Savor the flavors of Sarasota during “Spirit of Sarasota” restaurant week
A weeklong dining event in Maywill showcase Sarasota’s chefs and dining establishments that have helped the city earn the distinction of having one of the highest concentrations of Zagat-rated restaurants in Florida.
"Spirit of Sarasota” restaurant week is designed to introduce locals and visitors to the eclectic mix of restaurants found in Sarasota and its surrounding islands. Spirit of Sarasota, which is May 16 - 21, will offer patrons fixed-price lunch and dinner courses and interactive chef demonstrations.
The Sarasota Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (SCVB) is instituting the weeklong dining promotion to encourage new and frequent patrons to spend more time and money in Sarasota’s restaurants and make the public aware of the region’s award-winning restaurant scene.
The SCVB hopes to recruit more than 40 local restaurants, many that have earned Zagat ratings, to participate in the inaugural event. A consumer-based restaurant review guide that features some of the best restaurants around the country, the Zagat Survey reviews restaurants on a 30-point scale, covering cuisine, décor, service and cost.
“Sarasota is recognized nationally for our beaches, culture and circus heritage,” said Virginia Haley, executive director of the Sarasota Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. “Spirit of Sarasota opens our visitors to the creative cuisine our talented chefs prepare.”
Restaurants taking part in “Spirit of Sarasota” restaurant week include Fred’s Restaurant, a neighborhood-style bistro that mixes European, Asian and Latin influences with American classics, and Hyatt Boathouse, Sarasota’s landmark waterfront restaurant for 29 years that offers fresh seafood and regional American cuisine.
Chef Paul Mattison, creator of three Sarasota restaurants, has signed on all of his eateries for the Sarasota dining event. His restaurants include Mattison’s City Grill, which offers an al fresco menu with an Italian edge, Mattison's Siesta Grill, which features Mediterranean-flavored fare, and Mattison’s Steakhouse at the Plaza, a steakhouse with a 1,000-bottle wine list.
During Spirit of Sarasota restaurant week, patrons will be able to enjoy meals at participating restaurants for $15 per person for lunch and $25 per person for dinner. Each restaurant will make a donation to the University of South Florida’s School of Hotel and Restaurant Management and feature the event liquor sponsor in a signature cocktail or dish during the weeklong dining promotion.
Here are three interactive chef events taking place in conjunction with Spirit of Sarasota restaurant week.
• "The Spirit of Sarasota" - A Lunch & Learn Class 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 16. Eat your way through a two-hour demo and dining experience that introduces the multiple facets of Sarasota's local and seasonally-grown food. Get tips on preparation,
techniques and presentation from Chef Yves Vacheresse of the Ritz-Carlton on Florida foods that nourish your body as well as your soul. $65 per adult includes a glass of organic wine.
For more information and reservations contact The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota at 309-2008.
Yves Vacheresse, executive chef of the Vernona, The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota, will be presenting two chef events
• Cook with Chef Mel. 2 p.m., Wednesday, May 17. Chef Mel will be teaching you some of her favorite recipes using all natural and organic ingredients from Whole Foods Market. This class is located in the Whole Foods Lifestyle Center and is free of charge. Preregister at 955-8500.
• Organic Wine - Winemaker Dinner 6:30 p.m., Thursday, May 18. Enjoy a selection of exceptional organic wines to complement the regional organic cuisine of Chef Yves Vacheresse and his culinary team. $95 per adult. Space is limited. For more information and reservations contact The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota at 309-2008.
Some of the restaurants participating in Spirit of Sarasota restaurant week:
Vernona Restaurant-The Ritz-Carlton
5 One 6 Burns
Bijou Café
Broken Egg
Café Amici
Christopher's at Lido Beach Resort
Crow's Nest
Drydock Waterfront Grill
Fred's Restaurant
Hyatt Boathouse
Mattison’s City Grille
Michael's on East
Selva Grill
The Colony
The Sun House Restaurant and Bar
Mattison's Siesta Grille
Mattison's Steakhouse at The Plaza
Island Time Grill
Bogey's
Shells Fresh Seafood
Southgate Gourmet
| New Kid on the Block
Sarasota’s Island Time Grill
One of Sarasota’s newest dining destinations may be miles from the water, but its island-themed décor and cuisine suggest otherwise. Graced with a façade of bay windows and a tropical dining room fitted with vibrant teal walls, white-washed shutters and African mahogany hardwood floors and canopies, Island Time Grill has the atmosphere of an island manor house rather than a restaurant nestled in a quaint shopping plaza.
Relaxed elegance is just the type of ambience Bruce and Evan Dawson want to treat their guests to at the 212-seat restaurant that was conceived by the father-son team during a summer trip to Maui in 2004. “We believe fine dining can be relaxing,” co-owner Evan Dawson said. “You can dress to unwind or dress to impress.” Guests have the option of dining outside at the Island Time Grill’s 28-seat covered outdoor patio or inside. 
Island Grill Co-owner Evan Dawson with chef Dave McConaghy
The interior includes quirky and playful elements such as the blue-green sand-filled bar top that compliments a seven-foot screen that projects a video of the ocean lapping against a sandy beach. Surrounded by shutters and curtains, guests feel as if they are gazing out an oceanfront window.
A three-foot clock that originally hung inside the Paris Railroad Station stands inside the lobby. Every piece of the clock is intact, except the hands, which have been intentionally removed. Bruce Dawson reasons that, “We want guests to enjoy the unhurried pace you can only find in the islands. Our saying here is, ‘Relax, you’re on Island Time.’ Island Time Grill’s cuisine includes fresh fish to certified Angus beef and all dishes are made fresh daily— from our pastas to sauces, and even their ice creams.
The chef at Island Time Grill is Dave McConaghy, the former executive chef of The Summerhouse Restaurant, a Zagat-rated restaurant on Siesta Key that closed its doors last May after its owners retired. A graduate of Johnson and Wales University, McConaghy studied under Sarasota’s premier chefs Heinz Schellenberg and Tim Carrol.
A Sarasota native, McConaghy specializes in seafood dishes such as coconut and curry lobster bisque made with Maine lobster, essence of coconut and cream, spiced with red curry and lemon grass; a Chilean sea bass crusted with wild mushrooms, steamed with julienne vegetables and topped with tangy ginger butter reduction; a grilled center cut salmon with pine nuts, cranberries and green onions served with a pistachio polenta wedge.
Island Time Grill’s menu also features several beef and poultry entrées including free-range lamb rib rack chops that are pan-seared with black pepper and topped with a tangy green herb puree and a slow-roasted duck served with orange scented ginger cranberry sauce.
Island Time Grill’s 60-bottle wine list was created by house manager Doug Valtz, who served in a similar capacity at The Summerhouse. Valtz brings 20 plus years of management experience to Island Time Grill. The 30 red and 30 white wines are on display inside Island Time Grill’s wine cellar that overlooks one of the restaurant’s three private islands, secluded dining areas that can seat parties of six to 36.
Island Time Grill mixes a handful of specialty cocktails including the Key Lime Martini, a blend of Absolut Vodka, Licor 43, lime juice and cream; the Caribbean Sunset, made with run, melon liqueur, orange and pineapple juices; and the Island Time Martini, Malibu rum, light rum and Blue Curacao topped with a splash of pineapple juice.
Island Time Grill is located at 8225 Cooper Creek, Blvd., Sarasota.
The restaurant is open for dinner 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The bar is open from 4 p.m. to midnight every day. Call 351-5128
Darwin Santa Maria,
the executive chef/owner of The Selva Grill Restaurant
Cliff Whatmore, executive chef of Southgate Gourmet.
Adam Straatman,
executive chef of
5 one 6 Burns: Under the Banyan Tree
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