The Family-Owned Columbia Restaurant: Florida’s Oldest Restaurant Produces a lovely Backdrop For The Romantic Moments
The Short Version: Since 1905, the Columbia eatery has actually served Spanish and Cuban-inspired meals and products that represent a long-standing genealogy and family history. Based by a Cuban immigrant in Tampa, the Columbia remains a nearby favorite because of its old-fashioned foods and personable solution. Over the years, individuals from all over the world attended for the attractive restaurant to celebrate involvements, anniversaries, birthdays, and other monumental times. Today, the fourth and 5th years of this household owns and runs 13 various restaurants throughout Florida. If you’re looking for good dinner with a decent old-fashioned family sense, you’ll reserve a table when you look at the stunning and enchanting dinner areas from the Columbia Restaurant.
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For the past thirty years, my children’s preferred holiday destination has-been an oceanfront lodge in Sand Key, Fl. We have eliminated here over twelve times to build sand castles, spot dolphins, and consume tasty dishes on patios ignoring the Gulf of Mexico.
We’ve completely explored the town’s cafe variety, looking out the most useful local joints around, but it only so happens your one cafe we enjoy many is actually within walking range your lodge. The Columbia eatery’s white linen tablecloths, conscious solution, and mouth-watering meals create our very own go-to spot for supper.
As soon as we were young ones, my moms and dads would purchase us a parmesan cheese pizza pie while they went to this romantic Spanish cafe by yourself; however, we now enjoy tapas and wine as much while they carry out, so we’ve started crashing their unique night out â occasionally getting along times of one’s own.
Since 1905, the Columbia Restaurant provides wowed patrons with Spanish and Cuban meals and an old-world atmosphere. Although itis the earliest restaurant in Florida, the business enterprise is still operated from the descendants regarding the original founder. Every item regarding the eating plan has a story behind it, and several for the recipes were transmitted from one generation of the Hernandez Gonzmart household to a higher. Family heritage is a large a portion of the Columbia’s diet plan, background, and approach to solution.
«the employees is also some like family,» said Michael Kilgore, the principle Marketing Officer your Columbia. «quite a few employees remain for 20 or 30 years. Among the circumstances we like about our very own party is actually just how long they stick to us. They come here and find a home.»
You may enjoy this comfortable and pleasant environment on the subsequent night out when you go to any of the Columbia’s seven various restaurants. The Columbia eatery at this time acts friends in Tampa, Sarasota, St. Augustine, Clearwater seashore, and party. Whether you are drinking wine on a picturesque balcony or seeing flamenco dancers illuminate the level as you consume tapas, you are certain to have a memorable evening from the Columbia.
In 1905, a Cuban Immigrant Ran a Saloon That Became a Sensation
The Columbia eatery can track their background returning to Dec. 17, 1903 â exactly the same day the Wright brothers effectively tested worldwide’s first aircraft. That was whenever a Cuban immigrant known as Casimiro Hernandez Sr. began working a saloon for an area making business in Tampa’s Ybor City.
In 1905, the industrious entrepreneur turned the saloon into popular 60-seat cafe recognized for its authentic Cuban coffee-and snacks. Following their achievements, Casimiro bought a cafe or restaurant nearby and switched it into a gorgeous dining area. In 1930, their boy got over possession and procedure associated with the flourishing bistro.
While in the Great Depression, his boy Casimiro Jr. built the very first air-conditioned dining area in Tampa. He hoped their upscale look and raised party flooring would draw individuals to the restaurant and help them forget their fears for per night. The Don Quixote area was a success, plus the Columbia was able to hold the doorways available while many additional companies folded.
In 1953, Casimiro Jr. passed the Columbia onto his sole son or daughter, Adela Hernandez Gonzmart, an accomplished musician who’d satisfied the woman husband, Cesar Gonzmart, at Tampa restaurant. This theatrical pair introduced entertainment and art toward Columbia, creating a showroom that managed a lot of talented Latin dancers and artists. Under Adela and Cesar’s authority, the Columbia extended to Sarasota and other locations in Florida.
Today, one of Adela and Cesar’s two sons has had the reins and held his family’s company heading. Richard Gonzmart happens to be functioning at their family members’ restaurants since he had been 12 years old, thus he could be thoroughly acquainted the environment and history. Richard may actually suggest the dining table during the Columbia Restaurant in which he with his partner had their unique basic big date significantly more than 43 in years past.
«there are plenty of relationship right here, and then we have an excellent story,» mentioned Michael. «below 15 restaurants in the us tend to be family-owned and more than 100 years old, therefore we’re in pretty elite company.»
Fl’s oldest bistro features a satisfied and enduring background grounded on food, family members, and fun. Michael told you the fifth generation for the founding household happens to be becoming groomed to take control of someday. Richard’s daughters and nephew have chosen to take in productive management functions during the restaurants and are usually willing to keep carefully the family members tradition choosing many more a long time.
The Columbia has been known which includes associated with the highest honors into the cafe sector, such as induction into Nation’s eatery Information’ «great Dining Hall of popularity,» made the «Distinguished Restaurants of united states (SiRoNA) honor of Excellence,» Fl Trend’s «Golden Spoon Hall of popularity,» and Wine Spectator’s «Best of honor of quality.»
Look In! A Delectable Menu of Sharable Tapas & Indulgent Desserts
The Columbia Restaurant establishes a magnificent dining table and offers a wonderful getting away from everyday activity. It seduces the sensory faculties from the moment you walk-in the doors. You’re enclosed by greenery, drinking water fountains, and artwork while the noises of fun together with odors of fresh seafood meals waft through the air. Before my purchase also gets to myself, my mouth is watering with anticipation. Luckily for us, each guest gets his or her own newly made loaf of Cuban breads, so I have actually something you should meet my personal preferences while I wait.
The 14-page selection is full of good meals additionally provides easy discussion starters for daters just getting to know the other person. Each entrée, appetizer, and treat comes with an enticing information and interesting background info. For-instance, the bistro’s coconut ice-cream was a well liked of ice-cream business owner Gustavo Hernandez, the third boy regarding the initial Columbia president, and today this nice plate is actually supported in his respect.
From the vegetarian paella (Spanish rice blended with satisfying vegetables) on the shrimp supreme (shrimp covered with wafer-thin bacon), the foods within Columbia tend to be bursting with taste. The shareable dishes, labeled as tapas, make this cafe perfect for partners on a romantic date as you will come better collectively by revealing little dishes of empanadas, sliced chorizo, croquetas, or stuffed peppers. It’s easy to make a budget-friendly food by purchasing several of these appetizers with each other â just remember to truly save area for treat!
The Très Amigos churros would-be a great option for lovers because they’re tactile, nice, and simply a tiny bit messy. You are able to drop the piping-hot churros in candy, caramel, or guava sauce so there’s a little for everybody. Positive, Columbia’s trademark light Chocolate Bread Pudding is actually an indulgent treat perfect for splitting with a night out together who has a taste for white candy and rum sauce.
In 2017, the Marriott Traveler blog called the Columbia Restaurant among St. Augustine’s leading date-night spots, motivating couples to «start with Columbia’s famous 1905 Salad, assembled table-side with a lot panache, immediately after which share a huge platter associated with the Paella a la Valenciana, overflowing with shellfish, fragrant rice, and chorizo.»
Your enchanting evening will be all the greater pleasurable should you set with your dinner a glass of the Melanie Chardonnay, a wealthy wine known as after Melanie Gonzmart, Richard’s high-school lover and girlfriend.
Plus, within Columbia eatery, the sangria is always to perish for. Really, it comes down because of the glass you could in addition split a pitcher of white or purple sangria with a date to increase the dinner experience. Nicely huge cuts of fruit drift in drink and infuse it with rich styles. Whether you are buying this classic sangria or among the restaurant’s household wines, the high-caliber products usually do not let you down.
Michael told all of us the group tends to make an endeavor to provide affordable however quality wines to whet visitors’ appetites. «Our wine option must certanly be perfectly fitted to the meals we provide plus price,» he stated.
Countless Couples & Families have actually Shared particular Moments Here
When In my opinion for the Columbia, I think of the evening we chose to have treat for lunch, and my parents ordered churros, key lime pie, mango mousse cake, white chocolate breads pudding, and five spoons. I believe of my personal twin-brother trying grouper for the first time on our very own twentieth birthday and saying excitedly, «Take my personal picture» because he planned to reveal his gf (who is now their partner) that he liked taking fish as much as she did.
In a lot of techniques, the Columbia feels as though our location, but my children isn’t truly the only family members to possess generated recollections at the cafe and its own six sister places across Fl. Men and women arrived at the restaurant whatsoever stages of life as it supplies a unique atmosphere that pairs well with any occasion.
Famously, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio had been repeated visitors regarding the Columbia during the early 1950s. The Columbia employees settled tribute into the few and the loving memories they provided at bistro by naming a dish after them. The Marilyn & Joe «Salteado» â a sautéed combination of tenderloin ideas, boneless chicken white meat, shrimp, and chicken â is actually a delicious reminder on the extended reputation of relationship in Columbia’s eating rooms.
Whether you are taking place a first go out or remembering a marriage anniversary, you will discover closeness and passion achieve the smooth candlelight with the Columbia eatery.
«It’s one of our objectives,» Michael stated, «for folks feel as if the Columbia is where to come calmly to commemorate existence’s milestones.»
The Columbia eatery Brings Family Values towards Table
The Columbia eatery charms daters with real meals, divine atmospheres, and personable service. The servers, at least at the Columbia in Sand Key, focus on their unique guests and generally are rapid to say «Welcome straight back» to loyal customers whom, like my loved ones, find themselves returning to the stylish dining spaces over and over again.
This long-standing food business features expanded and altered throughout the many years, but it never forgotten the century-long household origins. Richard provides ambitious plans to offer diners and daters throughout Florida from inside the a long time. «the owner doesn’t sleep,» Michael stated with a laugh. «He’s always fantasizing right up something new.»
The Columbia staff intends to open up no less than two brand new restaurants when you look at the impending years. One will end up being conveniently positioned appropriate next door from original Columbia in Tampa. Casa Santo Stefano, set to start in fall 2018, are going to pay respect to a small community in Sicily where a lot of Tampa’s Sicilian immigrants arrived from â the authentic menu is designed to bring these people a delicious indication of residence.
Enduring authority and quality types improve Columbia eatery as well as their brother restaurants genuinely amazing places where singles and lovers can spend an evening with those they love greatest.