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.
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!
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).
