Savory On Swann

While the "Wander with Connor" blog is about cool experiences, excursions, and travel, there is a little bit of an exception this week. That is because this dinner my grandparents and I had was quite an experience.

As a last hurrah before my grandparents began the drive back home to IL, they made the trip west to me in Tampa for dinner. We opted to go to Hyde Park Village, and ultimately decided on On Swann. The name of the restaurant comes from the road it sits on. On Swann is legitimately on Swann Ave. Pretty clever if I do say so myself. Prior to dinner we roamed Hyde Park Village and entered a few shops and sat next to the center piece fountain. A very clean and charming little neighborhood. It reminds me of a smaller Celebration, FL. 5 PM quickly approached us and we made our way to the restaurant.

We began with drinks and I got my usual boring glass of water, my grandpa got a beer, and my grandma got a "Summer Breeze" a rum based drink. I'm not much of an adult beverage drinker, but I took a sip of this and it was indeed tasty.

We then (more so me) began with a Tuna appetizer. It was paired with garlic and a few other things, and it was very good. Very fresh and melted in my mouth. It was a great start for what was to come.

Next up were the entrées. Luckily Grandma convinced me not go for the burger, seeing on how I make them at least 4 nights a week. I instead ordered the short rib pasta, as it was recommend to me by a friend, and wow did it not disappoint. I would not have normally ordered something like that, but trusted the recommendation and the waiter telling me it was his favorite thing on the menu helped confirm my decision. My grandpa went for the lamb meatballs with a side of mushrooms, and my Grandma ordered the kale salad along with the hot chicken tenders (which ended up being mine for the most part). Thank you for that Grandma. I will have pictures attached of all the food throughout and at the bottom of the blog.

There was no complaints from anyone about anything. From getting seated as soon as we came in for our reservation, to our kind waiter, to the ambiance of the restaurant. Everything gets a thumbs up. I can confidently say this was one of the best meals I have had before, and I believe my grandparents would second that. If you are in Tampa, do yourself a favor and head to On Swann. It will not disappoint. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Unfortunately, but also fortunately, we did not have any room for dessert, but I can only imagine how good that has to be. I will be making sure to save room next time. The short rib had mushrooms and a few other ingredients mixed in, and it was incredible. I quickly put that down and then began picking off grandmas hot chicken, which was also incredible and came with a lot of them. That was another big takeaway for me. At a lot of "nicer" restaurants I walk out of the door satisfied, but hungry again in a few hours. On Swann filled me up which I appreciate. Our reservation was at 5 and my brutal sleep schedule of going to bed at the earliest of 2 AM was not an issue because I ironically did not eat again before bed. That is saying something.

I can confidently say that On Swann is my favorite restaurant in Tampa. We will see if that title gets taken by another establishment, it will be hard to beat. Thank you again Grandma and Grandpa for the amazing dinner and fun evening together. I enjoyed it!