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By ANGELA DELGADO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 2, 2008

NINE EAGLES - NINE EAGLES - Anyone wanting to catch a glimpse of former NBA player Matt Geiger can achieve this by simply traveling to his neighborhood eatery.

To be more specific, the newly opened Courtside Grille restaurant at 13901 Nine Eagles Drive. Geiger, an owner, can be spotted having a beer and chatting with customers on any given night.

The restaurant opened in mid-June, but plenty of work went on before the opening. Already Geiger and partners Andy Friedman and David Heavenridge have come to know Courtside Grille as their second home.
Friedman recently said he hadn't had a day off for three months. Geiger said he has been there every single day. Still, the hard work is paying off.

"It's excellent," Geiger said. "It's really exciting to be in a new area."

The restaurant's atmosphere is warm and inviting; brick is used and accented with mustard and red-colored walls. The walls are also decorated with 31 high-definition televisions, sports-centered art and local sports teams' memorabilia.

Courtside has two bars, one of which is partly outside, giving those in the patio the impression they're still part of the 8,100-square-foot restaurant. The patio is an additional 3,500 square feet.

The furniture is made of wood, and the seats are cushy, made for long hours of comfortable seating.

"People don't come here to eat dinner and leave," Heavenridge said. "When they stay, they're having drinks and enjoying themselves. The atmosphere lends itself to coming here and staying here."
Courtside Grille is the second one Geiger and his partners have opened. The original Courtside Grille opened in Pinellas County three years ago.

Courtside is Geiger and Heavenridge's baby. Heavenridge had lived in the Feather Sound area in Pinellas County for seven years, Geiger said, and he noticed something was seriously lacking. The area was the home of offices for Raymond James Financial Inc. and Franklin Templeton Investments, but there weren't establishments nearby for these high-end executives to grab a beer and a good steak after work.

"He said it would be a great opportunity to have a restaurant in this area," Geiger said. "I thought it'd be a good way to diversify some of my investments."

Friedman, a seasoned restaurateur, got wind of the concept for a sports-themed restaurant and climbed on board.

Geiger equates the ownership team's role in the restaurant to a car. Friedman is the engine, Heavenridge is the gas and Geiger is the body.

"When he Friedman came to us and said he loved the idea, it all just kind of came together," Geiger said.

It took a year and a half for the design and construction of the restaurant at 110 Fountain Parkway N., St. Petersburg, and it has had three years of success.

"Having a restaurant that works is exciting because so few do," Geiger said. "Knowing that it's such a risky thing, it's fun knowing that you did something not a lot of people are successful at."

The partners credit this partly to the atmosphere but mostly the food. Although both Courtsides are sports-themed restaurants, the quality of the food is placed above all else.

"When you come into an establishment that is sports-themed, a lot of times the food seems to be sports-themed food," Geiger said. "Our biggest difference is our food is excellent quality. That's our true niche. You can watch the game and party and feel like it's a place where you can be rowdy but also a place you can get an excellent steak and a glass of wine."

"There are people who just come here for the food," he said.

"Food is No. 1; sports is No. 2," Heavenridge added. "The plan going in was to be known for our food over our sports."

The menu at both Courtsides provides a variety of American fare to please the palates of hardcore sports fanatics and the pickiest of foodies.

Heavenridge lists the Seared Sesame Tuna appetizer, the French Double Dribble Dip roast beef sandwich, the Thai Chicken Pasta and the Grilled Salmon and Shrimp entree as some of Courtside's signature dishes.

"We have everything and anything for anybody," Heavenridge said.

Heavenridge said the original plan was to build in St. Petersburg, Trinity and Orlando, but once he realized how populated the Upper Tampa Bay area is, the plans changed.

"We hope that the demographics support our restaurant, and so far it's been a hit," he said. "You have to go to Citrus Park to find a halfway decent restaurant. We kind of have the whole area to ourselves."

On June 24, Jeanine Johnson, husband Chip, their children and other family members visited the new Courtside for the first time. The children took advantage of the game room while the adults waited for the food to arrive. Once it did, everyone was pleased.

The Waterchase family has lived in the area for five years, and in that time businesses have been disappearing.

"We were really glad this opened because all the restaurants up here closed down," Jeanine Johnson, 44, said. "There are not a lot of restaurants for families close by."
COURTSIDE GRILLE
LOCATION: 13901 Nine Eagles Drive, a short distance north of the intersection of Countryway Boulevard and Race Track Road

PHONE: (813) 818-7433

HOURS: Monday through Friday, 4 p.m.- till?; Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.- till?. Closing hour is unknown yet; since the restaurant is new, the owners are discovering the area's needs.

WEB SITE: www.courtside

grille.com

Reporter Angela Delgado can be reached at (813) 865-1501 or adelgado@tampatrib.com.

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