Peter Schorsch
Describing them as “culinary triumphs,” Michelin Guide inspectors have added three new Tampa restaurants to the 2023 Michelin Guide Florida, noting the restaurants flexed on “old-school grandeur, Japanese minimalism, and local ingredients.”
The Michelin Guide offers recommended restaurants at varying distinction levels. The new additions, which includes eight Orlando restaurants added this month and another eight in Miami announced in February, won’t find out their distinctions — a Michelin Star or a Bib Gourmand — until a May 11 ceremony at LoanDepot Park in Miami.
The new additions in Tampa include Lilac, a Mediterranean concept in the Edition hotel; Ponte in midtown Tampa; and Noble Rice in the Channelside area.
Lilac, Michelin notes in its write-up, “has a sexy vibe” even if there is “not a stitch of lilac in sight.”
Michelin praises the restaurant’s four-course prix-fixe menu with Mediterranean influence, Florida-focused ingredients and French technique. The write-up mentions Lilac’s Diver scallops, which are infused with rosemary smoke, served under a cloche with a “well-executed and flavorful lobster feuillantine.”
The write-up also gives a nod to main dishes such as Ora King salmon with a Florida stone crab salad and Colorado lamb chop with tender leeks and house-made lamb sausage.
The exclamation comes, though, not necessarily for the food. Michelin inspectors took particular joy in Lilac’s tableside drink service offering a champagne cocktail cart.
Overseen by Chef Christopher Ponte, the “linen tablecloth kind of place” boasts “a comprehensive menu … with a contemporary and creative American flair.”
Highlights include Champagne and pearls-oysters with a pink peppercorn mignonette foam and a salmon Wagyu over crispy sushi rice.
There is an entire section of the menu devoted to steaks, along with sauces, toppers and butters.
“It may read a bit showy, but it’s exciting nonetheless and feels worthy of the price tag,” the Michelin write-up reads.
This Japanese spot off Channelside Drive stands out among the pack of area dining options, Michelin notes, because of its “à la carte sushi-focused menu with some izakaya and small plate options,” such as shrimp toast and karate; skewers and ramen.
For the Japanese dining traditionalist, Michelin recommends the king salmon nigiri. For those looking for a bit more creativity in their flavor profile, they suggest the negi toro roll with spicy fatty tuna, scallion and tobanjan kewpie in black garlic soy sauce.
