A California Lunch In Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
Cuisine Style: American, Californian
Average Price: $
Overall Rating: 3/5
Dined: June 2019
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:
Ciccio Cali Zomato rating:
Ciccio Cali has four locations in the Tampa Bay Area from Brandon, two Tampa Locations, and the final location in our local area where this review is based in St. Petersburg inside the Northeast Park Shopping Center. They focus and are inspired by the modern cuisine from California with bowls, brick oven pizzas, tacos, and fresh wraps all made to order using antibiotic-free chicken and meats, fresh organic and Non-GMO vegetables, healthy high protein choice, as well as vegan and gluten-friendly options. The St. Petersburg location is built into a very bright industrial space with floor to ceiling windows serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a weekend brunch with live music.
Ciccio Cali is part of the Ciccio Restaurant Group named after Frank (Ciccio) Lanza, who founded the group in 1988 up in New York who was a successful Fortune 100 CEO and founder of L3 Communications, now called L3 Technologies. Today Ciccio Restaurant Group is a multi-concept, multi-location, partner-owned hospitality group with a broad range of concepts and service styles, from quick to full service, and “hybrid style” or half-service style, that include the Green Lemon restaurant where my wife and I dined back in December 2018.
The dining room was packed out, and we arrived at the perfect time for some customers that were leaving for us to have a seat next to the window. People from all walks of life were dining here as the menu and reputation called many people to them. As this was our first time dining, the atmosphere and people alone inspired us and motivated us more with the thought that we had found a little hole-in-the-wall or diamond in the rough.
My wife started with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from Bogle Vineyards based near Clarksburg outside of Sacramento, California. According to the winemakers’ notes, it has a citrus and lemongrass flavor, along with tropical fruit, and lychee. Lively and refreshing, Bogle’s Sauvignon Blanc is made using reductive winemaking techniques and cold fermentation in stainless steel tanks to capture the true and unadulterated essence of the varietal. California wine especially chardonnay’s are known to use oxidative winemaking which preserves the primary fruit aromas and flavors by allowing some controlled oxygen exposure. Reductive winemaking is more common in New Zealand than in California, so it is good to see some vineyards breaking from the common traditions to set themselves apart from the masses.
As it was brunch, I had a Bloody Mary to start, and there is nothing better in the mid-morning before you prepare to enjoy fresh and organic California-style cuisine than having some flavor profiles of spicy, sour, and celery salt that one enjoys from a classic Bloody Mary. This Bloody Mary had a nice smoky flavor from the Worcestershire sauce with a symphony of spice, but also enough alcohol to taste for a little vodka burn instead of straight tomato juice. Though Bloody Mary’s is known as a hangover drink, either by that belief or in trying to save money, bartenders will not do an extra pour to this brunch cocktail, so it is nice when you can taste the burning vodka instead of straight juice. Speaking of vodka, the intense, spicy, tangy flavor of a Bloody Mary chemically overpowers the flavor of the vodka anyway, so according to flavor chemist Neil C. Da Costa, don't waste your money buying a premium vodka that you won’t be able to fully taste or enjoy the aroma of.
Ciccio Cali Menu:
- Munchies
- Pizzas
- Cali Bowls
- Burgers and Pressed Wraps
- Brunch
- Specials
- Sweets
Though it was brunch they offered the regular lunch menu on top of the very delicious looking brunch menu with items like a power avocado sandwich, and breakfast California bowls like a steak and egg, Bella Blanca, or a Tex-Mex all served with cage-free eggs using free-range hens. We opted for the normal lunch menu.
We began with an appetizer of garlic-lime edamame, a normally very sweet and grassy textured dish do to the young unfermented soybean not fully maturing and tastes like a normal white bean. Though most places will boil them, and serve with a dusting of salt, it was nice to get a citrus flavor from the lime and fragrant garlic texture when having the edamame. They still did dust with salt but the sour taste of that lime really brought out the intensity of what commonly is a dish that does not have great complexity, to begin with.
 |
| Ciccio Cali / garlic-lime edamame |
They have 17 bowls on the main menu plus a build your own if you do not like the combinations the chef has created. Many of them have Latin names with items that are also Latin in origin or spiced accordingly, but also some plan Jane selections that are still packed with incredible combinations like the boom-boom chicken, Baja, and the lean n’ clean dishes. My wife had a spicy Brazil with spaghetti squash toss in a lime-caesar dressing with blackened chicken, seasoned black beans, smashed avocado, roasted corn, cheddar, crispy fried jalapeño, and a lime sour cream. The chicken was perfectly seasoned with lite hints of spiced cayenne, garlic, and oregano. The avocado had a very fresh full-bodied flavor which added great complexity to the dish and evened out the heavy carbohydrate from the black beans and the citrus dressing.
 |
| Ciccio Cali /spicy Brazil |
My selection was the olé ahi tuna poke seared rare and tossed in a citrus soy sauce then is topped with cucumber, onions, pepitas from Styrian oil seed pumpkins, mature red Fresno peppers that range on the Scoville scale between 2,500 to 10,000 heat units, crispy but mild-tasting jalapeños, and smashed avocado. Olé is a Spanish expression of excitement or surprise or to express strong agreement. I would agree as this was an olé, a hit of nice spice slightly stronger than that of jalapeños, fresh full flavors from the crisp tuna with hints of the open ocean and lite salt, expanded by the citrus hints, then all brought together in harmony by the avocado.
 |
| Ciccio Cali / Olé Poke |
If you're not in the mood for bowls, then go for one of their house-made burgers made from ground brisket cuts, free-range grass-fed pork bacon or the vegan Impossible Burger patty, with guacamole, vegan cheese, and vegan bun (aka flour, water, yeast, and salt). This item is to my knowledge the only one on the menu that is a GMO. We had this item once before when dining at Ichicoro Ane, an Izakaya Japanese restaurant that focused on ramen style bowls. The ‘Impossible Burger,' is a plant-based patty that bleeds and sizzles when it cooks. It's made using an ingredient called haem (or heme, an iron-containing compound that's abundant in animal muscle) and aims to mimic the basic meaty flavor that smells and tastes like a cow. Based on reading about the ingredients, it does contain GMO’s. Setting aside the genetically engineered yeast from the heme as Sciblogs identifies in their article, the soy used may be plant-based and vegan-friendly, but it is grown with genetically modified seeds. In some fashion over thousands of years, most food has been modified in one form or another. The outcry for the past forty years is the injection of chemicals such as glyphosate into the seeds and other genetic methods that the W.H.O has said causes cancer.
The only downside to the experience at Ciccio Cali for this meal was not the food, atmosphere or the service as they were all top-notch and worthy of the 3-star score given below. This downside was the restroom. The room itself was cleaned and had a fresh smell, so that was not the issue. When I do restaurant reviews, a good portion of the ambience and food safety score comes from a quick inspection of the bathrooms or a glimpse of the expeditors line (see section 7 of the article What is a Restaurant Review?). After using the restroom, I washed my hands and looked over at the electric hand dryer to see a little post-it note reading out of order with a little sad face drawn on it. Well, technology is what it is, and sometimes it will break. The fact that they were using this dryer was good to cut back on the waste from the paper in landfills, so I understand why they had it. What I did not understand is why that was all they had. I support protecting the environment and thanks to my wife's teaching have learned to be more aware of the waste that humans contribute to. But being in the foodservice industry, food safety, and overall sanitation is a high concern for me. Several people out in the world today are disgusting. They use the restroom especially “number two,” and leave the restroom without even washing their nasty hands. Plus most of those people that do wash their hands do not wash correctly or good enough to prevent illness and the spreading of germs.
 |
| Ciccio Cali / Electric hand dryer |
When this machine broke, the restaurant did not provide paper towels to dry your hands as an option. You may think, “What is the big deal, just shake your hands to air dry them.” Yes, that part is easy. For me, it's the sink handle and the door handle. The sink handle is touched by hands that came right from the “number two” stall, so it is contaminated until your hands are lathered with soap and hot water. I use a towel to turn the sink off to avoid recontaminating my hands after cleaning them. Once your hands are clean and dry, the door handle is still contaminated because of disgusting people that do their business and do not wash their hands, then exit the bathroom. Employees use this bathroom, and hopefully, the company has a strong policy for washing hands to avoid spreading foodborne illnesses like the Norovirus at the Olympics in 2018 that got worldwide attention or the almost daily amount of people across the USA and world that fall ill or die from them.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die in the United States alone. So when the employee washes their hands correctly and gets ready to head back to the kitchen and work, he grabs a door handle that was touch by a nasty person that did a number two and did not wash their hands. This is why for me it is a big deal and no matter how environmentally conscious you are, you need to always have a paper option of some kind as an extra measure to prevent the spread of foodborne illness, or install a door that swings outward instead of being pulled. For the sinks, you can install a hands-free system to avoid contamination and save on paper towel waste as well. At the end that does cost money, but what does it cost if you do make someone sick. How much money do you have to pay to lawyers, the bad press that will keep people away, the employees that you have to terminate for lack of business, and much more? This happened to the number one restaurant in the world called Noma; Chef René Redzepi new Nordic cookery style took the world by storm and hit the World’s Best Restaurant list four times in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014. An outbreak of the Norovirus from an employee made 63 people sick and not only cost him the #1 in the world slot, but he shut down and re-opened in a new location three years later.
Dessert:
As we paid our bill, we had opted out of dessert when we were presented with two house-made cookies, piping hot-filled with chocolate chips in one and a double-chocolate, mixed nut and marshmallow in the other. A very nice way to end an excellent meal, and we will be returning, where beyond expecting some wonderful food and customer service, I will be inspecting the bathroom to see if they have taken any steps to avoid foodborne illness.
 |
| Ciccio Cali / cookies |
Besides the cookies which were delicious, check out some of these wonderful selections:
Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.
Wine regulatory’s for the tastings in this article:
“In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is the strength, in the water there are bacteria.” - David Auerbach
United States:
California:
Other noteworthy California cuisine articles and restaurants similar to Ciccio Cali:
California cuisine is a style of cuisine marked by an interest in fusion cuisine (integrating disparate cooking styles and ingredients) and in the use of freshly prepared local ingredients. The food is typically prepared with strong attention to presentation. Foods low in saturated fats and high in fresh vegetables and fruits with lean meats and seafood from the California coast often define the style.
BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse Chain (180+) for pub grub and brewed beer; reviewed in Pinellas Park, Florida
Casita Taqueria a fast-casual taqueria serving homemade artisan Mexican food specializing especially in tacos and burritos in St. Petersburg, Florida
FarmTable Cucina organic, sustainable, and local with a focus on Italian and New American themes in St. Petersburg, Florida
FarmTable Kitchen Casual Cal-Italian cuisine and chef tables in St. Petersburg, Florida
Fleur de Lys Lavish French-Californian by Hubert Keller in San Francisco, California
Gaia Restaurant Organic and sustainable concept in American Canyon, California (Renamed Table 29 Bistro and Bar)
Greystone CIA Restaurant CIA School restaurant formally called Wine Spectator now GateHouse in Calistoga, California
Harvest Moon Café Farm-to-Fork daily changing new American fare menu in Sonoma, California
Wipeout Bar and Grill Surf shack theme with California and Mexican cuisine in San Francisco, California
Wolfgang Puck Celebrity Chef’s California cuisine and fine dining chain; reviewed in Orlando, 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:
|
creative sushi + pan-Asian regional menu
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
Seafood and raw bar with a huge wine cellar
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
2nd Review of this local diner with town history
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
A few Florida restaurant favorites:
|
Restaurant and bar hop for a prize
St. Pete Beach, Florida, USA
|
Vibrant spot for classic Spanish dishes & tapas
Tampa, Florida, USA
|
Gourmet Grilled Cheese and a bar in Greek Country
Tarpon Springs
|
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 ambience, food quality, and wow factor.
To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
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 Ciccio Cali a 3? out of 5 stars, meaning that they exceeded my expectations and were far above the average dining experience of most restaurants.
Scores are detailed in the factor chart below:
Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings for Ciccio Cali
|
Max Points Possible:
|
Total Points Awarded:
|
Total Points deducted:
|
Ambience
|
11
|
11
|
0
|
Food quality
|
11
|
11
|
0
|
Plate presentation
|
11
|
10
|
1
|
Customer service
|
13
|
8
|
5
|
Alcohol and other beverages
|
6
|
4
|
2
|
Total regular points awarded
|
52
|
44
|
8
|
Total percentage — less the Bonus
|
0.846153846153846
| ||
“Wow” factor BONUS
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
Total bonus percentage
|
0
| ||
Total percentage and bonus for a final star rating
|
0.846153846153846
| ||
Stars Awarded (see chart below)
|
0 - 5
|
3
|
**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:
|
3 of 5 Stars:
85% Rating with a 0 point “wow” bonus
Exceeded my Expectations in a Dining Experience
|
Ciccio Cali Wine rating:
|
2 of 10
Old World selections:
Italy
New World selections:
California
|
Corkage fees:
|
Ciccio Cali does not list any corkage fee’s however, most American restaurants charge $25.00 per bottle
|
Restaurant-style:
|
Casual dining
|
Cuisine Style at Ciccio Cali:
|
American, Californian
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Farm to Fork, Gluten-free choices, Grass-Fed, Low Carb Choices, Non-GMO, Organic, Vegan Options, Vegetarian Options
|
Reservations:
|
Walk-Ins:
Accepted, but not guaranteed
|
Dress code:
|
Casual attire
It’s Florida, everybody wear’s flip-flops!
|
Child policy:
|
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!
|
Ciccio Cali Experiences:
|
Place for foodies, Modern, Trendy, Hotspot, Great brunch, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood Gem.
|
Payments:
|
Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
|
Parking:
|
Ciccio Cali has a public lot
|
Wifi
|
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.
|
Noise level:
|
Medium
|
Smoking:
|
Ciccio Cali is a non-smoking restaurant with a non-smoking patio
|
Patio or terrace:
|
Yes
|
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:
|
Price
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
£
|
Canadian Dollar (CAN)
|
$$
|
Chinese Yuan (CNY)
|
¥¥¥
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€
|
Alcohol prices:
$13.00 USD
Ciccio Cali:
190 37th Ave North
St. Petersburg, Florida
33704, USA
Contact Information:
Restaurant website:
| |
Maître d or host:
|
+1 (727) 898-8226
|
Email Us:
| |
Serving hours:
Eastern Standard Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00)
|
Mun - Fri
11:00 am - 9:30 pm
Fri - Sat
10:00 am - 9:00 pm
|
Social Media
And
Accolades for Ciccio Cali:
| |
****
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…
|
Rodízio buffet and churrascaria
Niagara, Canada
|
Dessert shop with Southern treats, and praline
Savannah & Charleston, South Carolina, USA
|
German Bites in Bavarian-style Tavern
Ruskin, Florida, USA
|
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
