• Bern's Steak House in Tampa is famous for its wine list.wine image by Fotocie from Fotolia.com
  
  Tampa's best eateries reflect its rich heritage.
  
  Blessed with a protected harbor on the Gulf of Mexico and a warm, sunny climate, Tampa has attracted diverse cultures over the years. Ruled at times by Spain and Britain, Tampa became the embarkation port for Teddy Roosevelt's rough riders during the Spanish-American war in 1898. Around the same time, cigar manufacturing lured many Cuban workers to the city. Fishing has long played an important role in the area's growth.
  
  

Bern's Steak House

• Bern's is renowned for several reasons. Their 5-pound, 212-page wine list, hard covered and chained to the table, is the most extensive of any restaurant in the world. Bern's wine cellar, which you can tour if you ask your waiter, is home to a bottle of Madeira wine dating back to 1792 and a $10,000 bottle of Gruand Larose from 1851.
  
  Gourmet dining is the other reason you want to visit Bern's. Dry-aged U.S. prime steak is the featured attraction on the 18-page menu, although many other entrees are listed. The main course is served with organic herbs and vegetables grown on the restaurant's own farm. You will also find over 20 varieties of caviar from around the world, priced from $20 an ounce for a Japanese Wasabi Tobiko caviar to $220 for an Iranian Osetra caviar.
  
  The dining experience is capped by a trip upstairs to the famous Harry Waugh dessert room. It features over 50 items on its own menu, in addition to fruits, cheeses and dessert wines. All desserts, including homemade ice cream and sorbet, are created by the restaurant's pastry chefs.
  
  Bern's Steak House
  
  1208 S. Howard Ave.
  
  Tampa, FL 33606
  
  813-251-2421
  
  bernssteakhouse.com
  
  

Columbia Restaurant

• Columbia Restaurant
  
  According to Florida Trend magazine, the Columbia Restaurant in Tampa's Ybor City is the state's oldest restaurant, established in 1905. The magazine has added the Columbia to its Golden Spoon Hall of Fame and named it "One of Florida's Top Restaurants" every year since 1967.
  
  The Columbia features award-winning Spanish/Cuban cuisine and an extensive wine list, particularly of Spanish wines. Live flamenco dancing is performed on Friday, Saturday and Monday in this romantic, old-world setting of brick roads and wrought-iron balconies.
  
  A "National Historic Landmark District," Ybor City was founded in the 1880s by cigar manufacturers Vicente Martinez-Ybor and Ignacio Haya. The art of selecting tobacco and rolling cigars by hand is still demonstrated in the Columbia's gift shop.
  
  Columbia Restaurant
  
  2117 East 7th Ave.
  
  Tampa, FL 33605
  
  813-248-4961
  
  columbiarestaurant.com
  
  

The Colonnade Seafood Restaurant

• The Colonnade opened in 1935 on the shore of old Tampa Bay as a small cafe catering to the teen trade, serving, among other American favorites, Coca-Cola® with an olive. Growing, evolving into its present form over the years, it still has an impressive and expansive waterfront view of the downtown Tampa skyline. Don't forget your appetite, but bring your camera because the panorama is better than you could find on any postcard. While its menu is diverse, the restaurant is best known for fresh seafood served in a casual setting. And you can still ask for olives in your coke.
  
  Offering almost 10 versions of fresh gulf grouper, the restaurant also serves regional delicacies such as wild Florida alligator and Key West conch chowder.
  
  Colonnade Seafood Restaurant
  
  3401 Bayshore Blvd.
  
  Tampa, FL 33629
  
  813-839-7558
  
  thenade.com