Let’s Talk “HAVEN”
Location: Haven is located in South Tampa, Florida.
Service: Haven is a sister restaurant to Bern’s Steakhouse in South Tampa. I’ve been eager to dine at this restaurant for the past few months. For Father’s Day weekend, I finally had the opportunity to share this experience with my husband. Like always, I recommend making reservations. We did an early dinner to celebrate “Father’s Day” and were seated right away after we checked in. Daniel our server was so knowledgeable about the menu. He definitely knew what to recommend based on the questions we asked and what we said we were looking for in taste. He was friendly, accommodating, and checked in on us several times as we dined to make sure that we were having the best taste experience. Say “Hi” to Daniel if you decide to visit Haven any time soon!
Food: WOW! YUM! Those words are just still not enough to say how we felt about the food. We started with a cheese board with a selection of two kinds of cheese: “The North Sea (pasteurized cow’s milk, Denmark caramel) and the Moon Rabbit (pasteurized cow’s milk, Wisconsin, chartreuse washed)”. The restaurant recommends sharing several different small plates to be able to indulge in as much as the menu has to offer. I ordered Bern’s Filet Mignon with smoked potato puree, preserved mushroom, shishito, and yuzu kosho. My husband ordered the Lamb Sirloin with romanesco, lemon soubise, almond, feta, and a black garlic glaze. The sides are shareable and Daniel made sure we paired the right sides with our entrees. So based on his recommendations, we ordered the Loaded Mac & Cheese with tomato, bacon, chive, and garlic cream, the crispy potato, and the fried brussels sprouts salad with spinach, ricotta salata, orchard fruits, quince vinaigrette. We closed out the dinner with the Toasted Olive-Oil Cake, something I’ve never seen on a menu before. Great finish! Both our meals melted in our mouths, they were so well cooked and tasty.
Ambience: If you are looking for a sophisticated, yet casual place to dine and hang out with your other half or just some of your friends, this is a great spot. The high ceilings, hanging light fixtures and cool art on the walls give it a modern, urban feel. Even though we sat inside, the restaurant does offer an outside seating option. I did like the setting and design of the restaurant seating arrangement. It was very cozy and I had the feeling of being in a very quiet and relaxed environment. The music set the tone of relaxation and it wasn’t too loud, which gave me the opportunity to have a nice conversation with my husband without having to compete with loud music. I highly recommend trying out Haven, It’s definitely a sophisticated yet casual spot for date night. Overall, Haven would be a great place to hang with friends or a date.
Price: $$$
A Dash of Encouragement: While sitting here at Haven, I turned and asked my husband; “what comes to mind when you think of the word “haven”, and his response was the word “peace”. In my mind, that is exactly what I thought of as well. My mind began asking questions and one that kept coming up was, what, who, where, and how do you find haven in such a world filled with fear, uncertainty, worry and anxiety? We know that life’s journeys can be like a rollercoaster of great and challenging moments, yet how do we find peace in all of this? It’s hard to even think of isn’t it? Well, dining at Haven reminded me of one of the scriptures 2 Thessalonians 3:16 where The Lord tells us “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” I felt a sense of peace and serenity in the moment of the reminder. He is the one who gives us peace and serenity even in and through the challenging parts of our lives. When you find yourself facing those challenges, I say take a moment and find your serenity, find that moment of peace. The moment of peace may be for example, sitting by the ocean and listening to the sounds of the waves washing up to the shoreline, or just reading a book, or even laughing at something as silly as watching your little one take over the t.v watching “Cocomelon” 😆. So, let us be encouraged to is find moments to be at peace with… I’ll let you fill in the blank.
A Dash of Life, Laughter & Love!
