ST. PETERSBURG — Sometime during the hazy days of the early pandemic, I had a hankering for steak.
It was hot and rainy outside in the late summer or early fall of 2020, when afternoon thunderstorms carried well into the evening and I was still spending most of my nights alone.
I was hungry and lonely, as I so often was back then, and looking for a place to tuck in for a good meal and a glass of wine, perhaps in the company of socially distanced strangers.
I drove down Fifth Avenue North and passed by Beau & Mo’s, a steakhouse from a pair of Chicago expats that I’d driven by countless times but hadn’t had the chance to stop into. Tonight seemed as good a night as any.
Soaked from the deluge outdoors, I entered a dimly lit space where dinner service was well underway. I didn’t have a reservation, but an empty bar stool beckoned. As I slid in, soft music played in the background, the buzz of dining room chatter wafting all around me.
A woman with heavily tattooed arms who looked around my age sat down next to me. She seemed like a regular, chatting and joking with the bartender casually, at ease in her surroundings during this strange time. She was drinking a gin martini and I ordered the same.
We got to talking and the woman told me about her work as a hairdresser and bartender in downtown St. Petersburg. She shared how difficult the past year had been, how her client list had dwindled and the bar shutdown had slashed her income. She said she liked to treat herself to a nice steak from time to time — a little piece of joy during a dark period.
When the woman’s food arrived, it was impossible not to gape at the whopping 42-ounce tomahawk, which she heartily dug into. I ordered the ribeye, a portion only slightly less daunting, and we sat silently, enjoying our food. The restaurant is known for its chargrilled steaks, and mine arrived blackened with a salty, caramelized crust, the meat cooked to a juicy medium rare. Paired with a side of bright green garlicky sauteed spinach, it made for the perfect meal.
I left the restaurant feeling full and a little bit less lonely. At the time, it felt like something rare and special.
As we returned to pre-pandemic normalcy, we crowded into restaurants in pairs and groups without a second thought. But something about that evening has stuck with me, and I’ve made solo steak dinners at the bar an occasional treat — a little piece of joy in the company of strangers.
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Explore all your optionsBeau & Mo’s is my neighborhood standby, and the restaurant is always reliably welcoming and delicious. But throughout the years, I’ve discovered several other spots in the Tampa Bay area suited to a night of solo dining.
I’m somewhat of a regular at Renzo’s, the South American steakhouse with locations in South Tampa, Carrollwood and downtown St. Petersburg. The restaurant is within walking distance of the Tampa Bay Times office, and it’s where I’ll go after a long week when a tall glass of Argentinian Malbec and the restaurant’s beef carpaccio are calling my name. There’s also an excellent happy hour, with $8 co*cktails and snacks ranging from Uruguayan-style grilled provoleta cheese and ham croquettes to Argentinian red shrimp sauteed in garlic and rum. But the steaks are the real draw here, particularly when they’re accompanied by the restaurant’s punchy chimichurri.
Another one of my favorite spots for a steak is Bascom’s Chop House, on Ulmerton Road in Clearwater, where meals should always start with the restaurant’s signature Billionaire’s Bacon: sweet and peppery strips of Applewood-smoked pork belly that arrive hanging on a makeshift line, attached with clothespins. I love to pair the bacon with an order of shrimp co*cktail before moving on to the wagyu ribeye with peppercorn sauce and a side of creamed spinach.
At Bern’s Steak House, when a reservation in the restaurant feels impossible to get, I’ve had luck snagging a seat at the crowded bar, as long as I show up right when the restaurant opens. The French onion soup, Caesar salads and steaks taste just as good here as they do at a table.
And then there’s Fortu, the newest steakhouse contender in downtown St. Pete, which opened in December in the old Ceviche space on the corner of Central Avenue N. and Beach Drive NE. Many of the steaks here are very expensive, from an $85 Japanese A5 filet to the restaurant’s signature $150 35 day-aged Australian wagyu. But even the cheapest steak on the menu — a $54 prime ribeye seasoned with a yuzu kosho — is fantastic, as is the miso crab butter and black garlic sauce guests can order alongside it.
A steak dinner can be expensive, and at a time when many of us are tightening our pursestrings, ordering one can feel like a real luxury, if not a downright unnecessary expense. My solo steak nights are now something I save for a special occasion, in an effort to appease both my cardiologist and my wallet.
Lately, I’ve shaken things up a bit, sharing a steak with my partner, who shares my affinity for great food and budget dining. It’s a lot kinder on our wallets to split a ribeye and order an extra appetizer or two, and more often than not we still come home with plenty of leftovers.
One thing has remained the same all these years, though — I always insist on a seat at the bar.
If you go
Beau & Mo’s: 2924 Fifth Ave. N., St. Petersburg. 727-771-3690. beaunmo.com
Bern’s Steak House: 1208 S. Howard Ave., Tampa. 813-251-2421. bernssteakhouse.com
Fortu: 97 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. 727-256-0268. forturestaurants.com
Renzo’s (St. Petersburg): 104 Second St. S., St. Petersburg. 727-851-9983. renzos.com
Bascom’s Chop House: 3665 Ulmerton Road, Clearwater. 727-573-3363. bascoms.com
