Next stop on my culinary tour of Tampa was the Columbia Restaurant, a tiny little place that seats 1800 people!
...yes, that's eighteen hundred!
Not only is it the largest Spanish restaurant in America, it is the largest Spanish restaurant in the world. It takes up an entire city block and boasts an impressive 11 dining rooms.
The Columbia Restaurant has been in operation since 1905, so obviously we can assume it does rather well. But what really surprised me was the execution of what had to be an absolute symphony of precision in the kitchen.
We were seated at 6:30 for a dinner/Flamenco Show that began at 7. This means that the majority of dinner service is happening during the performance.
I ordered the filet mignon, which was cooked perfectly to temperature. My friend had a very delicate fish, which one minute in either direction could have turned that into an unpleasant direction, again...perfectly cooked. Getting food to temperature in any restaurant can be a challenging feat, but to do it consistently with so many people being sat at the same time, really is impressive....and it was delicious!
I have a little philosophy about establishments that have breath-taking views, or in this case, live performances...they always seem to fall short on the taste factor. It's kind of a compromise. We don't hold them to the standards that we might, if we weren't so distracted. The Columbia Restaurant is an exception to that rule.
The sounds of Spain, the dance of Flamenco, the richness of tradition was a wonderful addition to an already amazing meal. There is something magical about this place...
If only I could wave my wand and not have to travel 3,000 miles to return.
