Bern's Steak House ★ 4.9
Bern's Steak House in Hyde Park is the 1956 dry-aged steakhouse running the largest restaurant wine cellar in the world: 500,000 bottles, 6,500 labels.
History
Florida strawberry shortcake is the seasonal dish of the Plant City strawberry harvest, which runs February through April. Parkesdale Farm Market in Plant City has served the most-famous version since 1956 (a generation before the Florida Strawberry Festival, which runs every March since 1930). Tampa restaurants run shortcake specials throughout the season.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Eggs
Make it at home
Ingredients
- Biscuits: 280g all-purpose flour
- 30g granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 110g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 180ml heavy cream
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
- Strawberries: 500g fresh Florida strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 50g granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Cream: 240ml heavy cream
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Method
- Toss strawberries with sugar and lemon juice. Set aside to macerate at least 30 minutes.
- For biscuits: whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in cold butter until pea-sized pieces remain. Stir in heavy cream just until dough comes together.
- Turn dough onto a floured surface. Pat into a 2.5cm-thick round. Cut into 6 biscuits with a round cutter.
- Place on a baking sheet, brush tops with egg wash. Bake at 220C for 15 minutes until golden.
- Whip cream with powdered sugar and vanilla to soft peaks.
- Split each warm biscuit. Spoon macerated strawberries and their juice over the bottom half, top with whipped cream, then close with the top half. Serve immediately.
Tip from the editors. Florida strawberries (Plant City varieties Festival, Sweet Charlie, Florida Beauty) are smaller and more concentrated than the California giants. If you cannot find them, use organic California strawberries.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat florida strawberry shortcake
Florida strawberry shortcake in Tampa
Wright's Gourmet House ★ 4.4
Wright's Gourmet House on South Dale Mabry has built Tampa's classic Cuban and roast-beef sandwiches plus the famous rum cake since 1963. A Tampa table.
Order: Cuban sandwich pressed and a slice of the rum cake to take home.
Tip: Pete and Marjorie Wright started the shop on April 20, 1963; the Casper family bought it in 2024 to keep it Tampa-owned.
Datz ★ 4.3
Datz in South Tampa is Tampa's biggest brunch destination, with Biscuits and Crazy, Nashville Chicken Doughnut, Eggs Barbacoa and the Bacon Bloody Mary.
Order: Biscuits and Crazy: buttermilk biscuits, sausage gravy, two eggs, bacon, three potato types.
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