Calida: The 22-Seat Secret I Shouldn’t Be Telling You About
Chef Ian Florence puts the final touches on a dish in the Calida kitchen
I’m always scouting new food experiences worth writing about, so when California wine distributor Hunter Boon, an insider with his top chef Rolodex, quietly passes along the name Calida with a simple “Trust me,” I don’t argue. I gathered my tasting crew and headed to this tiny eatery in Crescent Heights, St. Petersburg.
It is co-owned and operated by the husband-and-wife team of Dayna Bennett and Chef Ian Florence. Dayna handles the front of the house (serves every table), while Ian is the Executive Chef. Bennett is from California, and Florence is from Florida, so they combined their home states to come up with the name Calida. They opened nearly three years ago.
It’s cozy. There are typically around 22 seats available on any given night, though they have the ability to stretch a bit for larger parties. The kitchen in the back is tiny. The pass, which doubles as prep space, is about the size of a typical fireplace mantle. From the dining room, you can watch Chef Ian flame finishing touches with one of the four torches he keeps holstered back there.
Calida Kitchen and Wine has a seven-seat bar
The Calida Kitchen & Wine back dining room is narrow and cozy, offering guests a warm and intimate place to dine in St. Petersburg.
And here’s the thing: dining at Calida is an experience — not a pit stop. If you’re in a rush, this isn’t your place. The chef prepares and plates every dish personally, with little backup in the kitchen. It’s one of those places where every plate arrives precisely portioned, meticulously styled, and intentionally composed. Each plate looks like art, with greens, dried edible flowers, and swooshes and swirls of sauces, dressings, and oils that accentuate them. Sit back, relax, observe, sip, eat, enjoy!
The Calida food menu is seasonal, featuring sections for starters, including a rotating charcuterie board, sides, and entrees that offer a mix of omnivore and vegan dishes, as well as weekly specials. One of the things I like is when Dayna tells us about the specials (and the wine not on the menu), she is very upfront about pricing. Some places either make you ask, or it’s a surprise at check-in time.
The wine list is concise yet worldly—a curated selection of bottles at various price points, chosen to complement the food menu. It emphasizes smart pairings: seven crisp whites, ten savory reds with varying levels of dryness, and a few sparkling wines and aperitifs that blend well with the kitchen's flavor profiles. If you know what you like, order it. Or, Dayna is an encyclopedia on pairings here, if you need a recommendation. Most options are available by the glass or bottle. The beer list included both an Italian IPA and a lager.
What we ate: Starters
This rich Sea Bass Bisque is finished with smoky paprika, cheese, toasted pepitas, and fresh greens for layered flavor. Chunks of firm white fish mixed in the dreamy creamy bisque made it one of the top dishes of the night.
Yellowfin Crudo with nashi pear, radish, cucumber, sesame ponzu, chili oil, garlic chips, and microgreens. It’s a chilled, bright, and light combo, elevated by that ponzu and chili oil.
A beautiful portion of burrata, surrounded by delicate delicata squash in a swoosh of mint pepita pesto vinaigrette, and sprinkled with black lava salt, crispy prosciutto chips, and microgreens, is a vibrant seasonal plate. The better-than-bacon prosciutto adds a salty crunch
Entrees
Branzino is served with grilled palm hearts, broccolini, and heirloom carrots, accompanied by a knock-out white carrot soubise and a chili oil t sauce. They offer a filet here instead of the whole fish and torch the skin to add a superior crunch. It’s another top contender for dish of the night.
Sliced Duck Breast with a gorgeous crackling skin, lacquered and crisp. It’s paired with a nutty black rice pilaf and finished with a silky panang curry sauce that brings warmth, coconut richness, and gentle spice. Pickled chili and onion add brightness and acidity, complementing the fat and rounding out each bite.
Pork Tenderloin is sliced and served with a fragrant cumin crust, giving each bite a warm, earthy spice. It’s plated with lemon tahini for bright citrusy creaminess, blistered tomatoes for smoky-sweet pop, and pickled fennel for fresh tang.
The Flank Steak was the only disappointment. It arrives sliced, cooked to a perfect medium-rare, with a “French” chimichurri spooned on top. It’s a striking plate, but the chimichurri is too loud. Its intensity bulldozes the subtler, beefy flavors underneath, rather than lifting them.
Desserts
Banana-filled wontons are fried crisp and golden, then set on a glossy bed of Nutella with ribbons of chocolate lining the plate. The crunchy shell gives way to warm, soft banana inside — it’s an inventive, sweet, playful dessert
Calida Dessert- fresh strawberries on a bed of whipped cream, with chunks of chocolate, caramel drizzle, and garnished with mint.
Exterior of Calida Kitchen & Wine in St. Petersburg, a cozy 22-seat restaurant in the Crescent Heights neighborhood.
Calida Kitchen and Bar, 2909 Doctor Martin Luther King Jr Street North, St. Petersburg, Florida 33704
Calida is open Thursday through Saturday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., and reservations are required through their website or by calling 727-202-0263 (although you might get lucky and snag one of the seven bar seats on a walk-in basis). Parking is easy in the attached lot. Prices are fine-dining level. Service (that would be Dayna) is personable, intimate, and thoughtfully paced — the kind that lets the meal breathe.
It may be small, but what it delivers in flavor, heart, and experience is absolutely immense. If they were to enlarge it, it would lose its cozy and charming European café feel — that sense that you’ve stumbled into a tucked-away spot you’d tell only your closest friends about. So, I’m telling you. Go!
Calida dinner menu, Fall 2025
Calida Kitchen and Wine wine list Fall 2025