Baseball, balmy weather, and a beautiful plate of Italian food. What’s better than that?
At home in New York, I packed my Carl Friedrik bag with all of the essentials, Yankees hat included, for my trip to Tampa to catch the Bronx Bomber’s final spring training game of the season.
In my mind, Tampa has two essential destinations, one of which is George Steinbrenner Field, the home of the Yankees spring training, with its just-unveiled state-of-the-art renovation. The other essential is the Tampa EDITION Hotel, which, at just over two years old, is a sleek addition to a formerly sleepy city that is transforming into a bustling metropolis.
My plan for this particular Sunday was to catch a Yankee game and then crash at the EDITION with dreams of Aaron Judge’s home runs in my head, but not before taking in a meal at the hotel’s Market at EDITION, a picturesque salute to Italian cuisine.
After the game ended in a tie (major league games go into extra innings; spring training games end after the bottom of the 9th, no matter what), I settled into my spot at the Market restaurant where I hoped my meal would top the unsatisfying ending of the game. And if not, there’s always wine. I ordered an organic Nero d'Avola named "Zio Paolo" from a family-owned Sicilian vineyard, Vino Lauria, and began to make some major food decisions.
The menu at Market is full of not only Neapolitan pizzas and hearty entrees (like a cavatelli and broccoli dish I’d order later), but they also have a stacked antipasto menu. To help kick things off, I opted for a cheese I never heard of: Strabecco. Both looking and crumbling like Parmigiano, it’s actually an aged goat cheese, which is less mild than the soft spread you’ve probably had. Popular brands of Strabecco come from the island of Sardinia.
Elsewhere, there were classic plates with a fresh spin. The Caesar salad included Castelfranco radicchio; instead of the familiar mozzarella in carrozza, there was a Breaded Provolone, making for a chewier version than the traditional.
There were classic Neapolitan pizzas on the menu, but we opted for the Duck Confit pie, topped with an unusual mix of butternut purée, goat cheese, pignolis fried in duck fat and pickled fennel. It was as colorful as it was delicious.
The home run of the meal was an ingenious spin on a simple dessert: a panna cotta made with Limoncello, topped with toasted pignolis and strawberries. Fresh and lightly sweet, it brought together a bevy of beloved ingredients in one beautiful cup.
The game may have been a tie, but the dinner at Market (and the stay at the EDITION) was definitely a win.
