Ciccios/The Lodge

Date: Multiple nights in April
Time: Dinner
Type: Restaurant/bar
Where: 16023 Tampa Palms Boulevard West, Tampa, FL 33647
Party: 3 peeps

Immediate Impression:
Odd - trying a little too hard to mesh the Lodge/Fusion theme

Service:
Bar service is much better than table service! First time, we sat at a table, service was slow and we had to repeat ourselves a lot. She also must not have heard me say - no nuts, I'm allergic! But I digress...the bartender on the other hand, stayed on top of our dishes and even made recommendations.

Menu/Food:
I really like the menu, even if it is all over the place with options. The "TV Dinner" option is a novelty and kinda cute. The menu its self is huge - from sushi to specialty macaroni & cheese, rice bowls to taquitos. Everyone - with every type of dietary constraint - should be able to find something to eat.

One recommendation - skip the Potato soup, not very good, way too much butter. The pizza's are really good and make a great appetizer for 2-3 people. I am a huge fan of the Mac & Cheese bowls. Can't really comment on anything else but everything coming out of the kitchen looked presentable and delicious.

Price: about right for New Tampa, reasonable but towards the high side. The best deal is the TV Dinner style

Final thought:
I'll definitely count this amongst my close to home bars. Crowd is mixed, services is agreeable (not great/not awful), food is good and beer selection okay. Too bad they got rid of their MLB package!