The Family-Owned Columbia Restaurant: Fl’s Oldest Eatery Creates a lovely Background To Suit Your Intimate Minutes

The Short variation: Since 1905, the Columbia Restaurant provides offered Spanish and Cuban-inspired meals and beverages that portray a long-standing genealogy. Launched by a Cuban immigrant in Tampa, the Columbia stays a regional favored simply because of its traditional foods and personable service. Over time, individuals from all over the world came towards attractive bistro to commemorate involvements, wedding anniversaries, birthdays, also monumental minutes. Nowadays, the last and fifth generations with the family is the owner of and works 13 various restaurants throughout Florida. If you're looking for okay eating with a good conventional family members feel, you can reserve a table in the spectacular and intimate dinner rooms in the Columbia Restaurant. Show to meet a cougar

Over the past three decades, my family's favored destination was an oceanfront lodge in Sand Key, Fl. We have now gone here over twelve times to create sand castles, spot dolphins, and eat tasty dishes on patios ignoring the gulf.

We've got completely investigated town's cafe option, searching the actual finest regional joints around, but it simply therefore takes place that one cafe all of us enjoy the majority of is actually within strolling length of our resort. The Columbia eatery's white linen tablecloths, attentive service, and mouth-watering meals allow it to be our go-to place for supper.

When we happened to be children, my personal moms and dads would purchase all of us a cheddar pizza pie even though they went to this enchanting Spanish bistro by yourself; but we now enjoy tapas and drink as much because they perform, so we've begun crashing their particular date night — occasionally delivering along dates of your very own.

Since 1905, the Columbia Restaurant has actually wowed patrons with Spanish and Cuban meals and an old-world atmosphere. Even though it's the oldest cafe in Florida, the company still is run by descendants associated with original creator. Every product throughout the selection has actually a tale behind it, and several with the recipes have-been handed over from one generation on the Hernandez Gonzmart family to a higher. Household tradition is a huge an element of the Columbia's diet plan, history, and method to solution.

"the employees is quite like family," said Michael Kilgore, the main promotional Officer for the Columbia. "a number of our employees stay for 20 or 3 decades. Among the things we like about the class is actually the length of time they stick with us. They show up right here and locate a home."

You can enjoy this comfy and pleasant environment on your own next night out by going to any one of the Columbia's seven different restaurants. The Columbia eatery presently serves friends in Tampa, Sarasota, St. Augustine, Clearwater Beach, and Celebration. Whether you're sipping drink on a picturesque balcony or viewing flamenco performers light up the stage while you eat tapas, you are guaranteed to have a remarkable night at Columbia.

In 1905, a Cuban Immigrant went a Saloon That Became a Sensation

The Columbia Restaurant can locate the record back into Dec. 17, 1903 — alike time the Wright brothers successfully tried the whole world's very first plane. That has been when a Cuban immigrant named Casimiro Hernandez Sr. started running a saloon for a local brewing company in Tampa's Ybor City.

In 1905, the industrious business person switched the saloon into a favorite 60-seat cafe noted for its real Cuban coffee and sandwiches. Following their achievements, Casimiro ordered a cafe or restaurant across the street and converted it into a striking kitchen. In 1930, his daughter took over possession and procedure with the thriving bistro.

During the Great Depression, his daughter Casimiro Jr. built one air-conditioned kitchen in Tampa. He hoped the upscale appearance and raised party floor would draw people to the cafe and help all of them forget their worries for a night. The Don Quixote Room was a success, as well as the Columbia managed to keep its doorways available although other companies collapsed.

In 1953, Casimiro Jr. passed the Columbia onto their just kid, Adela Hernandez Gonzmart, an established artist that has satisfied her spouse, Cesar Gonzmart, on Tampa bistro. This theatrical pair introduced entertainment and art on Columbia, setting up a showroom that managed lots of talented Latin dancers and artists. Under Adela and Cesar's authority, the Columbia expanded to Sarasota also areas in Fl.

Now, certainly Adela and Cesar's two sons has brought the reins and kept their family members' business heading. Richard Gonzmart might functioning at their family members' restaurants since he was 12 yrs . old, therefore he is closely acquainted with their atmosphere and record. Richard can point to the table within Columbia eatery in which the guy with his partner had their own very first big date more than 43 in years past.

"there's lots of relationship right here, and we have actually outstanding tale," stated Michael. "below 15 restaurants in the us are family-owned and more than 100 years old, therefore we're in pretty elite business."

Florida's earliest cafe features a happy and enduring history rooted in meals, household, and enjoyable. Michael told all of us the fifth generation for the founding family members is now being groomed to take-over one-day. Richard's daughters and nephew took on active management functions within restaurants and so are ready to keep carefully the family tradition choosing even more a long time.

The Columbia was known which includes of the highest honors for the restaurant industry, including induction into Nation's eatery News' "great food Hall of popularity," gained the "Distinguished Restaurants of America (SiRoNA) honor of Excellence," Florida Trend's "Golden Spoon Hall of popularity," and Wine Spectator's "Best of honor of quality."

Enjoy In! A Delectable Menu of Sharable Tapas & Indulgent Desserts

The Columbia eatery sets a lavish dining table and offers a wonderful getting away from every day life. It seduces the sensory faculties from the moment you walk in the doorways. You're surrounded by greenery, h2o fountains, and artwork once the noises of fun additionally the odors of fresh seafood meals waft through the environment. Before my personal order also extends to me personally, my lips is always watering with anticipation. Luckily, each guest becomes his/her own newly generated loaf of Cuban bread, thus I have one thing to please my personal taste buds while I wait.

The 14-page menu is filled with great food but in addition supplies simple dialogue starters for daters merely observing the other person. Each entrée, appetizer, and treat comes with an enticing description in addition to fascinating back ground info. For instance, the cafe's coconut ice cream was a preferred of ice cream business person Gustavo Hernandez, the third daughter in the initial Columbia creator, and today this sweet dish is actually supported within his honor.

From the veggie paella (Spanish rice blended with satisfying vegetables) into the shrimp supreme (shrimp covered with wafer-thin bacon), the foods on Columbia are bursting with flavor. The shareable dishes, known as tapas, make this cafe ideal for lovers on a night out together as you may come better collectively by sharing small dishes of empanadas, sliced chorizo, croquetas, or packed peppers. To generate a budget-friendly food by ordering some of those appetizers with each other — remember to truly save place for treat!

The Très Amigos churros was an outstanding choice for lovers because they're tactile, nice, and simply only a little dirty. You can easily drop the piping-hot churros in chocolate, caramel, or guava sauce so there's something for everyone. Positive, Columbia's signature light Chocolate Bread Pudding is actually an indulgent dessert ideal for splitting with a romantic date who's got a taste for white candy and rum sauce.

In 2017, the Marriott Traveler web log known as the Columbia Restaurant among St. Augustine's top date-night areas, promoting couples to "start off with Columbia's popular 1905 Salad, assembled table-side with a lot panache, then share a massive plate with the Paella a la Valenciana, overflowing with shellfish, fragrant rice, and chorizo."

The passionate night will be-all the more satisfying in the event that you pair with your dinner one cup of the Melanie Chardonnay, a refreshing drink known as after Melanie Gonzmart, Richard's high-school sweetheart and girlfriend.

Plus, at Columbia Restaurant, the sangria will be die for. Severely, referring by cup but you can in addition split a pitcher of white or reddish sangria with a date to improve the eating experience. Generously huge pieces of good fresh fruit float in the wine and infuse it with rich types. Whether you are purchasing this classic sangria or the restaurant's household wines, the high-caliber products usually do not disappoint.

Michael told you the team can make an attempt available inexpensive however quality wines to whet visitors' appetites. "All of our drink selection must be completely suited to the meals we provide as well as your selling price," the guy mentioned.

Countless Couples & Families Have Shared particular times Here

When In my opinion with the Columbia, i do believe associated with evening we decided to have dessert for dinner, and my personal parents purchased churros, essential lime pie, mango mousse dessert, white chocolate breads dessert, and five spoons. In my opinion of my twin brother trying grouper the very first time on our twentieth birthday and claiming excitedly, "simply take my image" because he wished to reveal his girl (that's today their wife) which he enjoyed eating fish around she did.

In plenty techniques, the Columbia feels like all of our place, but my family is not the sole family getting generated recollections as of this bistro and its particular six sister places across Fl. Individuals reach the restaurant at all phases of life since it supplies a unique atmosphere that sets well with any celebration.

Notoriously, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were repeated guests with the Columbia in early 1950s. The Columbia team paid tribute to the pair plus the warm thoughts they shared from the bistro by naming a dish after all of them. The Marilyn & Joe "Salteado" — a sautéed combination of tenderloin guidelines, boneless chicken white meat, shrimp, and chicken — is actually a tasty note in the lengthy reputation for love from inside the Columbia's eating areas.

Whether you are taking place a primary time or celebrating a marriage anniversary, you'll find intimacy and passion flourish in the smooth candlelight associated with the Columbia eatery.

"It really is our targets," Michael said, "to have folks feel like the Columbia is where to come calmly to celebrate existence's goals."

The Columbia Restaurant has household Values on the Table

The Columbia eatery charms daters with real meals, divine atmospheres, and personable service. The hosts, at the least at our Columbia in Sand Key, focus on their unique friends and are rapid to say "Welcome right back" to faithful customers whom, like my children, are time for the stylish eating spaces over and over again.

This long-standing dining organization provides cultivated and altered in the years, it never forgotten about its century-long household sources. Richard has actually bold intentions to serve diners and daters throughout Fl inside many years to come. "the holder doesn't sleep," Michael stated with fun. "He's usually dreaming right up new things."

The Columbia staff intentions to open up no less than two brand new restaurants in the impending many years. One will end up being conveniently positioned appropriate down the street from the original Columbia in Tampa. Casa Santo Stefano, set to start in autumn 2018, can pay homage to a tiny community in Sicily where most Tampa's Sicilian immigrants came from — the real eating plan will bring these people a delicious indication of house.

Suffering authority and quality flavors make Columbia Restaurant and all sorts of the sibling restaurants genuinely amazing places where singles and partners can spend a night together with those they love greatest.


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