By Brian Ries, Published 11.29.2006

NICE NACHOS: The Lime does well by this sports-bar staple.

While eating at the The Lime on SoHo, dining companion Austin defended a mediocre movie by saying, “It’s easy to overlook the inevitable flaws when something is charming.” Profound, Austin. And especially apt when reviewing restaurants.

Of course, great restaurants don’t rely on charm. But most, well … they need the extra bit of good will that encourages customers to overlook “inevitable flaws.” The Lime certainly isn’t striving to be a “great” restaurant, so the obvious question is: Is it charming?

I guess a sports bar could be charming. That’s what The Lime is, via SoHo, so the vibe is upscale and the TVs are unobtrusive but omnipresent at the same time. The restaurant serves an extensive menu of gringofied Tex-Mex and Brazilian-influenced food with a distinct frat-boy vibe. This night, all the servers are male, and gentle but persistent ribbing commences the instant I order a diet Coke. “Live a little, man. It’s got to be a holiday somewhere in the world. We’ll have to get you into something stronger later.” That something stronger could be a shot off of Lime’s extensive tequila menu or, good lord, a beer bong.

Our gregarious server demonstrates the contraption. More an oversized tubular pitcher than the blood-alcohol delivery system of my youth, it comes with a stand and spigot for easy tableside refills. Don’t limit yourself to beer — The Lime will fill it with anything you want, from Jack and Coke to Grey Goose and whatever it is the trendy drink with Grey Goose these days. Maybe Pom or something. Apparently, the beer bongs are so popular on weekends that there’s a waiting list. “We’ve got a couple dozen more on order,” says the server.

Clever way to reinvent the beer pitcher as college reminiscence? Sure. Charming? Hmm. I’ll reserve judgment.

No matter how extensive the menu, there is no escaping that The Lime serves bar food. Nachos piled high on a plate and drowned in creamy queso fresco and hunks of pulled rotisserie chicken ($7) are among the best things on the menu. There are also under-stuffed quesadillas layered with everything from pork and manchego ($7) to chicken and pepper jack ($6). Nothing new there, just a little meat and a little cheese in a dozen combinations.

Guacamole — in three different flavors ($5-$5.50) — has the texture of thick mayo. Sure, there are chunks of almost ripe avocado in there, but the majority of it is processed until velvety smooth. Considering the lack of lime and cilantro, it’s overwhelmingly homogenous.

Ceviche ($7) with shrimp and calamari could also benefit from a lot more of The Lime’s namesake and more cilantro than a single leaf, as could the salsa and most of the menu items. Those two ingredients should be used in abundance, and their absence leaves the food with a distinctly Americanized flavor. That means dull. Certainly no better than the corner Mexican joint, even considering the wider variety of ingredients. That’s not charming.

The Brazilian influence on this menu of typical Mexican faves seems limited to the variety of grilled and rotisseried meats, chimichurri, fried yuca and something called Brajita bowls. What the heck is a Brajita?

Owners Jeff Gigante and James Lanza — of Ciccio & Tony’s, and Water right down the street — first displayed their love for the big bowl of food when they opened Daily Eats last year. At The Lime, bowlophilia comes in the form of fajitas in a bowl — those “Brajita” bowls — and a few “clay pot” rice stews. There appears to be no significant difference between these fajitas and the ones at Chili’s, except the “Brajita” bowl ain’t sizzling.

At least the clay pots show a little attempt at interesting flavor combinations. There are a few pseudo-paellas, including one with coconut milk and a bit of cilantro ($16) that makes for a tasty stew, or chicken and vegetables laced with a refreshing green tomatillo sauce ($14).

In the long list of sauces and cheeses and veggies available to be stuffed into The Lime’s tortilla-wrapped items, the meats are consistently the tastiest option. Slow-cooked rotisserie chicken and pork loin? Hard to beat it. Rotisserie lamb is a joy no matter what it’s served in. Skirt steak, especially when folded into a burrito ($7.50) — the best choice for an improved meat-to-tortilla ratio — is especially tasty, grilled quickly, then sliced right so it falls apart in your mouth.

One thing going for The Lime is that its menu — however banal in the grand scheme of restaurants — is fundamentally more interesting than the tired food you find at the Bay area’s standard sports bars. Or maybe that’s a strike against it. Depends on whether you want Bud longnecks and some hot wings, or a beer bong and burritos.

Some of The Lime’s charm might come from the crowd. This is SoHo, after all, so there are lots of pretty people doing serious drinking on the weekends. Still in its early days, there have already been numerous sightings at The Lime of Buccaneer and Lightning players, a fair number of whom live in South Tampa. It might be a fine place for that classic SoHo hobby — seeing and being seen.

Still, I’m going to have to come down on the wrong side of charming when it comes to The Lime. There aren’t many egregious flaws, but there also isn’t that extra something that allows me to overlook the problems. If The Lime were a movie, I might add it to my Netflix list, but I wouldn’t see it at the theater.

Brian Ries is a former restaurant general manager with an advanced diploma from the Court of Master Sommeliers. Creative Loafing food critics dine anonymously, and the paper pays for the meals. Restaurants chosen for review are not related to advertising.

The Lime, 2.5 stars

915 S. Howard Ave., Tampa, 813-868-LIME; www.ciccioandtonys.com/lime.html. 5:30-11 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., 5:30 p.m.-midnight, Fri., noon-midnight, Sat., noon-11 p.m. Sun.

©1996-2009 Creative Loafing Media – All Rights Reserved

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.

Published in tbt*, Tampa Bay Times, Sharon Ginn

JUSTIN GEORGE
Published November 11, 2005

SOHO – Jeff Gigante thought pizza would pay for his dreams. So the aspiring actor opened a pizzeria in Tallahassee, where he had gone to college.

The business failed, and Gigante moved to New York in 1992 with a little less than he had expected. Like many actors, he began waiting tables.

From right to left, Luis Flores, Jeff Gigante and James Lanza have opened two South Howard restaurants and have plans for two more in the works.

Gigante’s boss was Luis Flores, who had come to the United States from El Salvador in 1985. Flores had ascended to head chef at Coastal after starting out washing dishes and working in construction.

Flores would ask Gigante where he was from. Gigante would say Tampa because he figured Flores wasn’t familiar with St. Petersburg, his actual hometown.

Then he would add: “Someday we’re going to open a restaurant there.”

From dishrags to riches, the prediction came true. Flores, Gigante and Lanza have opened not one but four restaurants in Tampa and St. Petersburg in the past decade, including the adjoining Ciccio & Tony’s and Water restaurants on S Howard Avenue.

They aren’t done yet. The team is reshaping the ever-changing SoHo neighborhood one restaurant at a time. Up next, a Mexican themed restaurant and sports bar in the former Primadonna Trattoria and a diner in the Old Meeting House.

After a failed stint in Carrollwood, the three know where their bread is buttered.

“The neighborhood is what makes us survive,” Lanza said.

* * *

Lanza, 45, has the deep pockets of the three. As Gigante rose up the ranks in Lanza’s New York restaurants – he was a baker at the original Ciccio & Tony’s, named after Lanza’s brother and father – the two grew closer. During his first go-around running a pizza place, Gigante found that Lanza had the business savvy and a good feel for trends.

Gigante wanted another shot at running a restaurant, this time near his home in Tampa. He persuaded Lanza to invest and scout locations.

In 1996, they opened Ciccio & Tony’s at 1015 S Howard. Gigante ran it while Lanza traveled between New York and Tampa, and soon moved to Tampa full time. Both live in South Tampa.

Lanza, the father of two adult sons, grew up in California and New York. He owns a black-rimmed 500 horsepower silver Ford Lightning truck, a Porsche 911 Turbo and a Confederate motorcycle. Full of wit, he’s also a fast talker.

“James is atmosphere and energy,” Gigante said. “I don’t have the flair for design and business that he has.”

Gigante, 37, is a muscular man with a big grin. He’s quality control. He oversees daily operations and is picky about the details.

When the crew remodeling one of the trio’s restaurants wondered whether a forklift was needed to move an ice cream machine, Gigante got the call. He’s the first to point out that Water’s zebra-styled tables are wearing down and unacceptably dirty.

Raised by a single mother, Gigante is more of a realist, who sometimes fights Lanza “all the way.”

“We’re like brothers, honestly,” he said. “We know each other like that. We argue with each other. We laugh with each other.”

Flores, 45, is the father of two children and lives in Carrollwood. He sports a shaved head and chef’s white coat. He is in charge of the menus, which constantly change and fuse new flavors.

Together, the three have opened Water and Ciccio & Tony’s on S Howard, in Tampa Palms and St. Petersburg.

The Carrollwood restaurant on Dale Mabry closed in late 2002, marking Gigante and Lanza’s biggest and most expensive failure. They never expected North Tampa customers to demand free side salads and $6.99 dinners, they said.

Since then, the team has looked to expand in St. Petersburg and double efforts in SoHo, where people don’t mind paying a bit more, they said.

Recently, they were outbid by Chipotle Mexican Grill to take over Ho Ho Chinese Restaurant’s space on S Howard, Lanza said.

But they’re plenty busy without it, transforming the old Primadonna Trattoria, across from Xtreme Total Health & Fitness, into a yet-to-be-named sports bar with Mexican food. Next door, they’re reopening the Old Meeting House as Daily Eats Meeting House, a gourmet diner featuring Kobe beef, organic turkey, lamb, tuna and Greek burgers, among other spiced-up comfort food.

The Meeting House is expected to open as early as mid December. The sports bar is scheduled to open in March.

The team’s faith in S Howard has been rewarded over the past 10 years, and they say they’re not afraid to continue to invest there. They don’t feel they’re saturating the market with their products because each of their restaurants is different.

Despite owning three Ciccio & Tony’s restaurants, they consider themselves the antithesis of a chain.

“We feel that the more independent restaurants and restaurateurs on S Howard will create a synergy and a different energy than the chains on Dale Mabry,” Gigante said.

Becoming a main force on Tampa’s Restaurant Row hasn’t been without struggles.

While many root for the return of a neighborhood diner, at least 10 neighbors oppose the Meeting House’s application for a beer and wine license.

“I’m afraid they’re going to stay open all night long,” said Greta Brooks, 37, a mother of two, who lives on nearby Bristol Avenue.

In response, Lanza said they will restrict alcohol sales to 11 p.m. The issue is scheduled to go before the City Council on Thursday. The Mexican restaurant is set to go to the council Dec. 1.

Lanza understands neighbors’ fears about more bars along Howard.

“The problem is these bars are open till 3 a.m. and the kids come from St. Pete or wherever and leave beer cans all over,” Lanza said.

With four restaurants planned for the strip, their vision for SoHo has a lot of clout.

“I think what Jimmy’s (Lanza) doing is cutting edge, and he’s going to do it well,” said Gordon Davis, owner of two SoHo restaurants and founder and past president of the SoHo Merchants and Residents Association.

The trio is confident SoHo and its customers will respond.

“They accept creativity very well. It fits our niche,” Lanza said. “Our niche: people who appreciate something different.”

- Justin George can be reached at jgeorge@sptimes.com or 813 226-3368.

© Copyright, St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.