Red Meat & Red Wine: Perfect Marriage of Flavors at Tampa/St. Pete Steakhouses

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Steakhouses are well known for having wine cellars that are the envy of the restaurant industry. The steakhouses of Tampa/St. Petersburg are no exception: they pour wine that is way up to the task of complementing superior steaks. Perfectly. There is perhaps no more beautiful and lasting marriage of flavors than red meat paired with red wine.

 

Here are seven steakhouses in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area that offer truly magnificent selections of wine that enhance the already fabulous tastes of a USDA prime steak.

 

 

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar.. In Tampa, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar carries on the tradition of this nationally recognized restaurant group with steaks that are all aged, at a minimum, 21 days. With the concentrated flavors and finely developed textures that result from such aging, you want a high-personality wine. Fleming’s offers you wines that rise to the occasion: there are many very good wines by the glass, but if you’re feeling in a celebratory mood, we suggest a Napa Valley Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, with lush, layered flavors; its rich ruby colors look great in a glass next to a juicy Fleming’s steak.

 

Redlands Grill. Though a touch more casual than other steakhouses in the Tampa/St. Pete’s area, Redlands Grill offers some guaranteed-to-please favorites of both meat and vino. Sit down to enjoy a Steak Maui (marinated ribeye with smashed potatoes) or a French Dip of sliced prime rib. With easy-going selections like that, select an easy-going wine, like the Velvet Devil merlot from Washington state or the Sonoma Coast Flowers pinot noir, both available by the glass. If you’re dining with a friend, or very thirsty, consider a bottle of the Chalk Hill Cabernet.

 

Timpano Italian Chophouse. There are many great Italian white wines, but much Italian food – prosciutto, carpaccio, and, of course, Italian steak – seems tailor-made for a red wine with powerful tannins that cut through the richness of the meat. Timpano Italian Chophouse has a very large selection of red wines, many available in a bottle or by-the-glass (6- or 9-ounce pours). Favorites include Tormaresca, a primitivo from Puglia and a cab, the Platinum Reserve by Tavistock in Alexander Valley.

 

 

Bern’s Steak House.  Winner of the 2016 award for Outstanding Wine Program, Bern’s Steakhouse has been serving outstanding red meat and red wine for over half a century. To go with such classic cuts as the Chateaubriand and Delmonico, Bern’s Steak House draws on its wine cellar of over one-half million bottles to offer such popular selections as the 2016 Stag’s Leap Petite Syrah and more rare selections including the 2014 Frias Topografia from Napa and the 2010 Clos de la Tech from Santa Cruz Mountains Estate.

 

Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse. In Sarasota, the Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse is a favorite among those who enjoy a great glass of wine with a great steak. As a demonstration of their commitment to fine wine, Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse recently partnered with winemaker Nick Goldschmidt to create a Meritage-style blend, Rendition. This house exclusive, Merlot-based, is available only at Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse.

 

Council Oak Steak and Seafood. In Tampa, at the Seminole Hard Rock Café Hotel and Casino, Council Oak Steak and Seafood provides beautiful wine accompaniments to beautiful steaks, a perfect way to celebrate a big win at the tables. A winner of the 2020 Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, Council Oak Steak and Seafood pours a great many fine wines by the glass including (if you won big), a 2016 Quintessa Red Blend from Napa Valley, California.

 

Ocean Prime. Though Ocean Prime is a very good choice for seafood, it also serves some magnificent steaks and wines from a truly impressive wine list. There are some real gems in the cellar, including a 2010 Angelo Gaia Barbaresco from Piedmont, Italy, and the Robert Mondavi “Reserve,” also from 2010, a wine that will live in your memory. Though the fish is outstanding at Ocean Prime, you will be more than tempted by the red meat…and the stellar selection of flavor-enhancing red wines.