My thoughts, in order:
Here’s a local (if you’re in Tampa) business worth supporting: Flan Factory. There’s no lie on their mural — their flans are flantastic.
We first tried their flan at the North Tampa Market, which used to take place in Carrollwood back before the plague. We made a habit of taking home several of their individual-sized ones, notably the original, guava, dulce de leche, cafe con leche, coconut, and arroz con leche flavors.
We’re very happy to see that they’ve gone from temporary setups at markets to a full-blown brick-and-mortar shop on Nebraska, just at the northern edge of Ybor City (a stone’s throw from Centro Asturiano).
In addition to tasty flan, they have amusing merch:
Yes, that was a funny shirt, but for those who “get it”, this is the money shirt:
They have a regular set of a half dozen flavors, with another, larger, rotating set. If they have Nutella flavor available, get it:
They don’t just have flan — they make a mean cafe con leche, and also have some very interesting sandwiches and other dishes as well:
The sandwich I’m most intrigued by is their take on the Elena Ruz sandwich, the Elena 1985. Served during merienda (an afternoon teatime that’s practiced in Spanish colonies — even my birth country, the Philippines), it’s a sweet and savory sandwich that combines turkey, jam, and cream cheese.
Here’s the description of Flan Factory’s Elena 1985:
Thick-cut brioche bread, deep fried in cinnamon batter, then filled with flan factory guava sauce, cream cheese, and oven roasted turkey breast, then dusted with powdered sugar.
Flan Factory is located at 1718 N Nebraska Avenue in Tampa. Their phone number is (813) 402-2400, and you can find them online in several places:
I hope your Thanksgiving Day turned out better than this cookie design. I think they were going for “turkey” but ended up with “turd on fire”.
When people look at me, I want them to think “That cat knows what he is, and what he wants.”