Love’s Artifacts Bar and Grill invites you to sit down, relax and take your coat off… if there’s not already an unfamiliar men’s suit jacket (assigned by the restaurant to give off an antique feel) hugging the back of your chair.
An outside perspective doesn’t begin to capture the treasures that mask the interior of this covert restaurant.
The cascading red and white billboard reads, “Love’s” with the word “grill” diagonally plastered atop “auto sales,” leaving no mystery to its history. The screened-in patio breathes the scent of southern comfort food, or maybe it’s just permanently soiled in the antique furniture.
Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, with Guy Fieri, this quirky mom-and-pop spot won the Food Network over with home-cooked nostalgia. Your stomach might be screaming entrée, but go feast first and rest your wandering eyes on Love’s First Digs. Try the five-spiced Mediterranean Calamari for $8.95, tender yet delicately crisped and served with a smoked marinara sauce. Guy Fieri raved over the fried peanut butter stuffed jalapenos. Accompanied by cilantro cream dipping sauce and grape jelly, this dish will redefine your appreciation for flavor combinations.
Send your taste buds under the sea with a rustic twist and dive into the crab stuffed mushroom. This roasted Portobello cap packed with seasoned wild crab and doused in a light butter wine sauce is a dish you can’t pass up. At $8.95, this appetizer is designed to share, but I wouldn’t.
Crispy fried chicken is a staple in the South, but no one serves it up like Love’s. Tell your mama to watch out, the winner of the “Best of the Bay Fried Chicken” award is on the prowl.
Hook yourself up with a fried chicken platter for $9.95, traditionally served with three juicy pieces (drumstick, thigh and breast) and two sides.
Lightly breaded and fried with love, this meal raises the bar for chicken-lovers everywhere. Collard greens, creamy cheese grits and garlic-mashed potatoes are perfect additions.
Order the side salad if you’re counting carbs, the homemade croutons will melt in your mouth.
You could benefit from ditching the bird and pitching the pig. Paw Paw’s pulled pork is slow roasted for eight hours and finished with Love’s classic BBQ sauce, a tangy contrast to smoky components.
This $10.95 platter is served with two fresh sides and an unforgettable taste. For a dollar more, the Pork Conquistador Feast made of slow roasted pork loin, sautéed Cuban style with onions and garlic in white wine sauce. Garnished with fresh squeezed lemon and complete with two sides, the Conquistador is an elegant selection.
Located on 4914 South MacDill Ave., Love’s Artifacts Bar and Grill is an eclectic retreat for neighbors south of Gandy Boulevard. From auto dealership to deep-fried dream, Love’s survived the economic downfall; but they still felt it.
Recently locking their doors for lunch, Love’s now operates at 4 p.m. and closing times vary.
You can jam with regulars on the weekends during live music performances or hit up Sunday brunch, a bottomless food and cocktail frenzy.
The “lost and found” assortment of antiques, pale grandfather chair and pin-up military decor will make you feel oddly at home.
Melissa Santell can be reached at msantell@spartans.ut.edu.