn’t into beer (as in…hated the stuff). Now that I’m learning that I was just drinking the wrong stuff, I would’ve loved to have gone – it looks like so much fun!
This is awesome! My boyfriend and I are always looking for things like this around us but have not had a lot of luck with finding them! I’m super jealous! Time to move to Orlando I guess! Haha
Cait’s Plate recently posted..Mike the Photog
How fun! Do they have one of these in Orlando?
BTW- at peanut butter and pickle as a kid. Had no idea it was a weird thing to do!
Carissa recently posted..Good music and good coupons
They don’t have one in Orlando, but I’ve been tempted to start one up. I think we can do one that covers College Park and Downtown.
What an awesome tour! I wish they had one of those near me. It looks like so much fun! π
There used to be a Spaghetti Warehouse in the Philly area and they closed it a little while ago.
Hope recently posted..Sometimes the Truth Hurtsβ¦
The sandwich looks delectable. Haha, looks like you had a lot of fun. (:
this looks like such an awesome event!!! and dang, i agree – get a lottery ticket! you’re so lucky!
sarah (sarah learns) recently posted..holla for hummus
Fun night! I might hit 1, maybe 2 restaurants within biking vicinity of my house. I need to live in a city!
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen recently posted..Summer bruschetta
PB and pickle sounds really good — I love salty/sweet!
want to know weird? Peanut butter and bologna!
my papaw made that all the time and I have to say – it’s pretty amazing.
run run rachel recently posted..thursday ramblings
I definitely need to sign up for one of these! I was thinking about this one but I’d have to leave work super early to get there on time & couldn’t make it work this time around.
And I”m with everyone else – PB & pickle sandwiches were a staple in my diet when I was in college (ok…and after too…). I think it’s high time I have another one!
Theresa @ActiveEggplant.com recently posted..Race Announcement: Siesta Beach Triathlon
This looks like so much fun and a great way to burn the calories you’re eating! I don’t think I could’ve just eaten ONE chip with salsa…I would’ve taken a dozen of those. The peanut butter and pickles sandwich sounds like it’s for pregnant women!
Jessica @ Sushi and Sit-Ups recently posted..Anthonyβs Pizzeria: Love at first slice
I used to eat peanut butter and pickle sandwiches all the time when I was a kid!
kelly recently posted..Happy Birthday, Gibson!!!
What brand of bike does your friend with the blue shorts have? I’m sorry, I’m not sure if her name is Megan or Jessica, but I absolutely love, love, love her bike, especially with the little basket on the front! π
I don’t know the brand, but she said she bought it from Wal Mart for $88 and the basket came separate. π
Ahhhh when you’re hot, you’re hot!! get those lotto tix, girl!
Also, looks like an excellent tour, with a full night’s entertainment to boot. I’m wondering if durham has anything like that!!
Jordan @ food, sweat, and beers recently posted..Wake-Up Call
Looks like a lot of fun!! I have got to find out if there is something similar in DC!
I know I am a day late, this is such a great post! I am from Tampa but currently living in North Carolina and this made me so homesick but it was so nice to see photos around town, thanks for the blog! The bike tour looks fun, I’ll have to look it up and see if there is one next time I’m in town!
Jaclyn @therealhealthwife recently posted..Leftovers for Breakfast
Sounds like a really great time!
Laura (Cookies vs. Carrots) recently posted..Fortune and Rewards
Such a cool idea!
Wow- this sounds like such a great night! I’ve never gotten to do one of these rides before, but I’d sure love to someday! I’m not sure if I would’ve tried the peanut butter and pickle sandwich either…
Karolina recently posted..Nature Deficit Disorder & The Beauty of Outdoors
Well I know my comment isnt in order…but if there could be one in orlando let me know. I will help organize. Meghann is the jam! π
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