This is Cuisine

Readers' Pick
Best Chef: Clinton Combs at the Rustic Grill

1525 4th St., Sarasota, 906-1111

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Paul Mattison at Chef Paul’s, Derek Barnes at Derek’s

Best Kept Secret: Metro Coffee & Wine

711 S. Osprey Ave., Sarasota, 365-1800

Runners-up (in order of votes received): anythingarts.com, Endora’s Emporium

Best Amish Restaurant: Yoder’s

3434 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota, 955-7771

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Dutch Heritage, Sugar & Spice

Best BBQ: Sonny's

Various locations, sonnysbbq.com

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Oaks, Woody’s

Best Sushi: Pacific Rim

1859 Hillview St., Sarasota, 330-8071

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Jo-To, Da Ru Ma

Best Waitstaff: Cock & Bull Pub

975 Cattlemen Road, 941-341-9785

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Mattison’s City Grille, Fleming’s

Best Non-Chain Italian: Mediterraneo

1970 Main St., Sarasota, 365-4122

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Café Amici, Caragiulos

Best Outdoor Dining: Mattison’s City Grille

1 N. Lemon Ave., Sarasota, 330-0440

Runners-up (in order of votes received): The Old Salty Dog, Marina Jacks

Best Asian Restaurant: Pacific Rim

1859 Hillview St., Sarasota, 941-330-8071, www.pacificrimsarasota.com

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Pho Cali, Taste of Asia

Best Vegetarian Restaurant: Sweet Tomatoes

4994 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 922-4908

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Chutney’s Etc, Whole Foods Market

Best Latin Restaurant: El Habanero

417 Burns Court, Sarasota, 362-9562

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Red, Two Senoritas

Best Ice Cream: Cold Stone Creamery

Various locations, coldstonecreamery.com

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Ben & Jerry’s, Kilwin’s

Best Cheap Eats: Cock & Bull Pub

945 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota, 341-9785

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Tijuana Flats, McDonald’s

Best Beer Selection: Cock & Bull Pub

945 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota, 341-9785

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Sarasota Ale House, Shakespeare’s

Best Martini: Bonefish Grill

Various locations, bonefishgrill.com

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Fred’s, Zoria’s

Best Dive Bar: Cock & Bull Pub

945 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota, 341-9785

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Five O’Clock Club, Red Barn

Best Sports Bar: Sports Page

1319 Main St., Sarasota, 365-0469

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Gecko’s, Sarasota Ale House

Best Pizza: Cock & Bull Pub

945 Cattlemen Road., Sarasota, 341-9785

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Rico’s, Il Panificio

Best Takeout: Outback Steakhouse

Various locations, outbacksteakhouse.com

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Morton’s Market, Applebee’s

Best Gourmet Market: Morton’s Market

1924 S. Osprey Ave, Sarasota, 364-2283

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Whole Foods Market, Herbal Gourmet

Best Liquor Store: ABC Fine Wine and Spirits

Various locations, abcfinewineandspirits.com

Runners-up (in order of votes received): Norman’s, Lakewood Liquors

Staff Pick
Best Sushi: Utamaro

It’s Tokyo style, baby, so be prepared for some kick-ass makimono! All right, it’s still just sushi, but there is something about Edo-style urban sushi that excites, especially at Utamaro. Beautiful pieces of fish are sliced transparently thin and so long they seem draped across the plate, completely hiding the cylinders of seasoned rice below. The sashimi is composed but not finicky, big portions in small doses, with a dollop of lively wasabi paste hidden at the center of each piece. During lunch, you can slurp deeply flavored udon with the speed of a salary man on his 15-minute break. Sure, this ain’t Tokyo, but with the crowd of disaffected youngsters that perpetually graces this block of Main Street, we can pretend.

1900 Main St., Sarasota, 366-0095 or utamarosushi.com.

Best Sushi: Utamaro (Photo by Camille Pyatte)

Best Restaurant: The Table

Sure, the addition of the hip Mesa Lounge to The Table has turned it into one of Sarasota’s hot spots — at least with the hot spotting crowd — but don’t hold that against the place. Chefs/owners Rafael Manzano and Pedro Flores still manage to put out some of the best food in town in the redesigned dining room and lounge space. Vibrant Latin flavors and ingredients find their way into most of The Table’s impeccably executed dishes, the kind of fusion cuisine that fits our tropical climate. If you don’t try their luscious short ribs at least once this year, why bother eating out at all?

1934 Hillview St., Sarasota, 365-4541.

Best Chef: Jose Martinez, Maison Blanche

We could’ve just cut and pasted last year’s Best Chef entry, but why waste the opportunity to wax poetic? Jose Martinez is the best chef on the Gulf Coast, producing modern French cuisine that shows precision and depth found nowhere else in the area. His food is often sublime; when not, it’s still better than most things you’ll put in your mouth this year. We ache with love for his food. How poetic is that?

2605 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key, 383-8088.

Best New Restaurant: Derek’s Culinary Casual

When Derek Barnes cooked at 5 One 6 Burns, we lauded his food. Our first few experiences at his new, eponymous creation, however, didn’t excite us. After less than a year though, it seems he has fully settled into his culinary freedom, creating dishes that are adventurous and precise at the same time. He plays with textures and flavors, pushing the gastronomic envelope in a way that is seldom seen in town. Thankfully, his prodigious skill has caught up with his expansive culinary imagination and Derek’s Culinary Casual has become one of the most interesting, and best, restaurants in town.

514 Central Ave., Sarasota, 366-6565.

Best Coffee: Latitude 23.5

Here’s a secret: The reason many of those big chain retailers create all those funky drinks is because their coffee doesn’t taste good. If you like actual coffee and not sugary, java-flavored milkshakes, then find your way to Latitude 23.5. Twelve different blends are brewed at all times, including a few decaf and organic/free trade varieties. There may be hipper places to get a cup o’ joe, and there are certainly better places to hang out, but Latitude’s coffee is likely the best you’ll ever have.

Multiple area locations.

Best Weekend BBQ: Chicken & Ribs That Talk Back

Early every Saturday morning, the Desmond & Rashad “Chicken & Ribs That Talk Back” Barbeque truck pulls into the parking lot of the Jesus Christ Prayer Band Church of Deliverance and Salvation at the northeast corner of 17th Street and Tuttle Avenue. The crew puts up the tent awning, sets out the trays of sides and fires up the grills. By 11 a.m., they’re sweating from the heat, everything in the neighborhood smells of that good cooking, and the line often hits 10 people deep. With the best rib sandwiches, garlic shrimp, greens, potato salad and sweet potato pie at the lowest prices around, the traffic doesn’t stop until the food sells out, sometimes as early as three in the afternoon. You’ll lick the secret recipe honey-mustard sauce from your fingers. The Taino Indians gave us their word for this cuisine, barbacoa, and plantation slaves developed it. So you can think of your place in Floribbean history while you eat. But don’t take your girlfriend. Otherwise, you’ll have to hear how hot the buff grill guy is all the way home.

Corner of 17th Street and Tuttle Avenue.

Best Coronary In A Crock Pot: Shakespeare’s Spicy Beer Cheese Dip

We typically don’t travel with a defibrillator (they don’t exactly fit in the back pocket), but we might start after the addiction we’ve developed to The Bard’s cheesy bowl of goodness. The stuff is like crack, only worse for you. Loaded with beer and peppers (we think), the dip coats anything it touches, from the homemade crispy fried chips it’s served with to the roof of your mouth to your intestines. The stew is tasty when it comes out of the kitchen piping hot, but even better after a few beers, when it’s congealed slightly and a skin has formed on the top. Mmmmmmm … congealed cheese skin.

3550 S. Osprey Ave., Sarasota, 364-5938.

Best Meal For Under $20: Maria’s Chicken

Maria has seized our heart with her chicken and secret sauce and won’t let go. Juicy, spiced but not spicy and perfectly cooked, her chicken is amongst the best in town, especially when dipped in the vibrant and creamy aji sauce whose recipe she won’t divulge. Why won’t she spill? Do we need to eat more chicken? Done! Maria also dishes out pork, steak and shrimp, as well as beautiful fried yucca, sweet maduritos and rich black beans, all at surprisingly inexpensive prices. For $20, two or even three people can eat like kings.

1100 N. Tuttle Ave., Sarasota, 955-1818.

Best Local Culinary Icon: Sylvie Routier

Sylvie has been an influential part of the local culinary community since she opened her first Sarasota restaurant. She embodies her food — authentic, rustic, elegant, uncompromising, powerful, vibrant and fickle — in a tiny, accented form. Last year she re-entered the scene with Chez Sylvie et Fils after an eight-year hiatus. We, along with the sizable group of devoted fans she has accumulated over the years, have cause to celebrate. If you’ve never experienced Sylvie or her food, you’re missing a good thing.

Chez Sylvie et Fils, 2881 Clark Road, Sarasota, 923-9020.

Best Culinary Icon: Sylvie Routier (Photo by Camille Pyatte)

Best Power Lunch: Vernona’s Executive Lunch

Who thought the Ritz-Carlton could get you in and out in the same amount of time it takes to grab a sandwich at The Main Bar? For $22, you get a three-course meal made to Vernona’s high standards, neatly arranged in an upscale, compartmentalized lunch tray and served within minutes. Think school lunch, but vastly better, with Australian Shiraz instead of milk. Or milk, if that’s your thing.

1111 Ritz-Carlton Drive, Sarasota, 309-2000 or ritzcarlton.com.

Best Fast Food: Moe’s Southwest Grill

If you can get past the incessant bellowing of the staff — welcome to Moe’s, WELCOME TO MOE’S! — you’ll find that this is essentially the Subway of burrito joints, albeit with better fixins. Moe’s will pack your tortilla with fresh veggies, black or pinto beans, salsa, cheese and sour cream, all picked by you from their prep line. Vaguely healthy — especially if you don’t go for their oddly flavored salty meats — these big ass burritos will fill you up for about $5, without the need to reach for an insulin shot.

4005 Clark Road, Sarasota, 929-0630 or moes.com.

Best Restaurant That’s Closed: Ray’s At Bob’s Place

Bob’s Place and its mediocre diner fare wasn’t that big a loss to the Rosemary District culinary community — despite the walls festooned with local circus memorabilia — but the nocturnal joint that piggybacked into Bob’s space will be mourned. New England restaurant veteran Ray Schilchler’s three-nights-a-week, four-course prix fixe dinner was simple, ever changing and always exceptionally good. We still dream about the Kansas ribs and can only hope Ray decides to re-produce his wonderful American cuisine in a new space here in Sarasota.

Best Pizza: Il Panificio

With the Herald-Trib opening up its lair next door, we sort of hoped Panificio would streamline its often chaotic, inefficient service, but no such luck. Who cares? We’ll still be pulling in for slices of the exceptional pie. It’s all in the crust — thin, crispy and chewy — which Panificio thankfully doesn’t weigh down with a mess of toppings. Whether you like thin or thick, New York or Chicago, is irrelevant. This is how pizza should be.

1703 Main St., Sarasota, 366-5570.

Best $20 Gluttony: Ichiban Japanese Restaurant

Yep, all you-can-eat-sushi for under $20. Wait, don’t sneer, Ichiban is actually good. The maki may be a little loose and the sushi could be formed a little tighter, but the fish is equal to any of the higher priced joints and Ichiban throws in tempura and teriyaki as well. Don’t let your eyes get bigger than your stomach, though, cause you may be charged for pieces left uneaten.

2724 Stickney Point Road, Sarasota, 924-1611.

Best Donuts: Goldstar

Goldstar’s glazed donuts tower over the competition, figuratively and literally. At almost 3 inches thick, you’ve gotta stretch that jaw to get your teeth into one. Break through the crackling glaze, though, and the sweet flesh collapses with an airy sigh. Light but hearty, these are the kind of morning treats people of all ages might remember from their youth. If you can’t, you must have had a crappy childhood.

1246 Whitfield Ave., Sarasota, 755-1225.

Best Pasty: 4 And 20 Pasty Company

All right, there’s not a lot of competition in this category, but we had to fit these guys in for the fourth year running. Their portable and filling Cornish treats are flaky pastry stuffed with meat and veggies and cheese and sauce and whatever else owners Barbara and Richard Posner think up. Buy a few frozen and heat them at home if you want, but there’s no substitute for picking a hot pasty out of the case and gobbling it up before you get to the car. Better grab two.

5638 Swift Road, Sarasota, 927-1421 or 4and20pastycompany.com.

Best Sauce: El Toro

If you’re used to the bland juice from chain joints, El Toro’s red and green delights will be a revelation. The red is more brick than bright, and the dark, earthy color matches the intense flavor of the same ground dried peppers that hang from El Toro’s walls. They say that the green sauce is milder, but it often isn’t. Instead of the deep, slow building heat of roasted chiles, the green hits your tongue with a bright blast of fresh and fiery jalapeño. Go ahead and lick the plate clean.

2720 Stickney Point Road, Sarasota, 924-0006.

Best Fresh Tortillas: Tortilleria Dona Chela

When a bundle of corn tortillas come out of Dona Chela’s plastic cooler, they are still steaming hot. The paper wrapped goodies are elastic and taste only of toasty corn, vastly different from the pressed cardboard they call tortillas at the supermarket. Cheaper, too, at just 20 for $1. Did you hear that? 20 for $1! After one taste of these, only schmucks would buy tortillas at the supermarket. Don’t schmuck it up.

1155 N. Washington Blvd., Sarasota, 953-4045.

Best Basket O’ Grease: Frings Basket At Cheeburger Cheeburger

It’s a giant pile of grease and salt, solidified into crispy fry and crunchy onion ring shapes. We can say — without fear of hyperbole — that the small basket will put you in the hospital. Large basket? Death at the table. Add one of Cheeburger’s full-pound burgers? Stomach explosion. You’ll have a smile on your slick and shiny lips, however, cause these are some delicious fries and rings. Groin-grabbingly transcendent … this gets our lowest rating ever — seven thumbs up!

4944 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 921-5503 or cheeburger.com.

Best Taste Of The Old Country: The Bronx: Italian Village and Deli

Sinatra’s on the radio. A Godfather poster hangs above the stove. Fresh, homemade cannoli sit by the register, just a few feet down the counter from soft lumps of mozzarella. The only part of Giacomo Manafra’s deli that’s inauthentic are the meats and cheeses hanging from the ceiling. They’re fakes, but that’s because of Florida law, not Manafra. Schooled in delis in The Bronx and Jersey, Manafra set up shop in Gulf Gate eight years ago, doling out chicken parms (huge, scrumptious, the only meal you’ll have to eat all week) and Italian combos. He sells pasta dishes, too, but we stick to the subs ... and to the bright orange sign behind the counter: “If you’re not Italian: Fake it!”

6606 Superior Ave., Sarasota, 927-2428.

Best Taste of the Old Country: The Bronx: Italian Village owner Giacomo Manafra (right) (Photo by Max Linsky)

Best Taste Of The Old Country: Poland: Pierogi Inn

Is there a better word — in any language — than “zapraszamy?” Of course not. Polish for “welcome” or “you’re invited,” the word is emblazoned in all caps on the storefront window of this Gulf Gate deli. Things only get better inside. Though pierogis aren’t actually cooked at the shop, several varieties fill the freezer, each shipped straight from the motherland. Choose from six different sausages, including the delectable “parowki wieprzowe” (pork wieners) and “parowki cielece” (veal wieners), or go for the bestseller: long, thin “kabanosy” (kielbasa). Looking for some news on the Polish glitterati? They’ve got celeb mags. Need a get well card for grandma? They’ve got those, too. Our advice? If you can’t splurge on Nanna, head to the back of the store and pick up a two dollar pint of Zywiec, Poland’s favorite brew.

6111 Superior Ave., Sarasota, 929-0101.

Best Taste Of The Old Country: Florida: JR’s Old Packinghouse Café

OPC is one of the few places in Sarasota where class distinctions fall by the wayside in the face of country fried steak and ice cold domestic beer. The food’s hearty — burgers, grouper sandwiches and grilled potatoes covered in melted cheese and bacon bits, stick-to-your ribs fare. The music’s rustic — rockabilly, folkabilly and just plain billy, depending on the night. And the setting can’t be beat — the 1920’s wooden celery packing building manages to pull off “quaint” in an area known for industrial parks. Plus, the waitresses call you “honey.” Can’t beat that.

987 S. Packinghouse Drive, Sarasota, 371-9358 or oldpackinghousecafe.com.

Best Specialty Food Market: Casa Italia

A few years ago, Raj and Nita Mathur took over this 22-year-old Sarasota fixture from the Galloni family and we wondered what would happen to our favorite spot for olives and olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano and the best prosciutto in town. Turns out the place only got better. The Mathurs have added Indian cooking classes to the regular appearances by local culinary celeb Giuliano Hazan, and stocked the coolers with Indian ingredients and prepared foods, all without sacrificing the Mediterranean focus or small town service that made Casa Italia a weekly must.

2080 Constitution Blvd., Sarasota, 924-1179 or casaitaliafl.com.

Best Place To Take Out-of-towners: The Linger Lodge

It takes a while to reach this treasure, but assuming you can handle an extended stint in the car with whoever’s in town, The Linger Lodge is an important stop on any Suncoast tour. Where else are you going to dine next to a stuffed squirrel playing golf? The walls are lined with animals killed on the property and preserved through the wonder of amateur taxidermy — stuffed snakes, the aforementioned squirrels, skinned gators, all the favorites are here. The Lodge is stocked with locals, a river runs out back by a new deck and they serve the best gator bites south of Tallahassee. Seriously, how can your friends miss an original like this? That’s right. They can’t.

7204 Linger Lodge Road, Bradenton, 755-2757 or lingerlodgeresort.com.

Best Place to Take Out-of-Towners: The Linger Lodge
(Photo by Max Linsky)

Best Place To Relive Your Vegan Youth: New College’s Four Winds Café

Generally, the food service at New College is the one thing that drives students out of the campus bubble and into town. But with Four Winds Cafe, which serves inexpensive fare five days a week, we’re not sure why they leave. Dishes like “Hum-chos” (tortilla chips, hummus and veggies) and the new “Freakin’ Sweet Sandwich” (avocado, provolone and tomato) are rounded out with coffees, teas and the best smoothies this side of the English department.

New College, west side of campus, 5800 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, 359-4488.

Best Place To Take Your Vegetarian Friends: Simon’s Coffee House

Simon’s could have easily been in the Best Soup, Best Lemonade, Best Lunch Counter and Best Baked Goods categories, but local vegetarians have so few decent dining options, we thought we’d throw them a bone (so to speak). Owner Simon Kirby is a vegetarian, but he’s not a nutritionista. Along with a copious variety of veggie, vegan and even the occasional raw dishes, he still serves up meat and cheese and all of the other good things in life. The soups are exceptional and varied, baked goods are either made in-house or next door at the Bavarian Bakery, and the staff is happy. Living right can taste good.

5900 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 926-7151.

Best Soda Shop: The Soda Fountain

It’s the kind of throwback place where you’re encouraged to call the staff “jerks” while drinking super-thick milkshakes, extra-malty malts and the best root beer floats in the area. It’s amazing: You sit on chrome and vinyl stools and these guys in starched shirts and crisp aprons will bring you burgers and fries and call you sir — it is Venice, after all — with nary a hint of irony.

349 W. Venice Ave., Venice, 412-9860.

Best Beach Bar Not On A Beach: The Old Salty Dog, City Island

Though surrounded by concrete, this venerable mainstay feels as sandy as your drawers after a day on Siesta. Tucked away at the end of a long parking lot near Mote Aquarium, The Old Salty Dog looks back on downtown and allows you to scoff at the poor nine-to-fivers who can’t get off the mainland. Kick back with a margarita, order something fried and turn lunch into a mini-vacation. And if you’re really hungry, dive into the classic grouper sandwich, a heap of succulent fish that hangs off the bun in every direction. It’s always good to remind yourself why you moved here.

1601 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, 388-4311 or theoldsaltydog.com.

Best Default Hangout: Metro Coffee & Wine

With a year under their belts at Metro, Betsy Nelson and her crew are still pouring, grilling and quiche-ing it up on the corner of S. Osprey Avenue and Mound Street. A frequent gathering spot for Sarasota’s downtownies, Metro’s also earning its salt as a cozy venue for local and not-so-local folk, classical and downright eclectic musical acts. As for those of you still wondering why Metro bills itself as “Your third place café,” here’s the rundown 1. Home 2. Work 3. Metro. Now, if they would just open on Sundays.

711 S. Osprey Ave., Sarasota, 365-1800. metro-coffee.com

Best Married With Kids Date Night: MT’s

On the average night at MT’s, you can count nearly a dozen men in floral Tommy Bahama-style silk shirts and those upscale polos that pass for dressy casual in the suburbs. Women are clad in semi-stylish outfits attended by the uncomfortable plucking and adjusting that comes from weekdays spent in comfier duds. Be honest — does that sound familiar? If so, call for a sitter and get on over to MT’s martini and tapas joint. The drinks are tasty, the food is good, it’s Lakewood Ranch-adjacent and you’ll be surrounded by your own kind. Don’t think we’re making fun — you very well may see us there, too.

8473 Cooper Creek Blvd., Sarasota, 360-0007.

Best Married With Kids Date Night: MT's (Photo by Camille Pyatte)

Best Beer With The Kids: O’Leary’s

Sit out on the shell beach overlooking the derelict boats of Sarasota Bay, get a pitcher of Bud and let the kids run amok: It’s the perfect way to spend a Saturday. The playground and water park are only a hundred yards away and there are lots of people walking dogs, so you may not even have to keep the young’uns entertained yourself. If you need to instill a little discipline, threaten to take them to the bathroom around the side. That nasty dungeon is scarier than the boogeyman.

Five Bayfront Drive, Sarasota, 953-7505.

Best Place To Drink From A Bucket: Siesta Key Oyster Bar

Locals, vacationers, snowbirds, weekend binge drinkers — you’ll find them all shoved into every nook and cranny at SKOB. Not quite a meat market, not quite outdoors, not quite indoors — this is the place for those nights when friends find themselves stuck in an endless loop of “I don’t know, where do you want to go?” Once there, take the opportunity to impress said friends by ordering one of SKOB’s kiddie pales, full of rum and other assorted libations. Nothing says “classy” like a kiddie pale stuffed with booze.

5238 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, 346-5443 or skob.com.

Best Way To Erode Your Wine Cred: Cru’s Canned Cocktails

Cru, last year’s Best Wine By The Glass List, only has a beer and wine license. Thanks to modern food science, though, they now carry an extensive line of pre-mixed drinks that fall just under the alcohol level allowed by their license. The pamphlets advertising this wonder of modern beverage technology grace every table, immediately devaluing Cru’s formerly exciting wine menu. Hmmm, California Sauvignon Blanc or chemical cocktail in a can? Maybe neither.

Cru Bistro & Wine Bar, 1377 Main St., Sarasota, 951-6272 or crubistro.com.

Best Venue For The Karaoke-Challenged: Irish Rover

Usually, live music at the Rover consists of either owner Paul Duffy or owner Bobby Vesey. “We take turns,” Bobby says. Both are veterans of Irish traditional music; Duffy even played with The Commitments touring band during the short-lived popularity of Irish Motown. Every night’s a toe-tapping, drink-spilling, raucous parade of popular Irish folk, soul and rock. Afraid of karaoke? Down a few pints of Beamish and join the other horrible crooners as the whole bar belts out “Drunken Sailor.”

6518 Gateway Ave., Sarasota, 926-1060 or irishroversarasota.com.