Carolyn S.
Yelp
I'm filing this under "What took my so long???" to come here? Wright's Gourmet House (at least according to it's written history) has been around Tampa for several decades and its basically a local staple. I have passed this place many, many times, but have always been too lazy to stop by. Well, I decided to change that last week with my first visit.
Their menu is extensive. At ton of sandwiches, side salads, salads, and some brunchy items. And of course, the thing to real me in--CAKE!!! Cake slices, cupcakes, dessert bars, brownies, large cookies. I felt so overwhelmed with all the choices that I didn't know what to settle on.
I went with some well known staples. Quiche, side pasta salad, and a cupcake. Their quiche Lorraine is HUGE, filling, and stuffed with a lot of ham. It makes a meal unto itself, which made me so grateful I only got 1/4 a cup of pasta salad (you order these side salads in a variety of sizes to suit your taste). The side salad of pesto pasta salad was tasty and included some veggies mixed in for an extra crunch.
No for the cake, it was hard for me to choose, but I settled on Hawaiian Princess, which is pineapple cake with coconut icing, coconut flakes, and centered with more pineapple. I don't see pineapple cake very often in comparison to red velvet, vanilla, or chocolate, so Hawaiian Princess it is. It was juicy, refreshing, decadent, and sweet. It tasted what Florida would be if Florida had a taste--forget Hawaii.
The interior is homey, somewhat classic with the booths, tables, and wall art depicting various settings, but not at all dated to me. There was ample seating and space for perusal and taking your order.
With the menu being so extensive, its going to take several visits for me to get the gist of all Wright's has to offer, but nonetheless, I'm impressed with the expansive variety, and can't wait to sample more.