Continuing to Savor Sarasota’s Restaurant Week

[Amy Warren, LMHC / WQ Mag Columnist]

If you haven’t gone out to dinner or lunch yet for Savor Sarasota’s Restaurant Week, you’ve been missing out! I had a fabulous three course lunch at Derek’s for only $15. I started my lunch with spicy Roasted Chicken Soup with hominy and lime in a smoked chili broth. That course was followed by the freshest mussels I have ever tasted in my life—no fishy taste here! The mussels were cooked in a sauce of garlic, shallots, tomatoes, white wine, herb butter and topped with fries –yum! I couldn’t get enough of the taste of the herb butter sauce so I soaked the fries in it as well. And for dessert, a ricotta doughnut seated atop just enough banana cream custard to gratify my sweet tooth and accompanied with vanilla bean braised bananas. My personal recommendation would be to order the House Salad Caesaresque with the Mussels instead of the soup simply because the tastes would mesh well together. But whatever you order, I can assure you, it’s all good! There was just one problem with this meal; seated at the open kitchen counter, I wanted everything I saw prepared in the kitchen! The blue cheese burger looked like none other I’ve ever seen. The fish tacos, and the salads….everything looked amazing. I'll be back for more.

My trip to the Canvas Café was disappointing compared to other meals I’ve enjoyed there. The crab and avocado gazpacho was delicious and refreshing. The petit chocolate fallen cake with berries and caramel sauce was luscious. However, both my entrée and my friend’s entrée were over-cooked. The flounder was dry and the chicken was rubbery. I've had wonderful meals in the past at Canvas Café and I’ll go back, but this meal would not make a newcomer want to return. It's too bad Savor Sarasota wasn't used as an opportunity to showcase the restaurant.

At Vernona at the Ritz Carlton, my appetizer of fried squash blossom stuffed with chevre was the highlight - both unique and tasty. But,my dining companion and I both considered our entrees a bit bland and non-descript. The dinner was good, but not outstanding. Beyond the warm welcome by a multitude of staff, service wasn't quite what I would expect from the Ritz. But you may want to overlook my high standards; it won't be the first time I'm accused of wanting the best.

The dinner at Pattigeorge’s was a treat I eagerly anticipated (especially since I was being treated). It did not disappoint. The pear and blue cheese salad was a perfect blend of tart and sweet with dried cranberries and a dark cherry vinegarette that I wish I knew how to replicate. The seafood pan roast was rich in a kaffir lime Thai green curry broth with lots of ginger and lemongrass and served with coconut jasmine rice. You have to like rich to enjoy this dish that stays with you a long time. If your tastes aren’t for the rich, there are plenty of other options that sounded so good I had difficulty choosing.

I’ve got to go now. I can’t resist an invitation to return to the Bijou Café tonight. I know I’ve already been there once during Savor Sarasota, but when a dinner is that good, you just can’t say “no” and besides, they’re changing the menu this week.

Don’t forget Savor Sarasota means $15 three-course lunches and $25 three-course dinners. Hurry, yu’ve only got until June 14th to enjoy this deal at over 30 local restaurants - so many restaurants and so little time. If you have your own personal recommendation to share, please let us know where to go next. Time's running out.

[Amy Warren, LMHC / WQ Mag Columnist]

To add an addendum, my second dinner at the Bijou Cafe was just as delightful as the first. "Obscene" was a word used to describe the lamb chops by one of our happy party of five. I couldn't have said it better myself; the perfectly cooked, melt in your mouth lamb chops indeed invoked lust! I highly recommend the Bijou Cafe as a destination both during and after Savor Sarasota.