Ponte Modern American

Helmed by the eponymous chef Chris Ponte, the restaurant’s name says it all. High ceilinged, elegant, and airy, the restaurant is found in the Midtown Tampa shopping and eating complex.

Expect refined, multifaceted service, luxurious cuisine, and concomitant prices alongside a large wine list that’s a trophy hunter’s dream, replete with, for example, verticals of classic big-name California Cabs, key Bordeaux estates, Burgundy, and more. Their Champagne and caviar cart is splurge-worthy, and it’s not uncommon to find some of Tampa’s moneyed elite dining here on any given evening.