Onward | NPR Hosts a Hometown Extravaganza & Says Goodbye to a Downtown Landmark Restaurant

BY MICHELE MILLER
What’s What New Port Richey

June 30, 2024

The month of June was capped with a swelling of pride and a sense of sadness right in the heart of New Port Richey where the city was celebrating an Independence Day Hometown Extravaganza and Rose’s Bistro, a local favorite downtown stalwart, was closing up shop for the last time.

People were streaming along the walkways and the entertainment was kicking off down the street in Sims Park where revelers danced and sang along to Motown and other upbeat tunes on the newly laid artificial turf. Many in the younger set gleefully slid and jumped on the free bounce apparatus set up just for them by Parks and Rec and the New Port Richey Public Library was offering fun give-aways for the kids making for a family-friendly event indeed.

The Hometown Extravaganza has had various titles in the past (Main Street Blast, KiaFest) and traditionally offers an early nod to the upcoming 4th of July holiday and this year a prelude to the city’s year-long Centennial Celebration which kicks off in October 2024.

With evening’s approach, the tempting aroma of fried dough and other fair food wafted over the burgeoning crowd. The mood was festive as people laid out blankets and unfolded lawn chairs to secure an ideal spot for the annual fireworks launch over Orange Lake.

Kudos to the city’s recreation department for organizing the event and pulling it off in a fine and organized style. The music was great. The food options were awesome. Didn’t stick around for the fireworks but saw the great pics on social media. We’ve come a long way baby.

If I had one slight criticism – one I heard from others as well – was that the city didn’t get the word out early enough for people to know about this awesome event. As someone who puts together a monthly calendar that has me culling events from various sources, I know that to be true.

Next time.

After working a set-up stint for the beer/wine truck in Sims Park with other volunteers for the NPR Main Street organization, the old man and I opted to head over to Rose’s Bistro to say our goodbyes and have a bite to eat.

The quaint hometown haunt started small, as an off-the-beaten-path jewel of a place called, Market on Main, which was then located on the banks of the Pitlachascotee River, adjacent to what is now Beef O’Brady’s.

I wrote about the owners, Rose Mohr and Jerry Kuss, back in 2015 for the Tampa Bay Times when the two business partners were in the process of expanding and moving their comfort food restaurant to the present location and former home of the Cafe Grand, on the corner of Grand Boulevard and Nebraska.

It was a move the locals welcomed and I’m sure visitors to New Port Richey relished.

Quiches and soup were popular items on the menu. Seems like most everyone loved Rose’s homemade quiche – even the okra pies she whipped up for the Okra Occasion which is held annually in late summer at the New Port Richey Public Library as a way to get people to like okra. And while I rarely eat ground beef, a reliable source once told me that Rose’s boasted the best burger in town.

The Pressed Cuban Sandwich- a holdover handed off to Rose from the owner of another defunct downtown restaurant called Juan’s Black Bean Deli that older-timers might remember – was a go-to item for the old man.

I favored the Reuban as a mouth-watering cheat and the stuffed tomato when I was being good. Jerry’s famous New England Clam Chowder was always a solid favorite earning a nod from northern transplants who know the score on that.

Yep, just as good if not better than Legal Sea Foods.

The lease was up and the timing was right, Rose told us while stopping at the table for the easy chat customers were accustomed to.

“It must be bittersweet for you,” a fellow patron at an adjacent table remarked, to which Rose answered with a quick laugh, “I don’t know about that – well maybe just the sweet part.”

Six days a week of working in the restaurant business was getting to be a lot. Retirement was looking pretty good.

Rose’s Bistro, located on the corner of Grand and Nebraska, proves to be the perfect backdrop for a “Bikes Only” photo taken during the Cotee River Bike Fest held in downtown New Port Richey.
FILE PHOTO | MICHELE MILLER

“It’s been my whole life,” said Rose who plans to keep busy and involved in the community with her work on the city’s Environmental Committee and NPR Farmnet. “I’ll be smiling at 8:01 tonight.”

Closing time.

As for Jerry, he’s now running the Bistro Cafe at Pasco Hernando State College where he says the kitchen is something to see.

Lucky for us the cafe, nestled in a stunning natural campus location on Ridge Road in New Port Richey, is open to the public. You’ll find it adjacent to the campus bookstore and might want to take a stroll to walk that meal off while enjoying the Florida landscape.

“Make sure you come by and see us there,” Jerry said, as he made his way to another table to bid adieu.

In a few hours, the two partners would be locking the doors, cleaning up, and closing yet another chapter on downtown New Port Richey likely right around the time fireworks were set to light up the sky over Orange Lake.

A serendipitous celebration to be sure for Rose and Jerry who are wished the best of luck from a community that found sustenance, comfort, and a sense of small-town feel while gathered around the high-tops and low-tops within their walls and on the outdoor patio.

Even so, it’s still bittersweet for the rest of us.

Now onward.
Peace M