With its quaint appearance and casual style,Burns Court Café began serving the Sarasota community a little more than three years ago. A true European café, it serves pastries, sandwiches, salads, smoothies, quiche, soft drinks, coffee, beer and wine. With a unique, innovative and casual style, Burns Court Café quickly created a local presence in the neighborhood.
Since I favorably reviewed the caféa number of years ago, I was pleased to learn of their plan to expand the physical space. The café expanded into the adjacent space about months ago. Dubbed the “Burns Court Café French Quarter Wine Bar,” the decor is musically themed, yet it maintains a quaint, cozy, intimate atmosphere. With live jazz music offered Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings, there's a distinct jazz-club feel at night.
The Wine Bar menu, which is available from 5 p.m. until close, offers a selection of appetizers, charcuterie, small plates, soups, salads, pastas and desserts. It's the perfect menu for sharing and tasting; we tried the following:
Cosmopolitan: Prosciutto, gruyere cheese, greens and olive tapenade topped with eggs, sunny side up and served on marble bread. $10
Savory and salty; silky texture from the egg; a very visual presentation
Smoked Salmon: House-made boursin cheese, tapenade, black olive and capers. $9
Such a wonderfully creative presentation of a classic combination. Well done.
Duet Boursin: Cheese and grape confiture. $5
Sweet and savory. A fantastic combination of flavors and textures. This could be served as a dessert or appetizer.
Roasted Eggplant: Tahini sesame, sliced boiled eggs and pickles. $6
Artfully presented, fresh and soft. A delightful combination of textures and flavors. Earthy, savory and silky.
Brie Melted: Infused with roasted garlic and smoked paprika. $5
A smoky depth of flavor with a background hint of garlic. Not overpowering.
Mahi Mahi: Artichoke hearts, sun dried tomato cooked in Sambuca, and side of rice. $12
Sweet and salty. This was a different type of presentation than we expected. Instead of a fillet, there were small pieces of fish and artichoke hearts in a mélange rather than a sauced topping.
Black Pasta and Atlantic Salmon: Cooked in tangerines, cream and rosemary. $12
Creamy and sweet with a subtle tangerine aftertaste. Just the right amount of sauce — not too much, not too little.Perfect for a little bit of “baguette dipping.”
Poppy Seed Creamy Pasta: Prosciutto, asparagus and lemon zest cooked in truffle balsamic cream. $12
A pleasing crunch from the poppy seeds. Al dente pasta topped with a tangy rich cream sauce.
Tahini and Maple Mousse: $4.75
Small, but the perfect portion of sweet happiness. If you like the taste of tahini (sesame seed “butter”), like we do, you'll love this dessert. We had it with both a port wine and a chardonnay recommended by the owner. Fabulous pairings!
Tiramisu: $6.50One word: heavenly.
Nutella, Banana and Strawberry Crepe: $9.25
It’s large enough to share, but you won’t want to.
Gelato: $5
What flavor haven’t we tried? We think it's the best gelato in town.
Tarts and Tortes: $6.50
We've had the apple normandy and almond. So delightful. Enjoy it with a cup of coffee.
As one would expect, the wine bar has an extensive list of wines by the glass and bottle. There's also a good selection of beers and soft drinks to accompany your meal. On music nights, the kitchen might be a bit backed up due to the influx of customers at the same time. That being said, we've never found it to be a service issue.
A wonderfully delightful café by day, Burns Court transforms into a hip jazz club at night. Creative cuisine, live jazz and delicious desserts — what could be better?
