Tampa, Florida
Thursday nights aren’t usually my dinner night these days — I’ve settled into a mostly-Saturday rhythm. But a friend passing through town texted asking if I could grab dinner before her evening flight, and that kind of opportunity doesn’t get turned down. A quick search for something near the airport turned up Union New American. I’d been once before, back in July of the previous year, but hadn’t gotten a real feel for the place that visit. This time was different, for a lot of reasons.
The Room
We had reservations, and it turned out to be a good thing — even on a Thursday, the restaurant was genuinely hopping. That energy of a place currently in with the crowd, a wave of post-work drinkers unwinding before heading home. They have outdoor seating, but Florida in July is not the season for sitting outside, so we stayed in.
Our server struck the right balance — he didn’t hover while we caught up with each other instead of studying the menu, but he was attentive enough to step in the moment we had questions. Once we started asking, his knowledge of the menu was deep, and every single recommendation he made turned out to be the right call. A server who genuinely knows the food makes the whole evening better.
Appetizers
We split two starters. The crispy zucchini had been transformed into something close to gourmet potato chips, served with a creamy dip on the side — genuinely good. Alongside it, a goat cheese salad with candied pecans and strawberries, leaning a little sweet but well balanced. Both were gone before the entrées arrived.
Entrées
We ordered three different entrées and shared everything, which turned out to be the right strategy for a menu this strong.
The Gulf snapper, one of our server’s recommendations, was outstanding — served over a nearly pureed sweet potato-poblano hash, balanced without tipping into too spicy or too sweet. The fish itself was cooked properly, not overdone the way it so often is elsewhere, pan-seared or roasted rather than fried.
The kombu cured seabass ran a close second — lighter in texture than the snapper, served with braised leeks, a tarragon beurre blanc, and a few smoked mussels for good measure. Between the two fish dishes, none of us could pick a winner. They were different enough from each other to keep things interesting, and both are easy recommendations.
The third entrée was the filet mignon, served with a roasted pepper and a lightly mustard-forward sauce. It was a good steak. But the table’s consensus was unanimous: at Union, the fish is the better order.
No cocktails this round — we stuck with San Pellegrino, which the staff kept fully stocked throughout the meal.
Dessert
We went three-for-three on dessert too, ordering the key lime pie, the seasonal cobbler (blackberry that night), and the Basque cheesecake.
The key lime pie was the weakest of the three — decent, but nothing that stood out. The blackberry cobbler was excellent: served in a dish reminiscent of crème brûlée, a streusel top over the warm fruit, paired with a scoop of cold buttermilk gelato. Warm and cold together, exactly as it should be.
Just as good was the Basque cheesecake, served with a single scoop of guava sorbet — that’s the pink scoop in the photo. The Basque influence comes from Spain, and as it turns out, the general manager, who is himself from Spain, is the only person who knows the recipe. He makes the Basque cheesecakes himself, once a week. Not a story you hear often, and both the cobbler and the cheesecake earned it.
One of us finished with an espresso. Everything about the close of the meal worked.
On the Sushi
Our server pushed the sushi hard, calling it some of the best in the city. I’ll admit I came in skeptical — five days earlier I’d eaten at Kosen, the one-star Michelin Japanese restaurant where the chef, trained in Japan, builds the sushi right in front of you. That’s a genuinely difficult bar to clear, and I didn’t think Union’s version had a realistic shot at meeting it. Worth revisiting on a future trip regardless, since everything else on this menu performed well above expectations.
The Verdict
A last-minute Thursday dinner turned into one of the better meals I’ve had recently. The fish entrées, the Basque cheesecake, and a server who actually knew the menu made this an easy recommendation — sushi comparisons to Kosen notwithstanding.
The Menu
Union New American — Tampa, FL Cuisine: American Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
