04/18/18
The Refinery is one of several new-ish restaurants and gastro pubs in Tampa's Seminole Heights neighborhood. It has a really diverse and constantly changing menu, with all homemade components. I'd characterize the menu as having mostly southern dishes with global flares. I think griot actually comes from Haiti. I'd never encountered it before but I think it traditionally is basic roasted pork with smashed fried plantains. The Refinery's version is loosely based on that, but takes it to a new level. The pork is braised and shredded. It is incredibly flavorful - porky and salty in a balanced way, with a little sweetness from the peppers and onions it is stewed with. The base of this dish, however, is my favorite part - a unique mash of butternut squash, plantains, and faro with miso added in. This portion of the dish was rich, smooth, sweet, and totally unexpected. I do not know how they came up with this dish, but it was really, really yummy. We also got the deviled ham fritters, which were solid as well. This place is open for dinner on weekdays and has brunch and stays open late on weekends.