Tree Of Life Charm

Bay area restaurants housed in old family homes offer comforting charm

SAFETY HARBOR

Ever since he was a child, Amadeu Fortes would watch his mother make rice in their home in Portugal.

It wasn't regular white rice. She would sautee onions in olive oil, then add salt and other seasonings and bay leaves. At age 7, Fortes tested his mother's cooking out on his siblings. By the time he was 16, he wanted to own a restaurant. In February, Fortes and his wife Lindsey Clewer made that dream a reality in a humble abode on Third Avenue N in Safety Harbor. They opened LuLu's Portuguese & Brazilian Steak House . With an outdoor deck that's shaded by a tree, it can seat about 128 customers.

"Portuguese restaurants are similar to this cozy style," Fortes, 31, said as he looked around the house that was built in 1928. "I fell in love with this place. It's small. It's cozy. It's what we needed."

Other restaurateurs who have set up shop in old bungalows say the coziness and quaintness sets the atmosphere for dining.

"I would prefer not to be in a big building or strip center on Main Street," said Paul Kapsalis, one of the owners of Green Springs Bristo , located in a house at 156 Fourth Ave. N in Safety Harbor. "I would prefer to capture the old charm and that old feeling of Florida."

Green Springs, which can seat just under 100 diners, opened 11 years ago in the house where Lulu's is now operating. Five years ago, it moved into another ranch-style house one street over that was built in 1930. A wooden porch swing greets customers at the door. There are hardwood floors and mustard-colored walls. In the fall, two fireplaces spark the mood.

"The atmosphere is incredible and when you are in here, it hits you," said Kapsalis, who owns the restaurant with his "life partner" Kris Kubik. "You are stepping into a different rhythm. Green Springs is one of the first names of the town, and too many times the history gets thrown away. This is one of the ways of saving some of it.

Fine Silver Plated Lead-Free Pewter Round Tree Of Life Charm 19mm ...

Fine Silver Plated Lead-Free Pewter Round Tree Of Life Charm 19mm (1)

Fine Silver Plated Charm. Lead-free Tierracast Pewter. 19mm Long, 15mm Wide . 1 Charm. This lead-free pewter item is plated with fine Silver. A whimsical Tree of Life design is enhanced by a slightly antiqued finish. Quantity: 1 Charm. Measurements: 19mm Long Including Loop, 15mm Wide, 2mm Thick, 2mm Hole. Trees have a rich symbolic history in many cultures, from the cherry trees and blossoms of Japan, to the trees that were at the center of the creation myths of the Celts and Norse in Europe. In a number of Asian and African cultures, their creation myths tell stories of men hanging from trees like fruit until they were plucked and came to life. Buddha found enlightenment in his long meditation under the branches of the Bodhi tree. Trees are powerful symbols of regeneration and rejuvenation, vivid reminders to us of the cycle of life, the hard, cold, barren months of Winter giving way to the new growth, buds, warmth, fertility and life of Spring.

Of mice and men

LIFE

Three cups of tea, one man's mission to fight terrorism and build nations-- one school at a time

Art of War

LIFE