How good was Eli Drinkwitz's Tampa restaurant recommendation?

Eli Drinkwitz gave the recommendation unprompted. During his virtual press conference ahead of Missouri football’s trip to the Gasparilla Bowl, the Tigers’ head coach sounded like he was in the pocket of the Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau.

He raved about his love for the Cigar City, from the weather, to the attractions, to the food. That’s when he gave out the tip.

“I’d recommend everybody go to Ybor City and go to the Columbia Restaurant,” Drinkwitz said. “It’s tremendous.”

Drinkwitz knows football. But does he know food?

When I got to Tampa before the game, I decided to find out.

The experience

When I landed in Tampa and settled into my hotel, I fired off a text asking what menu items Drinkwitz liked at the restaurant.

“The Cuban,” came the response from MU Athletics representative Ryan Koslen, who also threw in a recommendation for the Columbia’s 1905 salad. Both were listed on the restaurant’s menu as some of its signature items.

For full disclosure, I did not eat inside the Columbia. By the time I could have got over there Thursday evening, it was booked solid, and with remote coverage of the Braggin’ Rights game on the schedule, I didn’t want to risk being there all night and not getting a table.

With my dance card also full on Friday, I instead opted to call in an order. The staff was exceedingly polite and even offered up a way to get what I wanted while also saving a few dollars.

Within half an hour, I was there for pickup. For starters, located on 7th Street in Ybor City, the building is beautiful.

It’s hard to miss, with distinctive architecture and ornate tilework decorating the outside. The Columbia also has historical marker signs on the sidewalk, with one noting former president Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders watered their horses nearby, with Roosevelt himself frequenting the area on a horse named Texas.

The Columbia loves to remind you of its history, claiming to be the oldest restaurant in Florida after starting in 1905. One of the tile displays on the façade shows the family history, going back six generations.

Inside, it was more the same. The interior parts I saw were beautiful and the staff was attentive, getting my food quickly.

The Columbia’s website asks that men wear sleeves, and notes many patrons wear formal attire to eat. I saw that reflected among the patrons, although not with everyone, with one customer even wearing a Missouri football hoodie.

The building includes a separate gift shop, which I took advantage of to pick up a last-minute Christmas gift. With the gift and my food in hand, I headed back to the hotel.

Salad

I’m not usually a salad fan. I have nothing against vegetables and will happily eat one if served, but they’re not typically part of my restaurant orders.

With that said, the 1905 salad was spectacular. Best salad I ever had, including the ones from Zaxby’s that include four pieces of fried chicken.

The veggies, including lettuce, tomatoes and olives were all flavorful. Olives have a tendency to overpower everything else in a dish, but these were mild enough to take a support role, helping the entire dish become more than the sum of its parts.

The salad as-served isn’t one for vegetarians, as it includes julienned baked ham, which is tasty and adds a nice saltiness to the mix. Two cheeses are there, including Romano and Swiss.

The dish is finished with Worcestershire sauce and a garlic dressing that I would consider drinking straight from the bottle. It ties everything together perfectly, enhancing all present flavors and adding its own flair.

I would have eaten this as the full meal and been completely happy.

Cuban sandwich

According to the website, this was named as Florida’s best sandwich by Food and Wine Magazine. I had no argument.

I’ve eaten sandwiches everywhere, from pulled pork at hole-in-the-wall barbecue joints across the South, to open-faced Hot Browns during my years in Kentucky, to corned beef at New York City delis. My credentials in the sandwich department are unimpeachable.

This might have been the best of them. The meats, including roast pork, ham and genoa salami were simply majestic.

Swiss cheese was once again a stellar bit player, while the mustard and thinly sliced pickle added a perfect amount of acidity. However, the real star was the bread.

Brushed with butter and pressed to perfection, the Cuban bread was brilliant. Crispy enough on the outside to add some crunch, but soft and delicious on the inside.

I would eat that sandwich every day and not have a single complaint.

Key lime pie

When I heard my favorite dessert was on the menu, I had to try it. Like everything else I ordered, it was phenomenal.

Key lime pie is best when it’s kept simple. It’s a dish that most often gets messed up when chefs try and get too creative, adding unnecessary flair that takes away from the beauty of perfectly balancing just a few ingredients.

The Columbia Restaurant nailed this one. According to the website, it’s simply egg yolks, condensed milk and key lime juice on a graham cracker crust.

Absolutely brilliant. The sweetness and tartness are balanced exceptionally well, and I would order this again and again, though the entire desert list sounded wonderful.

Conclusion

According to commissioner Greg Sankey at SEC Media Days this year, Drinkwitz is notable for his love of cinnamon rolls, country music and Jordan sneakers. Those three things are all good in my opinion, and gave me confidence going in that the MU head coach’s taste was to be trusted.

The food did nothing to change my mind. Columbia Restaurant was wonderful.

If Drinkwitz ever gives out another restaurant recommendation, I’ll be testing it out the first chance I get. Say whatever you want about his coaching, but the man can pick a place to eat.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou football: How was Eli Drinkwitz's restaurant recommendation?