Timpano Chophouse and Martini Bar - Hyde Park, FL

We needed a place to duck into to escape from the rain, and Timpano's being the closest,  that is where we ended up.  The place was packed and live piano music was being performed in one corner.  We were seated at one of the patio tables, which was a lovely spot to watch the rain and sip a drink.  My thing lately has been Cosmo's, so that was what I ordered and it was perfect.  We ordered a lovely prawn appetizer that came to the table sizzling in its pan with melted butter to dip it in.  The prawn had a delicious smokey taste and was perfect.  Soon the rain stopped and our drinks and appetizers were finished and we were able to continue on our way.  Next time we won't need to use the rain as an excuse to stop at Timpano's.

Timpano Chophouse
1610 West Swann Avenue
Tampa, FL  33606
813-254-5870

Donut Connection - St Petersburg, FL

If you want something different than Dunkin Donuts, stop at this little hole in the wall.  Nothing fancy to see here, but I found donuts that I enjoyed way more than that other place, and the coffee was very good.  I was curious about some of the reviews that mentioned the regulars that seem to come with the place, but although they seemed as though they were stuck in a different time warp to give newcomers a look more than once, they were harmless and I guess you could say they just added character to the place.  Whether that is good or bad, you'll have to judge for yourself because the donuts and coffee are worth stopping in for when you need a donut fix.

Donut Connection
727-323-1910
649 34th Street North
St Petersburg, FL  33713

A Corner of England - St Petersburg, FL

A mother's day weekend called for a trip to A Corner of England to have a spot of tea.  When we walked in the door, it looked like that was the plan for a lot of moms because a fair number of tables were already filled.  Luckily, a busy server was able to find a spot and we were seated at a charming little table.  The look there is very eclectic and nothing is matching.  All the tables are different with different chairs and different tea cups on every table.  A quick look at the menu, and we were ready to order.

I ordered a earl gray tea and a scone.  I saw they mentioned devon cream on the menu, but the server informed me that that came with my scone.  Also, we ordered afternoon tea, which included tea of your choice along with finger sandwiches and a choice of scone or cake.  We ordered a piece of lemon cake with that and a piece of chocolate cake for my son.  Our tea arrived first, quickly followed by our food.  It was lovely to sit there and enjoy our cups of tea in dainty little  china cups.  The cake and finger sandwiches were lovely and heartily enjoyed.  I had mixed feeling about my scone which was tasty served with strawberry preserves.  However, the little cup that was supposed to contain Devon cream contained whipped cream.  At that point I ate what I was served, but I ever after wondered if I was served whipped cream by mistake or if the whipped cream being was being passed off as devon cream.  If you have ever had devon cream, which you can find in jars in a few grocery stores in the dairy section, then you know it is not the same as whipped cream.  Devon cream is thick and rich and comes closer to a butter consistency than whipped cream.  I assume they wouldn't put devon cream on the menu, unless they had devon cream.   That aside, I still had a wonderful time, and it was a lovely surprise to learn that all moms were receiving a flower at the end of the meal.  It is not a place I would go to all the time, but it is nice for a special treat.

A Corner of England
6297 Central Avenue
St Petersburg, FL  33710
727-345-5353