Roy's Food Tasting, Sarasota FL

We had a great time with friends Kathy & Dale during a recent food tasting at Roy's Hawaiian Fusion in Sarasota. Chef Roy Yamaguchi was in attendance and we even have the picture below to prove it! 

The waiter immediately brought flowers for our hair, the left side means you're taken. Right side means you're single.

The first course of Raw Marinated Kona Kampachi (Yellowtail) was prepared by Chef Roy and it included radishes, hearts of palm, and ferns in an amazing vanilla sauce. Kathy and I both thought this dish was one of the night's highlights! 

The Second Course was an Olive Oil Poached Salmon with delicious sunflower seed risotto and 5-spice glazed carrots, served in a beet puree with pumpkin greens. It was absolutely divine!

After that, we had "Lakanilau", which is Filet with Oxtail, Snow Crab, Asparagus, Sesame and Miso. As you can imagine, I was nervous about the oxtail, but overall it was delicious.

The fourth course was  Crispy Suckling Pig with Tri-Color Gnocchi, Asian Bean Ragout, and Ginger Plum Pork Jus. We were in food overload mode at this point! 

Then Chef Roy visited our table just before dessert and took a photo with our group:

Dessert was pretty incredible. We had Black Forest Cake with Chocolate Cream, Confit Cherries, and Mint Ice Cream, made by local chef Carl Bertka who won Food Network's Sweet Genius! 

Mahalo for joining us Kathy and Dale! 

Roy's Hawaiian Fusion restaurants are located in Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, Texas, Guam and Japan. Let us know about your experience if you've ever visited Roy's! 

Roy's Sarasota

2001 Siesta Drive

Sarasota, FL 34239

(941) 952-0109

Open for dinner nightly
http://www.roysrestaurant.com

-Carrie

Shore Diner St. Armand's Circle

We recently enjoyed a fun dinner at Shore Diner with our friends Jeff and Michelle Rencher! Shore Diner is a new restaurant located on St. Armands Circle. The atmosphere is really unique, they play fun music, and the staff is super accommodating. 

We started our meal with the fried oyster sliders, black mussels, and crab cake. Everything was fresh and tasty. The crab cake was one of the best I have ever had and may be one of the biggest as well! Mostly crab meat with very little filler.

I couldn’t resist ordering the Organic Fried Chicken and Truffle Macaroni and Cheese. The batter was crisp and flavorful and the chicken was very tender. I was surprised again at the portion: 2 thighs, a drumstick, and a breast.



Michelle ordered the Sea Bass special. It was the last one and boy was she lucky! I managed to sneak a bite and it was heavenly. Bursting with flavor, moist, and delicious.  We all had order envy on this one!

Carrie ordered the Shrimp and Scallops and claimed the local shrimp were some of the best she had ever had. Beautifully presented here.

Jeff had the grilled tenderloin ordered medium rare. It was cooked perfectly with just the right amount of charring on the outside.

Finally for dessert, we decided to do a battle of the cheesecakes! We ordered one pumpkin cheesecake and one blackberry cheesecake. The pumpkin took the prize for sure. I never even thought I liked pumpkin! The service was prompt and courteous and we never felt rushed at all which was really nice. I definitely recommend the Shore Diner for a great meal as well as great ambiance, and oh yes we did work out the next morning after all of this!

Shore Diner
465 John Ringling Blvd
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-388-3535
Open for Lunch & Dinner Every Day
https://www.facebook.com/ShoreDiner/

-Tom

State Street Eating House, Sarasota FL

This is definitely one of downtown Sarasota’s hottest new eateries. The décor is edgy and industrial with recycled and reclaimed woods and old-school incandescent lamps sans the shades.

We met our good friends JC and Jane here and started off sharing a few different appetizers including Fried Okra lightly battered with white truffle oil. Possibly the best batter I have ever tasted. And the okra was fresh! 

Jane and Carrie both ordered the Sweet Potato Gnocchi which was not only original but equally delicious and had one of the nicest textures imaginable.

I ordered the Hogfish with Wild Rice and Kale, and it was exceptional.  The texture was a cross between Monkfish and Snapper and the flavor was delicate and crisp.

My friend JC ordered the Flat Iron Steak medium rare, which was cooked perfectly. Almost as tender as a filet and full-flavored for sure.

And finally for dessert: Apple pie a la mode with a bit more: The apples were sliced very thinly and the whole thing had a slice of cheddar cheese melted over top! It was served with vanilla ice cream, which was heavenly and tasted totally home made. 

Pictured below is Jane's coffee. Doesn’t that look great? With fresh milk and brown sugar cubes.

State Street also offers a light snack menu available throughout the afternoon, as seen on the chalk board below. What a perfect addition to Sarasota dining! 

State Street Eating House
1533 State Street
Sarasota, FL
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11:30AM-11:30PM
941.951.1533
http://statestreetsrq.com

 -Tom

Newport, RI: Cafe Zelda

We tried Cafe Zelda on our last visit to Newport, RI, and everything was fabulous. The staff could not have been more accommodating, the food was mouthwatering, and the atmosphere was extremely charming, cozy and historic. Hands down, one of our best Newport meals ever!

We started with the very local Crispy Point Judith Calamari, with banana peppers and Thai dipping sauce. They were the best I've ever had, these Calamari literally melt in your mouth. If only we'd thought to take a photo before devouring them but we were really hungry! Next, we ordered the Artisan Cheese Platter, which doesn't look like much in the photo but this selection was the real deal. We were blown away. Nice additions of fig cake (Lucius we thought of you!) and quince paste (Jill C, you would be impressed!)

Our friend Alex joined us and we both ordered the same dish, the Seared Bomster Scallops in a creamy lemon polenta and port wine sauce. The flavor was unreal. (Tom and I actually had scallops 3 times in 24 hours, which is typical of us when traveling!). These were unforgettable. We had to ask what Bomster was, and they said he's the guy who delivers them! Very quaint and local spot indeed. 

Tom ordered the special that night, a delicious swordfish, which was extremely fresh like everything else. It was perfectly grilled and as you can see-- it was a very good sized portion. 

Alas, we were headed to John & Adie's party and too full for dessert but we took a photo to remind us next time to save room for the Creole Bread Pudding and the Creme Brulee. Of course, the Warm Molten Chocolate Cake sounds good too! 

I'm giving Cafe Zelda one of my coveted Out-Of-State gold medal awards for 2012. This place was perfect in every way and I cannot wait to go back. Please comment on your experience if you've been here, too. Thank you for joining us, Al!

-Carrie 

Info: 

Cafe Zelda

528 Thames Street

Newport, RI 

401.849.4002

http://www.cafezelda.com/

Beach Bistro, Anna Maria FL

Beach Bistro on Anna Maria Island is truly a wonderful place. We love it for special occasions because of the cozy feel, beachfront view, elegant interior, and sophisticated menu. Be sure to make reservations in advance for a romantic table for two by the windows at sunset or the corner booth if you have a larger party. Beach Bistro has one of the top Zagat ratings in all of Florida and is also a coveted James Beard Winner. 

Chef and Owner Sean Murphy is known for his culinary perfection. The restaurant serves only the freshest Grouper, top domestic lamb and beef, and sources the best smoked salmon we've ever had! 

We recently enjoyed a fabulous dinner here with our friends Francene and Keith. We started with Caesar salads and the Nova Scotia Smoked Salmon, which is served with creme fraiche, caviar, diced red onion, capers, crostini, and diced hard boiled egg. Carrie ordered the Lobster and Citrus Grits, which were phenomenal. Francene ordered the house special of Maple Bourbon Grilled Shrimp and we were very lucky to try a bite because it was absolutely amazing! Keith had the Duckling Leg Confit with brussel sprout hash. The duck was crispy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside. I ordered the French Guy Style Grouper sauteed and served with lemon butter, parsley and white wine. The girls insisted on dessert which was the perfect way to end an incredible meal! 

Francene & Keith

Tom & Carrie 

Lobster & Citrus Grits

The Winner! Fran's Shrimp

Duckling Leg Confit 

French Guy Style Snapper

Nova Scotia Smoked Salmon

Caesar Salad (they happily split it for us) 

Peach Dessert Special with Raspberry Coulis and Toasted Poundcake

The Corner Booth

We all can't wait to go back! 

-Tom

Beach Bistro

6600 Gulf Drive

Holmes Beach, FL 34217

941.778.6444

http://www.beachbistro.com

Sandwich, MA: Lobster Grilled Cheese

The Dan'l Webster Inn

I am the Florida Food Guy, but when it comes summer time, I gotta get outta here and head up north. To the seafood, to the fishing, and yep to beat the heat. If we'd planned this trip up north, it wouldn't have turned out any better. It was perfect. After hours of trying to through traffic going north on the Cape, we decided to turn around and head south, landing at paradise in a town called Sandwich. I've had some great sandwiches in my life but the Lobster Grilled Cheese at the Dan'l Webster Inn was to die for. I had several of them over the course of our stay, the last one may have been the best when I begged and pleaded for them to add bacon.  I wonder if they remember that guy who messed around with their sandwich. I also wonder if the chef tried it my way and plans to make a little menu change. Not that you could top this if you tried. As the menu describes it, "Grilled brioche filled with pesto, chives, shallots, French brie, American cheese, and of course lobster meat!" This sandwich has won awards, including my personal lifetime achievement award. Like most New Englanders, I'm counting down the days until next summer and dreaming of the best sandwich in Sandwich.  

Dan'l Webster Inn & Spa
149 Main Street
Historic Sandwich Village, MA 02563
508.888.3622

-Tom

Tomato Mozz

That's what we call it in our house and in summertime, we eat this dish almost nightly. Of course the tomatoes have to be beyond amazing, the basil homegrown, the olives perfectly sourced, and the oil from our secret venue, but the most important variable in this dish is the mozz. Imported from Italy via Miami, Lupara's Buffalo Mozzarella is our absolute favorite. What's your favorite tomato mozz variation? 

Fresh Heirloom Tomatoes & Buffalo Mozzarella

Lupara Buffalo Mozz

-Tom

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Tom and I'm here to share with you my adventures in cooking, eating, and sourcing the best ingredients. I look forward to hearing from you too, so please leave comments below and share your thoughts, ideas, favorite restaurants, and recipes. Bon appetit!

-Tom