Getaway, Far Away
St. Petersburg, Florida USA
Cuisine Style: Floribbean
Average Price: $$$
Overall Rating: 0.5 / 5
Dined in: August 2018
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
**A full article and index glossary of restaurants, wines, recipes and travel for
Wine Dine and Play are in the pages section above, or by following these links:
The Getaway Zomato rating:
The Getaway is a Florida Keys-inspired waterfront Restaurant and Tiki Bar destination on the Tampa Bay that opened on Gandy Boulevard in 2014, with a menu focused on local ingredients and coastal favorites. Owned by Dave Burton and husband-and-wife partners Scott and Karina Tashkin. The restaurant goal is to provide a fresh and hearty menu with a family-friendly dining option, which they succeeded and became a local favorite in the process. You could go to one of many tiki bar set-ups, enjoy outdoor dining, or go kayaking on the Tampa Bay with a rental located next to the bar. From there you can paddle your way out to the Weedon Island Preserve to see the mangroves & wildlife, on calm clear water. The restaurant sources their menu favorites from local fish houses and fresh produce that is Florida-sourced and grown, but not necessarily organic.
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| The Getaway / Maximo Patio And Lounge |
Then in 2018, they opened a second location attached to the newly renovated Maximo Marina at the end of a canal inlet to the Boca Ciega Bay, all part of the greater Skyway Marina District and the Maximo neighborhood. The marina is the largest full service covered marina on Florida's west coast. The neighborhood is centrally located and a five-minute drive to either downtown St. Petersburg, or the beach. The new location has a seating capacity of more than 300, including 100 patio seats, and boat slips that fit 15 to 20 boats. This version of The Getaway according to owner Dave Burton has a beachy vibe with a modern, upscale twist that was inspired by Opal Sands Resort in Clearwater Beach.
However, it is not all that it is cracked up to be…
Menu:
- Raw Bar
- Starters
- Salad or Wrap
- Baskets
- Sandwiches
- Burgers
- Tacos
- Nachos
- Quesadillas
- Sea and Land Features
- Sides
- Kids
- Sweets
My wife had been to The Getaway a few times since the opening and had also been to the original Gandy location several times. In August of 2018, we went together for a lunch to the new Maximo Marina location. I had never been to either Getaway location, and she wanted me to experience it for myself. She did give me a warning about a few things, but I went in with an opened mind. The atmosphere was very pleasant and open with several patio sections for outdoor seating with fans to blow around on hot or muggy summer days. As this was a new location an artist was finishing up the drawing of a mural near to where we sat. Across from the patios was a small bar nearer to the marina docks, plus there was a large indoor dining area with a bar for those that want to beat the heat.
My first observation, once we got some menus, was that the prices were on the high side for a local neighborhood restaurant. The owners did invest an amount in the seven figures according to the Tampa Bay Times, and based on these prices, wanted to get that money back fast, which for example included up-charging for a 1-ounce ramekin of ranch dressing addition to our order — really!! The cocktails started at ten dollars, beers between four and seven dollars, and basic table wines at eight dollars a glass. My wife had the coconut breeze cooler cocktail with a light but briskly and citrusy mix of mango and coconut rum. I kept to my local beer favorite Jai Alai IPA from the Cigar City Brewing Company.
Ambiance has high marks, but the score nose-dives from there with horrible service, and basic quality food that for the price should have been much better. Plate presentation was very basic, and the taste was not at high marks either. The same types of food we could have gotten at dozens of other St Petersburg restaurants at a much lower price. The service cannot be talked about enough. Yes, the location was new, and the service staff was being trained by veteran servers from the Gandy Getaway location. My wife recognized a server from her other visits who was going back to Gandy, and the lady that did serve us was to use an analogy not moving on a full tank of gas and was on 87 octanes instead of 93.
There were few people in the restaurant, maybe five table beside ourselves, so it wasn’t as if the servers were running around like crazy and were busy. Being in the restaurant industry we would have understood that. Our server maybe had one other table. It took time just to get our menus, even more, time for her to return and take our drink order, then god knows how long for the food order. Delivery of drinks and food felt like we were having an early dinner instead of lunch by the time they arrived. She also had very little knowledge of the menu and was more of an order taker instead of a server, not giving any recommendations. We started with a smoked fish spread of house-smoked amberjack, a blended seafood spice, with a side of celery, onions, and pickled jalapeños.
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| The Getaway / Smoked Fish Spread |
With my wife and I living in Central Florida we dine out at many places and find that a local Florida favorite is smoked fish spread which would range from awesome to the most disgusting that the smell alone would turn you off. With that, and writing these reviews I made up a fish spread chart to rate how the restaurants fare for their house-made spreads. Here at the Getaway Maximo, I would rate their spread as ‘Better’ or a 3 out of a possible best of 6. The ingredients mix was nice, with a good quality flavor and smoke, but possibly with GMO ingredients with a need for greater enhancements in my opinion.
Fish Spread Rating Chart:
THE BEST - Top notch quality, excellent flavor profiles, memorable presentation, rare ingredients, organic, non-GMO, sustainable, local, immense-colossal quality of fish, and extravagant smoke flavors
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DAMN GOOD - Fantastic smoke, exceptional quality, eclectic flavor, nice display, dedicated local sourcing, beautiful quality fish, possibly sustainable, non-GMO
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GOOD - delicate, Enhanced ingredients, nice flavor, fresh taste, great smoke, common arrangements, in state local, superior quality fish
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BETTER - Nice ingredients, higher-desirable quality, okay flavor and taste, good smoke content, maybe from in-state sources, but possibly a GMO
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OKAY - Nothing amazing, a regular spread, fair quality, highly probable GMO product, might be from the state, most likely not, fabricated or mainstream smoke products
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BAD - Taste old, horrible seasoning, cheap smoke, manufactured, heavy GMO product, not local, bad smell
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For entrees, my wife had the grown-up grilled cheese on panini bread, with candied bacon, melted cheddar cheese, blue, and smoked mozzarella, topped with tomato slices and caramelized onions. When you think about ordering a grilled cheese you imagine nice golden brown bread from the butter cooked on the flat-top grill with melted cheese oozing out of the sides. Parts of the bread were this way, while the center was white and looked like it was barely touched on the grill or brushed with butter. The caramelized onions tasted more like quickly grilled onions blended with brown sugar to give the appearance of the caramelized but not the taste which you can only get from the slow hours' long reduction in butter at low heat.
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| The Getaway / Grown-up Grilled Cheese |
On the menu it mentions that the sandwich selections are served with an island style coleslaw, so we both ordered a side of fries and decided on the garlic cajun French fry upgrade. When we got the fries, most of them were regular fries a little over-cooked in the oil and a small section of the fries had an overabundance of the garlic and Cajun seasoning. I increased the size of the picture zooming in to show you the complete lack of presentation to this dish and how it appeared to be thrown together.
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| The Getaway / Garlic Cajun Fries |
For my entree, I saw another sandwich of soft shell crab which I have had in many Charleston, South Carolina restaurants, but had not seen to my knowledge on a Florida menu. The crab had good flavor but the citrus remoulade tasted more like an overpowering mayonnaise then the wonderful flavors that come with a remoulade. The sandwich also had your regular fixings of lettuce, tomato, and onions.
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| The Getaway / Soft Shell Crab Sandwich |
From the picture above you will see that the plate not only came with the island coleslaw but also a side of fries. Now going back to horrible service, when we ordered the thrown together garlic fries, we mentioned that we wanted them to go with our sandwiches because the only item offered was slaw (according to the menu).
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| The Getaway / menu screen shot of sides offered |
She could have said that the sandwiches came with fries, but was completely oblivious to our inquiry’s. Then when my wife ordered a second cocktail, the server up-charged us for some gin in a key lime gimlet that my wife didn’t order. My wife noticed that the drinks had no alcohol taste and were more watered down, so requested that the bartender put some alcohol in the drink, so we were charged two times for one drink. If the owners want to get their seven-figure investment back, this is not the way to do it.
A week later my wife and I went to the original Getaway location on Gandy, had a few drinks at the tiki bar, and had the exact opposite experience from the Maximo Marina Getaway. The service was friendly and professional. In my opinion if the Maximo Getaway want’s to succeed, they need to do some changes, otherwise, the local crowd that is currently reviewing them with wondrous accolades on the local Nextdoor app or TripAdvisor will begin to turn.
Dessert:
We did not have dessert on this visit.
Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.
Other noteworthy Floribbean articles and restaurants similar to The Getaway:
Floribbean cuisine is found in varying forms in Florida restaurants The essence of what makes a particular dish "Floribbean" is similar to that of certain other aspects of variable Floridian culture: it is influenced by the American Indian tribes native to the area, along with immigrants from all over the world, but especially from Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Greece. Highlighted recipes include key lime pie, barbecue, tropical barbacoa, and smoked fish spreads.
The Floridian Restaurant Modern and locally sourced café for southern grub in St. Augustine, Florida
Ulele Rustic chic for native American and Floridian fare in Tampa, Florida
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”
Other St Petersburg restaurants, and articles on Wine Dine and Play:
|
Rustic New American Fare
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
A top 20 on Wine Dine and Play
|
Laid-back dockside spot for global eats
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
Casual LGBT bar and burger joint
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
A few Florida restaurant favorites:
|
Third-floor terrace seafood-centric New American dining
Bradenton Beach, Florida, USA
|
Eclectic and innovative gastropub using molecular gastronomy
Tampa, Florida, USA
|
Laid-back bar with cocktails, wine, & Cigars
Key West, Florida, USA
|
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary by country”
Final notes, review basics, observations, and more pictures:
Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor. To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
Overall from this experience and the score factors outlined in the ‘about page’ section, based on my individual experience and rating, I give The Getaway a 0.5 out of 5 stars, meaning that they were a very basic experience and the rating was severely dragged down by the lack of service, price for product received, and food quality. It will be some time before I decide to return, but it will be a duty to do so to see if their score improves.
Scores are detailed in the factor chart below:
Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings for The Getaway Maximo
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Max Points Possible:
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Total Points Awarded:
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Total Points deducted:
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Ambiance
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11
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11
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0
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Food quality
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11
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6
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5
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Plate presentation
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10
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5
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5
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Customer service
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13
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4
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9
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Alcohol and other beverages
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7
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5
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2
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Total regular points awarded
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52
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31
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21
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Total percentage — less the Bonus
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0.596153846153846
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“Wow” factor BONUS
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5
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1
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0
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Total bonus percentage
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0.0192307692307692
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Total percentage and bonus for a final star rating
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0.615384615384615
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Stars Awarded (see chart below)
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0 - 5
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0.5
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**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above. To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**
***
Overall Star Rating:
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0.5 of 5 Stars:
62% Rating with a 1 point “wow” bonus
An Very Basic Dining Experience
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The Getaway Wine rating:
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2 of 10
Old World selections:
France, Italy
New World selections:
California
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Corkage fees:
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The Getaway 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 dining
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Cuisine Style at The Getaway:
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American, Bar & Grille, Chain, Floribbean
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Low Carb Choices, Pescatarian, Vegetarian Options
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Reservations:
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Not Required
Walk-Ins:
Accepted, but not guaranteed
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Dress code:
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Casual attire
It’s Florida, everybody wear’s flip-flops!
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Child policy:
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The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a kids menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended that kids not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
If not then:
Hire a Babysitter!
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The Getaway Experiences:
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Modern, Great bar, Great outdoor dining, Tourist grabber
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Payments:
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Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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The Getaway has a private lot
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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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The Getaway is a non-smoking restaurant with a non-smoking patio
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Patio or terrace:
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Yes
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Food Prices
(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricey)
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
Currency:
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Price
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$$
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Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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££
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$$$
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Chinese Yuan (CNY)
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¥¥¥¥
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European Union (EUR)
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€€
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Alcohol prices:
$43.00 USD
The Getaway:
3769 50th Ave South
St. Petersburg, Florida
33711
Gandy Location:
Contact Information:
Restaurant website:
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Maître d or host:
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+1 727-235-0963
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Website Contact:
Email Us:
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Serving hours:
Eastern Standard Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00)
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Sun - Thur
11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Fri - Sat
11:00 am - 12:00 am
Happy Hour: Mon - Fri
4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
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Social Media
And
Accolades for
The Getaway:
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****
The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
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Hip burger chain with space-age decor
Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
|
Colonial Portuguese Fusion with tapas
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
Posh and artful French cuisine + culinary experimentalism at Intercontinental Hotel
Festival City, Dubai, UAE
|
Other Getaway Pictures:
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| The Getaway / Tiki Bar At Gandy Location |
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| The Getaway / Open-Air Seating At Gandy Location |
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
