Tidbites

+ A new Peruvian restaurant
What is it about Sarasota and Peruvian restaurants? New York, San Francisco and several other cities have a China Town and Little Italy. Many cities — including Sarasota — boast of a restaurant row. But Sarasota seems to have more Peruvian restaurants than any place except Lima. And they’re good ones.

Inkanto, located at 4141 S. Tamiami Trail, seems to be one of the more recent to pop onto the scene and, although its menu is always changing, depending on the market, it seems to set itself apart from the other excellent Peruvian restaurant choices we have by bringing us truly authentic delicacies we can’t find easily — especially when it comes to fish. Recently it had some special dishes featuring corvina, a firm-fleshed, flaky, mild fish that is found in the Pacific, along Central and South America. On one evening it was serving it pickled, over a bed of quinoa stew: fried with a creamy saffron sauce, or flambéed and diced with red vinegar and soy sauce. See what I mean about different?

The restaurant is known for its ceviche and, from the choices on the menu, we can understand why. From the samplers that offer you a multiple choice of tastings to the elegant and cool temptations that are “cooked” in aromatic lime juice, Inkanto’s ceviche creations are suited to every palette, ranging nicely in spiciness and piquancy.

The restaurant is appealing, with warm, inviting orange-red walls and lots of dark wood that make you feel as if you’re in a charming clubby atmosphere somewhere in South America. That and the food make it a great place to escape for a fun and relaxing evening of great food, good wines and happy company.

Inkanto is only for dinner, and becoming more and more popular as the word spreads; it’s a good idea to have a reservation.

+ Cooking for a cause
Many restaurants set aside time to close their doors to the public and open them specifically for groups with a mission. For example, CasAntica, the wonderful Italian restaurant located at 1213 N. Palm Ave., is hosting a dinner for an organization called Selah Freedom, a group that helps young women pull their lives back together after they’ve been abused by predators dealing in human trafficking.

At 6:30 p.m. April 10 there will be a special fundraising dinner at CasAntica that owner Peter Migliacco is putting together to help this worthy organization. The dinner will feature a guest speaker and raffle. And the food — oh the food. After a mouth-watering phone conversation with Peter, who had me drooling over his descriptions, I’m happy to report that, along with a selection of hot and cold appetizers and a choice of chicken Florentino or Sole CasAntica, the pasta course will feature a choice of any of the amazing al dente pastas served at the restaurant with either a luxurious tomato sauce or a creamy white sauce.

Tickets are $125. For more information, call 545-3874. 

Two days later, at 6:30 p.m. April 12, Grapes for Humanity Global and Chef Christian Hershman of State Street Eating House will hold a fine wine dinner at the charming State of the Arts Gallery, located at 1525 State St. This is a fascinating group. Arlene Willis, whose brother was killed in the Vietnam War, conceived Grapes for Humanity. The idea is to raise funds for those injured by landmines, through wine tastings, dinners, auctions and other wine-related functions.

Hershman’s State Street Eating House offers clever combinations of comfort food and Epicurean creations such as braised pork shoulder with veggies, and chicken broth with dumplings and kale. His inventive menu is perfect for wine pairings you might not dream up on your own. The idea of this special evening is to “Turn a passion for wine into the power to soothe a troubled world.”

Tickets are $200. For more information, visit gfhglobal.org.