Italian Delis in Tampa? (kitchen, permit, places)

[tampaguy03]

Castellano and Pizzo on Henderson Blvd in South Tampa...EXCELLENT Italian Market! And Yes , Olive Bar and All kinds of Fresh Mozzerella and Tons of Cheeses, Meats, Seafood, Wines, Breads all FRESH...and Canned and Jarred goods from Italy.

[ferret111]

Castellano and Pizzo on Henderson Blvd, South Tampa.

[Angler]

Originally Posted by jessiesma

I couldn't remember exactly which street it's on. MS moment
BTW there is no Kosher food at this point except a little at Publix and BJ's

Wrong. Jo-Els is a kosher deli in St. Pete- they also have a branch in Tampa. Not open on Saturday (obviously). Kosher butcher- deli counter, packaged foods, etc.

Jo-El's Kosher Foods
2619 23rd Ave N
Saint Petersburg, FL 33713

[Angler]

Originally Posted by jessiesma

She even has sfogliatelle which are my favs. much more esoteric than cannoli and requiring more finess to make. They're in a strip center. They have it all.
Forget Mazzaro's in St. Pete, they're wanna be's. MY apt. mgr. who's also a paisana and was also in the hospitality ind. up north, agrees.

I had a sfogliatelle at Mazzaros yesterday- so much for being wannabes!

Mazzaro's birck oven bread is head and shoulders above any other Italian deli in the Bay area- they also have the widest selection of hams, but they are as much a gourmet food shop as an Italian deli. They roast their own coffee there- fantastic.

[Angler]

Also there is a great Polish deli in St. Pete- amazing homemade kielbasa

European Goodies Inc
4701 49th Street North Suite A,
Saint Petersburg, FL 33709

[jessiesma]

I am not wrong. I know Joel and Ellen but unfortunately there is an issue for very Orthodox and this is not the place to discuss it. They have closed the Tampa store a long time ago although for the less strict who use them, they will deliver on Fri. to Tampa.

Keeping strict kosher is not a discipline for the haphazard. We are very diligent in our efforts and knowledge. Don't go scolding people who know what they're doing. I go to great expense and difficulty to keep the degree of supervision I want in this regard. It is not easy. If you had read completely, you'd have seen that I said for some of us the degree of supervision is not strict enough. The packaged stuff at Jo-El is fine but I can get it at Sweet Bay or Publix for less.

Originally Posted by Angler

Wrong. Jo-Els is a kosher deli in St. Pete- they also have a branch in Tampa. Not open on Saturday (obviously). Kosher butcher- deli counter, packaged foods, etc.

Jo-El's Kosher Foods
2619 23rd Ave N
Saint Petersburg, FL 33713

[jessiesma]

is a very subjective issue. Mazzaros cannoli was inedible when I was there and their sauce is far from what Nana made. They can imitate any form (sfogilatelle) but the taste is not authentic.

Originally Posted by Angler

I had a sfogliatelle at Mazzaros yesterday- so much for being wannabes!

Mazzaro's birck oven bread is head and shoulders above any other Italian deli in the Bay area- they also have the widest selection of hams, but they are as much a gourmet food shop as an Italian deli. They roast their own coffee there- fantastic.

[Angler]

Originally Posted by jessiesma

I am not wrong. I know Joel and Ellen but unfortunately there is an issue for very Orthodox and this is not the place to discuss it. They have closed the Tampa store a long time ago although for the less strict who use them, they will deliver on Fri. to Tampa.

Keeping strict kosher is not a discipline for the haphazard. We are very diligent in our efforts and knowledge. Don't go scolding people who know what they're doing. I go to great expense and difficulty to keep the degree of supervision I want in this regard. It is not easy. If you had read completely, you'd have seen that I said for some of us the degree of supervision is not strict enough. The packaged stuff at Jo-El is fine but I can get it at Sweet Bay or Publix for less.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to scold- I just wasn't sure if you knew!

And I know a number of Orthodox who keep kosher and shop at Jo-els, which is why I posted it. yes it is pricier- that's for sure!

I'm not kosher so I haven't compared too much with the regular stores, and I certainly wouldn't be able to attest to supervision issues.

[Angler]

Originally Posted by jessiesma

is a very subjective issue. Mazzaros cannoli was inedible when I was there and their sauce is far from what Nana made. They can imitate any form (sfogilatelle) but the taste is not authentic.

Must have been a bad day- I love their cannolis.

authentic to what? Italy? New Jersey Italian? Philly Italian? Tampa Italian? There are varying degress of authenticness when dealing with Italian food.

But you're right- food is subjective. And I do love Castellanos in Tampa as well.

[jessiesma]

your friends double check with their rabbis because none of the Orthodox ones I know would permit the deli at all and now there has been a problem with the butcher case that they may not be aware of.
thanks for the apology. I was trying to explain that anyone who is really serious about being kosher WILL most definitely know their sources
BTW are your friends really Orthodox or Conservative? The Cons. rabbis are permitting Jo-El's.
My tradition is Sephardic anyway so I don't use a whole lot of their products and because my kitchen is so tiny, I gave up meat and haven't been shopping Jo-Els regardless. They have a few Seph. items that are ok cause they're frozen but I can get them elsewhere if I want for less. We go to Sav-On Seafood on S. 49th and they are fantastic. They have all sorts of finny/scaly fish I can choose from. It doesn't have a kosher mark but my rabbi said it's ok as long as I'm sure of the species. They sell tuna and mahi-mahi chunks for like 3.50/lb and they're great. You can do so much with them. Definitely cheaper than kosher chicken. The tuna is a good sub for beef stew meat.

Originally Posted by Angler

Sorry, I wasn't trying to scold- I just wasn't sure if you knew!

And I know a number of Orthodox who keep kosher and shop at Jo-els, which is why I posted it. yes it is pricier- that's for sure!

I'm not kosher so I haven't compared too much with the regular stores, and I certainly wouldn't be able to attest to supervision issues.