Tidy Tidbits: The Local Scene

 

This was a fun week filled with theater, opera, dinners out and in, and long conversations with old and new friends.

SMALL SCREEN

After war in early 20th century Morocco, I’ve taken up a Kiwi crime series.  The Brokenwood Mysteries (available on Acorn) are set on the North Island in a very small fictional town of the same name.  Detective Mike Shepherd is new to the area and has two junior colleagues, Kristin Sims and D.C. Breen.   Often turning up to provide background information and assistance is Jared Morehu, a young Maori man who doubles as a handyman.

Murder is on the docket whether it be drowning in a wine vat, dying on a golf course, collapsing on stage, or cast adrift on the sea.  With four ex-wives and a bit of the city around the edges, Shepherd is passionate about country music and always has a cassette tape or two to pop in when he hops into his car.  These episodes are long, an hour and a half each, but I’m caught up in the experience of life and death in this beautiful somewhat rural area.

NOT TO BE MISSED

Rhinoceros at the Asolo Theater.  Ionesco’s absurdist play, first presented in 1959, has a simple plot line, but raises challenging questions for our time.  How does one remain an individual and true to one’s values when everyone around you is joining the herd?  Creatively staged and wonderfully acted, this production is both humorous and thought-provoking.  We had the added pleasure of seeing this with good friends from Philadelphia.

As a graduate student, the Chief Penguin was a volunteer usher in Boston for five nights when the Metropolitan Opera came to town.  He credits that performance of Bellini’s Norma, starring Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne, with sparking his love of opera.  Earlier this week, we were at the Sarasota Opera’s production of Norma, and it was wonderful!  The singing is not quite the level of those divas, but it was very good, especially Joanna Parisi as Norma.  The staging was also nicely done.  There are more performances of both Norma and Rhinoceros.

 

PRE-THEATER DINING

Two of our favorites for pre-performance dining are Muse at the Ringling and Louie’s Modern in downtown Sarasota.  Muse is consistently very good for both lunch and dinner, and we’ve recently enjoyed both.  The quesadilla is a frequent choice of the C.P., and I’m partial to their salads, particularly the green salad topped with grilled chicken and their Caesar.  In the evening, entrees include trout, salmon, and short ribs plus they have crab cakes, always good, as an appetizer.  Service is pleasant and efficient almost to the point of briskness. But they do want to be sure you make it in time for your play!

It’s “the season” as they say, so Louie’s is again offering their Modern Theater Menu (3 courses) for $30.  It’s a good deal!  The portions are a nice size and for each course there is a choice among three options.  We’ve eaten this menu twice recently and the North Palm salad with grapefruit is a light starter, while the salmon with couscous and the chicken breast are both excellent.  The chicken is accompanied by a silky mascarpone polenta and root vegetables.  Dessert offerings include a warm chocolate cake and polenta cake with berries, both of which we’ve sampled.  Muse and Louie’s are both part of the Tableseide group so there can be a bit of overlap between the menus—one example being the delicious and attractively presented burrata with heirloom tomatoes on a coral Himalayan salt block.  

WHAT I’M READING

Ann Veronica by H.G. Wells. Watch for more about this 1909 novel about a modern young woman in a future blog.

 

 

 

Notes:  Brokenwood image from all3mediainternational.com, principals in Norma from mysuncoast.com, and burrata photo from sarasotafoodies.com.  Header photo ©JWFarrington.

Sarasota Scene: Songs & Salt

AMERICAN MUSIC

This was the last week of our Sarasota Institute of Lifelong Learning programs for the year so no more Monday and Wednesday morning commitments.  Music Mondays, in particular, ended on a high note, or perhaps I should say, on a dissonant note, with American composer of contemporary music, Libby Larsen.  Larsen’s work ranges from songs and instrumental pieces to operas.  We saw a video clip of an instrumental piece for piano and bassoon with the piano representing urban energy and the bassoon making all sorts of strange sounds.  And then a young soprano from Korea and Long Island, a guest that day, sang a couple songs.   Larsen is keenly interested in American language and traditions; this is reflected in the research she did timing the speech patterns of auctioneers as a prelude to composing Bid Call, a piece for alto sax and cello.  We heard one movement of it.  Very different.

Larsen does her composing all in her head, which I found fascinating, and only then transcribes the piece into notes on paper, and after that checks it against the piano.  Throughout the interview, she was a bundle of energy, never sitting still, and animatedly chatting with her hands always in motion.  This seemed at odds with her daughter’s description of growing up in a house quiet as a library.  Larsen doesn’t like the radio or produced sounds and prefers to listen to the wind and other natural sounds.

DINING OUTDOORS

For our finale sixsome lunch, we had an outside umbrella table at Roast.  We’ve had dinner here in the past and at least one lunch.  Their special lunch menu is an appetizing selection of salads, sandwiches and soup or you can select from the regular menu.  We opted for lighter fare and enjoyed the salmon three ways on mini potato pancakes and the shrimp and crab salad with avocado dressed with marie rose sauce.  The house green salad was also excellent, and, as always, the price was right.

Keeping with the outdoor theme, we enjoyed lunch outside at Louie’s Modern on Friday.  My family from upstate NY was determined to bask in the warm air every minute of their visit, even when the sun wasn’t shining.  Louie’s menu is sophisticated and creative, and they loved the burrata and fresh tomato salad served on a watermelon pink Himalayan salt block—so much so that my sister-in-law immediately ordered one!  We also tucked into smoked trout deviled eggs, chicken potstickers, black & blue pizzetta, curry roasted cauliflower, brisket taco, and the kale Caesar and paleo Cobb salads.  Lots of different tastes to tickle the palate!

CONGRATULATIONS

This week was Artisan Cheese Company’s 4th anniversary. This is our wonderful downtown Sarasota cheese shop stocking a wide array of cheeses from across the U.S. and Europe.  Louise and her staff are warm and welcoming, making it a point to get to know their regulars, and are always happy to offer you a sample of any cheese in the case.  You can even stop in for a lunchtime sandwich or a cheese plate and a glass of wine.  Three cheers to them!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Earlier this week, we welcomed, from a distance, our second granddaughter, Frances Elizabeth.  Her big sister is delighted, as are we, and we look forward to meeting Frances and seeing her with her eyes open!

 

Header image:  Salt block from www.mnn.com