After receiving a harsh review in Creative Loafing, Bill Edwards, owner of the iconic downtown St. Pete restaurant, The Garden, knew something needed to change.
The article beckoned, “Is there a coherent vision for what The Garden could be?” In response, Edwards set forth to create a new definition for his restaurant.
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“We want the environment to be more family-oriented,” says Cheri Taylor, the recently-appointed General Manager. “It’s been a lot of work and there’s more to come, but the end result will be worth it.”
Along with revising the menu and appointing new kitchen and wait staff, the interior of the restaurant has been updated.
The Garden has maintained the secretive and enchanting environment of a Mediterranean grotto, but with the addition of new lighting fixtures and paint, a more open, airy atmosphere has been created for patrons.
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Replacing the pool table and piano in the back of the building, a private dining area has been constructed for more formal events.
The menu has additionally expanded, but maintains the traditional Mediterranean cuisine which The Garden has always featured.
The new head chef, Marc Stevens, has worked alongside Cheri Taylor for many years. Both are relocating from the restaurant-industry in Treasure Island where Taylor has her own establishment, Rickey T’s, and Stevens was the banquet chef for The Club.
Chef Stevens intends to revamp classic dishes such as clams linguini by using fresh clams transported daily from a local seafood vendor. He is also providing the menu with new delicacies, including roasted quail with wild mushroom risotto.
For a Middle-Eastern touch, beef tenderloin kabobs with saffron rice will be available as a dinner entree, and handmade hummus from fresh garbanzo beans will be available as an appetizer. When asked about his main goal in revising the menu, Stevens simply stated: “Food is about quality, and quality is freshness.”
To complement their culinary improvements, The Garden has expanded their wine menu to accommodate a broader palate such as North by Northwest’s Cabernet Savignon.
Nightlife at The Garden has also seen a change, as their evening line-up now includes Shawn Brown on Thursday and Gayle Trippsmith on Tuesday in addition to ever popular Buster Cooper on Friday.
Outdoor seating in the patio will remain the same, though Taylor hopes to install dim-lighting around the foliage to enhance the ambient environment.
Despite the negative catalyst that inspired The Garden to change, the modifications are only helping to advance the oldest-standing restaurant in Downtown St. Petersburg. “It’s for the better,” Taylor says, concluding “It brought to our attention what needed to be changed.”
Revisions are tentatively expected to be completed by the end of March.
In our first lunch experience at the upgraded restaurant, we found that the new menu was delicious, the atmosphere festive, and the direction has definitely found a focus.
DJ Fab: The lunch special sounded particularly perfect for a light lunch so I went for it and got the grilled mahi mahi on soft shell tacos with spic tomato salsa and a side of yellow rice and guacamole It all tasted fresh and homemade so everything was flavorful. Plus, they didn’t skimp on the fish, which is always a nice treat. I liked the hint of spiciness from the salsa that got me sweating just a little.
The Vegenator: I tried their portobello sandwich with pesto spread, mozzarella cheese, red peppers and balsamic sauce. It came with lettuce, onion, tomato, and pickle for toppings. When fully assembled, the sandwich was big and tasty! Just make sure you eat it quickly or use a fork, because the toppings are bursting out. The potato salad on the side was exactly how potato salads should be– perfectly seasoned. Hot tea and a cup of curried carrot soup on the side fully pleased my appetite.
The Cheeseburger soup and caprese salad were also sampled and neither disappointed. The soup actually tastes better (and more realistic) than any fast food burger.
The Garden has indeed matured and is now a force to be reckoned with in the downtown dining scene. The test for any good restaurant is its staying power, and we can now honestly say that we look forward to our return.
The Garden is located at 217 Central Ave. in downtown St. Pete
Report contributed by Bernadette Di Blasio, Freelance Journalist and USFSP Professional Writing graduate. Bernadette is a bad-television enthusiast who covers the odds-and-ends of St. Petersburg lifestyle and culture. Though mostly nocturnal, she can sometimes be found tucked away in a corner of Kahwa or haunting her favorite porch steps and bar booths past sundown.
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