It’s Mexican food with a twist. That’s the concept behind Lime, a new restaurant by the founders of Ciccio & Tony’s, which opened Sunday (10/1) in the high-profile Howard Avenue space that formerly housed Primadonna Trattoria.
The food has a heavy South American influence, especially Brazilian, said co-founder James Lanza. The atmosphere? The idea is that it will evolve nightly, he said, as families, then professionals and later the younger SoHo crowd filters through.
Lime will place an emphasis on fun, especially later in the evenings, with “almost a clubbish atmosphere on late nights,” Lanza said. “We want to entertain people.”
The concept arose out of Tampa’s lack of lounge-style gathering spots, he said. Clubs are generally too noisy and crowded to do much socializing, and most restaurants are fairly restrained, he said.
Lanza and co-founder Jeff Gigante hope to create a happy medium with a DJ on site, 10 50-inch plasma TVs and later hours.
The menu features dishes with Brazilian-style rotisserie meats (chicken, beef, lamb), plenty of tapas for sampling and clay pots with rice featuring different sauces. One of the restaurant’s focal points is a margarita bar.
Lime, at 915 S Howard Ave., opens at 11 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays for sporting events, and 5 p.m. during the week. Closing time? However long the fun goes on, Lanza said.
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