Savoring the Sarasota Scene

MARVELOUS MUSIC

Sarasota has a rich and wide-ranging music scene, and some of the best musical performances all year occur during the Sarasota Music Festival, sponsored by the Sarasota Orchestra. This three-week series in June brings together music students, now called fellows, from conservatories across the country and pairs them with first class music professors and performers. 

Montrose Trio (montrosetrio.com)

 It’s a wonderful partnership that results in some great concerts.  This week at the Triple Crown concert, we had the pleasure of hearing three faculty as soloists along with the fellows, and they were all superb.  Ani Kavafian (Yale) on violin, Richard Svaboda (principal, Boston Symphony) on bassoon in a Vivaldi concerto, and Nathan Hughes (principal, Metropolitan Opera, and Juilliard) in Mozart’s oboe concerto.  But, the crowning piece in this very special concert was Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 2 as presented by the Montrose Trio.  It was mesmerizing and the hall was silent.  The moment the last note was played the audience was on its feet.  

DINING LOCALLY

Durham in Bradenton

Good friends introduced us to the Central Café in old Bradenton.  It’s spacious and airy with lots of tables and a bar at the back.  Its laidback casual feel reminded us of Foster’s Market and the Ninth Street Bakery in Durham, North Carolina.  Although it was our waitress’ first day on the job, she readily went back to the kitchen to get answers to our menu questions.  Among the four of us, we enjoyed the pork chop special, a super lunchtime sandwich, ribs, and the pork tostada.  Add in a glass of beer or wine or even a cocktail and you’re set.   

SAVOR SARASOTA

Each June restaurants in Sarasota offer specially-priced three course lunch and/or dinner menus. This year around 100 restaurants are participating with a lunch menus for $16 and dinner $32.  Earlier this week we dined at two participating restaurants.  At CasAntica, where we have eaten before, we did order their Savor menu and it was excellent!  Several choices for each course and slightly smaller portions which we appreciated.  Especially tasty were the chicken piccata and the veal piccata and a luscious almond cake for dessert!

Umbrellas 1296

This was our first time eating at Umbrellas, the space where Roast used to be, but totally re-imagined.   We loved the décor—-blue walls, comfy blue chairs and banquettes, and attractive pillows. One of the wait staff told us that they were an inclusive place and welcomed everyone of every persuasion, hence the name.  Likewise, the menu is a broad one ranging from salads and small plates to entrees and featuring tacos, fish, a burger, roasted brussels sprouts, and chicken Parmesan.  They too had a Savor Sarasota menu and a pre-theater Opera menu (also 3 courses). 

Instead of either of those, we opted to share a Caesar salad (plenty for the two of us) and sampled the tasty sprouts, very good crab cake, and the chicken parm.  The latter had a nicely spiced tomato sauce, but the chicken had obviously been prepared ahead of time so was a bit dry.  It came on a generous mound of spaghetti.  Paul, the ebullient owner, was touring around the tables and we had an amusing chat with him.

The vibe is lively to loud, but we were there early during happy hour.  Many evenings they also have live music so I wouldn’t go planning on a quiet tete a tete.  We will return to try some other dishes.

SUMMER READING UPDATE

While I published a list of titles I’d like to read this summer in my last blog, I often add in books not on my initial list. Here is one from the list and one I picked up at Hudson News in Grand Central Station. Thanks to those of you who’ve already sent me some of your suggestions—I have added a few titles to my ever growing lists!

Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl

Ruth Reichl was editor of Gourmet for ten years before Conde Nast stunned readers and staff by pulling the plug on the magazine.  Restaurant critic for the New York Times and author of several memoirs, Reichl was surprised, and a bit terrified, about being approached to become Gourmet’s editor. She had never run a large organization nor supervised a big staff, but she took on the challenge.  In so doing, she expanded the boundaries of its coverage and re-shaped the magazine at an exciting time in the culinary world.  Reichl is a breezy writer and great company for an afternoon. She shares her doubts and worries, her concerns about neglecting her son when she travels, and highlights some of the egos and outsize personaltiies she interacts with along the way.  A fun read for foodies! (~JWFarrington)

Into the Raging Sea  by Rachel Slade

If you’re looking for a book that will completely absorb you for about 24 hours, this is it.  Slade has written a dramatic account of the last voyage of the American freighter, El Faro, which went down near San Salvador in 2015 on its weekly run to Puerto Rico.  Not only is this the story of that voyage, but it’s also an informative history of the shipping industry, how commercial ships today are regulated or not, along with testimony from the ship’s owners (TOTE) about the company’s restructuring. 

What makes this such a compelling read is that Slade spent time with family members of the 33 individuals on the ship, all of whom were lost.  She also presents the crew members’ actual words from the many hours of conversation transcribed from the ship’s “black box.”  There is an intimacy to her account that makes it both painful and poignant.  With references to Jacksonville, Florida, home to many of these mariners; Maine where some received their training; and Philadelphia where Sun Ship was based; this book should appeal to a wider audience beyond those attracted to the sea.  Slade is a journalist and writer based in Boston. (~JWFarrington)

Note: Text and Umbrellas photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).

Summer Reading List 2019

To me, June signals the beginning of summer reading season. Last summer I set myself the goal of reading 20 books between June 1 and September 1. This year I don’t think I’ll be quite as ambitious; maybe I’ll read that many books and maybe not, but I am not going to be so focused on the number. Here are some of the titles I have stacked up for my summer reading.  As usual, I will mail a box of books to Maine and then, inevitably, buy a few more books here and there at my favorite independent bookstores.  Plus I already have some titles on my Kindle waiting to be read.  So, here goes!

What titles are on your summer reading list? I’d love to have you share a title or two.

FICTION—More Serious or Literary

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson. A debut spy novel that deals with race and gender.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman. Backman is a very popular Swedish author and this book was a recommendation from a good friend.

Clock Dance by Anne Tyler. I never got to this novel last summer so this year I will.

Exposure by Helen Dunmore. A much praised author whose work I’ve never read.  This novel is set in London in 1960.  Dunmore died fairly recently.

Florida by Lauren Groff. I don’t often read short stories, but, I live in Florida, so I thought I should give this highly praised collection a try.

The Huntress by Kate Quinn. I thoroughly enjoyed Quinn’s earlier historical novel, The Alice Network, and expect this one to be equally riveting.

Jigsaw by Sybille Bedford. A New York Review classic originally published in 1989.  Bedford was born in Germany in 1911, but lived in several different countries including briefly the U.S.  She died in 2006.

Middlemarch by George Eliot. A classic I’ve had on my list awhile now to re-read.  Originally published 1871-72.

FICTION—Mystery, Crime, and Beach Reads

The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow. I’m aiming to shake up my reading selections and this novel of the drug trade was on a list I saw.

A Question of Trust by Penny Vincenzi. Women’s fiction for sure, and the last novel by this very popular British author whose earlier books featured power-hungry men, love-seeking women and lots of romance, conflict and affairs.  Vincenzi died last year.

Shadows on the Lake by Giovanni Cocco and Amneris Magellan. A mystery translated from the Italian set around Lake Cuomo that was on one of the many book-related e-mails to which I subscribe.

When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton. Continuing my novel reading about Cuba.  This is the sequel to Cleeton’s  Next Year in Havana.

In Havana

MEMOIRS

Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl. Reichl’s account of her time as editor of Gourmet Magazine before its demise.

She Read to Us in the Late Afternoons:  A Life in Novels by Kathleen Hill. My regular readers know I am a big fan of memoirs. This one looks like it combines the personal with a love of books.

Notes: All text ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved). Header photo of reader couple from www.nymcpl.org.

My Summer Reading

SUMMER READING ROUND-UP

 Following the lead of another blogger (The Book Stop), who got it from another blog, I set myself the personal challenge of reading 20 books between June 1 and Sept. 1.  In my June 3rd blog post, I listed ten of the twenty books I intended to read.  How did I do?  Overall I met my goal of twenty books and I read 8 of the 10 titles I listed in June.  The breakdown of genre is 14 novels (six were historical novels), three memoirs (two political ones), two nonfiction titles, and one book of short stories.

I liked most everything I read, but Westover’s memoir was amazing, Manhattan Beach fascinating, but a bit too long; Lincoln in the Bardo weird but so inventive; and Bad Blood, a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat tale of lies and hubris.  I also enjoyed the immigrants’ stories in The Leavers (timely), the political dramas shared so very differently by Comey and Dorey-Stein, and the spare and exquisite prose as represented by Strout, Egan, Halliday, and Ford.  Very hard to pick a favorite.

What was the best book you read this summer?  Or your personal favorite?  So much good literature and juicy political commentary available now.

Here’s the complete list.  Titles are linked to the blog post with my review.

  1. We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
  2. The Wife by Meg Wolitzer
  3. Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
  4. Educated by Tara Westover
  5. Pachincho by Min Jin Lee
  6. Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday
  7. The Heart is a Shifting Sea by Elizabeth Flock
  8. Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
  9. My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
  10. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
  11. .Love and Ruin by Paula McLain
  12. From the Corner of the Oval by Beck Dorey-Stein
  13. The Leavers by Lisa Ko
  14. The Address by Fiona Davis
  15. Lilli de Jong by Janet Benton
  16. The Tea Planter’s Wife by Dinah Jeffries
  17. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
  18. A Higher Loyalty by James Comey
  19. Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
  20. This Time Might Be Different by Elaine Ford

Note:  Header image is from www.readersdigest.co.uk

Summer Reading: Part 1

VISITING OLD HAUNTS

This week we are returning to the scene of past crimes—no, not crimes—just past lives.  Coming to Bethlehem for an event at Lehigh University let us re-explore Bethlehem’s Main Street and its burgeoning dining scene.  New restaurants midst old familiar ones (such as Edge, still excellent) and lots of sidewalk seating.  On Friday night, the streets were hopping!

The next morning, in the bright summer sunlight, Bethlehem’s Moravian heritage sparkled, the buildings appearing washed clean with unblemished facades. This rectilinear red brick and brownish stone architecture is still pleasing almost three centuries later!  

Even better than viewing former haunts was visiting with old friends and colleagues and sharing in the celebration of Mohamed’s career.  Dinner with Sharon and Ron and Swarthmore friends Peter and Nancy followed by lunch with Dolores were occasions rich with memories peppered with talk of travels. Next stop: upstate New York.

SUMMER READING
I read recently that one blogger sets herself the goal of reading 20 books between June 1 and September 1 and shares in her blog the book she intends to read.  The author of Book Stop, yet another blog, took up this challenge and shared her own list of titles.  I don’t know that I will read a particular set of twenty books this summer, but here, are 10 titles in my stack or on my Kindle that I want to read.   In no particular order, other than fiction comes before the several nonfiction works.

Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout.  She’s a favorite author and I look forward to this, her latest novel.

The Wife by Meg Wolitzer. I’ve read at least one other of her novels, but this one is the basis for a new movie starring Glenn Close due out this summer.  After seeing the preview, I added the book to my Kindle.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders.  I’ve avoided reading this novel since it sounded weird, but decided I really should give it a go.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.  This hardcover novel and National Book Award finalist has been sitting on my nightstand far too long (the book is now out in paperback).  It’s a multi-generational saga about a Korean family.

The Leavers by Lisa Ko.  A novel about immigration which may become my next book club choice.

Americanah by Adiche.  I’m late to the game on this novel about a young Nigerian couple and race and identity.

Love’s Attraction by David Adams Cleveland. This art historian and novelist writes big tomes (this one 500+ pages).  It’s set in Concord and Venice and sounds appealing and awaits on my Kindle.  On spec, I bought his latest novel in paper which is doorstop worthy at a thousand pages!

Educated:  A Memoir by Tara Westover.  Westover’s book has received a lot of attention given her unconventional childhood and the obstacles she overcame to become educated.

The Heart is a Shifting Sea by Elizabeth Flock.  This is a nonfiction study of several marriages in India.

A Higher Loyalty by James Comey.  I started this, but haven’t finished it yet. Need I say more.