A seat at The Table with the Dining Diva

- The Dining Diva returned to Sarasota especially for an exquisite dinner. No need to reach for your dictionary; this queen of foodies has the terminology covered for you.

It’s been said that we eat with our eyes first, and we kept this in mind as we headed to The Table Creekside for a veritable feast for the senses that included tastes and influences from around the globe. Every offering that issues from Chef Pedro’s kitchen is a piece of art that tastes and smells as good as it looks.

Our meal began with a watermelon sparkler---a flute of champagne topped with a flushed pink dollop of watermelon-mint granita (an Italian dessert similar in texture to a snow cone). The granita infuses the alcohol with refreshing icy flavor, making a perfect palate cleanser. The soup of the day was a nod to Key West with a deep bow to Thailand: a complex broth of coconut milk and lime with hunks of flaky white fish, shrimp, mussels and edamame (the Japanese term for fresh soybeans) for texture. I’m not ashamed to say that I briefly considered tipping the deep white bowl and slurping the remnants of soup (which is considered complimentary in Japan, but rude in Thailand).

The next course was a perfectly thin, lightly crisped, house-made flatbread topped decadently with tomato jam, a Stilton and Fontina cheese spread, strips of barbacoa (traditional Mexican barbecue) braised lamb, and a superbly spicy drizzle of rémoulade (a classic French sauce similar to tartar sauce) made with sumac, a spice derived from a berry that flourishes in Mediterranean countries and is used instead of lemon for sourness and astringency. The perfectly tender lamb quite literally melt ed in our mouths before the answering crunch of the flatbread, and was complemented rather than overpowered by the pungent stilton cheese and spicy rémoulade .

A large square platter arrived at our table bearing Chef Pedro’s interpretation of seafood antipasto (traditionally the first course of an Italian meal that includes a mélange of cured meats and pickled vegetables). The trio of seafood delicacies arranged on this particular platter was visually arresting and sinfully delicious, and would have satisfied Picasso and Julia Child simultaneously. The King Crab was flavored with ginger and grapefruit, perfectly highlighting the sweetness of the fresh crab. The chilled mussels were topped with an instantly addictive zucchini and corn mignonette (a sauce of vinegar and shallots typically served with oysters) and were served over a bed of smooth and tangy goat cheese and chickpea hummus. The third member of this trio consisted of a crispy calamari steak served over sangria aioli (a zesty garlic mayonnaise). I have yet to encounter calamari steak (a childhood favorite) in Sarasota, and I am to happy to report that Chef Pedro’s vision lived up to the Portuguese version that so captured my taste buds as a child.

Rather than concluding our meal with espresso or Port, we opted to try a Pinot Noir gelato that Chef had been experimenting with (I am always willing to be the guinea pig for an exceptional chef). The gelato refused to set because of the alcohol content, which is basically a culinary tragedy as the dreamy concoction defied our expectations in deep layered flavors of a really good wine and the sweet creamy consistency of the gelato. I think Chef Pedro might have a future as the purveyor of designer alcoholic milkshakes---but as the purveyor of delicious, globally-influenced cuisine that will satisfy your every sense, he’s already a luminary (a person of prominence or brilliant achievement).