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Q&A BY Kristin Harmel

Touchdown in Tampa

Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Ronde Barber talks us through his favorite spots in Tampa, where he has spent all nine years of his NFL career.

Ronde Barber has been a Tampa Bay institution since being drafted into the NFL by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1997. The Pro Bowl cornerback helped lead the Bucs to a Super Bowl championship in 2003, and his wide smile can be seen all over town. He’s not only known for his leadership on the field in one of the NFL’s best defenses, but also for his affability with fans off the field. People magazine has featured Ronde and his identical twin brother, Tiki, on its annual “50 Most Beautiful People” list; and they’ve written two highly acclaimed children’s books: Game Day and By My Brother’s Side. Barber, who has two daughters, aged two and three, is also an advocate for children’s literacy.  A self-described stylish guy and food connoisseur, Barber took us on a tour of Tampa, his adopted home:

Let’s start by talking about your favorite restaurants in Tampa Bay.

My favorite restaurant here is Circles South Tampa. I go there once a week. It’s in South Tampa, and we live all the way north of Tampa, but it’s worth the drive. My favorite part about it is I get to relax in a chilled atmosphere and drink good wine. It’s in a house that was converted into a restaurant, so it still has all the old rooms and everything. The owner, Michael, built a bar inside, and it just feels like a little hideaway. The food’s great— my favorite dish is the Cajun tortellini.

I also like an Italian place on Dale Mabry called Donatello. It’s old-school Italian— about as Italian as they come, in my eyes. It’s got a great menu and the biggest wine list I’ve ever seen. There’s a little lounge off to the side, with a piano player and a drummer who play oldies. Every time I need a steak, I go to Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar.

It’s got that dark, steakhouse-y atmosphere. It’s casual, and a good meeting place where you can catch up with your friends. You can dress up or dress down and feel comfortable both ways. I like getting the strip steak butterflied.

I also really like SideBern’s. My brother-in-law used to be a sous chef, so I’ve spent a lot of time there. It serves French-Asian cuisine, and they have the most talented chef in Tampa. The menu changes from week to week, and they have everything from steaks to dim sum and sushi—I like the sea bass. It’s one of the hottest places to go in Tampa.

Where do you like to take your wife, Claudia, on a date?

Anywhere in Tampa out near the beach is romantic. But if we’re going out for a date night, we’ll go to Armani’s. It’s on the top of the Grand Hyatt on the water. There are windows on three sides looking out over the city and over the bay; it’s beautiful. It’s more of a dressy, bring-out-your-best-clothes type of place. The service and the food is really great.

Where’s your favorite place to take your kids?

Actually, we take them to the malls, especially the mall at Westfield Citrus Park, where they have a nice carousel that the kids can ride. They love to play there. There’s a restaurant up the street from the mall called Mellow Mushroom, a pizza joint. It’s an all-natural pizza place where they use purified water in the dough. The kids like the hippy atmosphere—it has all these bright colors and different areas.

What’s the best place to watch sports in Tampa?

I think our stadium, Raymond James Stadium, is the best place in Tampa to watch a sporting event. But when we’re not playing, I also like St Pete Times

Ronde Barber recommends:

Circles South Tampa
2500 W Azeele St, 813-879-5228

Donatello
232 N Dale Mabry Hwy, 813-875-6660
www.donatellorestaurant.com

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
4322 W Boy Scout Blvd, 813-874-9463
www.flemingssteakhouse.com

SideBern’s
2208 W Morrison Ave, 813-258-2233
www.bernssteakhouse.com

Armani’s
2900 Bayport Dr, 813-207-6800
www.armanisrestaurant.com

Westfield Citrus Park
8021 Citrus Park Town Center, 813-926 4644 www.westfield.com/citruspark

Mellow Mushroom
11955 Sheldon Rd, 813-926-3600,
www.mellowmushroom.com

Raymond James Stadium
4201 Dale Mabry Hwy N, 813-350-6500 www.raymondjames.com/stadium

St Pete Times Forum
401 Channelside Dr, 813-301-6500
www.stpetetimesforum.com

Westchase Golf Club
11602 Westchase Golf Dve, 813-854-2331
www.westchasegc.com

George Ltd
4315 W Kennedy Blvd, 813-282-8446

Mangroves Seafood Grille & Bar
208 S Howard Ave, 813-258-3302
www.mangrovesseafoodgrille.com

Forum, which used to be called the Ice Palace. It’s where the Tampa Bay Lightning, the NHL team, play. It’s a pretty fun place to watch a game; it’s really relaxed there. I like to suite-hop, because I know a lot of people who have suites, and I can tell you that it’s a great view from the top level all the way down to ice level.

How do you enjoy the outdoors in Tampa?

Definitely golfing and fishing. I used to live in a neighborhood of Tampa called Westchase, right on the golf course. Every golfer who comes to town seems to wind up at the course there. It’s really playable. It offers a little bit of a challenge, but it’s not a course that will beat you up. It’s actually where I started playing golf. I also fish in the bay. I have buddies who have boats, or we get a charter. You can go over the bridge to St Petersburg and get a charter there. I’m not what you might call a natural angler, but I love being out on the water, because it’s so peaceful and completely away from everything.

You’re well-known for your sense of fashion and style. What’s your favorite place to shop?

There’s a store called George Ltd on Kennedy Boulevard. It’s where I get all my suits. Bobby and Dave who work there are my good friends now. I spend a lot in there. They have great choices. If I like a fabric, they’ll get it for me. I like to think of myself as pretty stylish, and basically, they keep me in mix. They’re a little store, but they’re friendly and they give great service.

How about hitting the town at night?

As far as going out, South Tampa down near Howard Avenue is great. Most of the bars are filled with people in their late 20s and early 30s. It’s a fun little place. I probably frequent Mangroves the most. It’s got two bars, one upstairs and one down. It’s a good atmosphere. It’s not cozy, because it’s so big, but it feels very personal.

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