CASA TINA COPA PARTS OF PARIS WILD CHILD served with quince jam. The swanky bar and dining room inside is lovely but it’s also great to grab a seat outside, where the patio overlooking Beach Drive Northeast offers a great view of all the nightlife in action. COPA • St. Petersburg; $ • This popular Central Avenue cocktail bar and restaurant in St. Petersburg's EDGE District is always buzzing, playing the part of a Latin American and Caribbean tapas restaurant earlier in the evening and a lively cocktail lounge later at night. Fusion flavors highlight the menu, from the jerk tofu spring rolls to the mojo pork-topped tostones, served with a fiery Haitian pikliz. The cocktail menu is a big draw here and combines classics like Moscow mules and margaritas with creative original takes as well as a sizable beer and wine selection. RED MESA • St. Petersburg; $$ • The flagship location on Fourth Street opened in 1995 and has expanded with several more casual offshoots: Red Mesa Cantina, in downtown St. Pete, and Red Mesa Mercado, in St. Pete’s EDGE District. At the original, you’ll find polished takes on regional Mexican cuisine. The Mercado location is great for a quick lunch or a late-night bite and the buzzy downtown Cantina is the place to turn it up over a round of margaritas. WILD CHILD • St. Petersburg; $$ • With a spacious and covered outdoor dining setup, a creative menu that touches on bright Caribbean flavors and a cocktail menu heavy on rum and mezcal, the popular Grand Central District restaurant feels a lot like the Burg’s very own tropical oasis. Weekend brunch offers a nice excuse to linger over dishes like tres leches French toast and eye-openers like the Lost Weekend, a refreshing mix of watermelon, agave, mint and your spirit of choice. chicken dish is served with macaroni and cheese and a honey-butter biscuit. The airy outdoor patio is the best spot to be on a sunny weekend afternoon. LEFT BANK BISTRO • St. Petersburg; $$ • This charming French restaurant inside a renovated home seeks to evoke the jazz and splendor of Paris’ left bank in the 1920s and pays homage to both the literary and artistic accomplishments of the era. The French bistro menu includes all the classics: silky chicken liver pâté, served with pickled fennel and caper berries; caramelized onion tarts; steak frites; boeuf bourguignon and a beautiful bouillabaisse, chock full of local seafood bobbing in a saffron-tinged lobster broth. PARTS OF PARIS • Safety Harbor; $$ • Set in a restored 1936 bungalow in the heart of down-town Safety Harbor, this modern French bistro imbues plenty of neighborhood charm. It’s a popular spot for date nights and the bar scene can often get lively, fueled by a creative list of cocktails, ranging from cucumber basil martinis to fizzy French 75s. Don’t skip on the daily specials, which include half-off appetizers on Mondays and a tasty bouillabaisse on Fridays. FRENCH CASSIS • St. Petersburg; $$ • The French-leaning menu at this Beach Drive Northeast restaurant includes dishes like escargot and moules frites — plenty to satisfy any Francophile. But the wide-reaching menu covers plenty of New American territory, too: Burgers are topped with caramelized onions and gruyere and a fried VISITSTPETECLEARWATER.COM 81
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