Gochujang-clan ain’t nuthing ta f’ wit at this Sunday brunch in St. Pete

Bibimbap and hip-hop collide at Webb's City Cellars.

By Ray Roa on Wed, Aug 14, 2024 at 12:43 pm

Photo via LOKOCuisine/Facebook

Loko Cuisine’s Eggs & Kegs pop-up brunch on Aug. 18, 2024 includes an endless bar dedicated to bibimbap.

Webb’s City Cellar is St. Pete’s James Beard-nominated beer bar. John LoScalzo is the mind behind Loko Cuisine (stylized “LOKO”). This weekend, Loko’s Eggs & Kegs pop-up brunch series gets caught in the Webb for a meal built around an endless bar dedicated to bibimbap (Korean rice bowl) and a green tea-strawberry boba French toast (complete with cinnamon cream cheese custard, and white chocolate green tea sauce).

DJ Q—aka cyclist and Prescribed Fire guitarist Christa McHugh—plays old-school hip-hop during the meal where tickets include one beer, cider, wine, kombucha or N/A bevvie.

You are not allowed to nap in the beer cellar afterwards.

Tickets to Loko Cuisine's Bibimbap & Hip Hop Brunch on Sunday, Aug. 18 at Webb’s City Cellar in St. Petersburg are still available for $43.

Slideshow

Here are some of Tampa Bay's best food pop-ups, from bánh mì to barbecue

Taco WizardWhere to find it: Green Bench Brewing Co., CellarmastersThis St. Pete-based, “nomadic radical taqueria pop-up” nixtamalizes their own masa and makes their own tortillas, topping with gut-punching flavors like “pho birria” with short rib, oxtail, chihuahua cheese, chilis, herbs and consomme for dipping. While its menu is constantly changing, owner Mike Roberts says that the pho birria, as well as his crab tostada topped with fermented hot sauce, mango pico and guacamole, are Taco Wizard mainstays. These globally-inspired tacos aren’t slung often, so keep an eye out for its next pop-up, which will probably happen towards the end of summer.Photo by Madison Rae Photo

Alex’s KitchenWhere to find it: Friday Night Street Food Market, Saigon Summer Market, Hello Friend Market, Felicitous NIght Market. A regular at Pinellas County’s various Asian street food markets (like the Mega Night Street Food Market and Saigon Summer Market), this pop-up specializes in traditional, no-frills Laotian food like blood sausages, laab duck, grilled squid, papaya salad, beef skewers and sticky rice.Photo via alex_kitchen.fl/Instagram

BackAlley Bánh MìWhere to find it: In Between Days. @backalleybanhmi on InstagramOwner Viet Nguyen tells CL that his mother and grandmother’s cooking ultimately inspired his specialized bánh mì pop-up. “My mom is still cooking some of the best meals I’ll ever have and I’m still chasing recipes that I remember my grandmother used to make me, but could never emulate even after trying so many times. My idea was to introduce a from-scratch, highly specialized bánh mì shop where the labor of love could be tasted in every bite,” he explains. “All the recipes were my own mother’s recipes except for the bread. Bánh mì literally translates to ‘bread’ so for me, that’s the most important part and it took me years to master.” While the Back Alley menu is constantly changing with protein options like lemongrass chicken and tofu, Nguyen hopes to offer ten different banh mi options eventually—although his Đặc Biệt (aka ‘special’) with pork cold cuts and paté will most likely be a permanent player.Photo via backalleybanhmi/Instagram

The Bakery BoxWhere to find it: Pro Kitchen Hub.This to-go window in South Tampa features a rotating selection of goods from small bakeries and cottage kitchens each week, offering everything from specialty doughnuts and mini cheesecakes to cookies, lattes and pastries. From Monday-Saturday, clients that use the commercial kitchen and culinary incubator Pro Kitchen Hub (5226 S Dale Mabry Hwy.,Tampa) take over its Bakery Box window and run its own pop-up. Current tenants include: Peschel’s Cheesecakes, Sage’s Playground, The American Cookie Company and the newly-launched Flamingo Donuts.Photo via Bakerybox.tampa/Instagram

Better TogetherWhere to find it: LPCX Cafe, Nebraska Mini Mart.A Tampa-based pop-up from the minds of Hassan Lewis and Guillermo Quezada is not just about food—but showcases local artists, creators, entertainers, bartenders and more. Better Together events usually feature a range of different vendors and festivities, but Lewis and Quezada are usually in the kitchen whipping up unique sandwiches, like the “El Comi,” a modern take on the classic Cuban with thick-cut ham, five-spice and Szechuan-spiced pernil, Genoa salami, Swiss cheese, pickles and a yellow mustard aioli. While it’s been a few months since the duo has hosted one of its multifaceted events, patrons can expect Better Together to make its St. Pete debut sometime this summer.Photo via bettertogethertpa/Instagram

Calamansi Catering Co.Where to find it: Food festivals throughout Tampa BayWhile this Filipino-fusion business operates mainly as a private event caterer, it has made its presence known in the local food festival and market scene. The menu is constantly changing, but a staple is certainly its prized, Filipino-style Cuban sandwich with mojo-roasted pork, atchara slaw, garlic dijonnaise and Swiss cheese.Photo via calamansicompany/Facebook

Cipolla RossaWhere to find it: Green Bench Brewing, Dog Bar, Bandit Coffee Co., Mezzo Market, Sunday Market St. Pete, Indie FleaThis pizza shop’s oven may be on wheels, but the rest of the setup is about as DIY as it gets. The artisan pizza pop-up offers a variety of straightforward pies (pepperoni, Margherita, veggie) on fermented dough that crisps up perfectly in owner Josh Anson's wood-fired pizza oven. A crowd favorite is its “Hot Mootz” loaded with four gooey cheeses and hot honey—and this up-and-coming favorite has been dishing it out all over town. Unlike a lot of pop-ups that happen once or twice a month (if that), Cipolla Rosa is more or less a full-time operation; head to its social media where its pop-up schedule is released each week.Photo via cipollarossapizza/facebook

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About The Author

Ray Roa

Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief in August 2019. Past work can be seen at Suburban Apologist, Tampa Bay Times, Consequence of Sound and The...

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