Restaurants in Englewood

After spending 33 years saving lives in the firefighting service, Firehouse Sports Grill proprietor Joe Wise collected beloved recipes from stations throughout the country to regale diners with firefighter feasts of burgers and sandwiches, pizzas, and pastas. A bar area decked out in polished aluminum tread plate evokes the raw power of a speeding fire engine, and crimson walls laden with ancient fire axes and keepsake pictures of old emergency crews hark back to a simpler time before fire poles were replaced with teleportation devices. Multiple flat-screen TVs broadcast sporting events as guests sip frosty drafts and potent cocktails and chow down on hand-cut fries, tangy salads, and tender barbecue ribs.

The kitchen crew at Floribbean Restaurant & Lounge blends the tropical flavors of Caribbean islands with influences from Latin American countries including Columbia, Argentina, and Brazil. The amalgamation, coined Latin- or Hispano-Floribbean, results in a menu rife with citrus-marinated chicken, deep-fried whole fish, and hearty sides of cassava, tostones, and maduros. As patrons sip refreshing libations from the bar, live jazz music keeps feet tapping and egomaniacs scat-dueling into the night.

Joe Morgese and his family opened their Little Joe's Italian Beef stand as a way to bring authentic Chicago-style sandwiches and dogs to the Sunshine State. Their namesake dish comes layered onto a toasted, 6-inch Cuban-style roll and can be ordered dry, dipped, or swimming on a slip 'n' slide of au jus. The eggplant-parmesan sandwich layers crisp eggplant, fresh mozzarella, and basil atop grilled italian bread, and hand-rolled meatball subs round out the sandwich offerings, which diners can pair with hand-cut fries or beer-battered onion rings.

A stern statue of a Chinese soldier, flanked by a twisty shrubbery, greets patrons to Charlie Chiang’s Naples, a Chinese bistro and lounge with roots in Washington, DC. Familiar dishes such as general tso's chicken are sprinkled throughout the menu, but the kitchen specializes in more rarified Chinese-inspired fare, such as creamy sesame jumbo shrimp and sweet soy-glazed spare ribs. Other specialties include creative sushi rolls and the flaming steak Christiana, whose rum-soaked morsels are flambéed tableside by the chef's pet dragon.

Charlie Chiang's modern interior favors long, sleek lines and bursts of bright color. Carmine partitions stretch up from each booth, and a diffused rosy light glows through thin jets of water in a central fountain. On a spacious open patio, outdoor heaters and shady umbrellas protect guests from the vagaries of climate while still allowing them to chat with mermaids in the nearby Cocohatchee River.

Mexican paintings, pottery, and stained glass pepper Mr Tequila Grill's dining room, as diners relax and gaze upon walls that blend vibrant yellows with fiery reds that echo the heat coming out of the kitchen. Amid this setting, waiters serve plates of chicken-stuffed burritos, chimichangas, and sizzling fajitas featuring shrimp, steak, and veggies, all served on a hot skillet. However, Mr Tequila's chefs aren't content to just cook Mexican favorites. They also experiment with multicultural items such as cheese-steak tacos, which transfer the ingredients and flavors of the Philadelphia favorite into a crispy shell. To complement these eats, bartenders craft margaritas and open bottles of imported Mexican beer.

Framed John Deere memorabilia covers the walls, and miniature tractors and cars fill a glass display case. A mural on the back wall depicts an iconic green tractor rolling through a pasture. But this isn't a John Deere museum; it's Tammy's Place, a Bradenton eatery that embraces its concept right down to the tractor-green vinyl of its booths and 50-acre cornfield in the main dining area.

The husband-and-wife team behind Tammy's Place has a few specialties they're known for in the area; among them, housemade sausage gravy and pancakes as large as the plates they're served on. Other favorites the duo designed include patty melts and onion rings that have a high success rate when used in marriage proposals. Their "Duke" challenge burger weighs in at a full pound.