Lunch at The Canopy

Photos.

We'd each had a plateful before I thought to snap this shot

Last winter, Bob noticed people milling about on a rooftop and wondered whether they were having lunch in a rooftop restaurant. I didn't pay much attention at the time and had, in fact, totally forgotten what had apparently been on his mind for almost a year.

Yesterday he was determined to find the place and sure enough, people seemed to be overlooking the street from the roof near out parking spot on Beach Drive. The hostess at the sidewalk restaurant pointed to the elevator and told us to take to the top floor, where the menu would b the same as, or similar to, the one downstairs.

And that's how we ended up at The Canopy. We sat on a comfortable couch under a canopy, where we had a good view of beautiful Tampa Bay. Our server, Alison, was pleasant and prompt with our drink order: when I asked my usual question about dark beers, she actually knew the answer and brought me an off-menu choice -- and I wish I could remember the name because it was delicioius.

Rather than have lunch, we chose the cheese and charcuterie plate: smoked gouda, bleu cheese, Wisconsin cheese curds, freshly sliced prosciutto, Genoa salami, sliced toasted almonds. A basket of thin chips was the perfect accompaniment and we got through every wonderful bite of food.

The people watching is great and we did our usual analysis of the family dynamics of a group near us. The Canopy would be  a good venue for a special celebration; the specialty cocktails looked yummy and the overall ambience is relaxed but very professional.