I stopped in at Caramel Cafe and Wine Bar one night without doing any research and not realizing that with four locations already in Tampa Bay, it is the beginnings of a chain. However, appearance wise it was good and I was excited to begin the dining experience once I learned we would be ordering our food via iPads. The server handed us a couple of iPads and explained the concept to us after he learned we had never dined there before. He told us we could set the pace of our meal by ordering everything at once or staggering our orders out so all of our food didn't arrive at once. Once we understood how everything worked, the ordering commenced.
We started off with a glass of red wine, and an Amalfi Lemonade, which I found to be very refreshing. We put an order in for the butternut squash bisque and the chickpea fries. During this time our server checked with us to make sure everything was running smoothly, so this is a not a you are left alone with an iPad and no human interaction. After our food arrived, we took the time to enjoy, and then we ordered the grilled salmon, Moroccan Lemon chicken with couscous, and the braised short ribs with polenta. These turned out to be delightful, and we saved just enough room for dessert. We ordered a pumpkin cannoli, which I did not care for too much, and the chocolate lava cake, which was a hit.
So, all in all, it was a fun night out with good food. I suspect the novelty of ordering my food from iPads influenced me and I think it was a fun concept to try. I don't know that I want every place to start doing that, but something new is always fun. And again, even though you are ordering from an iPad, there are plenty of servers around to answer your questions.
Carmel Cafe and Wine Bar
3601 Swann Avenue
Tampa, FL 33609
813-964-4228
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