Tampa-based Datz Restaurant Group will add another dining destination to its growing portfolio this fall with the debut of donovan’s Modern American Meatery, a fresh, unstuffy update on the classic steakhouse. Opening in Riverview’s Winthrop Town Centre in early October, the rustic yet elevated restaurant will serve a dazzling array of steaks, chops and wild game prepared in a custom, double wood-fired grill, along with many vegetable-forward dishes and Datz’s signature brand of strong, inventive cocktails from award-winning barman Dean Hurst. Donovan’s is now hiring, seeking talented and dedicated individuals to fill more than 60 front- and back-of-house positions. Applicants interested in joining the donovan’s team are invited to apply here.
With the opening of donovan’s, Datz Restaurant Group Co-owners Roger and Suzanne Perry bring to life a dream 15 years in the making. Named for Roger’s late father, Russell “Donovan” Perry, and inspired by his childhood growing up on a modest family farm in rural Ohio, the Perrys have collaborated with culinary talent already existing in the restaurant group to create donovan’s menus, which employ the family’s ethos on the farm of, “If we didn’t grow it, we don’t eat it.” Certified Angus Beef , American Wagyu, Brasstown grass-fed steaks, duck, house-cured bacon steaks and wild game will be paired with potatoes cooked in every way imaginable: baked, fried, mashed, au gratin, and even sweet potatoes with marshmallow brûlée and candied pecans.
Not to be outdone, vegetables will also have a starring role at donovan’s. Additional highlights include flame-kissed seasonal vegetables like zucchini, asparagus and Brussels sprouts; onion rings; cauliflower parmesan, grilled sweet corn and classic rich creamed spinach. Donovan’s will also offer the best of land and sea with dishes like creamy lobster mac & cheese, crab cakes, grilled and raw oysters, plus larger than life seafood towers.
The star of donovan’s open-format, exhibition kitchen is a 14-foot, combination-double-wood-fired grill and oven custom built for the restaurant by J&R Manufacturing in Mesquite, Texas, allowing diners to look on as meats, seafood and veggies are prepared on an open fire. Elsewhere in the expansive, state-of-the-art kitchen, hefty cuts of prime rib will smoke in a Southern Pride Smoker and flatbreads with crust baked to perfection will emerge from a Woodstone oven.
Legendary Tampa mixologist Dean Hurst will lead the beverage program, crafting simple, balanced libations that perfectly complement donovan’s hearty, homestyle dishes, as well as a wine list to impress the most discerning palate.
