Foodies in Tampa rave about Datz so we stopped by to see what the hype was all about. Just looking at the menu, all you see is bacon, bacon and more bacon, plus other non-bacon items.
We started off the meal with a Bacon Flite called “When Pigs Fly.“ Tucked in a blanket are 5 kinds of bacon (Benton’s hickory smoked bacon, jowl bacon, back bacon, peppered bacon, and Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon) and 4 dipping sauces (balsamic glaze, maple syrup, red chili pepper jam and Vosges Haut-Chocolat). Our favorite combo – bacon and chocolate.
The Swine Rinds were delicious. We felt guilty ordering it but, heck, we were on vacation, and we deserved it. The presentation was cute – flash-fried crunchy cracklings served in a small tin pail with lime crema.
Swine Rinds
For the entrees, we tried the Creole Shrimp n Grits, Waffles & Tweet, and Barry C’s Stuffed Meatloaf. The portions were huge, one entree is enough for two to share. The Shrimp n Grits were made with shrimp, spicy creole sauce, creamy Anson mills grits with smoked Gouda and sautéed spinach. The stuffed meatloaf was pretty good. It was stuffed with bacon-jalapeno mac n’ cheese and served with garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal succotash. The best of the three, hands down, was the chicken and waffles – boneless fried chicken, cheddar Belgian waffles, sautéed spinach, and jalapeño-maple syrup.
Creole Shrimp n Grits
Waffles n Tweet
Too full to order dessert, we headed next door to Datz Dough and picked up some treats for the road. You guessed it…there was bacon involved too. Try their maple and bacon doughnut.
Datz
2616 S Macdill Ave
Tampa, FL 33629
Tel: (813) 831-7000
http://www.datztampa.com/
