Gateway to India Lunch Buffet

This one was a no-brainer for Our Protagonist; some of the best, tasty entrees and side dishes from Gateway's dinner menu all lined up in attractive copper kettles in an all-you-can-eat buffet!  The price is ridiculous, too, as three people can eat for around 25 bucks.  Rather than give you a listing of every dish that was sampled (because every dish WAS sampled), here are the memorable moments.  A plate of naan baked in the tandoori oven is brought to your table, and salad and a few condiments (the very liquidy tamarind chutney, more sauce than chutney, and creamy raita) were on a side table next to the Lineup.  From this Our Protagonist highly recommends the tandoori chicken, perhaps a bit dry, but excellently spiced.  Today's Masala was mushroom; nice.  This was probably the best of the vegetarian offerings, but the Aloo was tasty, too.  Clearly there is a rotation of treatments and the main ingredients, but these two would most likely be best bets in any form.  Chicken Tikka Masala is one of the things to look for on the dinner menu, so if it shows up on the buffet line, you won't be disappointed.  The best was saved for last, though, the Fish Korma.  This sauce of yogurt and cashew paste is simply incredible; fish could only hope to be so well dressed.  The dessert of the day was a surprising carrot pudding.  Our Protagonist's dining partner was very impressed with this, and this led to the desire to explore more desserts, namely, the homemade mango ice cream.  It had been made in a small terrine, evidently, as it was sliced in small rectangular blocks.  It's best trait is that it actually tasted like mango, and not too syrupy-sweet with unnecessary added sugar.  The perfect ender!  Definitely try to find your way in here for lunch.  The best part?  Since it's buffet, you don't have to worry about the service slowing you down!  Just get your check as soon as you sit down and then enjoy the flavors.

Gateway to India
1960 Hillview St
Sarasota, FL 34239
941-364-4777 

Pastry Art

Black Bean Soup
Spicy Chicken Panini (roasted red pepper, caramelized onions, chipotle olive oil mayonnaise, rosemary roll)
Molten Chocolate Cake

This was yet another location Our Protagonist had walked by again and again on his daily routine, his eye on the pastry counter nearest the window.  Being within spitting distance of C'est la Vie and their heavenly pastries is quite gutsy, but this place was clearly standing on its own and deserved to be sampled.  Soup and sandwich seemed the way to begin, the Black Bean Soup being tasty in the way black beans can't help but be tasty.  This begs the question about the food in so many restaurants; is it the assembly, or merely the ingredients?  If it is the ingredients, then one's own powers of industry is all that stands in the way of having the same food at home!  But we digress; the soup was good, not memorable or earth-shattering in any way.  The sandwich, with all of those lovely ingredients listed above, had a great taste of the caramelized onions and the red peppers, but the chipotle olive oil mayonnaise failed to deliver all that the name promised.  An all-too-common occurrence in restaurants these days, really; why name your specialty condiment if it's not going to be the star of the show, or at least get a Best Supporting Actor nod?  Our Protagonist says, go back to the lab and amp this stuff up and really earn that name!  The rosemary in the bread was a nice combination with the chicken; simplicity itself sometimes overcomes the best of culinary intentions.

After eying all of those desserts in the counter over the past year, Our Protagonist thought to get a sampling; however, he was directed by the man behind the counter to go with the Molten Chocolate Cake; an interesting choice in light of all of those pastries.  The cake, microwaved to get the center going again, was fine; again, nothing earth-shattering here, which seemed all the more stunning an indictment of the pastries, which is, after all, in the very name of the establishment.  Our Protagonist has almost given up the idea of a true event occurring when ordering lunch where the fare is soup and sandwich, but, then again, he has fond memories of soups and sandwiches from other restaurants in other cities, or the lunch at Station 400, for example.  Or C'est la Vie, for that matter.  The hope, here, was to really go over the top with the dessert, which simply didn't happen.  It's merely another coffee and eats and sweets shop to avoid ending up at Starbuck's. 

Pastry Art
1512 Main Street
Sarasota, FL 34236

941-955-7545

Nancy's BBQ

Pulled Pork Sandwich
Brunswick Stew
Derby Pie--Pecan, Chocolate, Bourbon
Red Velvet Cupcake

Our Protagonist had been kicking himself for some time about letting the Panini Press close before ever darkening their door, so he promised himself to not let the same occurrence happen again with the new incarnation that he watched metamorphose before him, Nancy's BBQ.  At last the day arrived when they opened, and he was able to pull in some assistance to get a good bead on the lunch scene.  There are actually s surprising amount of selections on the menu, which caused Our Protagonist to hold up the line as he second, third, and fourth-guessed his choices.  The recommendation that "Pulled Pork built the house" sealed the deal, and he went with the sandwich.  For the price, the meal was an incredible deal; a sandwich, generously topped with pulled pork and two giant sides for $6.95.  As for the main ingredient, the pulled pork nice and tender, still juicy; something you might not appreciate until you're served lousy barbecue.  Brunswick stew, a new experience, was basically a vegetable-and-potato soup with meat.  This could easily have been a meal unto itself; and it could be, for $5.95 for a pint off the Sides Menu.  The Derby Pie was an excellent take on pecan, Kentucky-fied, as it were, with the bourbon, but the addition of chocolate also proved noteworthy.  The pie even developed a nice crisp outer shell on top which added to the entire texture-and-flavor profile.  The Red Velvet Cupcake?  Our Protagonist can't speak to that as he was told by his dining partner to "Get your own!"  Even the salads looked good, here.  And then there's that "Real Banana Pudding" calling Our Protagonist back; if it's served hot, he will definitely come a-runnin'. 

Nancy's BBQ
301 S Pineapple Ave
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-955-3400

Bijou Cafe

Duck Mousse
Daphinois Potatoes
Red Grouper with lobster and Edamame Succotash
Roasted Asparagus with Truffle Hollandaise
Chocolate Banana Croissant Bread Pudding

When one sits down to an Easter dinner, one should expect to indulge.  And then there was this meal Our Protagonist overindulged in at the Bijou Cafe.  The Duck Mousse was superb, but a note; this could (or should) be your entire lunch!  It was VERY filling, and came with little to no help from the other two dining companions as well as its own salad, so the Rocket Salad order was canceled lest Our Protagonist would explode a la The Meaning of Life.  Left with more Mousse than crispbreads, he resorted to schmearing it on his bread.  The Grouper was a bit dry, although the accompanying succotash was flavorful, and the lobster was succulent enough.  The roasted asparagus, though, was another perfect choice.  Nice, smokey flavor and the truffle Hollandaise was truly addictive.  The Daphinois potatoes, really, are all about the cheese; the potatoes are merely a vehicle.  The cheese was so nicely crisp though, that more overeating occurred.  And then onto dessert; chocolate banana croissant bread pudding was surprisingly light for its title; then again, maybe not so surprising at all.  The croissant picked up just the right amount of batter, and the bananas lent a certain lightness as well, punctuated with chunks of chocolate.  Heavenly.  Our Protagonist will return after he has lost the weight he gained from this meal. 

The Bijou Cafe
1287 1st Street
Sarasota, FL 34236

941-366-8111

Paris to Budapest (Gulf Gate)

Duck Soup
Tomato Soup
Rabbit Paprishka with Spaetzle
Chocolate "Goose Feet"

A fascinating juxtaposition in a restaurant's title such as Paris to Budapest really demands exploring, and Our Protagonist finally found it way there one afternoon for lunch.  The Duck soup was like high-end chicken soup; the farina dumpling dissolved completely into the soup almost making it a European gumbo.  He enjoyed the large mushroom cap that was mixed in with the broth, although, would have been easier to eat if it had been sliced (Re: Pho Cali review).  The Tomato Soup of his dining partner looked and tasted very hearty.  Both had a a typical Hungarian entree; Our Protagonist's Rabbit Paprishka (while the dining partner had the chicken version) was very tasty and spicy, albeit quite bony.  It proved to be a lot of work for not a lot of meat!  The side of spaetzle was a little cool by the time it came out according to partner, but perhaps this was a timing issue that wasn't quite as good as it could have been.  Our Protagonist didn't mind, though, as he mixed the flavors together and didn't even notice it having overly cooled.  The surprisingly-named Chocolate Goose Feet (which derives its unusual title from the wedge shape and color of the dessert) was quite yummy; a chocolate sponge cake (dry, typical of Hungarian-Viennese style desserts, and served with the da rigueur "schlag" of whipped cream) topped with a chocolate custard and finally with a ganache.  The ganache was the best part in Our Protagonist's opinion; it had just the right amount of crispy-and-chewiness all combined.  Also there was a nice hit of cinnamon or another spice just at the bottom of the layer that really stood out.  He even took a piece to go to share with a friend.  Our Protagonist looks forward to making another trip to either Paris OR Budapest in the near future.

Paris to Budapest
6551 Gateway Avenue
Gulf Gate, FL 34231
941-552-9707

C'est la Vie return lunch

Poularde Crepes and Side Salad
"Nice" Toasted Sandwich
Strawberry Mousse

Finally, Our Protagonist had a very welcome return to a great lunch spot!  The crepes in the Poulade Crepes were made from savory buckwheat; very flavorful.  The sauce was filling, but the portion was small, making the serving just right.  Our Protagonist just can't get enough of that salad dressing!  Simple, but delicious.  His dining partner enjoyed the Nice Toasted Sandwich (i.e. from the city of Nice), but didn't share, Sacre Bleu!  The Strawberry Mousse proved an excellent dessert choice; whipped so smooth and topped with a barely broiled meringue, with just a hint of a crisp outer layer before plunging through the warm softness. Que magnifique! 

C'est la Vie
1553 Main Street

Sarasota, FL 34236-5802
941-906-9575

Divino lunch

Timballo
Papardelle with beef and red wine sauce
Chicken Parmigiana
Cannoli

For Our Protagonist, who doesn't like eggplant (except in baba ganouj), the Timballo was an eye-opening experience.  Described as a "pie of zuchini, eggplant, and mozzarella", he wasn't sure if it would be in a crust or not, having never tried such a dish before.  As it turned out, the only crust was the crispy skin of the zucchini which had a wonderful flavor.  The eggplant had a nice tenderness, and didn't taste the horribleness that had always associated with eggplant.  Even eggplants frying with parmesan could make Our Protagonist run from a room screaming just from the very smell.  On the contrary, he thought this was very good; imagine if he actually liked eggplant!  Homemade papardelle was very tender, with chunks of braised beef (also tender) in a lovely sauce.  It made one think of what beef stroganoff would purpose to taste like if only it could lose the awful accompaniment of sour cream, that catchall to add "flavor" when none is to be found, otherwise.  Simply, it was comfort food at its finest; was it the best dish ever?  No.  But was it excuted well?  Certainly.  The few bites shared of another's chicken parmigiana proved a nice experience as well.  This tired-old recipe really sang in the hands of the chef, as it was nicely spiced, not over breaded, and the chicken wasn't overdone!  The server assured that the cannoli were made from scratch, and a lovely thing they were, too.  The ricotta cheese filling had just the right amount of sweetness without being cloying, and the shells had delightful crispness.  This reminded Our Protagonist why he was so sad that Ben & Jerry's "Holy Cannoli" ice cream flavor had been retired; now he'll have to get some to cannoli shells to go and see if he can't crumble them into some sweet ricotta gelato...

Divino Restaurant & Bar
1766 Main Street
Sarasota FL 34236
941-330-9393

Yume Sushi

Sea Urchin Shot
Quail Egg
Dynamite Roll (California roll with conch, special sauce)

Our Protagonist had read about Yume Sushi's Sea Urchin Shot in Edible Sarasota, so he was dying to try it.  However, his dining companions tried to scare him with descriptions of sea urchin as having that most-appetizing texture of mucous.  But on he went, undaunted.  Having asked for instructions, he was told to down the sea urchin-sake and then munch the cucumber.  Perhaps, he wondered after the fact, should he have munched the cucumber first so that there would have been a better mixture of flavors?  Still, it was quite an interesting first foray into sea urchin!  The quail egg was tiny and looked very cute; it didn't have a huge taste on its bed of rice, but was subtle, and apparently all yolk.  The Dynamite Roll was aptly named, in that it tasted fabulous.  The conch and special sauce had fantastic flavor, and married well with the California roll base.  It was truly first rate sushi, just as described!  It would take months to work through the sushi menu; perhaps Our Protagonist should start making some reservations now?

Yume Sushi

1537 Main Street
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-363-0604

Tropical Thai return

Chicken Sa-tay
Beef Sa-tay
Pork Fried Rice
Chicken Pad-Thai
Squid Panang Curry
Fritters

A favorite of Friends of Our Protagonist, going to to Tropical Thai is basically one big excuse to overfeed oneself, and this visit was no exception to that rule.  The double appetizer of Chicken and Beef Sa-tay could easily proved a meal unto itself; the very tasty meats-on-a-stick would probably be one of the best street vendor fare one could hope to find in Bangkok.  The meat inside was still tender and moist, adding to the marvelously thick sauces they were happily drowned in.  Oh for a piece of bread to dip in!  But Our Protagonist digresses; still, it was probably the best part of the meal.  Afterwards it became an engorgement of epic proportions as Pork Fried Rice, Chicken Pad-Thai and Squid Panang Curry all made their way to the table.  One of these shared amongst the three would have been sufficient, but that wouldn't have been "fun" enough!  Our Protagonist has a hard time turning down squid in all its forms.  As well as Mussels.  And Scallops.  Oh, and one mustn't forget shrimps, but again Our Protagonist digresses.  But one can gather the similar overwhelming nature of all these dishes heaped around the table, and they were all tasty.  Not incredible, but tasty.  And then came fritters for dessert.  Dessert?!  Our Protagonist had to switch his scale's measurement units the next day to kilograms to feel better about himself, but such are the perils of dining out...

Tropical Thai
1420 Main Street
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-364-5775

Pho Cali lunch

Pho Special Combo: Beef Broth Noodle Soup with Rare Steak, Rough Brisket, Flank, Tendon, & Tripe
Pho Mixed Veggies

After having walked by this Vietnamese spot over and over again, Our Protagonist finally managed to synchronize schedules with a regular.  And what to get in a restaurant called Pho Cali, but a bowl of warm, good-for-the-soul Pho.  Indeed, even though the companion was a vegetarian, he willingly overlooked the fact that a bowl of Pho begins with beef broth!  That boded well to the meat eater of the pair; looking to maximize the tastes of his first visit, he went with the "kitchen sink" approach, including that ever-so-not-popular menu item, tripe.  The textures presented by all the different proteins contrasted with the crisp snap of the vegetables.  Its basically a steak and salad in a bowl of soup.  Perhaps an untrimmed steak, at that.  His companion, not completely ready to cast off the shackles of vegetarianism, went with the "Mixed Veggies" version, which was his usual fare.  The beans, chili peppers, and flavoring sauces all came on the side to be added for one's taste.  The one complaint: the table service needs to include a cutting board and knife with accompaniments; no one wants to just throw a giant piece of jalapeno into their broth!  Sadly, the fork and spoon were inadequate to dice up the pepper, properly, but besides this flaw the soup was a fun exploration of tastes one doesn't get to experience everyday.  And isn't that truly what dining out is all about?  Our Protagonist intends to slake his next hankering for Pho at, you guessed it, Pho Cali.

Pho Cali
1578 Main Street
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-955-2683 

Barnacle Bill's lunch

Seafood Crepes
Sesame-encrusted Salmon Salad

For this experience, our Protagonist left behind the all-you-can-eat attitude of the first Barnacle Bills experience and picked a nice selection off of the "recession specials" list.  The Seafood Crepes had a nice amount of seafood, and the crepes, themselves were very light and tender crepes.  There was nothing extraordinary about the veloute that the seafood had been prepared in, but it was pleasant enough.  The obligatory accompaniment of coleslaw was serviceable; thankfully, it had not been drowned in too much dressing as is the bane of many a restaurant.  His dining partner ordered the salad; the salmon was crusted with both white and black sesame for a nice color combination which also packed a slightly more peppery punch.  Our Protagonist, having recently discovered the pleasures of black tahini, is a fan of the black sesame, for certain.  Overall, the lunch was fine and reasonably priced; while our Protagonist probably wouldn't make a point of coming back just to eat here for lunch, he wouldn't be disappointed if the suggestion were made, either.  At least it isn't Cafe Americano...

Barnacle Bill's
1526 Main Street
Sarasota, FL 34236

941-365-6800

Patrick's

Kress Burger (Bacon Cheese Burger with lettuce, tomato, onion rings, and side of chili)
Bacon Cheese Burger

Sometimes one cannot live on gourmet food alone; one must also indulge in the occasional burger.  Our Protagonist, having heard good things about Patrick’s, decided the experiment was in order.  To get more bang for his buck, a Kress Burger was decided upon with both chili and fries to get a good smattering of different tastes.  The server assured the chili was good.  It was fine.  For comparison's sake, he chili at Waffle House is also fine; nothing to write home about, but edible.  The fries were fries; nothing bad, nothing particularly outstanding except a good outer crunch.  The onion rings rated more words; a nice outside batter, crispy, tender inside.  These were quickly conscripted as a burger topping along with the choice of freshly sliced bleu cheese.  The burger, itself, was cooked exactly to order, a beautiful medium rare, which few places know how to do properly.  His dining partner also got his medium rare, but ate more daintily with a knife and fork.  He was also saving half for later, so he carefully bisected his meal.  A good burger, however, is easily recognized by the request for more napkins, which became an emergency at one point, with our Protagonist's dining partner play-acting as the mirror to an obviously messy face that needed a mother’s attention.  The knife-and-fork procedure, though, did reveal the perfection to which the burger was cooked; it looked like something out of a grocery store circular advertising ground beef for the Fourth of July, with the textbook searing cocooning the light pink inside and finally morphing into the beautiful warm red center.  Lovely.  Perhaps the sides aren’t that special, but the burger clearly is something done “well” here, and still at discount prices, to boot!

Patrick's
1481 Main Street
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-955-1481

Caribbean Pie Company

Cuban Divorce Soup
Southwestern Panino
Key Lime Pie
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream Pie

Today our Protagonist decided to take up the challenge of the best Key Lime Pie in town.  Unfortunately, the particular variety he was looking for was out, today.  But before we come to that, we must explore the rest of his lunch.  The Cuban Divorce (the opposite of Mexican Wedding, apparently), a hearty white bean and shredded pork soup,  was nicely seasoned, the white beans still slightly firm to the bite.  The Southwestern Panino called to our Protagonist with its spicy guacamole aioli, but it could have used more kick.  He felt it was slightly "gringo-fied" in it's southwestern-ness; a pandering, if you will, to Yankee tastes that can't abide spices.  Our Protagonist, being a hedonist at heart, prefers to be overwhelmed by spices rather than underwhelmed.  Well, within reason of course.  And now we come to the main event; Key Lime pie samples abounded, and were very creamy, with a lovely consistency to the graham cracker crust which just crumbled to the touch.  His dining companion thought the chocolate peanut butter cream pie was just as good as Dutch Heritage.  Of course, with Yoder's being the locally accepted pie standard, we wonder how it would stand up in a taste test.  A return visit to sample more Key Lime Pie must be in order to better round out the survey, although this particular experience did prove most promising.

Caribbean Pie Company
1952 Main Street
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-953-5758

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

First Street Chop House Lunch

Shrimp Tomato Bisque
Lobster Tacos
Roasted Pear Salad
Chocolate-Raspberry Bread Pudding

Our Protagonist, having burned much midnight oil while driving, not to mention his mouth on cheap-but-strong gas station coffee, arrived at lunch full of willing spirit, but unable to taste anything.  However, the zesty flavors of the Shrimp Tomato Bisque were enough to shine through this impediment.   Unfortunately, this was not the case of the Roasted Pear Salad, something that sounded delicious on paper, but lacked the punch to to reach the numbed, deadened taste buds.  Coupled with the fact that the Lobster Tacos came with their own salad, this menu choice became all the more superfluous.  The tacos were quite tasty, and would have made an excellent light lunch unto themselves; the whole grain shells had a satisfying crunch, and the lobster meat was generously apportioned.  To the many thanks of the numbed tongue, the Chocolate-Raspberry Bread Pudding proved to be a wonderful ending for this meal.  The raspberry sauce sang through the chocolate, and the bread pudding, itself, was far above average, being more about the chunky white chocolate taste and texture than the typical soggy version shows for itself.  All in all a very nice lunch; the jury is still out on whether or not to try that particular salad again, though.

First Street Chop House

1296 1st Street
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-554-4375

Tropical Thai

Sexy Man Roll
Pineapple Fried Rice
Chicken Cashew Nuts
Banana Coins with Coconut Ice Cream

Our Protagonist had heard lots of good things about this restaurant, but had never gone.  He finally managed to go with a couple who said it was their favorite restaurant.  When he arrived at the restaurant a bit behind schedule, he found that several things had already been ordered, including some decidedly non-Thai items, so there was to be no curry to be had on this instance.  A shame, really, as our Protagonist goes to Thai restaurants specifically for this purpose.  That, and Green Papaya Salad, but that will have to wait for another instance.  So Chinese and Japanese a la Thai it was!  The special Sexy Man Roll was excellent; good salmon topped with a wonderfully crunchy tempura eel, garnished with red and black roe.  Presented beautifully in a serpentine pattern, with a ribbon of spicy sauce daring you to use your fingers.  This should have been the entire meal, but no, there were things to share; the Pineapple Fried Rice had a nice touch with raisins.  The slightly-oddly-named Chicken Cashew Nuts was very mild, but featured straw mushrooms, a favorite of one of the dining companions.  Banana Coins with Coconut Ice Cream was a nice finish, lightly garnished with honey and sesame seeds.  A forklift was then summoned...not really, but for lunch, this was an insane amount of food.  The portions are very generous, and the prices are very reasonable; sushi, excepting, most things were under $10.  A return trip is in order, and curry MUST be ordered...

Tropical Thai
1420 Main Street
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-364-5775

Caragiulo's

Wild Mushroom and Leek Soup
Open Faced Tuna sandwich with dill, and capers
Tiramisu

Today our Protagonist hit the third of the "Holy Trinity" of downtown Italian resturants; Caragiulos.  Yes, there are others as well, but along with Cafe Americano and Cafe Epicure, Caragiulos is definitely one of the go-to lunch destinations in downtown Sarasota.  Some even refer to Caragiulos as their "second office", and the day's experience provided good reason.

The mushroom soup was loaded with all manner of mushrooms; most wild mushroom recipes seem focus on a single type, calling into question the "wild" moniker.  This one was generous and hearty; a truly great soup.  The sandwich (offered as a special) was good in its simplicity, on perfectly toasted fresh baked Italian loaf cut on the bias, and generously topped with large fronds of dill weed.  The tapanade side of olives and mushrooms was tasty without overpowering the good taste of the tuna.  One dining partner's "Chinese" calamari salad looked and smelled quite interesting, in a ginger dressing and a generous amount of breaded and fried calamari; further investigation may be called for.  The Tiramisu was very light, which was a nice change from typical liqueur-drenched, cloyingly-sweet restaurant incarnations of the dessert.  It was accompanied by berries; unfortunately they appeared to be previously frozen rather than macerated, which was an unfortunate strike against an otherwise fine meal.  

Caragiulo's

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

Americano the Fourth...

Salsiccia saltata con pomodorini e funghi
Insalate tropicale

Again with Americano!  So many lunch meetings here...but at least it was our Protagonist's turn to sample the Salsiccia saltata that had perked his olfactory nerve the last time.  It turned out to be very generous, more like a dinner portion, which justified its higher price than the other lunch offerings.  The sausage was flat rather than in a casing, and had curled up on the edges from cooking rather like bacon (except much larger!)  It was wonderfully spiced and accompanied by sauteed mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.  The only disappointment was when our Protagonist would spear what he thought was a mushroom cap, only to discover it was actually a slice of potato!  As heavy as this dish was, the potatoes could have been forgone altogether to make room for more mushrooms, instead.  The sauce was good enough to require two pieces of bread for supping in order to not leave any behind.  The dining companion had the salad with hearts of palm and avocado, but our Protagonist requires more protein to fulfill the definition of lunch.  Perhaps the salad will find its way into a dinner selection the next time he (inevitably) returns.  Our Protagonist left feeling very full, but high marks were given to the dish, nonetheless; it seems to be a point of consistency at the restaurant, so it is definitely recommended.

Cafe Americano

1409 Main Street
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-365-1026

C'est La Vie

Croque Monsieur/Madame
Side Salad
Tart Tatin
Carnot

Our food explorations have brought us to a little piece of France in Sarasota, C'est la Vie.  There were so many good menu choices, but having to start with somewhere, our Protagonist opted for a typical French lunch offering, the Croque Monsieur.  Because our Protagonist is as thrifty as he is adventurous when it comes to food, he opted for the Monsieur version; however, it came out as Madame with the fried egg on top, which meant extra goodness.  The sandwich was delightfully crisp (a propos of its name) and smothered in wonderfully melted cheese.  Not a single crumb was left behind.  The staff was kind enough to only charge for a Monsieur, but future visits will most likely result in springing for the full experience.  The side salad was simple, but had a nice garnish of corn kernels and had a simple yet pleasing balsamic dressing.  The dessert choices were difficult, as a vast array of choices again faced our Protagonist.  In this instance, his dining companion chose the always aesthetically pleasing tart tatin, which never fails to fascinate our Protagonist with its thinly-sliced-and-reassembled apple perched on top.  However this was not to be today's dessert choice; rather, it was the last of its kind, hiding in the back of the pastry case.  He was told it was called a Carnot, but no reference to such a pastry has been found to date.  In any case the taste was just heavenly; a chocolate layer capped by a vanilla cream was finished on top with a meringue and then given a brulee finish.  This pastry alone will guarantee a return trip, and our Protagonist is counting the days...

C'est la Vie
1553 Main Street

Sarasota, FL 34236-5802
941-906-9575

Station 400

Curry Chicken Salad Wrap
Cucumber Tomato Salad

Today our Protagonist has decided to express his opinion by a free-association of words that came to mind while eating his Curry Chicken Salad Wrap:

smooth...creamy...warm...crispy...melty...gone

This all-too-soon devoured sandwich was a nice combination of apple, creamy curry sauce, chicken, and warm, melted brie.  The accompanying salad was small, but perfectly executed; a wonderful balsamic vinaigrette with kalamata olive tapanade spooned over.  Some dining companions shared some of their fried green tomato club; the corn meal breading had an interesting texture, but it tended to overwhelm the tomato itself which should have had top billing.  Clearly, our Protagonist in this case chose all the wiser.

Station 400
400 North Lemon Avenue
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-906-1400