I love having brunch on the weekends. Having brunch in Tampa, on the water, is amazing. There are several places to check out, but American Social is one of my favorite spots.
It is on the water so you can watch the boats go by. There is both indoor and outdoor seating. They have a lively outside bar that is perfect for watching football in the fall.
We were there with friends visiting from New Jersey on a Saturday. Good thing we had reservations because this place was packed.
To start off brunch, a mimosa is necessary. The fresh orange juice mixed with the bubbles of the champagne made the start of the brunch just perfect.
We started off with an appetizer that we all could share. The soft baked pretzel was the perfect choice for everyone to enjoy. The pretzels were made into long pieces, almost like breadsticks. This made it much easier to share. The pretzel had a buttery taste to it. The inside dough was extremely soft. I loved that doughy texture.
They served freshly made beer cheese and honey mustard on the sides. The mustard did have a sweet taste to it, but the beer cheese was my favorite. It was creamy and had a slight tang to it from the beer.
The Poke Tuna Tower was also ordered. This dish had a beautiful presentation. The layers were extremely colorful. There was diced Ahi tuna, guacamole, crispy wonton strips, wakume (seaweed), sesames, soy sauce, and sriracha.
The tuna was immensely tender. It just melted away in my mouth. The soy sauce gave it a salty taste, but it was subtle. The guacamole added a creamy texture to each bite. The sriracha did not add any heat, just additional flavor. Each layer added texture and flavor to the whole dish. It was amazing.
I was excited to try the Hot Chicken Sliders. I love hot chicken and I was excited to see how a restaurant in Tampa interpreted a Nashville staple.
These were small bites, came as a set of 3. For me, it was a complete meal, however it could work perfectly as a sharable appetizer for others. They made homemade buttermilk biscuits. They actually started falling apart as I picked them up. After a while I ate the biscuit and chicken separate, which was fine by me.
The chicken were like nuggets. They fit perfectly on the biscuit. There was not as much spice on the chicken as I was use to but it still had great heat. What really had the heat was the hot honey that came on the side. It was warm and had red pepper flakes added which is where the heat came from. When added to the chicken it was definitely hot. There was also a sweet taste to it as well which was the perfect complement of sweet and heat. It was a great brunch item. You did not feel overly stuffed when you were done eating.
American Social was a perfect place for brunch, especially if you have out of town guests and you want to treat them to something special and unique. Make sure you get a reservation before you get there. It makes getting a table faster for sure.
Check out their menu at www.americansocialbar.com
Enjoy!
T
