2 days ago
Is this Tampa's best smashburger?
TAMPA — Coffee, craft beer and smashburgers: There's a hybrid approach at Mighty Fine and Late Start Brewery, the latest joint endeavor from a team of tenured players in Tampa's culinary and beverage world.
Chef Nathan Hardin and Late Start Brewery co-founders Jordan Copher and Tyler Sankey are behind the brewery, coffee shop and restaurant, which opened in September on the corner of East Cass and Governor streets. Now, what was once a graffiti-covered building has quickly evolved into one of the downtown area's most unique all-day spots to drink and dine.
While the Late Start folks sling coffee, beer and a selection of wine, Hardin and his seven-person team churn out a comfort food-heavy menu of breakfast tacos, smashburgers, snacks and sandwiches.
Inside the two-toned bright blue building, mid-century modern meets Old Florida decor with mint green and light pink accents and a dark wood slatted backsplash. Guests line up at the long terrazzo-top bar to place their orders and a selection of tables, both inside and out on the shaded corridor, provide ample space for sitting.
Hardin is a well-known name in Tampa's culinary scene. He's worked in kitchens in Orlando and Miami and has helmed restaurants all across Tampa Bay while running his private consulting and event company Gather. In recent years he was the executive chef at Steelbach inside Armature Works and Flor Fina at Ybor's Hotel Haya, and consulted for Gulfport's Peninsula Inn and neighboring barbecue and charcuterie spot The Wine House.
Mighty Fine is Hardin's first go at running a full restaurant concept of his own, and the menu reads like a throwback to comfort food favorites — or, in Hardin's words: 'Comfy classics — fat boy food we all want to eat.' Breakfast tacos look to Texas for inspiration, and range from a chorizo version filled with scrambled eggs, tater tots, onions, Chihuahua cheese, cilantro and cotija ($5) to a version with bacon, eggs, tater tots and a poblano pepper crema ($5). A full espresso and drip coffee menu from Ginger Beard Coffee rounds out the breakfast program (though coffee is served later in the day, the kitchen switches out to the lunch and dinner menu at 11:30 a.m.).
A strong Southern undercurrent runs through the rest of the menu, from a habanero-laced pimento cheese served with golden-fried Saltine crackers ($7) to a fried bologna (pistachio-studded mortadella, actually) sandwich ($11). Fried pickles get a finessed kick, made with razor-thin slices of homemade dill and bread-and-butter pickles ($8) and served with a tangy homemade ranch dressing.
The pickles make a fine accompaniment to just about everything here, including the Cinci Chili Coney ($7), a glorious, delicious mess of a hot dog inspired by Hardin's family hometown of Cincinnati and the city's iconic Skyline Chili chain restaurant. A snappy Sabrett hot dog arrives on a steamed potato bun, blanketed in thinly grated cheddar cheese, Cincinnati-style chili — exuding warm spices like allspice, cinnamon and clove — and mustard and onions.
There's a healthy dose of nostalgia at play here, too, including the restaurant's name, a nod to a 'filler word' Hardin's grandfather used to say ('I'm doing mighty fine, how about you?'). But the menu's most popular item — the Quarter Cheese Patty Melt ($13) — stems from memories Hardin has of going out to eat with his grandmother at Steak 'n Shake, where he'd always get the Frisco Melt. Here, the kitchen pairs slices of sourdough toast with a double patty, American and Swiss cheese, caramelized onions and the house fry sauce (a tasty mayonnaise and ketchup combo).
Mighty Fine often gets described as a smashburger concept, even though there's a lot more to the menu than just burgers. But the burgers are just that good, and deserve every bit of the spotlight. There are two versions — the Classic Boi ($8.50 for a single, $11 for a double patty) and the Deluxe Boi ($9.50 for a single, $12.50 for a double). The differences are slight but distinct. The classic arrives on a griddled potato bun sporting the spot's signature burger (a juicy, fatty six-inch round with crispy edges) under a blanket of melted American cheese with diced caramelized onions, pickles and a tangy, mustard-forward sauce. The deluxe arrives on a slightly larger sesame bun and includes lettuce, tomatoes and thinly shaved onions, pickles and the same burger sauce.
Dessert, for the time being, hinges on one classic dessert — the icebox cake. For inspiration, the kitchen has been riffing on recipes from cookbook author Claire Saffitz, and on a recent visit, that meant a decadent cookie butter version ($6), coupled with Biscoff cookies, cookie butter cheesecake and whipped cream. Each bite is infused with nostalgia, somehow reminiscent of both Golden Grahams and Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, and just about the perfect pairing with a dry Irish stout.
There are plenty of great brews from Late Start to choose from (including that stout), and the brewery also does frequent collaborations, like the recent and very solid Hop Skull, a west coast IPA made with Coppertail Brewing Co. Very soon, Late Start will begin brewing onsite, but in the interim, the team has contracted out with local brewers, including Angry Chair and Magnanimous Brewing.
That collaborative ethos is mirrored throughout the space. When the kitchen needed a week off, the restaurant became home to another local pop-up. And Hardin said bringing in future pop-ups is likely. Meanwhile, the all-day approach has clearly resonated with local diners, who have been crowding the space both for quick coffee and breakfast pop-ins, lunch rushes and leisurely weekend hangs. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the food is very, very good.
Where: 1018 E. Cass St., 813-374-0169.
Hours: Breakfast, lunch and dinner 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday; 8 p.m.-12 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Prices: Breakfast tacos $5; snacks $8 to $9; sandwiches and burgers $8.50 to $13.
Don't skip: Pimento cheese, Classic Boi, Cinci Chili Coney.
The details: There are seven parking spots adjacent to the building and several paid lots in the area. In addition, there are two-hour parking spots near several apartment buildings nearby. Breakfast ends at 11 a.m. and lunch starts at 11:30 a.m. and is served till 9 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends.
