Shackleton's Folly's better-than-average pub fare welcome in southern St. Petersburg's Coquina Key plaza

By LAURA Reiley

Times Food Critic

ST. PETERSBURG

He didn't make it look easy. When Dan Soronen sold St. Petersburg's Old Northeast Tavern last year he was told by all to avoid opening his next restaurant in southern St. Petersburg. Temperamentally stubborn, Soronen went about as far south as he could in St. Pete, signing a long lease at the Coquina Key Shopping Plaza. This new venture is named after another hard-headed explorer, Ernest Shackleton.

That intrepid South Pole explorer probably didn't have nearly the headaches that Soronen has had in putting together this place, scheduled originally to open for the Super Bowl. Problems with the city over the size of the sign. Permitting problems. Staffing scuffles. Issues with the volleyball court sand (don't ask).

Like any rugged explorer worth his crampons, he persevered. And now Shackleton's Folly is open, tucked in a corner of the slightly down-at-the-heels shopping center. And it's nice. On election night last week, a racially mixed crowd cheered on their candidates and settled in with beer and wings. It's a pub with bells and whistles: nice long bar, soon-to-be beach volleyball league play, video games, big TVs and familiar beers on tap. What makes it worthy of review, beyond its filling a much-needed niche in south St. Petersburg, is Javier DeJesus' menu.

It's a strange move for DeJesus, most recently the man in the kitchen at Pacific Wave. The culinary aims at the Shack aren't nearly as ambitious. It's pub grub, but DeJesus has made some deft improvements on the basics. Mac and cheese ($6.95) is rich with smoked Gouda and white cheddar, topped with buttered panko, and did I detect a bit of truffle oil? A shepherd's pie ($13.95) has more oomph than most versions because it's made of ground lamb and features braised leeks and parsnips. Very nurturing, even on a steamy summer Florida night.

Fish and chips ($12.95) seem to be taking over St. Petersburg (I've seen them on a huge number of new menus), but DeJesus' version consists of delicate planks of moist fish with a Chimay batter (much fancier sounding than regular beer batter, but it was good batter), served with sweet house-made chips and a remoulade with guts. And more Belgian white beer had to be sacrificed in the name of the sweet steamed black mussels ($10.95), the broth cradling fennel, tomato and a garlicky kick. The mussels get a scoop of nice roasted potatoes and a rusk of grilled bread, definitely generous enough for an easy bar-stool-perched dinner.

An all-female waitstaff wears all black, but each interprets the uniform differently (wow, those are some abbreviated shorts); they bustle efficiently, do a lot of check-backs and deal gracefully with a sometimes raucous crowd.

In a perfect world I'd wish for a deeper wine list (beer is top dog here) and a more restrained hand on the desserts — enough sauce squiggles, whipped cream and other gunk to undermine a reasonable Belgian waffle special ($5) and a workhorse warm chocolate lava cake ($5). Little things, really, and I'm glad Soronen persisted. As old Shackleton said, "Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all."

Laura Reiley can be reached at lreiley@sptimes.com or (727) 892-2293. Her blog, the Mouth of Tampa Bay, is at blogs.tampabay.com/dining. Reiley dines anonymously and unannounced.