It’s supposed to be all about the burgers. And, mostly it is. When you have the word burger prominently featured in your name it had better be. But, what happens when a alternative menu item is as good as the featured items?

When I was about ten I thought, incorrectly I might add, that a grilled cheese sandwich could only be made with cheese that came individually wrapped. I just assumed this attention to each slice meant that each perfectly formed piece of cheese was special. I had no idea at that age what the term processed cheese food meant. Good thing.

Here’s the recipe for all of you who haven’t been “privileged” enough to have enjoyed it.

Method
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Butter one side of both bread slices. Place one bread slice buttered side down in skillet. Top bread with cheese slices. Place second bread slice on top of cheese butter side up.

When the bread is golden brown on underside of sandwich, flip and brown side two. When both sides are browned and cheese is melted remove from heat. Eat immediately for maximum roof of mouth and lower lip burn.

Fast forward about forty years. Grilled cheese is making a huge resurgence in popularity. And, it’s not about the little kids anymore. It’s about the big kids. Adult grilled cheese sandwiches are gracing menus all over the country. Some of these new renditions are beyond imaginative and pretty damn tasty.

Here’s a prime example.

That is the X-Rated Grilled Cheese Sandwich from Square 1 Burgers & Bar. Obviously, not created with a six year old in mind. That is, unless your tyke likes Gruyère and sharp cheddar cheese, dill pickle slices, beefsteak tomato, mayo and sourdough bread. Oh, I almost forgot, you can also add bacon (and who wouldn’t do that?).

Here’s the story I was told. So many adults were ordering grilled cheese off the kids menu that the restaurant owners felt they needed to do something. I’m not sure why, but, they did. As it turns out, it was a good thing. If not for those crazy grown ups ordering all that kids food, this super delicious sandwich would probably never have been invented.

You can grab one of their great grilled cheeses at either of the Square 1 locations here in Sarasota. Oh, what about the burgers you may be thinking.

They still have those too.

1737 S. Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34239
941-870-8111

University Park Center
5239 University Parkway
Sarasota FL 34201
941-359-0001

And, onward we go. Last week we revealed ninety of the 100 top Sarasota restaurants on dineSarasota.com for 2011. Now it’s time to get to the next five. I feel a little like Casey Kasem here, no long distance dedications please…

Yume Sushi has been serving some of Sarasota’s best sushi for years now. What was once a newcomer to the downtown dining scene, is now a mainstay. Yume has some incredibly creative dishes that their expert sushi chefs prepare using only the freshest ingredients. One trip to the Main Street hotspot and you’ll be a regular.

9 – Café Gabbiano

Located on Siesta Key, Café Gabbiano offers a unique and charming place to have a romantic Italian dinner. Gabbiano’s also sport’s one of the most extensive wines lists on the island.

8 – Nancy’s Bar-B-Que
301 South Pineapple
Sarasota, Florida 34236
941-955-3400 | Visit the Website

The opening of Nancy’s this past year was one of the most widely anticipated culinary events in Sarasota. OK, that may be a bit strong, but, people were drooling waiting for her fantastic BBQ. Every day the barbeque experts at Nancy’s slow smoke some of Sarasota’s best Q. I’m only glad my office isn’t within wafting distance. That would be hard to resist on a daily basis.

7 – Pegasus Greek Family Restaurant
2833 Bee Ridge Road
Sarasota, FL 34239
941-926-4461 | Visit the Facebook Page

This Bee Ridge Road eatery offers a menu filled with traditional Greek fare. From appetizers through desserts you will be delighted with the homemade quality. Make no mistake, this isn’t fine dining, but, the casual, family atmosphere is easy to get used to.

6 – Trader Vic’s Island Bar & Grill
341 N. Cattlemen Rd.
Sarasota, FL 34232
941-378-3900 | Visit the Website

The casual, little brother of the original home of the Mai Tai. Trader Vic’s delivers great island style food in a location that happens to be nowhere near the water. Not a problem. You get the same great island feel without the craziness of Siesta, Lido or Longboat during season. A lot of days that can be a huge plus.

During the course of the year there are tons of “Best of” lists in our local newspapers, magazines and on websites. Along with the awarding of these honors come our local Sarasota restaurants pleading for your votes on Facebook, Twitter and any other soap box they can find to stand on. I don’t fault them for that, those are the rules. Those best of lists seem to take on an air more like an election for senior class President than anything else.

Over here at dineSarasota.com we have always done things a little differently. There is no begging, groveling or pandering for votes. Our “voting” process has been taking place all year long. And, the only influencers are YOU.

Our dineSarasota.com LIST is comprised of the most popular restaurant pages on our website over the past twelve months. We figure if you’re searching for it, you must be interested in dining there. During 2011 you have come to our site from, Google, Bing, Yahoo, AOL and just about every other place on the web. Over the past 10 years, dineSarasota.com has become a popular destination for hungry diners seeking information on Sarasota restaurants. We thank you for that.

So. with the formalities out of the way, why don’t you pull up a chair, sit back and enjoy the show…

12 – Shakespeare’s English Pub
3550 South Osprey Avenue
Sarasota, Florida 34239
941-364-5938 | Visit the website

14- The Savory Street Café
411 North Orange Street
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-312-4027 | Visit the website

153 Avenida Messina
Siesta Key, Florida 34242
941-312-9300 | Visit the website

November was a great month at dineSarasota.com. It would be bad form for me not to share some of the highlights with you. So…

Here are our top ten most popular posts from last month. Click, read, enjoy.

If you know folks who may have missed out on all the above deliciousness from November. Please feel free to share. They’ll thank you for it.

There’s no other way to say it. The new kids on the block are making an impression on Sarasota diners.

In this weeks top five there are four restaurants that have opened within the past few months, including two that have open in the last couple weeks. Only Solorzano’s is there representing the old favorites.

Here’s a look at the NEW top 5.

It’s the first time in a couple of years that Munchies 420, The Old Salty Dog or Yoder’s didn’t make it. Guess they’ll have to try a little harder.

Image Courtesy: Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

There have been lots of changes to the Sarasota restaurant scene in the past few months. We’ve been adding and deleting places from our database at a pretty good clip. Just in case you haven’t been paying attention, why don’t we bring you up to speed.

For the happy news…

Opened

Café Amalfi (two new locations)
Shaner’s Pizza (new location)
Beckham’s On The Trail
Milongo Argentine Steakhouse
Seven Hills Cuisine of India
Piatti Italian Bistro
Duval’s New World Café
Bistro Figliulo
The Greek Taverna
Taste of Sicily
Siesta Village Gourmet
Fresh Start Café
Indigenous
Eat Here

And, now for the not so happy news…

Closed

Cafe Continental Patisserie
Mattison’s Riverside
Horse Feathers Grill
Wild Hog Barbeque
Mad Crow Brewery & Grill (Watch for Darwin Santa Maria’s new place to open here)
Moroccan Restaurant
Legacy Sarasota Grille
Pita Pit
Aria European
Voocaray
Pastrami’s NY Deli
The Pita Shack

That’s quite a bit of action over the past several months. I know that’s not a complete list, but, it’s the highlights. If you have others, we encourage you to add them in the comments section. We’ll make sure they get a dineSarasota.com page of their very own.

As always, keep an eye on our home page for the latest.

Old favs and new entries make up this edition of the WEEKLY.

When Morocco closed over in the Buccaneer Plaza on South Tamiami Trail, I thought “why can’t a place make a go of it there?”. It’s not a bad spot really. They have parking, signage, and an easy in and out from the trail heading north. All good things. And to top it off, Morocco had good food too. What’s the deal?

Now a new place has opened in the shuttered Morocco space. Seven Hills. They are dishing up Indian cuisine and have had some pretty good crowds. I know our dineSarasota.com visitors are interested. They’re hitting the Seven Hills page at a pretty descent clip. If you go, let us know.

Here’s how it shakes out for this week.

A nice, well rounded top 5.

As usual, you should get out there and try some of our great local flavors. You could use a break from the holiday shopping.

From our table to yours, have a happy and thankful Thanksgiving Day.

Image courtesy of the Sarasota-Manatee Originals. © Peter Aker.

When I went to college back thirty years ago, course offerings were pretty unimaginative. OK, boring. There was your usual complement of core classes, followed by the courses that were mandatory for your major. All pretty standard stuff.

There was one class however that stood out in my college career as being a lot more interesting, insightful and ultimately useful than many of the others. I’m talking about Fine Arts 202. A class entitled, The History of Rock and Roll. Do I need to say more? Probably not.

Every Wednesday from six to nine in the evening, seventy five of us would gather in a university lecture hall to discuss seemingly crucial topics. As an example, “Who is more famous because of their untimely death, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendricks or Janis Joplin?”. Don’t answer too quickly, think it through.

And, I was certain that it would be critical later in life to know the chronological order of every Beatles song to make the Billboard Hot 100.  That was the stuff twenty year olds could really sink their teeth into. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t wish to diminish the importance of a stimulating discussion and recitation of the rise of the Byzantine Empire and it’s roll on modern society. But… Not the same.

What does all of this have to do with wine? And, more importantly with the 2012 version Forks & Corks? It’s simple. One of the most interesting parts of the four day event is, Forks & Corks University.

Here’s the scoop. In conjunction with the hugely popular food and wine extravaganza, the Sarasota-Manatee Originals want to educate you on the mysterious ways of the wine world. Let’s face it, many of us out there can’t tell a Cabernet from a Merlot. They’re both red and that may end it for a lot of folks. The Originals want to change all that. And, I for one support that effort.

They have put together two excellent course offerings for this years Forks & Corks U.

Image courtesy of the Sarasota-Manatee Originals. © Michael Klauber

Here’s what you can sign up for:

Vino Italia!

The world of Italian wines has been transformed during the last generation due to the passion and commitment of world class winemakers. Taste some of the fabulous wines that have changed the way the wine world looks at Italy. Class is followed by a four-course gourmet luncheon catered by Sarasota-Manatee Originals member restaurants. Wine pairings are included during each course.

The World of Pinot Noir and Cabernet is King

This program features a diverse selection of pinot noir wines in the morning and a four-course gourmet lunch catered by the Sarasota-Manatee Originals member restaurants featuring wine pairings with each course. Following lunch, enjoy the afternoon session sampling and learning about Cabernet Sauvignon.

Now, just imagine if you would have had either of those choices in college. Slam dunk!

Here in Sarasota we have an abundance of people with a super high wine IQ. The event co-chair, Michael Klauber is at the head of that class. He has put together a superb group of wine experts from around the world to conduct these sessions. This is a wine education that would be hard to duplicate anywhere else. And, it’s right in your backyard.

Both courses will be held on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at Michael’s on East and range in price from $60 to $110.

As you would imagine space for these offerings is limited. And, seats will go fast. If you would like more information on how to reserve your spot and increase your own wine acumen, you can visit the Sarasota-Manatee Originals website by clicking here.

The menu. The concept seems benign enough. If you walk into any restaurant, in any city, you will at some point be faced with some choices. Your options may be written on a white board mounted on a nearby wall. Or, they sometimes come in the form of elegant raised lettering on linen paper. These choices can and do come is a dizzying array of styles, but, that does not change the fact that you will have to make them.

Here’s the rub. I like the comfort of knowing what decisions need to be made prior to making them. I also relish the experience of being surprised by the unexpected. This creates problems. Allow me to illustrate.

Lets just say, I have a craving for this fantastic lamb dish. I’ve had it a couple of times before at this quaint little restaurant. This lamb is really good. My wife and I jump in the car. We fight a little pre-season traffic, we’re lucky enough to find a parking spot without too much circling and we stroll up to the front door.

Then you see the words. Most likely they are handwritten on a specials board. “You’ll love our new menu”. What? New menu? I didn’t get off my comfy couch, get in the car and be lucky enough to win the parking space lottery for a “new menu”. I want the OLD menu! What about my lamb? Sound vaguely familiar? Of course it does.

This is the point when the anxiety builds. Was my favorite lamb dish good enough to make the cut for the new menu? Did enough other diners think it was just as spectacular? Or, was the chef just sick and tired of making it day in, day out?

We’ve all been there. And, we’ve all had to settle at one time or another. At times our taste buds have been mildly disappointed by a substitute offering. But, things are bound to change.

But, there is another possible and preferable scenario.

You arrive at the restaurant, you’re greeted by the new menu sign and soon find out that something wonderful is about to take place.

Not only is your favorite lamb dish on the menu, but, so are a mouthwatering assortment of new and interesting choices. That’s exactly what’s happening at Libby’s Café + Bar. Lots of your old favorites, with a liberal mix of soon to be Libby’s classics.

Over at Libby’s they have a habit of refining their menu offerings two or three times a year. It’s a good habit. This winters menu makeover is destined to be a hit. I’m sure the job of re-working a menu is daunting and time consuming. It just seems like hard work. Lucky for us they’re damn good at it.

Let’s have a look.

Those are the “Karubi” Pork Belly Ribs. That’s right, pork belly ribs. If you want the same flavor profile in a sandwich it’s no problem. The Buffalo Inspired Pork Belly Sandwich is for you. Same rich, delicious taste, but, in a convenient handheld form.

All kinds of new offerings dot Libby’s winter menu. From Small Plates to Egg Rolls to Dinner and Lunch Specialties. There is lots to try and lots to love.

We all like our favorites. That’s why they’re our favorites. And, nobody’s saying you have to abandon yours. That’s the beauty of the new winter menu at Libby’s. Your old feel good favorites can play right along side the new kids on the block. And, they can play nicely.

LIBBY’S CAFE + BAR
1917 Osprey Avenue
Sarasota, Florida 34239
941-487-7300

For more information