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Sarasota dining: all around town.

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Barnacle Bill's Seafood

This local favorite was again voted "Best Seafood Restaurant" by readers of SARASOTA Magazine and winner of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune Reader's Choice awards. Sarasota's finest fresh seafood. No waterfront, no view ... just great, award-winning resort-style food.

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Menu Highlights

Appetizers

Smoked salmon appetizer

Lobster chimichanga

Certified oysters on the half shell

Entrees

Award-winning crab cakes

Grouper Gaspar

Bouillabaisse

Specializing in large lobsters

3634 Webber St., Sarasota (941) 923-5800

1526 Main St., Sarasota (941) 365-6800

5050 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota (941) 355-7700

8383 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota (941) 927-8884

Beach Bistro

"The best little restaurant in Florida"--a world-class little gem that has it all. The Beach Bistro boasts the highest Zagat ratings in the state for food and service. It is a member of Florida's revered "Golden Spoon Hall of Fame" and recipient of the Wine Spectator "Award of Excellence." All of this in a breathtaking Gulfside location.

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Menu Highlights

Appetizers

Bistro "kicker" grilled jumbo shrimp

Fresh lump blue crab martini

Foie gras on brioche bread pudding

Entrees

World's best rack of lamb

Gulf coast bouillabaisse

Butter poached lobster

6600 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach (941) 778-6444

www.beachbistro.com

Bella Roma Ristorante Italiano

Siesta Key's best-kept secret since 1991, Bella Roma Ristorante serves superb Italian cuisine in a romantic atmosphere. Menu includes homemade pasta, fresh seafood, veal, lamb, homemade bread and dessert. Extensive wine list, catering available. Open daily for dinner 5 p.m. until 10 p.m., lunch available for private parties. Summer hours may vary.

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Menu Highlights

Appetizers

Red roast peppers with Parmesan cheese

Pasta and fagioli

Crostini di polenta-e-gorgonzola cheese

Entrees

Homemade lobster ravioli

Risotto with wild mushrooms

Baked sea bass al cartoccio

Veal chop valdostana

5239 Ocean Blvd., Sarasota (941) 349-0995

www.bellaromaitalianrestaurant.com

The Bijou Cafe

The Bijou Cafe, a downtown "Sarasota Original", shines by winning Zagat's top rating for the Gulf Coast, Wine Spectator's "Award of Excellence" and Sarasota Herald-Tribune's "Best Continental Restaurant." The innovative food and wine menus coupled with Sarasota's most intimate dining rooms set the tone for power lunches, romantic interludes, and pre-theater dinners.

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Menu Highlights

Appetizers

Shrimp Piri-Piri

Pate de foie de canard

Shrimp and crab bisque

Entrees

Chicken breast paillard

Chargrilled rack of Australian lamb demi-glace

Crab cakes remoulade

Black Angus steaks

1287 First St., Sarasota (941) 366-8111

www.bijoucafe.net

Bonefish Grill

Bonefish Grill is a polished casual seafood restaurant that is appealing to those who crave high-quality cuisine at a good value in a comfortable, lively atmosphere. Offering a wide selection of fresh fish every day and generous portions, the restaurant also features hand-cut beef and pork tenderloin, pasta and chicken dishes.

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Menu Highlights

Appetizers

Bang Bang shrimp

Mussels Josephine

Entrees

Eight fresh oak-grilled fish selections to choose from with choice of lemon butter, lime tomato garlic, fresh mango salsa or Pan Asian style sauce.

Tenderloin portabella piccata

Pistachio Parmesan-crusted rainbow trout

3971 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota (941) 924-9090

8101 Cooper Creek Blvd., Sarasota (941) 360-3171

7456 Cortez Road W., Bradenton (941) 795-8020

www.bonefishgrill.com

Cafe Baci

Roberto Mei invites you to discover Cafe Baci's authentic Northern Italian cuisine and personal service. Featuring recipes refined over five generations, Cafe Baci was voted "Best Italian Restaurant" nine years in a row by SARASOTA Magazine and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and received Zagat's award for 2002 and the Wine Spectator "Award of Excellence." Lunch weekdays, early bird specials and dinner daily.

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Menu Highlights

Appetizers

Homemade mozzarella, basil and tomatoes

Sauteed shrimp in butter, garlic and herbs

Entrees

Angel hair pasta with fresh vegetable primavera

Veal Marsala with Roman mushrooms

Osso buco every Wednesday

4001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota (941) 921-4848

Cafe Epicure

Downtown gourmets are raving about this very Continental bistro/deli/market/restaurant. Featuring pastas and entrees, hefty sandwiches, delicate desserts, specialty cheeses, meats and homemade breads and pastries. Extensive selection of wines by the glass.

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Menu Highlights

Appetizers

Grilled radicchio with pancetta and smoked mozzarella

Air-dried beef with fennel and Parmesan

Sauteed shrimp with tomato and arugula

Entrees

Rigatoni with four cheeses and spinach

Pounded and fried chicken with arugula and tomatoes

Sliced New York strip with roasted potatoes and rosemary

1298 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota (941) 366-5648

Cafe L'Europe

Celebrating 33 years of culinary excellence, Cafe L'Europe continues to lead the way with the best of continental cuisine. The grande dame of area restaurants, Cafe L'Europe strikes the perfect balance between tradition and innovations. Dorna Award-winning wine list.

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Menu Highlights

Appetizers

Lobster bisque cafe

The Saga blue salad

Hudson Valley fois gras

Calamari

Entrees

Plantain snapper

Chateaubriand for two

Brandied duckling "Cafe L'Europe"

Potato crusted grouper

431 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota (941) 388-4415

Cafe on the Bay

An unforgettable gem nestled between the Gulf of Mexico and Sarasota Bay. Cafe on the Bay offers a spectacularly elegant view in a casual setting. Florida dining at its best. Sunday brunch from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Dinner nightly from 5 p.m. daily. "The Bay" is a port of call to return to time and time again. Cafe L'Europe's younger sister.

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Menu Highlights

Appetizers

Lobster bisque

Jambalaya

Crab cakes

Entrees

Cedar planked sea bass

Penne alla pescatora (fisherman's stew)

Grilled lobster tail

Steak Diane

Grilled lamb chops

2630 Harbourside Drive, Longboat Key (941) 383-0440

(Turn at Bay Isles Parkway, (Publix shopping center) right at the guard gate, take the second left for parking)

Caragiulo's

For more than 15 years the Caragiulo brothers have made a name entertaining Sarasota locals with their unique formula: simple, yet wonderful, Italian-American soul food; a charming atmosphere; and a humorous, light-hearted style of service. You know the food ... straight out of grandma's kitchen ... and you know the service ... straight from grandma's heart. "Favorisca!"...

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