1202 E Franklin St.
Tampa, FL
(813) 275-5000
Cuisine: American, Seafood
Price: $25 to $50

Opens from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch Monday-Friday and from 5:30 to 11 p.m. daily for dinner. "Swing shift menus," a limited selection of items, are available between lunch and dinner on weekdays and daily from 11 p.m. until the Fly closes at 3 a.m. Major credit cards are accepted; wheelchair access to bottom floor but not to rooftop bar.

'The beautiful people! The beautiful people!' ... will love it. All you hip and sexy kids who frequent SoBe, SoHo and other neighborhoods with funny abbreviations should descend on the Fly.

Props to the hometown talent: Though owner Leslie Shirah achieved success operating three establishments in art-saturated San Francisco, she and partner Matt Sturm hired local people to design and decorate their downtown Tampa haunt.

The end result strikes a soothing balance between eye candy and minimalism, with muted olive green walls, amber and red teardrop-like lamps hanging over the bar and solid-colored glass and iron partitions between tables.

It's gorgeously and tastefully decorated, with artwork and furnishings designed by local artists - roughly elegant wrought-iron and glasswork by Dan King, woodwork by Sean Spoto, paintings and decor by Adam Welch.

Tunes: DJs and live music. During our Saturday night visit, Buffalo Strange, an eclectic and jazzy ensemble, performed a sophisticated but crowd-pleasing set.

The juice: Great selection of everything; the bartenders serve 'em stiff and well-prepared. Of course, you get what you pay for, even if $8 seems a bit steep for a cocktail in a deceptively skimpy skinny-tall glass. Specialty drinks include a raspberry mojito and "La Real" - 1800 Tequila, pomegranate, Cointreau and champagne. Draft choices include distinctive brews like Okocin Pilsner, Bison IPA, Rogue Dead Guy and Fin du Monde. Wines highlight great California vintages such as Honig Cabarnet Sauvignon 2003 from Napa Valley (only available by bottle, $69) plus Gnarly Head Old Vine Red Zinfandel from Manteca ($8 by the glass) and Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc from Napa ($8).

The grub: Small portions but heavenly. Chef Fred Quinones from New York prepares world-fusion fare that backs up the Fly's upscale image with creativity and attention to texture and aesthetics. Try the fish cakes!

Service, please: The Fly is new and still ironing out kinks with its service and procedure. That said, it seems to be doing something with legitimate quality in an area riddled with faux-upscale joints.