Sure, it was Thanksgiving, which I spent eating gunk with family. But much more importantly, I went to three smallish, independently owned, delicious, worthy-of-review new places. I'd been feeling a little low--a bunch of recent forays yielded nothing worth reviewing other than big, corporately owned chains and hotel restaurants. A food critic loves the thrill of the chase, ferreting out the uncelebrated underdogs.

Here's what's on the horizon for reviews:

Went to Pierogi Grill. It's oxymoronic, yes (what would a grilled pierogi even look like?), but really good. Jeff Houck at the Tampa Tribune did a great story on it, so it's not completely unsung. Still. If you eat a whole plate of pierogis you lapse into a narcoleptic torpor, but I'd recommend the spinach and meat, the cheese, the potato (nice dilly flavor), the one with cheddar, and a combo bite of the sweet dessert blueberry one with the sweet cheese one. Also, there's delicious borscht that looks like pink Easter egg dye floating some little meat dumplings. Stuffed cabbage is mild-mannered but sturdy. The soundtrack was extremely heavy on Bryan Adams. Why? One of life's little mysteries. 1535 Gulf to Bay Blvd., Clearwater, (727) 216-3055

Next stop, Zen Bistro Grill and Sushi Bar in Westchase. Totally lovely hipster-minimalist interior with neat Plexiglas floor tile revealing little sand-and-stone Zen gardens, and floppy living bamboo in towering glass planters. The food is accessible pan-Asian, heavy on the Japanese and Vietnamese flavors. Family friendly, nice little martini list. 9620 W. Linebaugh Ave., Westchase Town Center,  (813) 792-8665

Then my husband talked me into going to a new Greek place called Acropolis in New Tampa, at the site of the defunct and deeply frightening Brickyard Restaurant. The lingering memory of Brickyard had made me gun shy--totally unwarranted. It's owned by the brother of the guy who owns the restaurant of the same name in Ybor City. There's live music, breaking plates, the grapevine dance snaking around the restaurant and people yelling "opa" at intervals. But that's not why you should go. The food is generous, flavorful, fresh-tasting and very inexpensive. I'm reviewing it quick before the portion sizes get adjusted downward. 14947 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa, (813) 242-4545 (that's the Ybor phone #--the new one doesn't seem to be registered with directory assistance yet).

Any other places I should check out?