Tidbites

+ The Table Serves the Best of all Possible Brunches
The Table, one of Sarasota’s finest restaurants with a view that positively makes you fall in love with our town, is now offering what may be the best brunch in the area.

Ila, a manager and bartender, gave us an inkling of some of her more inspired vodka infusions. Like a specialized lab tech, she tries different combinations and strengths of fruits, herbs and spices until she comes up with just the right recipe to make you want to sip and then sip some more. We tried the Peach Cobbler, a peach-and-cinnamon vodka infusion that was mild with a lusciously creamy texture. The bacon infusion was a little too salty for my taste, but I fell in love with the banana-infused vodka. Made with 40 — yes, 40 — bananas soaking in vodka for 24 hours, and then, finely filtered two times, it is perfect for a Banana Martini.

Back to brunch — you’re asked to create your own trio of dishes from a fantastical list of eight choices to-die-for at a mind-bending, wallet-saving $19.95. This quality for that price means reservations — maybe far in advance!

+ A Romantic Asian Twist to Ziti
It’s not often you find a restaurant in a mall that has an executive chef who’s a winner of the prestigious James Beard Award. It’s also rare to find a trattoria that offers Shanghai shrimp, wasabi scallops and Thai chicken on a menu with spicy smoked tomato spaghetti, gorgonzola penne and chicken marsala. But now, Sarasota has Ziti, the new Italian/American/Asian restaurant in the Westfield Southgate mall.

The idea, however, goes beyond having lunch at Ziti and then walking off the calories by shopping at Saks. Dustin Guimond, the owner and creative genius behind Ziti, who’s been in the restaurant business for more than a quarter century, wants the restaurant to be a destination eatery. It is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 8 p.m. on Sundays. Guimond wants people to come for happy hour (a long one, from 4 to 9 p.m.!) and stay for dinner.

“This used to be an Italian restaurant,” says Guimond, “and people were used to that in this mall. But I’ve had this idea of Asian-Italian fusion in my mind for a while so I created the menu, and hired Jason Stevens to be our executive chef and he’s created the food.”

Ladies who lunch will love the luxuriousness of a really good sit-down after J. Jill and Chico’s. Couples looking for a romantic spot will enjoy the chic, modern warmth of the radiant interior. And everyone needs to check out the restrooms with their textured tile walls and floors and modern farmhouse-style faucets.
Ziti should be a destination restaurant that only happens to be next to your favorite shops.

+ ROMANTIC TID-BITELETS
... Libby’s is stretching Valentine’s Day into a four-day celebration that features a luscious lobster and long-stem artichoke gratin with a Parmesan crust, or a tasty 8-ounce boneless rib eye fillet served with a sweet potato cake, bell pepper relish and a crispy poached egg, as only Libby’s can crisp it. And don’t forget Libby’s bloody Mary and mimosa bar with more than 50 ingredients including organic vodkas, pickled veggies, spices and fresh fruit garnishes ...

... Fresh oysters are popping out all over and Mattison’s City Grille is dishing them up baked and stuffed, while Mattison’s Forty-One is serving them briny and sweet on the half shell. The City Grille, with its lively, fun outdoors-on-Main setting, has a spectacular seafood paella and a tender-hearted grilled steak Oscar while, back at Mattison’s Forty-One there’s a rich Chateaubriand with smoked wild mushrooms, followed by a Sweetheart Chocolate Grand Marnier Fondue a deux, or, for those who don’t think three’s a crowd, a Menage a Trois: tastes of tiramisu, chocolate pot de crème and a chocolate truffle. There’s music in both locations bur reservations are a must ...

... France is synonymous with romance and one of the simplest, yet most romantic places on Siesta Key is a charming bistro called Bonjour French Cafe. Owned and operated by Thierry and Marie Zanon who’ve only been in this country about a year, this classic café has luscious homemade soups, many kinds of mussels, escargots, salads and La Bouillabaisse with a side of fresh lobster! Perfect food in a charming setting right on Ocean Boulevard and open for lunch every day or dinner Thursday through Sunday ...

... We recently went to one of the Sarasota Orchestra’s conductor dinners. Held in different venues each time, this one was conducted at Pomona Bistro and Wine Bar on Orange Avenue. From the smoked salmon canapés and lighter-than-air vegetable summer rolls with ginger sauce served on the terrace by the roaring outdoor fireplace, to the Napoleon of fresh berries and maple mascarpone cheesecake with candied walnuts, the food and ambience highlighted the conversations with selected musicians from the orchestra and made us realize how fortunate we are to live in Sarasota where great food and great music are a way of life.