The past is very much with us in the state of Florida because of its glory, tourism. This is all thanks to history, the glory of tourism.

Godfrey Times Travel visited one glory of the past, the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City.

A walk into history is a tourism delight, this we can tell you from our experience walking into this largest Spanish Restaurant in the United States of America.

Our adventure began with the Columbia’s original “1905” salad, the signature salad, named for the year the restaurant was founded in Tampa’s Latin district of Ybor City. This salad is made from crisp iceberg lettuce with julienne of baked ham, natural Swiss cheese, tomato, olives, grated Romano cheese, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce and the Columbia’s famous garlic dressing.

Good Lord!!! What a delightful start of adventure for Godfrey Times Travel. The warm and welcoming server, Addison, brought some nice Cuban bread that was really an added thrill for us.

After the “1905” salad, we explored Spain’s most popular tapa, Gambas “Al Ajillo”, which features large shrimp sauteed with extra-virgin Spanish olive oil, fresh garlic and chili pepper. A server gave us a nice cultural tip saying, dip the Cuban bread in the oil, you will love it.

He said that and whisk away as if he had revealed a dark secret. Well, we dipped the Cuban bread in the oil and OMG; we loved it as he said we would. He earned a good tip for that. Damn!

The food adventure did not end there, no! The Shrimp and Yellow Rice took all our attention. Its richly tasteful feel was a lovely exploration. A large shrimp baked with yellow rice, green peppers, onions, tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil and splashed with white wine.

Desserts, our adventure ended with historic desserts. We started with a historical salad and ended with historical desserts. After all, we were in history. Lol!

White Chocolate Bread Pudding, we were told the version here is the best. Of all the stories of desserts we have heard, the story of how the taste of this dessert touches the heart is the truest. It is enough to share, but the taste will hold you back from sharing. Lol!!!

Let me tell you. This dessert is made with white chocolate, La Segunda Central Bakery Cuban bread, Sunny Florida Dairy milk and Florida eggs. The favorite dessert of Casimiro Hernandez, Sr, is topped with a rich Bacardi rum sauce.

That was not all about the desserts, no. We also had the Columbia classic Coconut Ice Cream that was served in a coconut shell. The taste will cause you to smile.

The Columbia Restaurant is a great destination for a romantic adventure. The Tampa Bay Date Night Guide says so in the Tampa’s Most Romantic Restaurants.