Where we eat: The Bricks of Ybor Mortared by Terrible Feelings

The let down I experienced on Record Store Day has been well documented. But it wasn't all bad. As J-Fur and I strolled around Ybor City she suggested we find some place that served drinks so that she could get an iced tea. Lo and behold The Bricks of Ybor appeared in front of us. This place looked like a coffee shop, so I figured typical trendy hipster coffee fare. But once we walked inside I realized that it wore a number of hats. Sure there was the coffee bar but there was also the alcoholic beverage counter, the live music area and even a kitchen. We sat down and J-Fur ordered her iced tea making it clear to the waitress that the iced tea was all she wanted. But that sly waitress placed a menu in front of us anyway and I couldn't help but look at it.

It seemed like a relatively normal affair. There were appetizers, salads, sandwiches and breakfast fare. Nothing that made it stand out. But then I came to the Peanut Butter Bar section and realized how wrong I had been. There were pre-constructed peanut butter sandwiches already in place (the Elvis, the Amsterdam and the PB&P) or there was a build your own section where you could choose from a list of toppings (anything from ham to cheese to hummus to your typical nutella and jelly were at your disposal). I wasn't in the peanut butter sandwich mood so J-Fur and I decided to start with the house made black bean dip and then follow it up with the deluxe grilled cheese.

The bean dip was right up J-Fur's alley. She kept saying how good it was but she couldn't place what it was that she really liked. I told her it was the garlic. That bean dip was laced with garlic. I love garlic but for some reason I don't like garlic with my black bean dip. So I let J-Fur eat most of the dip.


The deluxe grilled cheese was made up of red onions, pesto, tomato, spinach and smoked mozzarella all smashed onto a baguette. It is served with a salad that featured a lemon basil vinaigrette (a crazy fusion of sweet and sour). The grilled cheese was good, the baguette amazing. I eat most of my baguettes from grocery stores and I could tell the difference immediately. Crispier, fluffier and with a softer inside. You could've probably put vomit on the baguette and I would've loved it, that's how good the bread was. Not to say the insides taste like vomit. I mean pesto, red onion and spinach covered with cheese what can top that? In an incredible coincidence, J-Fur wasn't too fond of the cheese they put on top. Guess next time she'll eat all the bean dip and I'll solo it on the grilled cheese. That is if I don't get the blackstar bean burger instead.

The Bricks of Ybor is located at East 7th Avenue in Tampa.




While baguettes are sandwiches best served soft, Terrible Feelings is quite the opposite. Loud, dark, therapeutic and rough around the edges. The band, first blogged here and here, have a new 7 inch that features "Tied Up" and "No Meaning." The 7 inch is being released by Timmeheiehumme Records from Germany. Internationally it will be distributed by P. Trash. There are only 500 copies being pressed so get yours while the getting is good.

No Meaning by Terrible Feelings

Tied Up by Terrible Feelings