The Table Creekside: Sarasota, FL

When most people think of Phillipi Creek, they think of sitting outside eating peel-and-eat shrimp and enjoying some good old fried seafood. This blog post will change the way you think about Phillipi Creek. The Table Creekside offers up some of the finest seafood in town in a very upscale chic atmosphere. We met our friends Ashley and Peter Burroughs here for dinner and enjoyed listening to some relaxing "chill" music in the super swanky lounge area before moving to our seats in the beautiful dining room.

The Table is run by the supremely talented Chef Pedro Flores who pushes it to the limit with his daily creations known as "Chef Selections". After speaking with him briefly, Chef Flores informed me that this is his very favorite thing about being a chef! Our group raved over every single dish. Hats off to Chef and his talented team who took amazing care of us. We were blown away by The Table experience!

Tonight's amazing soup special was the Key West Chowder. It ended up being more of a stew in my opinion but boy was it tasty. Loaded with seafood and just enough kick!

Peter and I decided to share the grilled Beef Tenderloin Skewer served with Argentinian chimichurri sauce. Lightly grilled to a delicious medium rare and extremely tender.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if I see fried oysters on the menu I just HAVE to order them. Here is The Table's version, called Crispy Oyster Flamenco. These oysters are very lightly battered and served with a key lime aioli and banana pepper mignonette. "A total explosion of flavor!" - Tom. "Impossibly soft and crispy at the same time" - Peter.

Tonight's entree winner goes to Ashley. She ordered the Shrimp Surinam: sweet jumbo shrimp sofrito with Jerusalem artichoke, served atop English Cheddar Gruyere mac and cheese with truffle essence. These shrimp were the best Gulf shrimp I have ever tasted and I am definitely ordering this dish next time!

I persuaded Carrie into ordering the Lobster Cabonara. Fresh 1-1/4 lb Maine lobster removed from shell served atop fresh pappardelle in a decadent cheese sauce with peas, homemade pancetta, and a soft poached egg. What's not to like here? She absolutely loved it!

Peter order Chef Pedro's special creation of "The Trio". It included fresh American Red Snapper on top of yucca risotto with two large New England diver scallops served over braised veal confit. This dish really had it all!

I ordered a more traditional option with the Grilled Organic Grass Fed Veal Chop. What a chop it was, served with truffled mash potatoes and roasted asparagus!

As stuffed as we were, we still managed to order one dessert. The tarte tatin!

In one word, everything was "flawless". We will be back! Thank you Chef Flores and thanks to Ashley and Peter. What a great night we had at The Table!

The Table Creekside

5365 S. Tamiami Trail

Sarasota, FL

941-921-9465

www.tablesrq.com

Sun-Thurs 4-10pm

Fri, Sat 4-10:30pm

-Tom

Indigenous: Sarasota, FL

If you have yet to experience this new Sarasota favorite, it's definitely time to try Indigenous for yourself. Chef Steve Phelps is incredibly passionate about using only responsibly harvested ingredients. Being a fishermen himself, Phelps has a distinct nose for freshness!We had an amazing experience here recently with friends Jill and Joe Creevy.

Jill started out with the Butternut Squash Soup. She described it as "simply divine" and said that it was "unexpectedly served chilled with a tantalizing swirl of fresh cashew pesto. This soup had me thinking about it for days!"

Carrie went wild over the Wild Mushroom Bisque with Truffled Rye Croutons and can't wait to go back for this complex yet comforting soup!

Joe ordered the Beet Salad, which was a special addition to the evening's menu. What an incredible combination of flavors including celery root, blue cheese, strawberry citrus vinagrette, daikon radish, and cucumber. He let me try a taste and I am going out on a limb here to say the yellow beets are far superior to the bright red ones! Joe said, "The dressing blended nicely with the sweetness of the beets and the tang of the radishes." We hope this dish will be a regular addition.

I ordered the Arugula salad, and very confidently I will say it was the best one I have ever had! The arugula was grown less than 100 miles away. Topped with roasted mushrooms, shaved fennel, apples, dijon tarragon dressing, and a few slices of tomme cheese, the flavors could not have been any more spot on. I order Arugula salad every time I see it on a menu and this one was the dream for me!

Now for the entrees. Carrie's Red Snapper was harvested from the deep waters of the Middle Grounds, only 120 miles due west from Sarasota Bay. This dish was my favorite of the evening. Perfectly cooked, lightly seasoned, and fresh as can be served over cheesy grits and green beans.

Joe and I both ordered the Arctic Char which was a close runner up to the Snapper. Char is very similar to salmon but much more delicate and milder in flavor. It was pan-seared and served with a parsnip and potato mash. Delicious!

Here is Jill showcasing her entree of Jumbo Gulf Shrimp and Red Peas. These Sea Island Red Peas are from Charleston, South Carolina. They are an heirloom legume famous for their very bold sweet flavor and creamy texture. The dish is finished off with poblanos, smoked onion, corn bread croutons, and tomato veloute. This dish is a menu staple!

And how could we forget dessert? As a table, we shared the pot de creme and the apple raisin brioche pudding. Both were excellent, but the bread pudding took the prize for me. It was served with maple caramel sauce, rum brown sugar ice cream, and pecan powder!

Overall, this was a fantastic experience. Great friends, delicious food, and a fun night out in a beautiful and comfortable setting in downtown Sarasota. We hope your visit to Indigenous will be just as wonderful as ours. Thank you so much to the flawless team at Indigenous and to our friends Jill and Joe for sharing in the fun!

Indigenous

239 S. Links Avenue Sarasota

Dinner is served Monday through Saturday, starting at 5:30PM

941-706-4740

www.indigenoussarasota.com

-Tom

The Temptation: Boca Grande, FL

For this notorious Gasparilla Island dining institution, the name says it all: "The Temptation!"

This place has been a local favorite in the charming historic town of Boca Grande for many years. It specializes in serving fresh local seafood with a New Orleans twist. You definitely get that "old Florida" feeling that transports you to a warm weather place where time stands still and dining out here with friends is beyond enjoyable. We had the opportunity to visit The Temptation with our friends Fran and Keith and a great time was had by all! Here is Fran in our cozy booth:

I started with the gumbo special and was not disappointed. Loaded with shellfish, chicken, andouille sausage, and just the right amount of kick! We also tried the Lobster Corn Chowder and a Waldorf Salad. Everything tasted great.

Keith ordered a delicious dish loaded with crab in a creamy cheese sauce. Decadent!

I had the mixed fried seafood dinner which I renamed the "Captain's Platter." I thought it was very fitting since I drove the boat all day. It was loaded with fresh shrimp, oysters, softshell crab, and Grouper. Then everything was lightly dusted with cornmeal and fried to perfection. One of my all-time favorite meals!

Carrie had the scallop special which was served lightly blackened and she thoroughly enjoyed.

Fran decided to go with the soft shell crab dinner. She said it was one of the freshest she had ever tasted.

For dessert we couldn't decide between the Candy Cake or the Coconut Cake. So we decided to go for both!

If you ever have the chance to visit Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island, this restaurant will not disappoint! Yes, our choices were definitely on the heavier side, but we were on vacation and had a long day at sea, so this was the perfectly satisfying ending to a totally amazing day. 

The Temptation

350 Park Ave

Boca Grande, Fl 

941-964-2610

-Tom 

Third Street Cafe: Boca Grande, FL

We had the entire patio to ourselves!

What an amazing place. This is the perfect kind of venue where you could sit and read the paper all morning while sipping freshly ground coffee. I think I managed to have three cups at breakfast it was so good. Everything was freshly prepared with the highest quality ingredients. They even have their own herb garden onsite! You can tell the staff takes incredible pride in what they do. Here is my omelet with ham, onion, and Gruyere cheese.

I ordered a side of bacon to go with it. Unfortunately, it's not pictured here. They also make their own Belgian waffles, which we shared as a group. 

 Keith ordered the corned beef hash which was incredibly tender. Not your typical run of the mill corned beef!

Carrie had her old standby with over easy eggs, bacon, and grits. And yes that is Fran going for the hot sauce!

I know it's just breakfast, but the charming setting, the quaint town, great company, fresh air, and delicious food was divine. Definitely a fantastic trip! 


Third Street Cafe
310 E. Railroad Ave
Boca Grande, FL 33921
Phone: 941-964-0155

Breakfast & Lunch served 7AM-2PM
Dinner from 5-9PM

- Tom