A Perfect Flight Plan
Tampa International Airport, Tampa, Florida USA
Dined in September 2015, February & July 2016
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
Mise en Place is a Tampa Restaurant which in 2016 is celebrating their 30th year in business offering modern American cuisine in a fine dining atmosphere. Over the years they expanded through catering and satellite operations to include Sono inside the Tampa Museum of Art, and the First Flight Wine Bar at the Tampa International Airport. My wife and I have been to this little hot spot more times then I can count, every time we come to the airport picking someone up or dropping them off, to include when I fly out to go to work. We have made it a tradition to sit down and enjoy some wine and a small bite before I say goodbye. Here soon at the end of 2016 or early 2017, they will be moving away from the main concourse to a different terminal, and to visit them, you will need to have a ticket and go through the TSA security lines to reach them. That will be a shame as I use Delta Airlines, and the wine bar is going to a different terminal. This review will focus on the visits from the dates listed above.
Follow and share Wine, Dine, and Play:
Chef:
Marty Blitz,
Executive Chef to
Mise en Place Restaurant
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| Picture Courtesy of Mise en Place |
Kris Baute,
Chef de Cuisine at First Flight
Restaurant Owner:
Maryann Ferenc
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| Picture courtesy of Mise en Place |
From the First Flight home page:
Whether you travel here from far away or just around the corner, come join us at Tampa International Airport for a food and wine adventure at First Flight. We’ve planned your itinerary by selecting a progressive list – concise but quintessential – and stocked up with Chef’s creations that make wine more essential and enjoyable. Located in the main terminal before passing through security, please join us before boarding, after arrival or for a perfect spot to people watch.
We created First Flight out of a passion for wine, food, hospitality and to answer the quest to enjoy wine in a simple, rather European, fashion. We want to share our daily desire to explore flavor and places, travel the world through winemakers and cheesemakers, and bring that world to you.
Main review:
From craft cocktails to wine flights, this little bar has it all. Located in the main terminal concourse lounge surrounded by gift shops and other restaurants it is a nice break away from the ordinary. The restaurants include TGI Fridays, Carrabbas, and Starbucks, so the First Flight Wine Bar is a nice change and if not to be considered too snobby by saying it caters to a more sophisticated palette of guests. Since I am a wannabe aristocrat, it caught my attention. My wife used to be in the wine industry, and thus it attracted her. She loves wines that are more boutique versus mainstream, and thought there are some mainstreams on the First Flight list, there are some others that I would consider to be boutique or rare to find on other wines lists from restaurants around central Florida.
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| Picture courtesy of the Tampa Bay Times |
First Flight - like most of the restaurants and wine bars in central Florida want to cater to their clientele when it comes to wine, and most of those clients unfortunately have an uneducated basic table wine style palette. I was there as well, but my wife is helping me to expand mine. It is hard for us to find places that offer boutique wines, which can sometimes even be cheaper then the mainstream, and have a better taste and quality. This area is held captive by large corporate alcohol vendors like Empire and Southern Wine & Spirits. So you are always going to see your typical basics like Yellowtail, Robert Mondavi, and Beringer. I compare it to a Walmart and the Target coming into town offering cheap asian sweat factory products, putting the small guys with better quality out of business.
The big stores make you think you have a better product, with an expensive brand name, but in the end is it worth it? Hopefully one day this will change and the restaurants will open up to expanding their wine portfolio’s and educate their clients to help expand their palettes, which will only bring more business and greater appreciation there way. Once the client is informed, then the restaurants can open up to a fantastic world of wine, making more money by selling more, and keeping the client happy at the same time. Now is the restaurant bad for offering only mainstream?……No, they are just stuck because the client only knows mainstream. I was a California cab and basic brand name Cotes du Rhone drinker for decades, and fell into the same mainstream category, now my palette is expanding thanks to my wife. I’m not condemning the restaurants for this, only trying to make the client aware so hopefully over time, they can educate themselves like I have been.
Here at the First Flight however, they are not only catering to the Florida mainstream crowd, but also international visitors, and with that their wine list in my opinion is exceptional, and much better than many that I have seen in other places. They even offer different flights of wines from around the world so they can encourage you to try new things. First flight is the exception to the rule mentioned above in regards to most central Florida Restaurants which I am really impressed with. Some of their wine flight include
- Iberia (Spain)
- Air France (French Regions)
- White Tasting
- Red Tasting
- Rosé Tasting
- Flight of all 3 listed above
- Pan american Tasting
- Alitalia Tasting (Italy)
- To Europe and Back Tasting
- West Coast Tasting
- The Old World Visit
- Ideal flight (your choice)
- Full Flight (top shelf)
- First Class (higher end mainstreams)
Denominación de origen controlado Argentina
First Flight also has a small food menu to accompany your wine tastings or individual glass orders such as:
- Snacks
- Crostini
- Charcuterie flights (Spanish, French, Italian, or Full combo)
- Seafood
- Cheese flights (3 or 5)
- Sandwiches
- Salads
During our many visits to the wine bar have selections from old and the new world, my wife is a big fan of Rosé wine, as well as sauvignon blanc. I do drink white on occasions, but my selections have either been the California cabernets on their list, malbec, zinfandels, or red blends. On one of the first visits while enjoying craft cocktails and wine, we also shared a crostini from the menu of sun-dried tomatoes ($6). They also have a roasted mushroom spread ($10) with arugula, sea salt, and truffle Tremor cheese exclusively made by Cypress Grove, and a dried fig crostini ($10) with Jamón Seranno, Point Reyes blue cheese fondue, and toasted hazelnuts. Jamón is another word for Spanish ham.
On another visit enjoying several wines we enjoyed a charcuterie tasting of the full flight ($15.00) with the Spanish selections such as the Jamón and chorizo dry cured for twelve months with a nice spicy kick. The French selection of duck rillettes which is a blend of confit, green peppercorns, Herbs de Provence, and Dijon mustard, and finally the Italian selection. An aromatic Coppa cured meat of pork shoulder, Soppressata salami and Creminelli Barolo salami made with Barolo wine.
If you order the individual flights versus the combo like we did, then your selection will also come with a cheese like the manchego with the Spanish Flight, and the Camembert with the French. The Italian flight only has the meat since there are three separate offerings.
So, with the meal and interview complete, and our culinary appetites fulfilled, lets see how First Flight rates overall shall we. Here is how my rating system works….
5 stars
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is Extraordinary
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4 Stars
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is Outstanding
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3 Stars
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Exceeded Expectations
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2 Stars
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is Above the Average
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1 Star
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is an Average Dining Experience
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No Star Rating
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The Restaurant is Basic, Poor, or Appalling
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Rating Breakdown And Analysis:
On Wine, Dine, and Play, I have an overall star rating scale of six levels with the lowest being a poor or appalling experience (zero stars), up to an extraordinary experience (five stars). This rating scale is formulated by braking down individual experiences such as (1) wine selection, (2) plate presentation, (3) ambiance, (4) “wow” factor, (5) customer service, plus (6) food quality and combines them on a separate scale of zero to ten, with ten being the best. In the next paragraph, I brake down how and why I come to the conclusion of the rating numbers listed in the overall review chart below.
The overall star rating from Wine, Dine, and Play that I give to First Flight is a four, meaning that they not only stand above the average to dining experience of other restaurants, they exceeded my expectations to be on the level of outstanding. I also believe that with the 20+ years of dining across the world, I set my expectations to a higher standard compared to some other reviewers out there. So to receive more than 3 stars from me says a lot about your establishment and how you “wowed” me. I came to this conclusion based on all the other factors listed above and how they rated. I came to this conclusion based on all the other factors listed above and how they rated.
Overall Star rating by Wine, Dine, & Play:
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4 of 5
Outstanding
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Ambiance:
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6 of 10
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Quality of the Food:
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8 of 10
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Plate Presentation:
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6 of 10
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Customer Service:
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7 of 10
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Wow Factor:
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5 of 10
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Wine Selection:
(See the full list below)
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6 of 10
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INDIVIDUAL QUALITY RATINGS:
I rate ambiance on several factors from the most important being cleanliness of the dining room and restrooms, to organization and flow. I look at the atmosphere, character, the tones, artwork, and the design styles to see if they match the themes of the food. During the daylight hours natural lighting versus electric is also a strong enhancer of enjoying a meal, and of course the styles of furniture, or if it is inviting and comfortable.
I rated the ambiance of First Flight as a 6 out of 10 because of the surroundings to which they can not help being around gift shops, but when they move to a new terminal, I’m sure they will have a fantastic spot that will increase this point range. I have not eaten at the main restraint of Mise en Place yet, but look forward to doing so with my wife soon, and writing another review.
The quality rating bases the essential or distinctive characteristics that the food offers, or if I see that it is of a higher grade, superiority, or excellence. Also important is the taste. Did the chef pair or match distinctive ingredients together, and did he send my palette on an adventure?
Though having a smaller menu, the quality is outstanding, sourcing products from all over the world, while at the same time using local produce whenever possible. With that, they earn a point rating of 8 out of 10.
The plate presentation is based on the art of how the food is put together and displayed as it is brought out. Does it look unique, molecular, or have interesting garnishments, or built action style at the table? Does it make you look twice and go “wow”? All of these attributes help add to this rating.
The plate set-up is basic to most restaurants you see with little garnish or flash, but that again has a lot to with their current location, so I give them a point rating of 5 out of 10.
Customer service can make or break a restaurant. You can have the best quality of foods, and plate presentations that put Escoffier to shame, or the most beautiful ambiance, and fantastic wine or bar list. However if you have a service staff that is not attentive to the needs of the guest, or has an unclean uniform, smells like a cigarette after returning from a break, does not act professionally, or lacks knowledge on the menu, food, and restaurant, then you have a major problem. On the other hand a great server can bring a customer back over and over again even if the food is mediocre. People go to restaurants for the show. They think they are experts because they watched a reality tv show on the Food Network, but what needs to be understood is that as amazing as a kitchen staff and Chef’s may be, the front of house is just as great.
The service and management staff is always friendly and talkative no matter how busy or slow the bar might be, and a find that to be a big bonus considering the traffic of people that come by the location everyday heading in or going out, so I rate them at 7 points out of 10.
The “wow” factor as I like to call it is a quality or feature that is extremely impressive. It can be something that is seen or done that is funky, surprising, or pleasing. It is something that just makes me go “wow”. This rating is also the hardest to get high marks for. The wow factor is a combination of ambiance, quality, plate presentation, customer service, and wine or mixology that goes above and beyond what you would expect from a restaurant.
Normally I rate the “wow” factor at most of the restaurants I’ve reviewed at a 2 or 3 point range with a few exceptions to that rule. Several central Florida restaurants that we have dined at have varied on the point scale from 2-4 points. This is not a bad thing and a lower score does not decrease the overall restaurant score, but a higher wow factor will help to raise it at the same time. I rate the First flight Wine Bar at a “wow” factor of 5 points out of a possible 10.
The wine selection can vary from place to place, and I base the ratings not just on the quality of the wines offered but also the selections. Wine is grown everywhere around the world these days and the demand for it has increased ten fold. Distributors in every major city whether they work for a large named company like Empire or a small boutique company can provide any restaurant any wine if they want it. Some restaurants will choose to have brand name wines only and that to me will lower a rating faster than a plane nose diving. If they make an effort to have even a small selection with variety such as a wines from Napa California, Willamette Oregon, Bordeaux France, Stellenbosch South Africa, the Yarra Valley near Melbourne Australia, or the Piemonte in Italy, to name a few, then that rating will shoot up higher on my review list.
They have a much better selection then what you see at other central Florida restaurant locations, but at the same time are held captive to the mainstream using the target analogy above. Though there is a wider selection, and a few names you don’t always see which helps to raise the point level. If they offered more boutiques, then the points would go even higher. For now I rate them at 6 points out of a possible 10.
This rounds up the review and rating for First Flight, and from this experience, I would compare our experiences here this evening to a few other places either I or my wife and I have been to that have very good food quality and selections with wine lists such as the Rowe Bar, located at the Don CeSar pink hotel, in St. Pete Beach near Pass-a-Grille, which had greta small bites, wonderful service, craft cocktails and wine list to boot. I would also compare First Flight to the TarraWarra Restaurant in the Yarra Valley, Australia where they had a wonderful lunch and small bites menu and represented not only their winery but other Yarra Valley favorites.
Other Tampa restaurant reviews on Wine, Dine, and Play:
Food Prices
(excluding, alcohol, taxes & gratuity)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00
**Currencies chosen reflect the world’s major travelers and restaurant connoisseur’s**
My food bill:
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Currency:
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Price chart:
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$21.00
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$
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$28.00
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Australian Dollar (AUS)
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$
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£17.00
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Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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£
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$28.00
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$
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141.00
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Chinese Yuan (CNY)
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¥¥¥
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€19.00
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European Union (EUR)
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€
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Currency rates as of October 2016
Alcohol Prices:
$81.00
***
Customary starting gratuity for restaurants in the United States begins at 15%
Of your total food bill and increases or decreases based on the level of service you received.
In most parts of Europe, Australia, Africa, and some Asian countries it is not
common to leave any gratuity as it is already included into
the check, but you may feel free to leave extra anyway. Alcohol gratuity
is calculated by a separate 10% or higher gratuity if you wish.
***
Review basics:
Wine selections by
region:
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7 of 10
Old world:
New World:
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Corkage fee’s:
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The Restaurant does not list any corkage fee’s however, most American restaurants charge $25.00 per bottle
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Restaurant style:
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Casual to Conservative
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Reservations:
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Not Required
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Child policy:
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Business, Business casual, Smart casual, or Conservative attire
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Dress code:
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The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a child’s menu or cater to them; however for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended for children not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
Hire a Babysitter.
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Cuisine style:
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Contemporary, Seafood, American, Italian, French, Spanish, Mediterranean, European, & Vegetarian
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Experiences:
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Hot spot, Great bar, Upscale, Trendsetting
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Payments:
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Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Garage Parking
first hour of short term parking is free
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Low to Medium
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Smoking:
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Nonsmoking bar
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Patio:
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No
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First Flight Wine Bar:
Tampa International Airport
4100 George J Bean Parkway,
Tampa, Florida 33607
GPS Coordinates:
27.979976
-82.534361
Contact Information:
Maître d or host:
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+1 813 254 5373 |
| Restaurant website: | First Flight |
| Serving hours: Eastern Standard Time (GMT - 5:00) |
Lunch: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm Mon-Sun Dinner: 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm Mon-Sun |
| Email or webpage contact: | Contact Restaurant |
Social Media
&
Accolades:
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Facebook Link |
| Twitter @TBMiseEnPlace | |
| YouTube |
****
The worlds best restaurants, based on the
That have been visited and reviewed on this site…
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Chicago, Illinois, USA
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Sydney, Australia
|
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Woodstock, Cape Town, South Africa
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Austin, Texas, USA
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Melbourne, Australia
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Charleston, South Carolina, USA
|
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Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa
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Paris, France
|
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Sydney, Australia
|
Dublin, Ireland
|
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Dubai, UAE
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Franschhoek, South Africa
|
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Ripponlea, Melbourne, Australia
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San Francisco, California, USA
|
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London, United Kingdom
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Dubai, UAE
|
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Charleston, South Carolina, USA
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Christchurch, New Zealand
|
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Cape Town, South Africa
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Festival City, Dubai, UAE
|
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Denver, Colorado, USA
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New Orlean’s, Louisiana, USA
|
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Saint Petersburg, Florida USA
|
Yountville, Napa, California, USA
|
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Constantia, Cape Town, South Africa
|
Bordeaux, France
|
You can also use these sites for reference on the top restaurant categories:
All of these guides are helpful to find what you're looking for, starting with The Best Restaurants Near Me by the Trip Advisor Restaurant Finder, followed by my favorite list, the top 100 in the world by the Elite Traveler’s Magazine, also its competitor and more recognized San Pellegrino Top 50+. For the individual continents, start your adventures in North America with our neighbor to the North with the Best of Canada, then for the United States with the100 Best in New York try Timeout.com. Hop over to the West Coast for the top 101 list from the Los Angeles Times, and then enjoy some meat and potatoes with the Top 100 Steakhouses in America.
For social media the lists you can view include the Yelp Top 100, the OAD Guide, the OpenTable Top 100 and The EATER 38 Top Places to Eat.
For Central to South America you have the Latin America top 50. Across the pond you can focus on the 50 Best in Europe, then east with the Russia. Move south to the wilds of Africa from Cape Town to Cairo’s Top Restaurants. Then enjoy the desserts of the desert 10 best Middle East guide, with an even greater focus on the 7 Best in Dubai. Next, travel to the far east which includes India and the islands 101 Best in Asia. Lastly, the trip around the world is nearly at an end with the final continent’s best Down Under list of the top 100 in Australia, and its island neighbor with the New Zealand’s Best 15 Restaurants. There are many more guides out their, but these are a good start.
So many great wines in this world, here are a few of my favorite tastings:
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Stellenbosch, South Africa
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Napa, California, USA
|
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Santa Barbara, California, USA
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Yarra Valley, Australia
|
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Willamette, Oregon
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Franschhoek, South Africa
|
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Asheville, North Carolina, USA
|
Willamette, Oregon
|
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Alexander Valley, California, USA
|
Constantia, South Africa
|
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Yountville, California
|
Napa, California, USA
|
Reviewed by:
Sean Overpeck (CFE)
Picture below was taken in 1995 at the
Bright Star Exercise in Egypt
About Sean:
I am based out of St. Petersburg, Florida working in the food service industry for the past twenty years, and am currently with the American Embassy as the Executive Chef in Basra, Iraq. Formally I have worked with groups contracting in Afghanistan, and Antarctica, also working in restaurants in and around Atlanta, Georgia prior to the wars. I have also owned a catering company and served proudly in the United States Army Food Service Program. The idea for Wine, Dine, and Play started in late 2012 after a trip to Jordan, when I was asked by friends to write down the experiences from a few Jordanian restaurants, wine from the region that I tasted, and locations of interest such as Petra. Since that time, over 250 articles have been written on restaurants, including fifteen from the worlds top 100 lists of San Pellegrino and the Elite Travelers Guide. There are articles on exotic world locations such as Victoria Falls, and South African Safari’s; food recipes & Grand Food Dictionaries; ethnic country cuisines such as Afghan, and Peruvian; tasting tours of world cities like Charleston, Cape Town, and Dubai; and of course wine from vineyards in California, Oregon, the Carolina’s, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia, with much more to see and write about.
Who is John Galt?
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Other articles of interest on Wine, dine, and Play:
Shark Cage Diving in South Africa
Thanksgiving in Antarctica, McMurdo, Ross Island
Fugitives Drift Lodge in Kwa-Zulu-Natal
Afghan Cuisine, Herat to Kabul
Gulfport Tuesday Market, Florida
Peruvian Cuisine Andes to Lima
United States Marine Corps Birthday 2013 in Herat, Afghanistan
A Taste of McMurdo, Antarctica
Netflix Movie Codes, search for your favorites
Burj Khalifa Tower in Dubai, UAE
Red Hills Market in Willamette, Oregon
(coming soon)
Petra, Jordan
A Taste of Dubai
A Taste of South Africa vol 1 & 2
Wine, Dine, And Play’s “best of” List
FOB Shank - Cooking with Incoming
TTFN
