I worry about my child and the Internet all the time, even though she's too young to have logged on yet. Here's what I worry about. I worry that 10 or 15 or 20 years from now she will come to me and say, 'Daddy, where were you when they took freedom of the press away from the Internet?'.
Luncheon speech given at technology conference, "New Media Technology: True Innovations or Electric Fork?" on February 13, 1996.
The original
Columbia Restaurant, located in the historic Ybor City neighborhood in
Tampa, FloridaTampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, is the oldest Spanish restaurant in the United States and one of the largest (with 1,700 seats in 15 dining rooms taking up 52,000 ft²) in the world. Founded in 1905 in, the landmark is still owned by the Hernandez/Gonzmart family and serves
SpanishSpanish cuisine consists of a variety of dishes, which stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. It is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround the country, and reflects the country's deep maritime roots...
and
Cuban cuisineCuban cuisine is a fusion of Spanish, African and Caribbean cuisines. Cuban recipes share spices and techniques with Spanish and African cooking, with some Caribbean influence in spice and flavor. This results in a unique, interesting and flavorful blend of the several different cultural influences...
.
In June 2009, the Columbia Restaurant was selected as one of the 25 iconic restaurants of the
Tampa-St.Petersburg areaThe Tampa Bay Area is the region of west central Florida adjacent to Tampa Bay. Definitions of the region vary. It is often considered equivalent to the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area defined by the United States Census Bureau. The Census Bureau currently...
by Laura Reily, the food critic of the
St. Petersburg TimesThe St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
. Also
Nation's Restaurant NewsNation's Restaurant News is an American trade publication, founded in 1967, that covers the foodservice industry, including restaurants, restaurant chains, operations, marketing, and events. It is owned by Penton Media, who purchased it from founding company Lebhar-Friedman in December 2010...
named it a "Top 50 All-American icon."
http://www.nationsrestaurantnews-digital.com/nationsrestaurantnews/20100125/?pg=3#pg5
Wine
All locations feature a substantial wine list, and the Columbia received
Wine Spectator magazine's "Best of Award of Excellence" in recognition of an outstanding variety of Spanish wines (more than 750 wines with an inventory exceeding 50,000 bottles). The Columbia also won
Wine Enthusiast magazine's "Award of Ultimate Distinction".
Several private label wines were created to honor the memory of family members. The house
SangriaSangria is a wine punch typical of Spain and Portugal, also consumed in Argentina and Uruguay. It normally consists of a wine, chopped fruit, a sweetener, and a small amount of added brandy. To be specific, a wine is a light, dry, young, high acid, unoaked, inexpensive wine, usually red wine due...
is mixed tableside.
Flamenco Dancing
The restaurant features performances of
flamencoFlamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
, one of Spain's traditional dances, consists of rhythmic steps performed on a hardwood floor, and originated with Spanish Gypsies. It has evolved through the years to the more structured form we have become familiar with. Classical Spanish dances consist of ballet moves in colorful Spanish costumes accompanied by the sound of castanets.
Community Harvest
Over 90 nonprofit organizations received more than $122,000 from the Columbia Restaurant’s 11th Annual Community Harvest campaign, held annually in the month of September. The chain donates 5% of all guests’ lunch and dinner checks and allows patrons to designate the charitable organizations their choice. Over the past 10 years, the event has generated more than $820,000 to nonprofits throughout Florida.
Cesar Gonzmart Memorial Golf Tournament
The CGMGT was begun in 1998 by Columbia Restaurant owners Richard and Casey Gonzmart in memory of their father. Proceeds from the event are donated to a local charity or non-profit organization.
- The 7th Annual CGMGT and the Sant 'Yago Education Foundation gave $5,000 to support the American Heart Association's American Heart Heroes Week project, an initiative that provides camp experiences for children with cardiovascular disease.
- The 8th Annual CGMGT raised over $55,000 for Moffitt Cancer & Research Institute, the University of South Florida Athletic Association, and the Adela & Cesar Gonzmart Endowed Memorial Scholarship, part of the USF Latino Scholarship Program.
- The 13th Annual CGMGT raised over $50,000 for the University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
in Tampa. The University of South Florida Athletic Association and the Columbia Restaurant Centenario Endowed Scholarship, part of the USF Latino Scholarship Program.
1905 Day
On a Sunday in mid-September every year since the restaurant's 75th anniversary in 1980, they celebrate
1905 Day. On that day, a special menu with 1905 prices is in effect from noon to 7:00pm. Menu items have included:
- Chicken & Yellow Rice "Ybor" for $2.95
- Boliche
Boliche is a popular Cuban dish consisting of eye round roast stuffed with chorizo sausages simmered in a tomato sauce base.It is usually served with yellow riceThe term Boliche in Argentina and Uruguay also refers to a disco, club or bar....
(eye round of beef) for $2.95
- Merluza
Merlucciidae is a family of cod-like fish, including most hakes.They are native to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, being common in southern waters off Tasmania and New Zealand....
"Russian Style" for $2.95
- Columbia's Original "1905 Salad" for $1.95
- Sangria
Sangria is a wine punch typical of Spain and Portugal, also consumed in Argentina and Uruguay. It normally consists of a wine, chopped fruit, a sweetener, and a small amount of added brandy. To be specific, a wine is a light, dry, young, high acid, unoaked, inexpensive wine, usually red wine due...
for 95¢
- Flan
Crème caramel , flan , or caramel custard is a custard dessert with a layer of soft caramel on top, as opposed to crème brûlée, which is custard with a hard caramel top...
for 50¢
- Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
for 5¢
According to Richard Gonzmart, President of the Columbia Restaurant Group, "1905 Day is our way of thanking all of our customers who have contributed to the success of the Columbia for over 100 years and five generations of ownership. We are convinced that we would not be celebrating our 102nd anniversary without the support of the communities we serve."
External links