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

Il Panificio Dinner

Everything Pizza/Pepperoni & Sausage

With pizza, itt's all about the crust.  Pizzas live and die by the the quality of their crust, and if one can find a crust that is soft and crisp all at the same time, then you have attained true pizza nirvana.  As Our Protagonist discovered when he took his son for a fun outing, the crust at Il Panificio is just so described, with the toppings all trying to slide off, almost embarrassed to even think of overshadowing this fundamental element.  It was so unlike a chain pizza in every way.  The toppings were of very good quality, in spite of their attempt at a hasty exit, but it's the perfectly-burned-ness of the crust that will make Our Protagonist return; that just-barely blackened, caramelized outer dusting that seals the deal on a well-wrought pizza.  Bravo.

Il Panificio
1703 Main Street
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-366-5570  

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

Americano breakfast

Eggs, Leek, and Speck
Eggs Benedict

Our Protagonist, having been fairly disappointed thus far with too many of his meals at Americano, gave them one more shot, this time at breakfast.  Sadly, he failed to challenge the kitchen with this breakfast pick; besides the single egg over-easy, the speck merely had to be sliced, as well as the leek.  He had expected something a little more original then merely an egg, a piece of speck, and a slice of leek, but that's what it was.  Out of boredom he glanced over at the Eggs Benedict of his dining partner which had a rather runny-looking hollandaise.   This appeared to be mostly egg yolks and not a lot else, unfortunately, and apparently that's what it tasted like, too.  Our Protagonist hould have ordered a fritatta or something to let them show their abilities a tad more than simply demonstrating their knives were still sharp.  He could have made this at home for much cheaper than what the price was, which is another aggravating point about dining out; even simple dishes need to have their own twist or why eat out at all?  The next visit to Americano will be made kicking-and-screaming, Our Protagonist assures us.  

Cafe Americano

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

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