Shore on Longboat Key: Creative Coastal Cuisine

 

Overlooking the sparkling blue waters of Sarasota Bay, Shore opened on Longboat Key in 2019 replacing Moore’s Stone Crab which operated for over 40 years. Purchased by Sarasota restauranteurs Tom Leonard and Mark Caragiulo for $3.2 million, the new Shore which sits beside Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant, boasts 400 feet of waterfront and a 300-foot dock that offers bayside access to boaters. With clear, panoramic views of Sarasota Bay, Shore has quickly become a Longboat Key staple. Tiered "stadium-style" seating gives every table an uninterrupted view of the water, and large windows allow natural daylight to flow through the building. The design aesthetic has an old Florida feel with a mid century and modern twist, with all of the booths and tables made reclaimed Balinese teak and locally sourced cypress. 

Shore's inspired menu of creative coastal cuisine, dreamed up by talented chef Dylan Elhajoui, features dishes from around the globe, and showcases dishes such as Key West Shrimp and Scallop Risotto, Lump Blue Crab Cakes, Lobster Sliders, Fish Tacos and chef Elhajoui's sensational Miso Marinated Black Grouper served with crystallized ginger basil sticky rice cake and sake-braised shiitake mushrooms. Former Moore’s Stone Crab Restaurant co-owners Alan Moore and Robert Hicks even act as consultants during stone crab season, making it a culinary marriage of the old and the new — it's a 'shore' thing.

Enjoying a cocktail before dinner at Shore on Longboat Key

Branded Shore cocktail coasters

French 75 with Gin, Champagne, lemon juice, simple syrup and twist of fresh lemon

Shore features a slanted design that gives every table an uninterrupted view of the water

Overlooking Sarasota Bay and tranquil Jewfish Key

Every table at Shore has uninterrupted views of the water

Bishop's Peak Pinot Noir from San Luis Obispo County in California

An elegant and well-balanced wine

Kung Pao Calimari with Napa cabbage, red pepper, toasted peanuts, black sesame, 

fresh basil, mint and cilantro

Miso Marinated Black Grouper with crystallized ginger basil sticky rice cake, 

sake-braised shiitake mushrooms and miso-marinated vin blanc

Pasta al Fresco with half lobster tail, shrimp, mussels, octopus, fresh baby corn, 

baby zucchini, sautéed heirloom tomatoes, leeks, creamy tomato sauce and fresh basil

Free-Range Organic Fried Chicken with barrel-aged red chilis marinade, house made Mac & Cheese, fresh coleslaw, and tabasco honey sauce

St Louis 'Jenga' Pork Ribs with sweet and spicy Mongolian glaze, 

chopped Chinese salad and crushed peanuts

www.dineshore.com/location/shore-longboat-key

Turmeric: Sensational Indian Cuisine in Sarasota

 

Located in the heart of Sarasota's Rosemary district, Turmeric serves a range of Indian dishes that showcase the vibrant cuisines of the East, West, North, South and Central India, creating a rich and exciting menu thanks to chef Sarabjit Singh, who brings to life some of the most iconic dishes from the rich culture of India with traditional favourites from samosas, paneer, biryanis, tandoori, vindaloos, kormas, to many types of naan and dal. Arriving for dinner before the theatre, we are greeted by warm aromatic spices that permeate the modern main floor dining room which is a sea of sunny yellow seating with rich teal green booths and sleek wooden tables.

The menu is extensive and we choose a starter, Vegetarian Samosas is very good. As he returns to take our dinner order, we select our traditional favourites: Dal Makhani, Lamb Sheesh Kebab, Tandoori Chicken, with Aged Basmati Rice and Garlic Naan. The server thoughtfully asks our preferred level of heat on a scale of one to four: one is mild and four is described as "Indian hot." Usually up for a challenge, we choose medium heat the time before. Lesson learned — this time we turned up the heat throttle to a full flavoured number three and it was absolutely perfect.

Interior of Turmeric with blue and saffron colour scheme

Yellow Bird with pineapple cilantro infused tequila, green chartreuse, lime juice and agave nectar

Crispy Samosas with seasoned potatoes and green peas served with tamarind sauce,

cilantro-mint sauce and marinated red bell pepper sauce 

Tandoori Lamb Sheesh Kebab 

Tandoori Chicken

Dal Makhani

Chana Masala

Aged basmati rice

Garlic Naan

www.turmericsarasota.com

Wicked Cantina: Tex-Mex on Anna Maria Island

 

An enormously popular Anna Maria Island restaurant and bar, Wicked Cantina specializes in Austin-style Tex Mex cuisine, such as shrimp tacos, seafood enchiladas, chicken quesadillas, and sizzling fajitas alongside a few American dishes like hamburgers, grouper or chicken sandwiches and of course their famous margaritas. It also offers a separate vegan and gluten-free menu featuring dishes like butternut squash tacos, portobello mushroom tacos and roasted veggie bowls. Owners Michael and Janice Dolan say that when they relocated from Austin Texas, they missed their weekly Tex Mex hangout and decided to open Wicked Cantina on Anna Maria Island and also Sarasota. "We couldn't live without it. We had our local hangout we would go to at least once a week with our friends and we wanted to create something like that here. We cook everything fresh every day," says Mike Dolan. "We have no microwaves. Everything's from scratch." Salsa from scratch, guacamole from scratch and slow-roasted meats that have been in the oven for seven hours are some of the ways Wicked Taco gets its distinct flavours. Judging by the popularity of both locations every night, Wicked Cantina has definitely become a Sarasota favourite.

Wicked Cantina Anna Maria menu

Cold Stella Artois

Wicked Cantina Margarita

Complimentary Cantina tortilla chips

Complimentary Salsa

Cantina Shrimp appetizer with salsa and sauce

Shrimp, Grouper and Chicken Taco Trio

Blackened Mahi Mahi Tacos topped with jalapeño ranch slaw, 

avocado slice, pickled onion and cilantro served with Mexican rice and black beans

Spicy Grilled Shrimp Tacos with slaw, pickled onions and cilantro and drizzled with chipotle aioli, 

served on two soft flour tortillas with Mexican Rice and refried beans

Cowboy Brisket Tacos on three crunchy corn tortillas filled with smoked beef brisket 

and jalapeño slaw, drizzled with chipotle aioli and topped with pickled onion and 

served with Mexican Rice and black beans

wickedcantina.com

The Salvador Dalí Museum in St Pete's Florida

 

Considered one of the most beautiful museums in the world, the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Pete's features the most comprehensive collection left behind by the surrealist artist in this appropriately extraterrestrial-like building with a "melting geodesic" dome. Designed by architect Yann Weymouth of HOK, the building combines the rational with the fantastical: a simple rectangle with 18-inch thick hurricane-proof walls out of which erupts a large free-form geodesic glass bubble known as the "enigma." The "enigma," which is made up of 1062 triangular pieces of glass, stands 75 feet at its tallest point, a twenty-first century homage to the dome that adorns Dali's museum in Spain. Inside, the Dali houses another unique architectural feature - a helix staircase - recalling Dali's obsession with spirals and the double helical shape of the DNA molecule. 

Arriving for 'Dalí & the Impressionists: Monet, Renoir, Degas & More' explores Salvador Dalí’s profound engagement with the Impressionist movement, which played a pivotal role in his early artistic journey. Organized in partnership with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, this exhibition presents an outstanding selection of 22 paintings from their collection by 18 artists, including Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse and Paul Cézanne. Mounting these works alongside 18 of Dalí’s earliest paintings, the exhibition illuminates their impact on the artist and offers a wonderful opportunity to view Impressionist masterpieces, many showcased for the first time in Florida.

Visitors can also become part of the artistic process and learn more about Impressionist techniques by participating in the interactive experience, 'Your Portrait'. Harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence technology, this innovative application captures the distinctive features of the 19th-century movement, transforming a selfie into a unique Impressionist work of art.

Another unique encounter was an extraordinary award-winning virtual reality experience entitled 'Dreams of Dali', that immerses visitors into a dreamy, three-dimensional world that turns art appreciation into an unforgettable, immersive experience as it takes us inside the mind of Salvador Dalí by transporting us into one of his early paintings, Archeological Reminiscence of Millet’s “Angelus” which he painted in 1935. Visitors wear Oculus Rift headsets and enter the world of the Surrealist master, venturing into  soaring towers, peering from them to distant lands and discovering surprises around every corner. Absolutely fabulous!

Salvador Dali Lobster phone allows visitors to talk to him via 

the latest AI-technology to ask any question they wish

Organized in partnership with the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 'Dalí & the Impressionists: Monet, Renoir, Degas & More' explores Dalí’s profound engagement with the Impressionist movement, 

which played a pivotal role in his early artistic journey

Early Dali painting 'Saltimbanques' of the artist in harlequin costume  c.1921

'Pierrot' by Georges Rouault 1937, who drew inspiration from circus performers

who conveyed the tragedy and comedy of the human condition

Claude Monet 'Antibes in the afternoon' 1888

Henri Matisse 'Vase of Flowers' 1924, painted in his apartment 

on Place Charles-Félix overlooking the sea

Dali self-portrait (Cadaqués) portrays the young artist in his studio 1918

Port d'Alguer, Cadaqués by Dali, near where he grew up

'Orchard at Els Llaner, Cadaqués' portrays Dali's family home on the beach 

with vineyards and orchards in the hills behind

Dali Museum computer-manipulated Impressionist version me

'Dreams of Dali' is an astounding fully immersive virtual reality experience allowing visitors 

to travel through Dali's 'Archaeological Reminiscence of Millet’s “Angelus” painting, 

and has won awards around the world

'Apparatus and Hand' by Salvador Dali 1927, was inspired by Freud's ideas about the psyche, 

and started introducing dreamlike symbols into his paintings 

'The Bleeding World' Pendant by Salvador Dali, with gold, rubies and diamonds, designed in 1953

thedali.org