Top 50 Restaurants of Tampa Bay: Cena

#8 in the Top 10

Best Dishes: Buttacavoli has done some version of mortadella-stuffed fried olives for a while. Get them. Share a risotto or get the smaller of two sizes, and follow it up with my favorite “secondi” of the moment, a branzino accessorized with softly stewed white beans with roasted peppers and just the right touch of bitter escarole, the whole dish given a whiff of fruity olive oil and lemon. I haven’t mentioned Cena’s secret weapon yet, pastry chef Evan Schmidt, who has been there since the beginning. Some of his desserts are like Transformers made out of sweet things, a cookie affixed to a moussey thing from which a chocolate plank juts like wings. He likes textural contrasts: a crumble with a mousse, a foam with something creamy.