Barnacle Bills

North and South Special
Sesame Crusted Salmon Salad
Fried Shrimp Dinner
Key Lime Pie

At this establishment, it's about the seafood, and the quality is good.  Our Protagonist decided to try the North and South special, pitting Alaskan King Crab against Florida Stone Crab.  Just like the Civil War, the north won this contest, but in much shorter order.  Having not had stone crab before, he didn't quite know what to expect,  however, the sweetness of the meat and the ease of which one could peel away that sweet meat from the massive King Crab legs made the stone crab look like a poor cousin. Our Protagonist gave it a good benefit of the doubt, anticipating delicious claws like other crabs he had tried previously, such as in Maryland.  Unfortunately, the meat didn't have the smooth texture of the Alaskan; in fact, he found that he prefers pretty much every other crab eaten to date to the stone crab, and the fact that he was in the presence of greatness from Alaska drove that point home even deeper.

His dining companions enjoyed their shrimp dinner and the sesame crusted salmon salad; it certainly was well encrusted with sesame, and the dressing was apparently very tasty.  The sides in this case were steamed vegetables, which weren't particularly flavorful, but not particularly offensive, either.  They merely served to make one feel less guilty about the "indulgent" meal they were eating!  The key lime pie wasn't bad, especially if you enjoy the taste and texture of lime curd.  Our Protagonist feels this should only be paired with a meringue topping and not the non-dairy topping that was squirted (thankfully) on only one part of the pie, but it was entirely serviceable.  And after the sweet, sweet crab, a little tanginess was just what the doctor ordered.

Barnacle Bill's
5050 N Tamiami Trl
Sarasota, FL

941-355-7700

Selva Grill

Triologia (Ceviche): white fish with aji amarillo, tuna in ginger sauce, Ecuador shrimp
Inca Cod
Skirt Steak
Flan with banana chutney and caramelized bananas

For our Protagonist and his dining partner, the trio of ceviche was a very tempting opening, but they had the best one first; the white fish in the creamy-garlicky aji amarillo.  White fish never had it better.  Ecuador shrimp in a citrusy sauce was a nice turn for second, but not enough to wipe out the memory of the first one.  Tuna in ginger sauce rounded out the trio, being the Asian-inspired part of the lineup.  A superior order would have been the following: Tuna, shrimp, white fish.

Inca Cod was as beautiful to look at as was to eat (actually, everthing was wonderfully presented); the cod was cooked with the spicy tomato sauce, chorizo, and rice in a banana leaf very similar to the Cochinata Pibil that our Protagonist loves so much; flavors were excellent, portion was perfect.  On the side, three skewers of roasted Cuzco corn impaled a lemon half, as though a miniature Picador  had slain a lemon-bull.  But the real star was the fascinating sauce mixture in the center of the plate; the transluscent colors of some idealized orchard fruit with the faintest outline of balsamic vinegar looked for all the world as though a suncatcher had been placed in the center of the plate.  A barely orange mango sauce peaked out on one edge, with a limey green on the other side, and a marmalade-y glaze dominated the center.  Stealing a plantain from the dining partner's plate was well worth it; perfectly caramelized, fork tender.  The Skirt Steak, however, was deemed off-limits, which attests to its own deliciousness. 

On recommendation, the grand finale was the flan accompanied by different preparations of bananas; the chutney would have made the best peanut butter-and-banana sandwiches ever, and the caramelized bananas were just kissed with brown sugar.  The flan was small but with wonderful texture.  Vanilla ice cream on the side was rather plain, especially accompanying a vanilla flan; perhaps banana ice cream would have been a better choice?  But this was the only blemish.  So many good menu choices; our Protagonist looks forward to returning in the not-too-distant future.

Selva Grill
1345 Main Street
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-362-4427

Caragiulo's Second Lunch

Shrimp Gnocchi with tomato cream sauce
Ricotta-Honey Cheesecake

Our Protagonist has already proved that lunch specials are a good bet at Caragiulo's, and this one was no different.  The gnocchi were very tender, and the tomato cream sauce was beautifully spiced, demonstrating exactly why it's one of his favorites; thankfully, he restrained himself from licking the plate.  The Ricotta-Honey cheesecake was a nice departure from the typical New York style slab of sweetened, pasty cream cheese that our Protagonist has come to identify with cheesecake.  Instead, he found a small round drizzled with an assertive honey and an excellent texture, due to the ricotta.  Bravo.

Caragiulo's

69 South Palm Avenue
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-951-0866