Nancy and I spent a few days in the Tampa area recently before our more-or-less-annual trip to Marco Island to stay at Crystal Shores, our favorite Marriott Vacation Club property. We were going to stay in Tampa proper, but the condo we’d rented suffered delays in hurricane repairs, so we shifted over to Indian Shores in Pinellas County, between St. Petersburg and Clearwater. That left my restaurant research in shambles, but one stop was a top priority — Wright’s Gourmet House, a Tampa fixture since 1963.
My friend Marc Rosenbaum, who knows food, grew up in Tampa, and Wright’s was his go-to for Cuban sandwiches. He remembers it fondly as the classic Cuban, the benchmark for other Cuban sandwiches. Marc hasn’t been to the Tampa area for some years, but the fond memory lingers. Wright’s was a must-try, and as soon as we exited the airport, Nancy and I headed to their shop at 1200 South Dale Mabry.
Wright’s is gargantuan. The restaurant and bakery sprawls across a good quarter of a city block.
We parked and entered through the side into the hall where you order. That’s hall in the medieval sense, not the current corridor sense.
Like I say, gargantuan. One entire wall and most of another are devoted to cakes, more cakes than the law allows. How much cake do people eat in Tampa? There are three ordering stations, one for dine-in, one for carryout, and one, I presume, for bakery and catering. We entered the long dine-in line and looked over the menu. The line moved fairly quickly, especially considering that the two people taking dine-in orders were both as friendly and unhurried as if you’d stopped by for a chat, a rare combination of Southern charm and Northern efficiency. They’re happy to answer questions and cheerfully explain the system: you order, give your name and phone number, and receive a slip with your name and order. When it’s ready, you get a text, your name also appears on a screen over the counter, and one of the 14(!) people preparing orders calls out your name. Your order is sitting on the counter with your name on it. You then proceed to one of the many dining rooms.
Nancy chose a turkey and pecan salad platter, which came with fruit, pasta salad, and other goodies. She also ordered a slice of rye toast.
She was very pleased. The salad contained chunks of freshly roasted turkey that hit the spot. It was light on the pecans, but good withal. She also liked the rye toast, as did I. Wright’s flat knows how to bake.
I ordered a Cuban sandwich, pressed, and, out of curiosity, a broccoli, red onion, and peanut salad.
The salad was good and fresh. It had a sweetish dressing, which was okay and applied with a reasonably careful hand. The broccoli and red onion combined well, but the peanuts had less of the roasted flavor than I expected. They didn’t add much to the salad, but I enjoyed it.
And here’s the Cuban sandwich.
Just look at that bread! Delicious! And the ham, roast pork, cheese, pickles, and mustard sauce were in balance and the flavors melded. The bread, excellent though it was, had not been pressed. Wright’s menu offers sandwiches with the outside only heated, the inside only heated, or the whole shebang toasted. Mine ended up toasted. I note this as a strictly technical point, although I guess I missed the butter that often comes from pressing. The pork lacked the penetrating mojo and sour orange flavor that I associate with Cuban sandwiches, but which usually is lacking. All in all, it was a fine sandwich.
I suspect that there have been changes at Wright’s since Marc’s salad days, especially the pressing issue. It fell under a new ownership group last year, but Wright’s remains a quality place to eat. Their Cuban is a fine sandwich, and their bread is going to make any sandwich a joy. I saw that they offer corned beef and also hot pastrami on their rye bread, and the thought of those on that rye bread had me salivating. Indeed, I recently had a couple recommendations for their deli sandwiches. And all of those cakes!
If you’re in Tampa, and especially if you fly into Tampa during business hours, you should hustle on over to Wright’s before you do anything else.
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