Where we eat: Yoko's with Pete and the Pirates, The Basiqs and Jeff the Brotherhood

Recently J-Fur went through a phase of eating out a lot. It wouldn't have been a big deal except those were nights that she was supposed to cook. I was like the kitten batting the milk bowl waiting for something to be put into it. If memory serves me right I think I actually did fill it with milk (as in cereal). One of the places that she ate was Yoko's Japanese Restaurant in South Tampa. She originally went there for a birthday, decided that she liked it a lot, and insisted that the two of us go back. I agreed and was not disappointed.

Yoko's is in the middle of a strip mall (but in reality what isn't in Florida) and doesn't look like the type of place that has earned rave reviews from customers and publications a like. But if restaurants were all based on looks then I'd like to eat at the Tampa Bay Brewing Company a whole lot more than I do.

J-Fur and I started with a bowl Tempura Tofu Soup. It was all gone before I could snap a picture so I captured the plate that the bowl sat on:


After the soup we ordered Vegetarian Tempura Sushi. I'm not sure how many people at potato chip sandwiches when they were young but that is what this sushi reminded me of. It had a nice, soft, starchy outside and a crunch in the middle:


The highlight of J-Fur's meal was the desert. Who would've known that a Japanese restaurant could create such a delicious Raspberry and Oreo Tempura Ice Cream. Since I ate most of the soup, J-Fur downed the majority of the desert. It was a fair trade:


If you live in Tampa, heck if you live in Florida, I'd recommend visiting Yoko's in that quaint little strip mall on the Southside of Tampa. Which strip mall you ask? That's up for you to figure out, I doubt I could find the place again.

Each February Tampa holds a big pirate festival called Gasparilla. While Pete and the Pirates make their home base across the sea in Britain, the power of their music is still felt here. The video for their song "Jennifer."



The Basiqs are a local Tampa band that have been around for a while. They opened for the Woodhands and the Junior Boys the other night. J-fur loved them so much she stole my t-shirt that I caught. I wasn't into them as much as she was but I liked that they jumped on the "Jet Pack" bandwagon. "Jet Pack" is on their latest LP This Lie.




BrooklynVegan posted a few songs by Jeff the Brotherhood because they were in New York for CMJ. I am eternally grateful for two reasons. First the sing about money and spending it. Second they aren't a garage rock band. That made my week. Enjoy "Bone Jam" as a precursor for my Halloween post.