We are coming up on an exciting and well known annual tradition in Tampa: Gasparilla! Datz has already jumped into the action with a few incredible menu items (see below). For those of you who don’t know the history behind the ghastly tradition that makes us all dress like pirates and holler "ARGH!" here it is:

Jose Gaspar, self-proclaimed “Gasparilla”, was a lieutenant in the Royal Spanish Navy until 1783 when he created a mutiny, seized command of a ship and sailed to Florida. As a pirate, Gasparilla was the last of the buccaneers, and terrorized the coastal waters off West Florida during the early 19^th century. In fact, excerpts from his diary boast the capture and burning of 36 ships! The ships' crews could either join him or walk the plank… ARGH! Gaparilla ravaged the waters off Florida until December 1821. The crew then decided to divvy up their fortunes and retire as pirates, when they caught a glimpse of what they determined would be their final conquest – a merchant ship sailing to Orleans. But, alas, it was a U.S. Navy warship in disguise!

Here is how the story is told, “just as the commanding officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise was boarding the defeated ship, Gasparilla seized a heavy chain, wrapped it around his waist and neck and leaped into the water, brandishing his sword in a final gesture of defiance as he sank into the sea.”

This was the basis for the festival that started in 1904. It was dreamt up by Miss Louise Frances Dodge, the society editor of the Tampa Tribune and during a series of secret meetings, the Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla planned the first mock invasion!

Come help us celebrate this unique and fun Tampa tradition with one of three Gasparilla inspired items:

Gasparilla Milk Punch

How do Tampa's Krewes get ready for the invasion? With Milk Punch of course! This favorite tippler is best made a day ahead for full effect.

1 C Buffalo Trace Bourbon 
1 C 360 Vanilla Vodka 
1/2 C brandy 
Whole Milk 
Fresh Nutmeg 

DIRECTIONS: Combine sugar, bourbon, brandy and vodka in a gallon container with a lid. Shake until the sugar is dissolved. Add the nutmeg, shake again. Add the milk, two cups at a time, until the jug is full, shaking well after each addition. Chill overnight, then shake and serve.

 Pirate's Plundering Pancakes

This towering four-tiered stack of buttermilk pancakes drenched in a coconut-rum sauce will tempt the tastebuds of any marauder – seaborne or otherwise. In fact, the only flag you'll be waving after this will be a white one! (This menu item is available during weekend brunch only.)

Cheers to Tampa History! Tell us what your favorite Gasparilla tradition is!

On the 6th day of Christmas, Datz gave to me…

Uh…

Forget the six geese a-laying!

Today we’re giving away a complimentary appetizer to the most creative foodie tweet about Datz.

Be sure to include @datz4foodies in your tweet.

On the 4th day of Christmas, Datz gave to me…

one deliciously decadent, datzified meal!

But ONLY if you are the Foursquare Mayor at 11:59pm tonight!

 And the winner is……. Tanya!

On the 3rd day of Christmas, Datz gave to me…

your choice of one Guy Fieri salsa or bbq suace!

To enter into today’s contest, share your most creative culinary use for your favorite Guy Fieri sauce or salsa in the comment section, and we’ll pick not one, but two winners!

Don’t forget to leave your email so we can notify you! It will not be published!

If you are viewing this through our Facebook tab, click on the title of this blog to see the comment box. 

Try not to drool on your keyboard while perusing through our holiday gift guide! To view gift descriptions, simply click on the picture to reveal more information. Happy Holidays!

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Datz has partnered with Hillsborough Kids this year to collect toys for the 2,000 girls and boys in Hillsborough County that are in foster care. This year’s campaign is an angel tree. Come down to Datz, choose an angel ornament from our tree and brighten a child’s Christmas! (See details below.)

Hillsborough Kids is an organization that oversees the care of approximately 2,800 children and teens in Hillsborough County due to abuse or neglect. This organization ensures the safety of these children, strengthens their family relationships, provides family crisis intervention, fights to prevent child abuse, coordinates diversion services with the Hillsborough County Sherriff’s Child Protection Investigation Department, offers independent living guidance for teens and assists with adoption placement.

Datz is proud to partner with Hillsborough Kids as they support Hillsborough County’s community of children by keeping them safe, happy and healthy.

Forget the big bag of branded chocolate bars – why not throw a Halloween party with these delicious, foodie-pleasing treats, instead!

Handmade William Dean Chocolates

These gourmet chocolates include such decadent flavors as Banana’s Foster, Apple Pie, Cappuccino and Crème Brulee. Y-U-M!

Bogle Phantom Wine

This is a hauntingly delicious wine with notes of juicy boysenberry and black fruit and deep aromas of pipe tobacco and black pepper with hints of clove and vanilla! It is a perfect blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Mourvèdre.

Homemade Carmel Corn

Here’s how you can make your own!

‎15 cups of pop corn

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

In a sauce pan, heat sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt. Stir occasionally until bubbly around edges. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add baking soda. Stir until foamy. Pour the mixture on popcorn; continue to stir until well covered. Bake one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

What’s Halloween without something pumpkin flavored? It might as well be a cocktail! Mix it with coffee, serve it on the rocks or put it in a martini glass with vanilla vodka!

Fulton’s Harvest Pumpkin Pie Liqueur

What’s Halloween without something pumpkin flavored? It might as well be a cocktail! Mix it with coffee, serve it on the rocks or put it in a martini glass with vanilla vodka!

Pumpkin Fondue

That’s right! First, clean your pumpkin and baste the insides with butter, nutmeg and cinnamon. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes and then pour your favorite cheese fondue recipe inside! Try using gruyere and spicing it up with a little nutmeg and cinnamon! Be sure to garnish with paprika to add a nice look.

Serve these treats up to your friends (some of them you can find in our Foodie’s Market, *hint*hint*) or make them for yourself! And, hey! If you’re not doing anything on the 31^st, we’d sure love to have you stop by!

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Deep Fried Oreos

Une Croque Madame, S’il Vous Plait

What's better than one Oreo?                          One Deep Fried Oreo!

Mmmm Oreos, those sweet little treats that instantly take you back to your childhood. Everyone has different memories about the ways we used to eat them… all in one bite, white frosting first, one side then the other… Me? I used to open them up very carefully to make sure I got the creamy middle all on one side, eat the cream off of the cookie and then eat the cookie parts separately.

Lucky for you, you can stop in at Datz for a brief slip back into your childhood while you enjoy a treat that’s even better than those little cookies right out of the package. Datz now makes Oreos deep fried! That’s right, imagine your Oreo piping hot and crispy with the cream all ooey gooey on the inside! YUM!

How do you eat your Oreos?

Looking for something a little different for breakfast? How about for lunch? Try our Croque Madame, served both at breakfast and lunch! It is, in short, a “grilled cheese sandwich more dressed than church on Sunday”!

 In fact, our version is a French sandwich that is a variation of the Croque Monsieur. Translation?

• Croque: Crunch
• Monsier: Mister
• Madame: Misses

 The Croque Monsieur appeared in France in about 1910. Legend has it that this sandwich was created when French workers left their tin lunch boxes out on hot radiators while they worked.

 In present day, this decadent sandwich is made with bread, gruyere cheese, Dijon mustard and ham. It is crisped to perfection in butter and then topped with béchamel sauce.

 So, what is a Madame then? A Madame is topped with a fried egg instead of the sauce. It is rumored to be called a Madame because the fried eggs on the top looks like a lady’s hat.

 Bon Appetite!

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It’s officially Sam Adams Week here at Datz! What does that mean? For starters, we will have five delicious Samuel Adams craft beers on tap for your drinking pleasure plus a chance for you to win two seats at a rare tasting of Utopias!

What is Utopias?

U·to·pi·a noun /yo͞oˈtōpēə/

Utopias, plural

1. An imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. The word was first used in the book Utopia (1516) by Sir Thomas More

For beer lovers, Utopia was first created a few centuries later, in 2002 when the Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) shocked the beer world with a beer weighing in at 24% ABV.  The most shocking?  It was naturally fermented to that strength!  Fast forward to 2011….  the current release of Utopias has tipped the scales at 27% ABV!

Each year Utopias is a little different from previous releases, but the recipe revolves around caramel, Vienna, Moravian and Bavarian smoked malts, and a little maple syrup.  That sweet wort is then balanced with four of the five varieties of noble hops: Hallertauer Mittelfrüh, Tettnanger, Spalter, and Saaz hops. The beer is aged in scotch, cognac and port barrels for the better part of a year in order to smooth down some of the strong alcohol flavors.  The 2011 batch of Utopias was blended using sherry casks (from Spain and Madeira) and the port casks (from Portugal), some of which have been resting for 18 years, Koch claims.

A limited number of bottles are released each year—in 2007, only 12,000 bottles were produced, and in 2009, only 9,000 bottles were released. Only 53 barrels were created for the 2011 Utopias, so it goes without saying that it is a seriously  limited-edition beer. To properly commemorate the release, the liquid is  bottled in individually numbered, kettle-shaped ceramic containers handcrafted in Brazil.   Utopias first sold for $100 back in 2002, but currently expect to pay in the $200 range for these ultra-limited, and much sought after beers.

So… how do you get a seat at Datz’s Utopia Brewtopia? To get a chance to taste this one-of-a-kind brew, stop on by to Datz this week and purchase one of 5 Samuel Adams varieties on draft:

· Wee Heavy
· Imperial White
· Simcoe IPA
· Double Pumpkin
· Oktoberfest

Or Sam Light in the bottle. You will receive a raffle ticket with each purchase, and the raffle will be held on Friday, September 30, at 8pm! There will be 3 giveaways for the Brewtopia package (2 tickets), which includes beer and cheese pairings and a 3-oz pour of the Utopias as the finale!

Find out more on Sam Adams Utopia here:

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