The Mill

The Mill: South Tampa Review

  

Following my astonishing weekend with Bern's Steakhouse, I had an incredibly flavorful dinner at The Mill, in south Tampa.  The Mill's new location just won best new restaurant in Tampa.  The original location is actually on Central Avenu in St. Petersburg, and I had only briefly heard of it.  After talking with The Mill's Chef during Winefest and getting sample their food, I figured I had to go and try the full experience!  The Mill, I think had the best food at Bern's Winefest, out of everything that I got to try.  

When we arrived they had free valet parking, the outside of the building was beautiful with a gorgeous water mill on the outside patio.  The restaurant does take reservations, however, there was no wait when we arrived at about six o'clock.  We were immediately seated at a nice table in the corner of the dining room.  

Our server, Edwin was phenomenal from start to finish.  He was so informed about everything from the menu items to the Chefs previous experiences.  He told that he uses a style of southern cooking that he learned from family at a young age.  He then studied in France, where he mastered French cooking techniques.  The chef uses these two things to create a southern menu that is packed with flavor from the French techniques.  

There were so many options of the menu that my mom and I ended up splitting the Grilled Avocado Panzanella, and we shared two entrees; the Meatloaf Wellington, and the Tenderloin Steak, and my dad ordered the Ribeye.  We also got something special, a side of whipped rutabagas.  If you're unfamiliar with the strange vegetable, don't feel bad most people have no clue that such a thing even exists.  My dad's side of the family mashes them like you would for mashed potatoes.  They have a very strange bitter taste that's like nothing else.  So when my family saw this on the menu at a restaurant we just had to try some.  They were actually quite delicious, Edwin informed us that they add coconut milk, curry powder, and other seasonings, to counterbalance the natural bitterness of the rutabaga.  

This is the tenderloin steak, I got it cooked medium rare plus, so just slightly over medium rare.  When I got it, it was cooked perfectly and melted in my mouth.  The seasoning was simple but full of flavor.  It came with roasted red potatoes, braised swiss chard, and mushroom ketchup.  The mushroom ketchup sounded strange but it was so good, with a little bit of sweetness from the tomatoes and savory from the mushrooms, it accented the dish perfectly.   

This is the meatloaf Wellington, Edwin described how it was made to us, it's a mixture of ground beef from the different steaks, that's seasoned like meatloaf and then baked.  I would describe the seasonings to be similar to tacos, you could really taste the cumin, which if you've ever smelled it, you'd know that it smells just like a packet of taco seasoning.  It also had a few pieces of jalapenos for a bit of spice.  After it's par-cooked to hold it's shape, they wrap it in puff pastry with the same technique you would use for beef wellington.  The puff pastry was crisp but fluffy and not soggy at all.  It came with a side of honey hot sauce gravy, which wasn't what it sounded like at all, it tasted pretty similar to a nacho cheese sauce, with a touch of sweetness and a little spice.  The flavors were pretty good together with the Wellington.  It came with a fried loaded potato casserole that was to die for.  It was mashed potatoes with the typically loaded ingredients.  I could really taste the southern cooking that the chef incorporated into this dish.
  
Now for something sweet:

We got two desserts because we couldn't choose, and a staycation is still a vacation, so calories don't count right?! The first one was the Mill Mudslide a Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Coffee Cream and Bailey's Mousse.  The dish tasted just as good as it looked! The perfect balance of sweetness, and great for chocolate lovers! 

The second dessert we tried was the Pound Cake Grilled Cheese, no cheese involved, it's a Lemon Stilton, White Chocolate and Peach Coulis.  This is better for those of you that don't want something too sweet.  The use of white chocolate in this dish was genius! The cake was moist and flavorful, and the peach coulis was refreshing after the cake.  My only negative here was that it needed more of the peach coulis.  

Overall, with the enticing food and marvelous service, I would most definitely recommend The Mill for dinner! I can't wait to try out the one in downtown St. Pete the next time I'm home, but I have a feeling I'll be going there a lot this summer! 

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From my kitchen to yours, 
MallaryMade