Grand Opening of ‘Ten Rooms’ in Tampa Bay, Florida

The new dining concept premieres in a historic section of Ybor City with multiple food and wine experiences; plus, Atlanta’s Lazy Betty has moved to a new location

Who’s behind it: In the Historic Ybor area of Tampa, Fla., Ten Rooms is a new concept from local hospitality professional Ro Patel (formerly of Ciro’s Speakeasy and Anise Global Gastrobar in Tampa) and restaurant COO Zach Pace, previously of Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence winners Aphotic and Lazy Bear in San Francisco.

The kitchen team is led by executive chef Parker Brown, an alum of Aphotic and Michael Mina’s Mina Group; chef de cuisine Vincent Brisotti; and pastry chef Lorena Idrovo.

“We hope our commitment to terroir and quality partnerships continues to push the standard of what the city expects from its chef-driven restaurants,” Brown told Wine Spectator via email.

The culinary approach: Ten Rooms provides a variety of dining experiences, centered around Bar Martinez. This is named after Vicente Martinez Ybor, the founder of Ybor City and a renowned cigar producer. The menu at Bar Martinez carries a modern flair and a unique blend of European and Southeast US culinary influences. Featured dishes include duck confit coupled with “dirty” farro and Swiss chard, smoked eggplant served with lentils and pickled squash, and ricotta gnudi. There’s also charred cabbage with scallions and oysters from Calusa Oyster Company topped with candied ginger. Their team also specializes in homemade brioches, which are served with cultured butter and a hint of fennel pollen. They also dry-age their meat and fish in-house.

“Our cuisine is designed to take our guests on a culinary journey through Europe, particularly reflecting the local heritage of Ybor. Additionally, we consciously highlight the plethora of fresh produce available in our locality,” added Pace, while talking about their locally sourced caviar.

Other attractions within Ten Rooms include a bar named Genevieve the Cat, the Café at Ten Rooms – a bakery and coffee shop, and a boutique shop cum art exhibition area – the Shop at Ten Rooms.

What’s on the wine list: Pace boasts a selection of around 125 labels. This begins with approximately 20 choices of sparkling wine, which includes selections from California’s

Roederer Estate and

Egly-Ouriet from Champagne. Wine enthusiasts can also find Sonoma Chardonnays, rosés from Provence, Burgundies, Riojas, Tuscan reds, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons, as well as some exclusive and older bottlings. These include wines from

Château Margaux, which is a Bordeaux first-growth,

R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia – an emblematic Spanish wine,

Corison from Napa and a magnum of the

Oddero Barolo Brunate 2004.

“Our hope is that the wine will mirror—and complement—the cuisine and the guest experience. Refined, yet approachable, serious but fun,” Pace explained. “We don’t want guests to have to read an entire tome to find the perfect bottle, and the format is oriented toward readability and easy access.”

At Genevieve the Cat, guests can also enjoy a range of wines by the glass, as well as 20 cocktails curated by Patel. “I’d like to show the world the Tampa Bay area has a devoted demographic of hardcore wine lovers with very sophisticated, urbane tastes,” said Pace. “We want more grower Champagne, more organic options, more vintage depth and more sincere, sommelier-led experiences.”

The space: Dating to 1912, Ten Rooms’ building formerly housed El Centro Español de Tampa social club. Carrying over the historic pressed tin ceilings and tiles, Roberta Ibarra of Alfonso Architects designed the space with plenty of natural light, incorporating contemporary art from local artists like Jay Giroux. Patel observed, “The design is a cohesive combination of modern and historic touches that nod to the building’s identity, with pops of color that add a vibrant energy.”

Who’s behind it: Chefs and restaurateurs Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips opened tasting-menu restaurant Lazy Betty in 2019 in Atlanta’s Candler Park neighborhood. It quickly drew acclaim for their distinctive take on American cuisine, its Wine Spectator Restaurant Award–winning wine list of nearly 500 labels and, in 2022, for becoming a sensory-inclusive restaurant.

In 2023, the Lazy Betty team announced that the restaurant would relocate to a new Midtown Atlanta location. The original location closed Feb. 14, 2024.

When Lazy Betty reopened: March 19 at 999 Peachtree Street on the corner of Peachtree and 10th (formerly the home of chef Hugh Acheson‘s Empire State South), though it had to wait until April for its liquor license. The restaurant team continues to work with nonprofit KultureCity to maintain its commitment to sensory inclusion at this new location.

What’s on the wine list: Wine stewards Gracie Barwick and Janice Shiffler created a new and expanded program of around 325 labels. Guests can select a wine pairing for each course of Lazy Betty’s tasting menus (beer, cocktail, alcohol-free cocktail options are also available).

“The pairing experience drives our wine program at Lazy Betty,” Shiffler told Wine Spectator via email. “We put a lot of care and creativity into pairing each dish with an outstanding wine. We see it as a chance to take our guests around a world of wine that’s filled with delight and surprises.” Shiffler points to a pairing of foie gras terrine with a Spanish vermouth as an example.

Guests can anticipate Burgundies from domains such as Chablis’ Patrick Piuze, Rhônes from Chapoutier, Pauillac from Château Pichon Baron, Russian River Valley Pinot Noir from Williams Selyem and much more. The list predominantly features bottles from France, Spain, Italy, and California, with smaller selections from several other countries.

Barwick and Shiffler focus primarily on wines from family-owned and women- or minority-led wineries that use organic or biodynamic techniques. Their by-the-glass list includes around 15 wines, one of which includes a flight of three Billecart-Salmon Champagnes.

The List also includes a wide range of sweet and fortified wines, with a vertical of Kopke colheita Port from as far back as 1935 and a flight of Château de Fargues Sauternes tracing back to 1996.

“We believe wine and food should bring happiness, so our aim is to make sure our guests enjoy their meal and drinks,” Shiffler explained. “The new guests are offering us the opportunity to discover new, intriguing wines.”

Lazy Betty will host wine-focused events: Shiffler noted that one is already planned with Napa Valley’s PlumpJack. “We want Lazy Betty to be known for such evenings.”

The culinary approach: “We serve creative tasting menus showcasing modern culinary techniques and incorporate a variety of cuisines using the highest quality ingredients we can source,” Hsu explained. Dishes include spring garlic tortellini with white asparagus and ramp-stuffed morels, poached Icelandic cod with spring succotash and green tomato caviar, crown-roasted duck breast with a blackberry-Banyuls gastrique, and raspberry mousse with lychee cremeux. Additionally, Lazy Betty is offering a new à la carte menu for its bar lounge, with options such as truffle agnolotti, uni toast, shrimp causa and an oyster service.

“The new location represents a glorious challenge of allowing us to grow and reach new people while not losing what has made Lazy Betty so successful,” said Shiffler. “Our food remains soulful and delicious, bringing together flavors from around the world that have you scraping the plate without shame.”

The design: The new 4,300-square-foot space seats 70 guests across its dining room, semi-private dining area, bar lounge and private Chef’s Dining Room. Kate Blue of Blue Lantern Studios mixed contemporary-design and nature-inspired elements, incorporating flashes of greenery throughout, earth tones, a stone bar top, a hand-made ornithological sculpture, terracotta plaster paint and heart pine floors, all lit by sunlight streaming through large windows.

Keep up with the latest restaurant news from our award winners: Subscribe to our free Private Guide to Dining newsletter!

---

About the Author: Chris Lehoux

Meet Chris Lehoux, an experienced wine connoisseur and dedicated blogger with a deep passion for all things wine-related. With years of expertise in the industry, Chris shares insightful wine reviews, valuable wine tasting tips, expert pairing advice, and captivating tales of vineyard visits. Join Chris on a journey through the world of wine, where every sip is an adventure waiting to be savored!