Jeff Houck

The Tampa Tribune’s food writer since 2005, Jeff Houck covers the way people live through their food. He also hosts the Table Conversations food podcast and believes that everything crunchy is good.

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No. 63 In Your Program, No. 1 In Your Heart [Lee Roy Selmon Adds New Dishes To His Starting Lineup]

Posted Nov 8, 2009 by Jeff Houck

Updated Nov 9, 2009 at 12:28 PM

Today, during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ home game against the Green Bay Packers, Lee Roy Selmon will become the first inductee in the team’s Ring of Honor at Raymond James Stadium. He’ll be joined by teammates from the 1979 Bucs squad that made the franchise’s first playoff run.

‘Twenty-five years after his retirement, the Hall of Fame defensive end is probably as well known in this area for his namesake restaurant (and expressway) as he is for his legendary football prowess.

I had a chance to sit for lunch with Selmon recently at his Boy Scout Road restaurant to talk about new dishes recently introduced on the down-home Southern-meets-gameday menu.

A plate of sliders — diners can choose from brisket, pulled pork, ground beef or hot dogs — are is now on the lunch and dinner menus ($5.99 to $6.49).

Peppercorn-crusted ahi tuna with wasabi, ginger and soy sauce ($6.99) and sweet potato fries with sweet vinaigrette ($5.99, above) are new appetizer choices. Spicy Jalapeno Rocket Pockets ($4.99), with bacon, jalapenos and three cheeses with red peppers sprinkled on top inside a crispy shell, are a great starter, too.

Selmon said his favorite is the Tropical Salmon Salad ($10.99, above), which features grilled and glazed salmon on a bed of baby spinach tossed with fresh strawberries, feta cheese, toasted cinnamon pepper pecans and sweet banana chips in a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette.

Yes, Selmon loves salmon. Keep the giggles to a minimum, please.

The new items are an effort to refresh the menu and give diners less expensive offerings so they can afford to eat out during the economic downturn.

Selmon learned about food while* working on the family farm as a boy in Oklahoma. He learned about restaurants while under the umbrella of OSI Restaurant Partners, home to Outback, Carrabba’s, Bonefish Grill, Fleming’s and Roy’s.

Selmon’s isn’t known for items like ahi tuna, but he said it reflects an effort to stay flexible in the marketplace.

“I relate a lot to my sports background and how the game changed somewhat from the time I came in as a rookie until I got out of it 10 years later,” Selmon said. “There was a lot of running when I came in and a lot of passing when I left. The fans changed, the presentation changed. Over time, we’ve been doing some changing at the restaurant as well to enhance the customer experience.”

“Our core values don’t change, like the fundamentals of sports,” he said. “I think it brings out the best in us when it happens.”

Next up are plans to expand to a seventh location, this time on State Road 60 in Brandon. It’s expected to open in March.