Haven — Restaurant in Tampa

Came all the way from Tarpon Springs to meet friends for dinner and it was a great experience and definitely worth the one hour and ten minute trip. Service was excellent. I don’t remember our waitress name but this five star review is in part thanks to her and the rest of the team. The drink and cocktail menu is excellent. If you’re a wine lover they have a nice selection. I decided to go with the espresso Martini and it was truly delicious! For appetizers we had a beautiful and delicious charcuterie board, all meats and cheeses were fabulous. But the bread wasn’t much of a hit. Something with a nicer crunchy crust would have made it a lot better. The Octopus was to die for, I will come back just for this amazing dish. As someone who has traveled a lot to Europe and now lives in Tarpon, Octopus is one of my favorites but it’s really hard to get it done the right way and this was truly remarkable! Kudos to the chef. We ordered the Mussels and my friends enjoyed it, and we just wished there were a couple more slices of the crunchy toasted bread that came with this dish! For main course we had the filet mignon, the pork, and the Chilean sea bass and as sides we had the Mac and cheese, mushrooms and a peach and cheese salad. The filet was the perfect medium rare. The pork, even though my friend asked for it medium well, it came as medium to medium rare… she took a few bites and took the rest home but didn’t want to send it back even though I could tell she wasn’t happy with how pink it was. For some pork should be always cooked well done and she may have taken it home to cook later because she took a to go box with it. My sea bass was the only disappointing part of the meal. The presentation was not what I expected… but the flavors were also a little strange… a little too on the salty side for me, but I think I’m used to Chilean sea bass cooked with a crispier skin and sweeter flavors… But it wasn’t just the fact it was a whole style of cooking, but there was a huge puddle of water at the bottom where the medley of veggies rested… I don’t know where all this water came from… but i would have enjoyed it more had the fish came in a bigger plate, dry seasoned veggies on the bottom and a crispy skin yet moist Chilean sea bass was on top…it was just an interesting taste… but again, not sure where all that oily salty water came from or if it was supposed to look like that. Obviously one review won’t change your recipe, but Chilean Seabass is such a great quality fish and I felt it could have been done with more finesse when served. Mac and cheese was scrumptious and delicious and we ate every bite. Mushrooms were good, but some seamed coated with gravy and others seemed as if they were thrown last minute without seasoning so we had to mixed them up with the rest to have them coated in the sauce. The cheese and peach salad was a big no no for all of us in the party… very aromatic, almost like eating a scented candle, but the aroma wasn’t the issue… the cheese, which I sssumed it was burrata it was extremely soggy and watery… again, another dish that we had high hopes for but it just missed the mark a bit. I know Burrata is very liquid when cut, I understand that… if maybe was left whole and we cut it in the table and mixed it w the peaches and herbs may have been a better experience and presentation …but big kudos to our amazing waitress that came every time to check on us and noticed nobody touched the salad much at all, asked what was wrong, patiently and kindly heard our comments about how watery and soggy it was and she immediately offered to take it off the menu without us asking at all if it was possible to do so. Overall it was an amazing experience and a beautiful place …but whenever I go back I’ll have to skip the seafood entrees and stick to octopus, meat and Mac and cheese! We were full so we didn’t get dessert, but next...

Review: Haven, Tampa Florida

My close friend took me here for my birthday for the first time, and it was indeed an amazing experience. As someone well-traveled (67+ countries) with experiences with some of the most unusual food products you can imagine and having dined with many Michelin-star chefs – I can truly say Haven is a 5-star experience.

First – the Waiter. Daniel is AMAZING. I mean, truly amazing. He started by explaining the menu and how it’s a shareable tapas style. He was VERY confident in providing us with food that would create an experience with your palette. It was because of that confidence that I presented him with a challenge. I told him to take us through the best of the best of what Haven has to offer and curate the entire meal himself. He grabbed our menus immediately and said, “That was all you had to say.”

He started our journey with the Chef’s Charcuterie board, where he took us on a delightful tour of some of the finest cheeses and meat from around the globe, handpicking 3 kinds of cheese and 3 types of meat from a selection of 6 different types of meat and 30+ different kinds of cheese. The board also had spicy mustard, honey, regular mustard, baby gherkins, pickled okra, and some amazing macadamia nuts.

Next, he delivered 3 main dishes.

Rabbit Kidneys served with cognac, dijon, brioche, and parsley. I have had some amazing exotic meats over the years, but haven’t truly delved into the culinary experience of the animal's insides. The world is filled with many ubiquitous dishes; however, the rabbit kidneys had the privilege of savoring stood out as a true delight. The chef's creativity and dedication to excellence transformed a humble organ meat into a gourmet delight that transcended expectations. Every aspect of the dish, from its exquisite presentation to its harmonious flavors, showcased the artistry of the culinary craft.

Fried Brussels Sprouts Salad served with spinach, ricotta salata, orchard fruits, and quince vinaigrette. This salad is a shining example of how creative preparation can transform a seemingly ordinary vegetable into an extraordinary culinary experience. It had the perfect combination of texture, flavor, and balance, leaving you with a newfound appreciation for the versatility of Brussels sprouts.

Whole Roasted Sea Bream Veracruz served with green olive, tomato, caper, jalapeno, and oregano. From the moment it graced the table, the Whole Roasted Sea Bream Veracruz was a sight to behold. The fish, beautifully cooked to perfection, arrived with a flourish of vibrant colors. Fresh herbs, tomatoes, olives, and capers adorned the perfectly roasted sea bream, creating an enticing and picturesque display.

Lastly Dessert, Toasted Olive Oil Cake served with white chocolate, roasted blackberries, and smoked olive oil ice cream: Prepare your taste buds for a dessert experience that's nothing short of heavenly. The toasted olive oil cake, crowned with a scoop of rich caramel vanilla ice cream, is a delectable masterpiece that blends diverse flavors and textures into a sweet symphony that leaves you craving for more.

In summary, if you're an adventurous diner looking to explore the boundaries of gastronomy, I wholeheartedly recommend trying this rabbit kidneys dish. It's a remarkable journey for the senses that will leave you with a newfound appreciation for the potential of even the most humble ingredients in the hands of a talented chef.

This was truly a gastronomic adventure that tantalized our taste buds and left us craving for more. You must try this restaurant and certainly ask for Daniel for a...

For such an upscale place, I had a bit higher expectations for the service. I chose to visit the bar area one hour before closing ~9pm-10pm because I'd figure things would be dying down and service would be quick.

I arrived and sat down at the bar. The bar was busy but being the last hour, things were starting to die down as people were wrapping up their meals. I spent time looking at the large whiskey collection on their shelf.

About 15 minutes later, a Bar-back comes and hands me the menus. Thanks Bar-back for noticing someone sitting there idly for 15 minutes. I'm not sure where the bartender for the section of the bar went. I saw the other bartenders working their own sections all this time (should have been super aggressive and flagged someone across the room in hindsight but I know they have their system).

15 more minutes past, Bartender working the section of the bar I was sitting at finally arrives and asks me for my drink order. I should have ordered then but I was indecisive so that was all my fault.

5 more minutes pass - Bartender returns and I'm ready for my order, great work Bartender for returning so quickly! I learned my lesson the first time and placed my food order along with my drink order. Drink comes within 3 minutes, thanks.

My glass of water was empty throughout my visit but the bartender working the next section was nice enough to refill my water. Thanks Bartender working the next section!

45 minutes after arriving, a member of the kitchen staff brings my food out. Food tastes pretty good. Haven't seen the bartender working the section since taking my order.

I'll save you the rest of the details of my visit but you get the drift.

I don't want to finger point since the bartender working my section probably had a bunch of things going on that had to be taken care of but perhaps a recommendation would be to train your other bartenders working the other areas of the bar to notice their adjacent area not being serviced and if not busy, hop over to drop menus, take orders, etc... I felt like I wasted about 40 minutes of idle time just sitting there. My original intent was to roll in, sit at the bar, order a nightcap, eat and be out of there in 30 minutes.

I'd expect to waste 15-20 minutes of idle time at the beginning and 10-15 minutes of idle time during the meal at a Red Lobster or Olive Garden but not a fine dining establishment such as Haven. The food was amazing though. And the whiskey collection is impressive. So I may come back and give them another try. I will come an hour before closing again to see if this particular experience was a fluke and will probably update the rating depending on...