Goody Goody Burgers - Tampa, FL

When the Gonzmart family of Tampa (founders of the historic Columbia restaurant) announced in 2014 that they would be reviving the old-fashioned Goody Goody Diner (open from 1925-2005 and best known for its burgers/breakfasts/butterscotch pie), famous food enthusiasts like myself were excited at the chance to experience a unique local culinary tradition. Unfortunately, what I didn't know at the time was that we'd be ending our Florida residency exactly 2 weeks before the highly-anticipated grand re-opening; thus, I had to wait until our first return trip to the Bay Area to finally visit.

The last Goody Goody location (there were 4 of them in the chain's history) was at 1119 N. Florida Ave. in the Seminole Heights neighborhood.  The reincarnated restaurant is in trendier Hyde Park (1601 W. Swann Avenue) closer to downtown Tampa.  The Gonzmarts purchased all of the original recipes from the old owners and, according to many diners, they have been largely successful in duplicating the beloved flavors of the house's POX burger (which includes pickles, chopped raw onions, and the secret sauce) and butterscotch pie.

All hail the case of butterscotch pies!

POX burger and fries.  The secret sauce is a thick tomato-based concoction (my nearest comp would be Sloppy Joe sauce, but not as spicy) that gets slathered on to the meat.  I preferred the onion rings to the fries.

You can choose chocolate, banana cream, or coconut cream, but the butterscotch pie is the real deal (and I'm not usually even a fan of butterscotch).  The browned meringue on top is its signature.