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Is this the best pizza in Pinellas County?

Monty's Pizza

There’s all kinds of different pizza. There’s thin crust, thick crust, Chicago style, New York style and Sicilian pizza, just to name a few. People are particular about their pizza, and not everyone thinks the same way when it comes to deciding what’s good, and what’s not so good.

All that being said, we like Monty’s Pizza in Clearwater. A lot.

We go there just about every Sunday night, and we always order the same thing: a medium deluxe. At Monty’s, a deluxe pizza has five toppings of your choice. For us, that means pepperoni, sausage, extra cheese, olive oil and mushrooms. (There’s one waitress there who doesn’t think olive oil should be a topping. When she waits on us, we order onions, too.)

Monty’s is owned by a family from Connecticut, according to the story on the back of the menu. They have been turning out pizzas in Pinellas County since the early 80s. The restaurant itself is a bit funky, and that adds to the charm. Also, there’s an old Ford outside in the parking lot painted up to look like a NASCAR racer sponsored by Monty’s. If you drive by, you see the Ford before you see the actual “Monty’s” sign on the building.

Monty’s is in mid-county on Nursery, just west of Belcher. If you come on a Sunday night, we’ll probably see you there.

Tags: Clearwater, pinellas, pizza, restaurant

Clearwater’s Pier 60: The place for sunsets

I spent a very enjoyable day yesterday with a client from out of town, someone who has really fallen in love with Dunedin. I think we’ve found her and her family the perfect townhouse. In fact, they spent so much time on the Internet that they had a pretty good idea what property they wanted before they ever came to Pinellas County and got down to some serious looking.

Anyway, once we got done with our real estate business, she went off on her own to do some more exploring of the area. She ended up forgoing dinner, opting instead for some ice cream and a visit to Clearwater Beach to watch the sunset. This picture is one she took of Pier 60, the pier at Clearwater Beach where locals and tourists gather to watch the sunset. It’s a tradition that has been going on for the past 10 or 12 years, and it’s loosely based on the nightly sunset salute that’s been taking place at Key West for years.

As you can see by the picture, the sunsets are spectacular. But you will also enjoy the local musicians, the buskers (street performers) as well as the food vendors that set up every night. There’s plenty to do and see around here, and the Pier 60 sunsets are up at the top of the list.

Tags: Clearwater, Pier 60, sunset, things to do

Clearwater farmers’ market

Clearwater farmers' market

Not every community has a farmer’s market, but there seems to be more and more of them springing up. I enjoy them because they are good places to find locally grown, fresh produce, and there’s often several unique vendors who sell all kinds of food items or artsy-crafty products of one kind or another.

The city of Clearwater has been hosting a farmer’s market for a while now, on Wednesday mornings from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. To tell the truth, I haven’t visited the market before because by the time I remember that it’s held on Wednesday mornings, it’s usually Wednesday afternoon.

This time, however, I remembered. I drove down to the location (right in front of City Hall in downtown Clearwater) and rambled around for the better part of an hour, and I had a great time chatting with some of the vendors and taking pictures. Yes, I bought a few things, too.

On this Wednesday (the one right before Thanksgiving) there were the usual fruit-and-vegetable sellers. But there was also a photographer selling some of his prints; a lemonade stand; a man selling honey; and a stand selling Belgian waffles (there will be more on this vendor in the next post). Papa Gino’s Pizza even had a stand which seemed to be hawking its catering services rather than actual pizza slices.

All in all it was a very enjoyable hour and I think you’d enjoy the visit, too. Remember, though, that this is a small farmer’s market; if you go expecting big crowds and scores of vendors, you’ll be disappointed.

Tags: Clearwater, farmer's market, real estate

Can you stand another tax story?

I don’t know whether I can or not, but people are sure interested in what’s going on around here property tax-wise.

Anyway … the city of Clearwater isn’t avoiding the great property tax debate. Tonight, city commissioners will meet (that’s Thursday night, September 21) to talk about budget issues for the coming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. And they are likely to lower the tax rate a bit more. Earlier, the commissioners lowered the millage rate from 5.75 to 5.42, and it looks now as though the council will be lowering the rate some more, this time to 5.25.

The council is expected to meet again in the near future to discuss whether some city services will have to be cut because of the property tax cuts. City officials have pointed out that the city is dealing with increased costs like everyone else, costs that include higher fuel costs, higher insurance rates and increases in city pension contributions.

Tags: Clearwater, taxes