Mar Vista: Dockside Pub in Historic Longboat Village

The charming waterside Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant and Pub is located on the north end of Longboat Key in the heart of historic Longboat Village. Arrive by boat and moor at Mar Vista's docks the or arrive by car to enjoy fresh Florida seafood, hot burgers and cool sangria inside the quaint dining room, on the outdoor covered deck or on one of the coveted tables on the beach overlooking picturesque Sarasota Bay.

View from Mar Vista overlooking Sarasota Bay

Originally built in 1912, Mar Vista was spared when a hurricane in 1921 wiped out large chunks of the Island, and as a consequence, this Old Florida-style restaurant is considered one of the twelve oldest surviving structures on Longboat Key. Known more familiarly by locals as 'The Pub', Mar Vista is owned by the Chiles Restaurant Group, which also owns the Beach House Restaurant on Bradenton Beach and the Sandbar Restaurant on Anna Maria.

Mar Vista's dock is a beacon for boaters and sailors who can arrive by water and 

feast on oysters, stone crab, Florida Shrimp or even the famous Mar Vista Burger

The dock's pleasant for stroll after lunch offering panoramic views of the Bay

Looking back towards Mar Vista from the dock

The menus at each of the restaurants are pretty much the same, serving a vast array of fresh seafood, sandwiches and salads, but one feature in which they all excel are their waterfront locations and spectacular views. Everything just tastes better when you can squish your toes in powdery fine white sand, soak up the sun and become mesmerized by the bright blue water. A glass of sangria doesn't hurt either.

Light and delicious White Sangria

Known for their fresh Florida seafood, we decided to start with a dozen pink Peel & Eat Florida Shrimp, poached and tossed with Old Bay seasoning and served over ice with fresh cocktail sauce and wedges of lemon. We followed with Seared Tuna, which was sushi-grade tender slices of seared rare tuna served with pickled ginger, angel hair cabbage, wasabi and soy sauce, and Mar Vista's Burger, a 1⁄2-pound of grilled Angus beef topped with swiss cheese, 

tomato, lettuce and a pickle served with crisp potato fries and mayonnaise.

Mar Vista's Peel & Eat Shrimp with a dozen pink Florida shrimp, poached and tossed with 

Old Bay seasoning and served over ice with fresh cocktail sauce and lemon

Sushi-grade tender seared sliced rare tuna served with pickled

ginger, angel hair cabbage, wasabi and soy sauce

The Mar Vista Burger - 1⁄2-pound of grilled Angus beef topped with swiss cheese, 

tomato, lettuce and a pickle served with crisp potato fries and mayonnaise

Other tables around us were enjoying other enticing Mar Vista treats such as their utterly decadent Gourmet Tater Tots made with mashed potato, onion, jalapeno and Monterey jack cheese, rolled into golfball size mounds, deep fried and served with a chipotle honey mustard sauce, Florida Gulf Grouper Quesadillas with cheddar cheese on a grilled flour tortilla and served with guacamole, lettuce and sour cream, my father's favourite, Coconut Shrimp Salad, made with fried coconut shrimp served over mixed greens with orange segments, candied walnuts, tomatoes, onions and cucumbers with a raspberry vinaigrette, and Mar Vista's famous Grouper Sandwich which can be prepared grilled, blackened, or fried. With an equally inviting Specialty and Frozen Cocktail Menu to tantalize guests, it's much too easy to pass a long very happy afternoon at Mar Vista.

A true slice of old Florida, Mar Vista's restaurant is rustic, woody and quaint, 

and is considered to be one of the twelve 

You're never too far from nature on Longboat Key, for even up the street from Mar Vista, peacocks, peahens and wood storks saunter and squawk, having taken up residence on many local's front lawns, feasting on their flowers, carousing in their campanulas, and breeding within their borders, much to our delight and local resident's chagrin. Such is the price of living in paradise, although maybe they've heard about Mar Vista's Fish Fry, which this year featured authentic Florida favourites like local fried fish, cheese grits, hushpuppies, collard greens, coleslaw and of course, key lime pie serenaded with foot stomping, knee slapping music provided by the Blues Pig Band.

Long Boat Key wood storks - part prehistoric looking, part goofy

marvista.groupersandwich.com

Café L'Europe: Continental Flair on St Armand's Circle

Celebrating almost 40 years as one of St. Armand's more elegant and relaxing restaurants, Café L'Europe continues to be a charming and popular culinary destination. Established in 1973 in John Ringling's original real estate office, which was the oldest building on Saint Armand's Circle, Café L'Europe has been one of Sarasota's longtime favourite dining secrets and is the perfect lunchtime treat. Located on prime St. Armand real estate, Café L'Europe is one of the best seats on the 'Circle', aside from one of my longtime sentimental favourites, the quintessentially-popular Crab and Fin.

The outdoor patio in front of Café  L'Europe overlooking the 'Circle'

Inside of Café L'Europe, the original brick walls enhanced with featured artwork from the Café Collection, fresh flowers, stained glass and Spanish terra cotta tiles provide a warm, relaxing old-world ambiance. More popular during Sarasota's sunny afternoons and long languid evenings is the awning-covered outdoor patio, shielded by an manicured stand of potted palms, which provides the ideal location for dining al fresco and enjoying the voyeuristic delights of people-watching.

The luncheon menu at Café L'Europe

Café L'Europe has built its reputation on continental cuisine, striking a balance between tradition and innovation, but also features some popular menu items that have been served since the restaurant first opened, with some of the dishes still prepared table-side, adding an old world elegance and dated drama to the delight of many of the restaurant's venerable silver-haired regulars.

A glass of their chilled Mezzacorona 2009 Pinot Grigio

The cuisine is multi-continental, spanning everything from Asian to classical French, with popular highlights including Bourbon Pecan Salad, Brandied Duckling, Potato-Crusted Grouper and Pan-Seared Sea Scallops with Sweet Potato Hash. There’s a lovely wine list and wonderful desserts as well. As we perused the menu, we enjoyed a glass of Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio 2009 and a Laurel Glen Red Zinfandel 2009 from California, while considering our luncheon options as one of the staff carefully spooned an aromatic mixture of fragrant herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary, garlic, salt and fresh cracked black pepper) on our side plate and gently poured a generous pool of extra virgin olive oil. A basket of fresh bread promptly arrived to help us sop up the golden dividends of his effort. 

Olive Oil with Café L'Europe special herb mixture and fresh bread

We chose the Lobster & Shrimp Salad with crème fraîche, poached asparagus and hearts of palm with a citrus mayonnaise served on Bibb lettuce as well as the Lido-Style Corned Beef Sandwich made with thinly sliced brisket and slices of swiss cheese nestled between two potato latke pancakes and served with horseradish sauce. The calibre of cuisine being put out by the kitchen, and the polite, professional and attentive wait staff, proves why this restaurant has been around for more than three decades, and promises to be around for many more years.

Lobster & Shrimp Salad with crème fraîche, poached asparagus and hearts of palm 

with a citrus mayonnaise on Bibb lettuce

Lido-Style Corned Beef Sandwich made with thinly sliced brisket and swiss cheese 

sandwiched between 2 potato pancakes with horseradish sauce

Sadly, the original proprietor Titus Letschert, passed away last year, but his wife Betsie Coolidge carries on the L'Europe tradition. Some of the area’s top restaurateurs learned from Letschert: Harry Christensen, of Harry’s Continental Kitchens, J.P. Knaggs, of Bijou Café, and Bob Fracalossy, of the Lazy Lobster, along with Arpke, Garey and Herlihy, were just a few local culinary stars who worked at Café L’Europe before opening their own restaurants. 

The enticing After-Dinner Drinks and Desserts menu

Café L'Europe even has a special 'Doggie Dining Menu' for pampered pooches, with canine culinary treats such as Gustav's Steak Tartare for $5, Cruiser's Filet Mignon of Beef for $18, Chloe's Grilled Chicken with steamed baby carrots for $7, Biscuits de Jour baked daily for the little princesses for a modest $2.50 for a package of 4, and for doggie dolce there's Dogsters Ice Cream Treats in Nutty Peanut Butter or Minté Fresh. Fresh water is provided gratis, however Acqua Panna bottled water is also available, served by Café L'Europe's smartly attired black-vested waiters — Sacre bleu!

A pampered pooch - and deservedly so!

www.cafeleurope.net

Sarasota's Indigenous: Seasonal American Cuisine

On a quiet corner in Sarasota's rustic Towles Court historic arts district resides a wonderfully imaginative and renovated cottage that's a subtropical dream at twilight. Welcome to Indigenous. With inviting outdoor seating on a covered brick patio lined with native plants, a cozy wine bar in a former guest house off to the side, and three small candlelit dining nooks in the main house, the setting is absolutely charming. The kitchen and wait staff are equally charming, but most noteworthy, they're top notch. Polished service and a fine wine list match Chef Steve Phelp's skill in the kitchen, with a menu which offers sustainably grown, wild harvested ingredients and changes seasonally.

The covered outdoor brick patio with low lighting and a balmy breeze 

makes for perfect dining

Like the furnishings and fixtures, the name Indigenous was carefully chosen to reflect the chef-owner’s goal of providing superior and sophisticated cuisine, sourced from local farms and fisheries whenever possible, but with constant emphasis on sustainably grown or wild harvested seasonal ingredients, wherever they might come from. This philosophy yields dividends not only for Sarasota's discriminating diners but also for the planet. In a tight kitchen, behind a pane of glass that separates him from the small main dining room, Chef Steve Phelps creates culinary delights every night, with dishes that both familiar and sophisticated. 

Chef Steve Phelps in the kitchen at Indigenous

“I’ve been very patient and I’m glad the community was patient too. This was truly the beginning of something special, not only for Sarasota but for me, personally. After more than 20 years in this industry, Indigenous is the realization of my vision for a restaurant with perfected cuisine, a great wine list and incredible indoor-outdoor ambiance.”

Chef Phelps   photo credit: Kim Longstreet

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, where he started working in his uncle’s restaurant at 14 years old, Chef Phelps first came to my attention when he was chef de cuisine at The Bijou Café, which was one of my favourite dining spots in Sarasota at the time, and still is. In the spring of 2011, Chef Phelps left Bijou to pursue the opportunity to open his own restaurant, Indigenous, working with a talented group of professionals to realize his personal vision of a great local restaurant. — and he's done that in spades. When I first started coming to Sarsota in the early 1980s, fining dining was limited to a handful of reliably adequate restaurants. Nothing noteworthy. Everything as now changed. Sarasota is now blessed with a prodigious array of culinary offerings. 

Home baked cheesy thyme shortbreads start the evening off nicely

The evening begins with a basket of fresh baked thyme and cheese shortbreads and a bottle of Illumination Quintessa Sauvignon Blanc 2010 from California's Napa Valley. A lovely crisp vibrant wine with citrus and mineral notes, it was the perfect wine partner for our selection of fish entrées, for which Indigenous is acclaimed.

Arugula Salad with roasted shiitake mushrooms, shaved fennel, apple 

and Florida Tomme cheese in a Dijon Tarragon dressing

We chose our main dishes from the menu’s 'plentiful and abundant' section, referencing the daily selection’s origin in sustainable fisheries rather than from the unfortunately large pool of overfished species, as well as the 'hook to fork' selection featuring more plentiful Gulf and Atlantic species. Mine was wild-caught Florida Gulf Coast Cobia, sautéed to perfection and served with a stew of cannellini beans, kale, fennel and tomatoes, and my parents both enjoyed the Mahi Mahi with roasted sweet potato medallions, lemongrass coconut broth, chayote and Lido Key avocado.

Grilled Mahi Mahi with roasted sweet potato medallions, 

lemongrass coconut broth, chayote and Lido Key avocado

Local Cobia from the Gulf Coast of Florida served with a cannellini bean, 

kale, fennel and tomato stew 

Not normally one for sweets, how could we resist the small dessert menu of sorbets, iced creams, puddings and cakes, made fresh each morning in Chef Phelp's kitchen. This evening, the seasonally inspired sorbet was melon, and the iced cream was Lavender and local Honey. The pudding was a silky smooth Chocolate Pot au Creme. A sweet finish to a wonderful dinner enjoyed under the stars on a balmy Sarasota evening and serenaded by the excellent cuisine of Chef Phelp's. Inspired by a passion for food, our planet and the community, Steve Phelp's is truly one of the stars of Sarasotan cuisine, and I can't wait to come back for an encore.

Homemade Melon Sorbet with a starfruit garnish

Chocolate Pot au Creme

Homemade Lavender and Honey Iced Cream

Six-Mile Mangrove Snapper with Summer Corn Butter Sauce, Heirloom Tomato & White Cucumber Salad, Grilled Lemon and Thyme Vinaigrette
Serves 4
Recipe courtesy of Chef Phelps

For the Fish:
4 6-oz pieces Mangrove Snapper filet
All-purpose flour
Sea salt to taste
Fresh black pepper to taste
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter

For the Sweet Corn Butter Sauce:
4 cups raw fresh corn trimmed from cob and 'milk' scraped from cob
4 cups water
1 tsp salt
8 tbsp cold unsalted butter

For the Grilled Lemon and Thyme Vinaigrette:
4 lemons, each cut into 4 wedges
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
2 cups canola oil
2 tbsp minced fresh thyme leaves
Salt & pepper

For the Assembly:
1 cup chopped heirloom tomatoes
1 cup diced white cucumber
1 bunch tatsoi greens

Season the snapper with salt and pepper, then lightly dust with flour and set aside.

Place the corn and 'milk' scraped from the cob into a small saucepan along with the water and salt. Bring to a boil and then turn off heat immediately. Drain corn with a strainer, reserving liquid. Place corn in a blender or food processor along with a small amount of the reserved liquid.

Start the motor and gradually add more liquid until the corn forms a smooth paste. Add the butter and process until fully incorporated. Pour into a saucepan, adjust seasoning, and keep warm until ready to assemble dish.

Make the vinaigrette by brushing lemon wedges with a very small amount of oil and placing on a hot grill for a minute or two. Squeeze lemon juice into a clean blender bowl and add the honey and Dijon. Blend on medium for 30 seconds, and with blender still running, slowly pour in the oil until emulsified. Stir in thyme, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Heat a small skillet on medium high heat and add oil and butter. When butter begins to foam, add flour coated fish. Cook well on first side to crisp, then flip and finish on the other side for 1–2 minutes. Remove from pan and let rest, not you!

Pour a pool of corn butter sauce onto the bottom of the plate. Place fish atop. Toss tomatoes in vinaigrette with salt and pepper and tatsoi, place atop fish and serve.

www.indigenoussarasota.com

Crab & Fin: Sensational Seafood on St Armand's Circle

With its 34-year history and inviting sidewalk tables overlooking Longboat Key's upscale St Armand's Circle, it’s no wonder The Crab & Fin is such a popular destination for locals and snowbirds alike. A trip to Longboat Key for me is never complete without the requisite shopping excursion around the 'Circle' and securing one of the highly desirable outdoor tables under the awnings of The Crab & Fin, within earshot of the talented local pianist who bewitches patrons everyday with his soft jazz standards from Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Coleman Hawkins, Blossom Dearie and more — it's worth the price of admission alone, if the food weren't so terrific too.

The charming hand painted sign of the Crab & Fin

Originally the location of Charley's Crab, I've been coming to St Armand's Circle on Longboat Key since my parents purchased a property in Florida in the 1980s. I've come down with many friends, relatives, boyfriends and now my husband too, but no trip is complete without a lazy afternoon at The Crab & Fin.

The Crab & Fin is located on a desirable corner of St Armand's Circle

Finding a table for one at lunchtime, at the height of the season on prime real estate seemed slim, but the maître d' took my name and within minutes I was seated front row centre. Within minutes again, I had ordered a glass of chilled 2001 Chateau de Poyet Muscadet, a bottle of San Pellegrino and a half dozen fresh Moonstone Oysters from Narrangansett, Rhode Island to start, which arrived with fresh lemon, horseradish, cocktail sauce and a champagne-cracked black pepper mignonette sauce, and a basket of warm bread complete with a pot of whipped butter. As an entrée I chose my regular — sashimi-grade Yellowfin Tuna Tartare with fresh guacamole topped with crispy angel hair filo on a tangy pillow of chili lime aioli. I was in heaven.

A lovely glass of chilled 2001 Chateau de Poyet Muscadet from the Loire

Fresh squishy bread and whipped butter arrives with the wine

Half a dozen Moonstone oysters from Narrangansett, Rhode Island

I always love to admire the shells post-feast

Yellowfin Tuna Tartare with fresh guacamole topped with crispy filo 

on a pillow of chili lime aioli

Chocolate dipped slices of chilled pineapple arrive with the bill

This jazz pianist has been playing at the Crab & Fin for as long as I can remember

http://crabfinrestaurant.com

Longboat Key & Sarasota: A Culinary Journey

A Culinary Journey to Longboat Key, Florida

November 15 - 25, 2012

Scrumpdillyicious will be touring the Longboat Key area along Florida's Gulf coast from November 15 to 25, 2012. Join me online each day as we journey through Longboat Key, Anna Maria Island and Sarasota, capturing the cultural and culinary pulse of this little corner of paradise, renowned for it's sugar-sand beaches, fabulous cuisine, stunning Spanish style architecture and thriving theatre arts scene.

Our Culinary Journey will take us from Longboat Key to St Armand's Circle and Sarasota. We'll then journey up to Anna Maria Island, home to West Florida's Top Restaurant, Beach Bistro, owned by Canadian Sean Murphy, then south to Naples, as we explore the diverse culinary influences and regional ingredients of 'Floribbean' cuisine, including unique regional specialties such as conch fritters, stone crabs and key lime pie. So grab your appetite as we head south for ten days of sun, sand and culinary snooping!

Organic Irish Salmon with Ginger, Lemon & Berries

I adore salmon. So much so, it's on our menu at least once a week, and that's restraining ourselves. Good salmon is so flavourful, it doesn't need a lot of extra seasoning or sauces to enhance it's natural goodness, so restraint is the key. Buying the best quality salmon is also essential, so when I find Irish organic salmon, I usually buy it, but's it's not inexpensive unless you know where to go! For the most incredible selection of fresh fish, seafood and oysters, I only go to Diana's Seafood. Their Irish organic salmon is half the price compared to other reputable fish mongers in the city. It's so fabulous, it takes enormous self control to buy just a couple of filets and not enough to feed an army. Like many, when you find a good thing, you want to share it, and Diana's is the secret. This recipe is low fat, zero carbs and wonderfully delicious. For a calorie controlled diet, this is a great place to start.




Organic Irish Salmon with Ginger, Lemon & Berries
Serves 4

4 4 oz organic Irish salmon filets
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp Ponzu sauce
Fresh cracked black pepper and Maldon salt
4 cups mixed mesclun greens
2 cups wild arugula
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup blueberries
3 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, sliced for garnish

Pour the ponzu sauce into a large baking dish with the salmon filets and turn to coat. Let the salmon marinate skin side up, for at least 15-20 minutes. Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high. Turn the salmon over so it's skin side down at rub the ginger into the flesh, then sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper. Grill the salmon skin side up, about 2-5 minutes, then turn the filets over and cook an additional 2-4 minutes, or to your desired level of doneness. At the same time, add the lemon slices to the grill and cook along with the salmon. Grilled lemons become lovely and juicy when cooked on the barbecue or in the oven. Remove the salmon from the grill and keep warm.

To prepare the salad, combine the mixed greens, arugula, olive oil and berries to a large salad bowl and toss to combine. Season with Maldon salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. To serve, place a portion of salad on 4 large plates and top with a salmon filet with a garnish of lemon.

Grilled Grouper with Tomato Caper Sauce & Sprouts

A cross between sea bass and halibut, grouper is a white lean fish with a delicate mild sweet flavour, firm texture and heavy flake that remains lovely and moist when cooked. Delicious grilled, braised, poached, sautéed or barbecued, grouper is an enormously popular fish in Florida, and can be found on most menus either blackened, fried or grilled and served as Grouper Sandwiches. A gentle medium-sized fish, I've come across wild grouper while scuba diving in the warm waters off the coast of Anegada in the British Virgin Islands. A timid docile fish, grouper hide under rocky overhangs as they patiently await their prey.

Generally a docile lumbering fish, grouper can grow to over 100lbs

A delicious fish, the flesh is firm yet flaky and although it's quite lean, unlike most fish Grouper can be overcooked and still remain moist. An excellent choice for health-conscious diners because of its high nutritional value, grouper is also both low in fat and calories. 

One lovely Grouper filet cut in half for 2 portions

Having purchased a beautifully fresh filet from Diana's Seafood and with lots of homemade tomato sauce in the freezer from our annual Tomato Sauce Day, the menu fell together deliciously. Served with some fresh tomatoes from our garden and a tumble of fresh brussels sprouts from the St Lawrence Market, a healthy low fat dinner was prepared within an hour. Who needs carbs when you can enjoy a pescatorian feast like this?

Grilled Grouper with Tomato Caper Sauce & Sprouts

Serves 2

1 oz grouper filet, cut in half

1 lemon, zested and finely chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cups tomato sauce, homemade or top quality purchased

2 tbsp capers, drained

1 tbsp sambal oelek chili sauce

6 baby tomatoes, for garnish

10 brussels sprouts

Combine the lemon zest, olive oil and fresh thyme in a small baking dish and using a fork, whisk to combine. Add the grouper and toss to coat. All the fish to marinate at least 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring the tomato sauce to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the capers and sambal oelek to taste. I like my tomato sauce with a lot of punch so I generally adjust the seasoning accordingly.

Wash and trim the brussels sprouts and place them in a steamer basket over a pot of water with a cover, in anticipation of steaming them when the fish is being grilled.

Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high and grill the fish to taste, or alternatively warm a sauté pan over medium-high heat with a little olive oil, and cook the fish until it's just done. 

Steam the brussels sprouts to taste. To serve, spoon a generous pool of tomato sauce in the middle of two warmed dinner bowls and top with the grouper filets. Garnish with a few baby tomatoes and an arc of brussels sprouts.