We went apartment hunting all day in St. Petersburg without stopping for lunch. By 5 pm we were starving and headed over to The Pier where we ate at The Columbia Restaurant.
There are spectacular views and great food. I was so hungry and tired from the day that I ate most of the food forgetting to take pictures of it. Ooops.
We had fresh baked Cuban Bread.
Fresh Baked Cuban Bread
The Cuban Bread that I am used in the Miami area to has a much lighter, almost white crust, so I asked my Cuban hottie, Laura, why this one had a golden brown crust.
I was suspicious that it was inauthentic. Laura educated me from her upbringing by Cuban immigrant parents in Puerto Rico. She told me that there are two kinds of Cuban Bread.
Pan Sobao - soft pale bread - this is what I am used to finding in the Miami area.
Pan Sobao
Pan de Agua - has the hard golden brown crust, more similar to Italian or French bread. This is the one the Columbia Restaurant serves.
Laura told me that for special occasions at her family’s gatherings they make sure there are both types of Cuban bread available.
I found an interesting discussion about the different styles of Cuban bread on Chowhound.
We accompanied our Cuban bread and the rest of our meal with table side, fresh-made Sangria.
Sangria Made Table Side at the Columbia Restaurant
The Pier in St. Petersburg is an inverted pyramid structure with five-stories. The Columbia Restaurant is on the fourth floor and wraps around for 360 degree views. We had a spectacular view of Tampa Bay.
View from The Columbia Restaurant
There was a tall sailing ship docked there and we were told that it had a part in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean.
Ship had a role in Pirates of the Caribbean
That was the best shot we could get of it from our vantage point above as there are parts of the building structure that obscure it.
We had a bunch of other food including …
Croquetas de Pollo
A Sunday dinner tradition. This is Carmen Hernandez’s special recipe for chicken croquettes. Six croquettes made with chicken and Cuban cracker crumbs and fried. Served with Columbia Hot Sauce.
Boliche “Criollo”
Roasted Eye round of beef stuffed with chorizo and roasted in flavorful gravy. Served with black beans, white rice and platanos.
Ropa Vieja
Originally introduced to Cuba by Spanish sailors. The name means “old clothes” because the choice beef is shredded, sauteéd and simmered with onions, green peppers and tomatoes. Served with platanos and white rice.
I am sorry I didn’t get pictures of these, but my appetite overruled my brain at the time.
After dinner we did a little shopping for birthday gifts for Miguelito and then headed back to our Clearwater Beach Holiday Inn & Suites.
Here is the view of The Pier from out front in the evening.
The Pier at Dusk
Columbia Restaurant
800 2nd Avenue N.E.
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
727.822.8000
www.columbiarestaurant.com