James Beard Semifinalist To Bring New Asian-Inspired Eatery To Sparkman Wharf

TAMPA, FL — James Beard semifinalist, Chef Ferrell Alvarez, is bringing a second restaurant to Water Street Tampa's growing dining scene.

Sparkman Wharf developer Strategic Property Partners LLC announced that The Proper House Group and Alvarez are adding a new restaurant concept, Dang Dude, a fast-casual Asian-inspired restaurant.

This marks Alvarez’s second restaurant at Sparkman Wharf and is slated to open at the waterfront destination this spring.

“Gallito Taqueria has been a fan-favorite restaurant at Sparkman Wharf since it opened, and we’re thrilled to work with Chef Alvarez and Proper House Group again to introduce an exciting new dining concept to the community,” said Lee Schaffler, chief portfolio officer for SPP.

Co-owned by Alvarez, a 2017 James Beard Foundation semifinalist, business partner Ty
Rodriguez and entrepreneur Chon Nguyen, The Proper House Group is a Tampa-based hospitality group known for several acclaimed restaurants in the Tampa Bay area, including Seminole Heights' Rooster & the Till, which was named Tampa’s No. 1 restaurant by the Tampa Bay Times in 2018 and 2019, Nebraska Mini Mart in Seminole Heights and Gallito Taqueria, with locations at
Sparkman Wharf and The Joinery in Lakeland.

Building on the success of Gallito Taqueria, Dang Dude will bring modern and innovative Asian-inspired street food to Sparkman Wharf. Crafted by Alvarez, the menu will feature creative spins on dumplings, pot stickers and spring rolls, as well as double-fried Asian-style chicken wings.

Dang Dude will also serve signature dishes such as Rou-jia-mo, a homemade Chinese flatbread stuffed with pork, beef or tofu, and a variation of The Cobia Collar, an award-winning dish from Rooster and the Till.

The restaurant, located in one of Sparkman Wharf’s shipping containers, is paying special attention to vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free diets and will use homemade vegan fish sauce and gluten-free noodles and dumpling wrappers wherever possible.

Beverages, including bubble tea, boozy bubble tea, Asian beers and sake, will round out the menu.

“As our brand continues to expand throughout Tampa, and Gallito, our first venture at Sparkman Wharf, has been nothing but a success, it was a no-brainer to extend our relationship with SPP and grow alongside Water Street Tampa,” Alvarez said. “We are thankful for this opportunity to work with SPP and thrilled to bring umami flavors to downtown Tampa with our second concept at Sparkman Wharf, Dang Dude.”

In addition to Dang Dude, Sparkman Wharf recently announced two new wellness retailers, Bodyrok and The Covery. The wellness retailers are expected to open later this year.

Anchoring Water Street Tampa, the 56-acre urban mixed-use walkable neighborhood in downtown Tampa, Sparkman Wharf is a central community gathering place featuring a 1-acre park surrounded by ground-level retail and loft-style office space.

The central park is home to a dining garden featuring national and local restaurant concepts and community events on the lawn.

Strategic Property Partners LLC is a partnership between Cascade Investment LLC and Jeff Vinik.

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