Blu Kouzina Greek Cuisine: A Gem on St Armands

Our favourite restaurant on St Armands Circle is without a doubt Blu Kouzina, a fabulous Greek taverna founded by Chef Effie and Denise Tsakris in 2015. Rooted in the culinary traditions of Greece and shaped by the coastal elegance of south Florida, Blu Kouzina brings the essence of Mediterranean dining to Sarasota. Their cuisine reflects generations of Greek cooking, where food is fresh and meant to be shared, from classic recipes to time-honoured techniques, every dish is designed to let the ingredients speak, just as they do in the villages and coastal kitchens of Greece. "Our guiding philosophy is rooted in philotimo, the Greek ideal of respect, generosity, and treating guests as family. We cook the way we live: with integrity, care, and a reverence for the ingredients that sustain us". 

The interior, drawn from the traditional blue and white palette of a beach taverna, is detailed with whitewashed furniture, nautical accents and beautiful honey-coloured stone tile flooring. Blu Kouzina serves traditional and modern Greek dishes with the freshest of ingredients, such as Moussaka, homemade Baklava and lighter tapas-style dishes like the roasted red peppers stuffed with tangy, melty, spicy feta cheese to fresh grilled Greek sardines and grilled whole Branzino. By marrying their passion for the food of their native Greece, their warm welcoming hospitality and personalized service, Blu Kouzina is like a bold breeze off the Aegean Sea, and a little gem on Sarasotas's culinary scene. 

Santorini Assyrtiko is a world-class, bone-dry white wine from Greece's volcanic Santorini island, characterized by intense minerality, high acidity and citrus notes

Santorini Assyrtiko is our favourite wine at Blu Kouzina

Grilled Atlantic Sardines topped with our olive oil and lemon wedge

Small Greek Horiatiki Salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, red onions, Kalamata olives, Feta cheese, with an oregano, olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing

Grilled whole Branzino served with roasted Greek lemon potatoes and sautéed green beans 

Baklava filled with walnuts and topped with homemade Greek honey syrup

and garnished with sliced strawberry and blueberries

blukouzina.com

Roasted Strawberry Crostini: A Summer Appetizer

 

A delightful combination of sweet, savoury, and tangy flavours, Roasted Strawberry Crostini is a delicious eye-catching appetizer and absolutely perfect for summer entertaining. Made with fresh feta cheese combined with herbs, garlic, and cream cheese, and whipped until super-smooth, it's simply topped with sweet roasted strawberries, chopped walnuts or pistachios, and sprigs of fresh thyme, for an utterly irresistible hors d'oeuvre.

Roasted Strawberry Crostini with Whipped Feta & Walnuts

Serves 6-8

8 oz strawberries, washed and drained

6 oz feta in brine, cut into small cubes 

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

4 sprigs fresh thyme or mint, for garnish

6 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp toasted chopped walnuts or pistachios

Crostini: 

1 baguette, sliced into 1/4-inch crostini

3 tbsp olive oil

Maldon salt for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the sliced baguette on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with maldon salt, then bake for 10 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool before serving.

Slice off the strawberries' leafy caps, removing as little fruit as possible, then slice the larger berries into quarters and the smaller ones in half. Lay them all on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, until they are very soft. Remove from the oven, let them cool slightly, then place in a small bowl, allowing the strawberries to collapse in their residual heat.

Meanwhile, drain brine from the feta. In a food processor, pulse the feta, garlic, red pepper flakes, and fresh thyme until the feta is broken up into small crumbs. Add the cream cheese and pulse until combined. With the motor running, drizzle in oil and blend until mixture is smooth and fluffy. 

 

To make the roasted strawberry crostini, spoon a tablespoon of the feta-cream cheese mixture on each crostini, top with a teaspoon of the roasted strawberries, then sprinkle some finely chopped walnuts and top with a a small sprig of fresh thyme or mint. Place them on a decorative platter and serve with a glass of champagne or decadent cocktail. 

NB: My friend Richard extends the life of fresh baguette by slicing them in 3 and storing them in a large freezer bag. Allow to thaw before baking the crostini.

The Dali Museum in St Pete's: Giacometti & Dali

 

Dedicated to the works of Salvador Dalí, the Dalí Museum along St. Petersburg's waterfront houses the world's most comprehensive collection of Dalí's art outside of Spain. Housed in a strikingly modern building designed to mirror the creativity and innovation of Dalí's art, the structure is as impressive as the masterpieces displayed inside. One of the architectural elements is called the 'Glass Enigma' and is composed of 1,062 glass triangles that are visible from the outside. On the inside, a free-standing spiral staircase dominates the entrance, and it is striking.

On view until April 19, 2026, 'Alberto Giacometti & Salvador Dalí: Through & Beyond Surrealism' is a special collaboration between The Dalí Museum and Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti in Paris, and includes paintings, sculptures and archival materials, and displayed alongside works by Salvador Dalí from The Dalí Museum’s collection, they illuminate the surprising similarities in the artists’ visions, despite their distinct stylistic approaches. 

While Dalí and Giacometti are often seen as separate figures within the Surrealist movement, the Alberto Giacometti & Salvador Dalí exhibit delves into a lesser-known artistic dialogue between the two that began in the 1930s. Though their paths diverged in many ways, both artists shared a deep exploration of surrealism, the subconscious and the human form—key themes that define their lasting legacies. The exhibition traces the friendship, collaboration and kindred experimentation of Salvador Dalí and Alberto Giacometti, who together helped define Surrealism as a visual art. 

In addition to the special exhibition, is the remarkable virtual reality experience of 'Dreams of Dali', as one explores Salvador Dalí’s painting Archaeological Reminiscence of Millet’s “Angelus.” Immersing oneself in the world of the Surrealist master like never before in this encounter — venturing into the towers, peering from them to distant lands and discovering surprises around every corner. We imagine Dalí himself, known in his lifetime as what we now call an “earlier adopter” of new technology, would applaud this inspiring homage to his 1935 painting. This award-winning VR experience has garnered visitor acclaim, online praise and international recognition through a multitude of industry awards, it is impossible to leave the Dali Museum without experiencing this spellbinding virtual reality experience.

Nestled on the main floor of the museum, Café Gala is designed to create an educational as well as culinary experience by introducing visitors to Spanish food and history. Named in honor of Salvador Dalí’s wife, Gala, the café embraces the heritage of Salvador Dalí by presenting a menu of light fare with a Spanish theme. Chef Chuck Bandel created the space where art and food collide, and our tapas style lunch was unexpected and utterly delicious.

The iconic spiral staircase inside the Dali Museum

Looking down the spiral staircase to Gala Café on the main floor

The special Alberto Giacometti and Salvador Dalî Exhibition at the Dali Museum

that we arrived specifically to see

Salvador Dalî 

Alberto Giacometti

'Composition' in plaster by Giacometti, 1927

'Head of a Woman' by Giacometti, 1926

'Portrait of Otillia' by Giacometti, 1917

'Seld Portrait' by Giacometti, 1920

'Mountain Landscape' by Giacometti, 1920

'Portrait of my Sister' by Dali, 1926

'Bust of a Man' in bronze by Giacometti, 1961

'Bust of Annette IX' in bronze by Giacometti, 1964

'Portrait of Gala' oil on canvas by Dali, 1932

'Retrospective Bust of a Woman' by Dali, 1976

Interior of the Giacometti and Dali Exhibition, 

with tall bronze of 'Annette Standing' by Giacometti, 1964

'The Works of Dali' is the permanent exhibition of the artist's work at the Dali Museum

'The Bather' by Dali, 1928

'Still Life' by Dali, 1922

'Fish with Red Bowl' by Dali, 1923/24

'Old Age, Adolescence and Infancy' by Dali, 1940

'The Wines of Gala' by Dali 1976/77

'Still Life Moving Fast' by Dali, 1956

'The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus' by Dali, 1958

'Le Chat aux Moustaches' by Dali, 1976/77

'Dreams of Dali' is a spell-bounding virtual reality experience

exploring Salvador Dalí’s painting Archaeological Reminiscence of Millet’s “Angelus.”

Immersing oneself in the world of the Surrealist master, one can venture

into 360° environments from Dali's oeuvre

The 3D virtual reality experience is one of my stops when visiting the museum 

and always go through the lineup 2 or 3 times just to immerse myself over and over again

The Dali Museum Café Gala Cookbook is fabulous, 

and has joined my ever-expanding and much loved cookbook library  

Café Gala on the main floor of the museum, serves coffee and croissants in the morning,

but at noon, it transforms with a sensational Spanish Restaurant

A glass of Spanish Albariño is one of my favourites

Cantabria Anchovies with olive oil and microgreen garnish

Perfect little warm toasts to be enjoyed with the anchovies

Delicious Roasted Beets with Matô (Catalonian fresh cheese) and orange supreme, 

garnished with curry spiced pistachios, and baby herbs in a honey lemon vinaigrette

Tortilla Española is warm Spanish omelet with onion and potato, served with lemon aio and olives

A cup of cold Basque-style Gazpacho made with chilled tomatoes and cucumber, 

garnished with crouton and micro greens — absolutely delicious

A bowl of Caldo Gallego, a hearty Spanish white bean and ham soup, 

served with warm focaccia

Crème Catalana is an amazing Spanish chocolate dessert made with dark chocolate 

and finished with a caramelized chocolate sea salt crumb

thedali.org

Melon Salmerejo

Serves 20

Recipe courtesy of chef Chuck Bandel, Café Gala

5 1/2 lbs peeled and seeded cantaloupe 2 large melons

1 lb stale bread about 1 1/2 French baguettes

9 oz olive oil

2-3 garlic cloves

9 oz sea salt

9 oz sherry vinegar

 

Cut up the bread and set it to soaking in water while you prepare everything else.

Place everything except the bread into a blender and blend until smooth. Then squeeze as much water as possible out of the bread. Add the soaked bread to the melon mixture and blend until really smooth. This gives the soup its unique creaminess and thickness. If you want a smoother soup, strain with a fine-mesh strainer. (A Vitamix works wonders on this soup; no straining is necessary with that machine.) Garnish with mini melon balls, bits of Serrano ham, spiced pumpkin seeds, olive oil, or anything you want.

Chef Chuck Bandel of Café Gala