When I think baseball, I think egg rolls. Don’t you? OK, it’s a stretch, I’ll give you that.

Back about four years ago, I had the opportunity to take a baseball trip with my son. Philadelphia was one of our stops. Obviously, The City of Brotherly Love, has a lot of things to do and food to eat.

I know there are great culinary adventures in Philly, Le Bec-Fin, Parc and Morimoto come to mind. But, my main interest was a little, shall we say, more pedestrian. Pat’s The King of Steaks.

That’s right. How could I trek all the way to Philly and not sample the wares of one of the greatest food stands in the country. The answer, I couldn’t. So, right before the ballgame we made a quick trip to South Philly for a steak.

We hit Pat’s around noontime. It was busy. It’s open 24 hours a day, so, I’m guessing it’s busy most times. You’ve probably seen Pat’s on a Food Network or Travel Channel show. Nothing fancy, that’s for sure. Just great, simple street food.

I ordered a steak, wit (step 1), cheez whiz (step 2) and paid (step 3). I made sure to practice (step 4), knowing how long I waited, the back of the line seemed an unreasonable punishment. No need to worry.

When we got our steaks they were nothing short of amazing! Tender, juicy and full of flavor, just like they had been serving them for the past 77 years. That was a food side trip that was well worth the detour.

Stomach full and Philly Steak Sandwich craving satisfied we were off to Citizen’s Bank Park to catch the Phillies in action.

What does all of this talk of Philly, baseball and  Pat’s have to do with Libby’s Cafe + Bar here in Sarasota? Here goes. I’m at Libby’s having a drink at the bar for their happy hour. I glance over at their bar menu and nestled between the Truffled-White Cheddar Popcorn and the Carolina Pulled Pork, is the Citizen’s Park Cheesesteak Egg Roll. That explains the Philly flashback (somewhat).

I had to have one. I mean how could I not. This could either be a crazy good combo of flavors or a deep fried food nightmare. If you could take all of the goodness of a Pat’s steak and wrap it an an egg roll, you would have a fantastic bar snack that would be hard to top. I ordered one up.

It came delivered on its own little platter accompanied by a nice dish of Sirachai Catsup. Interesting pairing. I thought maybe they would have a bowl of cheez whiz for dipping (it’s a thought, right?).

The egg roll was fried to a perfect golden brown, perfect. The wrapper was crisp and crunchy. Not at all oil soaked and soggy like some egg rolls we’ve all eaten.

Inside was combination of tender beef and cheese (that explains the missing bowl of cheez whiz). A really nice amount of both. I thought going into this that the finished product would be heavy and filling, but, that’s not the case. You wouldn’t want to down a half dozen of these, but, they were pretty light and bursting with flavor.

I usually relegate catsup/ketchup to french fries and french fries only (OK, it’s great on top of a meatloaf too). Rarely do I make an exception to my unwritten rule. But, this wasn’t your average Heinz Ketchup. This stuff had some zip. It worked really well with the egg roll and gave the whole thing a little kick. Not that a cheese steak really needs a kick, but, in this “mashup” preparation it worked. A hit for sure!

The Bottom Line: You have to travel some 1,100 miles to get an original Pat’s steak. Not practical most days. I’m not suggesting that a Libby’s Citizen’s Bank Cheesesteak Egg Roll is a substitute for the real thing, but, it sure makes a fantastic, tasty bar treat. And, as a bonus, if you make a mistake in ordering, they probably won’t send you to the back of the line!

Click here to see what other things Libby’s Cafe + Bar has on the bar menu.

Libby’s Cafe + Bar
1917 Osprey Avenue
Sarasota, Florida 34239
941-487-7300

Here’s our weekly list of the most searched for Sarasota restaurants on dineSarasota.com for the past week. The more things change, the more they stay the same. No change at the top, but a little shuffling of the deck.

Check out the top twenty each month on The LIST.

Here’s our weekly list of the most searched for Sarasota restaurants on dineSarasota.com for the past week. No Change at the top, but a little shuffling of the deck.

Check out the top twenty each month on The LIST.

In Chicago, back in the mid-1990′s, New York toy seller, FAO Schwarz tried a new concept. A candy store that was stocked to the gills with every type of confection known (and even unknown) to man. It was called FAO Schweetz. If you were under the age of ten, your eyes would almost bulge out of your head just by walking in the front door. You could smell the sweetness in the air. And, if you were lucky enough to have a cooperating adult, you could stuff a basket with enough sugar to make any respectable dentist jump for joy.

Now, imagine a store packed with every spice, sugar, salt and tea imaginable. That’s what the Spice and Tea Exchange located on St. Armands circle is like. It’s FAO Schweetz for cooks. If you’re looking for that just right flavor to make a dish, chances are you can find it here. It doesn’t matter if you’re a full time professional chef or a weekend dabbler, if you need that special something, a trip to St. Armands circle is in order.

Not sure what you’re looking for? They have a great knowledgeable and helpful staff that can guide you through the dizzying array of choices. On my most recent visit, I was looking for some specialty salts. I love salt and had lots to choose from.

After some window shopping through the “salt aisle” I decided that some help would be in order. I was looking for something a little different. I’ve had all the usual’s; Murray River, Cyprus Black Lava and Hawaiian Red (that one sounds illegal). I even own a block of Bolivian Rose and a micro planer.

A few tastes later, I decided on two salts I hadn’t used in my kitchen. The first was a Black Truffle salt. It had a nice truffle flavor, not to overpowering, but, not to subtle either. I thought this one would be a great finishing salt or even used to season a nice steak. Pretty tame stuff really.

My second selection wasn’t quite as safe. India Black, a type of mineral salt. This was different! This salt apparently has a very high sulfur content which makes it taste like hard boiled eggs. When you first taste it your senses are really fooled. It looks nothing like eggs. In fact, it has a pale pink dusty texture. So when it hits your tongue it’s like “where did that come from!”. Cool.

I really wanted to take home the India Black. But, what could you possibly do with this stuff except freak your friends out by offering them a small taste (blindfolded of course)? My new salt consultant said it would go great in any dish that used hard boiled eggs. Hey, why didn’t I think of that! Tuna salad came to mind. How about potato salad? I think I might miss the actual eggs themselves. Egg salad? No I guess that doesn’t work.

A little after the trip research yielded some additional info. This India Black salt is also called Kala Namak and is used extensively in Indian cuisine. It is mixed into a variety of dishes including chutneys and chaats. Here’s a link to a Tandoori Cauliflower With Mint Chutney recipe that uses Kala Namak.

I am taking that salt home. It’s too interesting to pass up. I’ll write another post when I figured out what to do with it. Stay tuned.

If you’re out hunting for that perfect rub, spice or seasoning, The Spice and Tea Exchange probably has something for you. With literally an endless of combination of spices available it’s pretty unlikely that you’ll come away empty handed. Just wandering through the store and smelling the aromas make you realize that sometime it’s the spice IN life that matters most.

The Spice and Tea Exchange
345 St. Armands Circle
Sarasota, Florida 34236
941-388-1411

Usually I reserve this space for some kind of snappy, somewhat food related banter. Not so today. Today’s edition of the dSDISH is going to be a little different and something I’m thinking about doing from time to time. It’s not quite a photo essay, but, it’s not a food/restaurant review either. I think it’s maybe more like a photo show and tell.

So, if you’re ready let’s get started.

I was at the Siesta Key Oyster Bar (SKOB) recently and noticed that they had a few new items on their menu. I asked their Chef, Geoff Carroll, if I could take a few shots to show all of you. Not surprisingly, he agreed. Here’s a look at a few of the new offerings at one of Siesta Key’s hot spots.

OK, if you own a place that has “Oyster” in the name you’ve got to have some great ones, and SKOB does. Above is their Oysters Rockefeller. As you can see they are loaded! Of course, you can still pick up a dozen on the half shell or steamed. They also have rolled out an oyster menu with about a half dozen new oyster variations.

Soft shell crab. It’s not quite as popular as some other types, namely snow and king, but, just as tasty. There was a time when you could only get this delicate tasting crustacean at certain times of the year. Not anymore. Lucky for us advances in aquaculture have made these crabs available practically year round.

SKOB’s version is lightly battered and fried. It’s then topped with a great Chipotle Aioli. As you can see the crab is sharing the plate with a nice assortment of mixed veggies. If you’ve never tried a soft shell crab, this is your big opportunity.

There’s something a little different coming out of the SKOB kitchen. Every Saturday and Sunday the Siesta Key Oyster Bar is serving brunch. They have all of the traditional things you might expect from a brunch menu. But, they’ve also thrown in a few surprises. One is the Crab Cake Benedict. A perfectly cooked crab cake, topped with a poached egg and finished with key lime hollandaise sauce. Some lightly grilled asparagus spears round out this nice brunch plate. It’s a great variation on the theme and makes for a satisfying entrée.

Looks like SKOB’s kitchen has really got it going! Now you can think of them for more than just great wings, live music and a laid back island atmosphere. There’s new food, dig in!

Siesta Key Oyster Bar
5238 Ocean Boulevard
Sarasota, FL 34242
941-346-5443

I think I’m a pretty outgoing person. I mean, I will talk to most people and do it without prompting. But, what’s it like to sit down with forty seven people you have never met before at one giant Norman Rockwellish table? And, not for Thanksgiving in your Grandmothers basement, but, in a Carrabba’s Italian Grill restaurant. It’s not quite a sociology experiment, but, it is interesting to say the least.

Enter the restaurant and it looks like any other Carrabba’s you might wander in to. But, say the magic words, “Amici Club” and you’ll be escorted to an out of the way side room where there real food feast is happening. It’s a not so secret society of Carrabba’s loyalists who have gathered to sample some of the restaurants signature dishes. And, it’s on the house!

This culinary sampling is one of the benefits of membership in Carrabba’s Amici Club. Along with rewards, giveaways and the like, members are invited to special tasting events. A great deal considering it doesn’t cost a dime to sign up for the club. Patrick Alderman, the Manager of the Carrabba’s in University Park told me that this particular restaurant has over four thousand Amici Club members. The most of any location in the country. To put that into perspective, if all of their Amici Club members showed up on the same evening, it would fill up the restaurant over sixteen times! That’s a lot of mouths to feed.

Here’s a rundown of how the evening went. When you’re lucky enough to snag an invite to the dinner (remember, four thousand invites and only forty eight eaters, you do the math), you get two places at the dinner. You and a guest. So, all of the people attending knows at least one other person. There were also groups of four. Everybody sits at one long table. Twenty four on one side, twenty four on the other. It’s a great concept, because in theory you get to make some new friends. They could have set this room with tables for four, but, this seating arrangement has more of a party atmosphere.

Now comes the food, oh, and the wine. Three choices of red and three whites. Our server, Emily, kept that vino flowing pretty well too. Carrabba’s was not skimping on their VIP’s tonight.

On tap was a six course meal. An appetizer, tonight it was calamari, followed by a Mediterranean Salad, three pasta courses and then dessert. Unfortunately, a monsoon-like Florida storm kept me pinned in my car during the appetizer portion of the show, but, I was able to dash in to catch the salad.

On to the pastas. The first selection of the night was the Pasta Weesie. This is an Alfredo sauce based dish. I will have to say up front that me (and my cardiologist) are not big fans of cream based sauces and this dish had lemon butter in it to boot. It was topped with some perfectly cooked shrimp. I gave it a shot anyway, just a little. To my surprise it was light and loaded with flavor. A flavor other than the sauce. My experience with these kinds of dishes has been less than fulfilling. They are usually heavy, somewhat bland and sometimes mushy. This dish was anything but that.

On to pasta number two, Penne with Fennel Sausage Pomodoro. A great pasta dish. Loaded with flavor and topped with a fantastic fresh ricotta. This dish was everything a pasta dish should be. It was a little like eating an inside out cheese ravioli. That ricotta on top really made this one shine.

The last of the evenings pasta selections was, Tag Pic Pac. Tagliarini pasta in Carrabba’s Picchi Pacchiu sauce topped with basil. A nice light, flavorful pasta dish. There was a downside with this one. It has more to do with the way it was served tonight rather than the dish itself. All of the pasta dishes tonight were served family style. So, once everyone served themselves a portion, the delicate sauce had mostly ended up at the bottom of the bowl. I’m sure that this dish would be great as a single serving plate where all of the sauce stays where intended, on the pasta.

The evening ended with a nice chocolate mousse dessert.

I polled my fellow diners after the meal to see what they thought. Most of my four dining companions liked the Pasta Weesie the best. My choice was the Penne. I think some of that was a little of my subconscious at work. I’m trying hard to like the healthier choices, it’s a battle.

Carrabba’s is really working at the customer loyalty game. The Amici Club, is a great way to keep their faithful in the loop on happenings at the restaurant. I think we all realize that Carrabba’s is a chain with locations across the country. But, it’s nights like this that give it a locally owned and operated feel.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill
5425 University Parkway
University Park, Florida 34201
941-355-4116

Summertime 2010 is “officially” upon us! And, of course that means that were going to see tons of great fruits and vegetables hitting our local farm stands and Farmer’s Markets.

Now is a fantastic time to get out and see what available outside the produce section of your favorite supermarket. You may be surprised. Now, don’t get me wrong. I think our local grocer’s do a fine job of keeping their shelves stocked with great fresh fruits and vegetables from around the world. But, there’s nothing like a fresh ear of farm stand sweet corn or watermelon. That says SUMMER!

The Downtown Farmer’s Market is open every Saturday morning. If Sunday strolling is your thing, then you can try the Siesta Key Farmer’s Market in Siesta Village.

Say it, Fish-Burger. Go ahead, one more time, Fish-Burger. Now you’re getting the idea. It might be a little unnatural when you first utter it,  but, you’ll get the hang of it.

Any place you walk into these days that serves casual fare seems to have a fish taco on the menu. So why not a burger made of seafood? It’s healthy, light and potentially very interesting. It may not be a Hob Nob burger dripping with deliciousness, but, you probably won’t need a forty five minute nap after eating it either.

When you think about a burger made from fish some immediate possibilities come to mind. Salmon, grouper and mahi rise to the surface first. All of these would make excellent choices. But what about a few dark horse candidates?

The Monterey Grill, which is tucked between a salon and a specialty boutique on the north side of Paradise Plaza, has an idea of their own. Wahoo!!

Wahoo (or as it is known in Hawaii, Ono), makes a fantastic fish taco. But, how would it hold up in a burger? I think we’re about to find out.

The day that I was there, Wahoo, was the burger of the day. It comes either Cajun, jerk or grilled. I wanted to keep it simple so I could taste the fish. I went for grilled.

The burger came with a side dish. And, just my luck, I could have a cup of soup as my side (we don’t have to go into detail again about my soup “problem”). Chicken Rice was the soup of the day, Slam dunk on that!

The burger and soup combo arrived. It was nicely grilled and had all of the usual burger accompaniments. It was topped with a remoulade sauce, which in this case, was really like a tarterish/mayoish spread. It worked great with the burger. It was all put together on a fresh and delicious bun.

The fish itself was nice and flaky. Initially, I was thinking that this was going to be like a grilled salmon patty. But, to my surprise it wasn’t. It was light, but, still flavorful and not packed down like a hockey puck like some turkey burgers can be.

As for the soup, it was a great starter for the meal. The rice had a super “fresh” taste. It was loaded with lots of veggies and chicken. It wasn’t like my Mom’s chicken soup. But, then again they didn’t have her special pot to work with.

The Monterey Grill has a bright and airy decor and gives a good first impression. It’s casual ambiance invites people to have a great conversation along with their meal.

The Bottom Line: The Wahoo Burger at The Monterey Grill is a winner. A tasty lunchtime treat that won’t make the rest of your day seem like it’s moving in slow motion. You may not jump out of your seat and yell WAHOO!, but, if you did I would understand.

Monterey Grill
3800 S. Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34239
941-366-0729

Note: Sorry for the delay in posting the second part to this piece. If you want to read/re-read part one, click here.

It all comes back to the chili. Forget about the beer, the fantastic made to order weather and the live music. That’s why we’re here right?

With the booth judging out of the way it was now time for real deal. Chili was being lovingly prepared for two competitions. The first was the People Choice Chili. The champion of this category would be voted on by everyone at the event. Pay your entry fee, get a bowl and spoon, eat great chili and vote for your favorite. It’s as simple as that. And, vote people did. I’m not certain of the exact amount of ballots cast, but, judging by the bag of slips that were turned in it was going to take quite a while to count them.

Here’s are the winners People Choice competition:

1st: Spice Girls
2nd: Morton’s Firehouse Chili
3rd: Rajun Cajun Buffalo Chili Shack
4th: OSHA Violation/Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc.
5th: C & M Championship Chili

The second category was the Best Texas Red competition. This was the one that my “expert” palate would be needed for. The winner of this contest would receive a nice cash prize and an automatic entry into the International Chili Society (ICS) World Chili Cook Off.

Sergei, our head judge and de facto chili tasting commander was about to detail the rules for the REAL event, Best Texas Red Chili. Rule number 1, No bribery. Damn, I was just getting used to the good life! Rule number 2, no beans, pasta or other fillers. We were judging “meat and sauce”.

This process was methodical, anonymous and highly specific. It could not have been more serious. It was the polar opposite of the booth judging. Here’s how it goes (hope I’m not telling tales out of school).

Each entrant turns in a one quart Styrofoam cup that has a number written on the bottom. The cups are split up onto two tables with no judge being able to taste more than 25 chilies. The cups are then assigned a judging number, 1 through 25 for one table and 26 through the balance for the other. That number is written on the front of the cup. Judges are assigned to either table A or table B.

I wasn’t sure how many other judges there would be for the event. As it turned out, there were quite a few. I was about to find out why. Having more judges produces a more consistent outcome. It weeds out somebody who just likes sweet chili or someone else who can’t stand a chili unless it’s flaming hot. The wisdom of the moderate masses.

For the actual evaluation of the chili the process was pretty straightforward. Every judge gets a sheet with numbers that correspond to the chili cups on their table. There is a place to make notes for each of the chilies. Actually, we were encouraged to make notes not just for ourselves, but, for the contestants too. There would be an after tasting debrief for the cooks. They could see how we felt about their entry in detail.

Each table has is a big bowl of plastic spoons in the middle. There is also a nice variety of palate cleansers. Chips, tortillas, sour cream and the like. Oh, yeah, don’t forget about the beer! We were to take a clean spoon, examine the chili in the cup (don’t pick it up!), stir it, smell it and then give it a taste. Then, discard the dirty spoon, grab another clean one from the pile and repeat with the next chili cup. We were encouraged to go around the table as many times as necessary to select our favorite three from the table in order of preference.

After we turned in our score sheets we waited for the official score to be revealed. The top five chilies from each group would make the final table. Here’s something I didn’t know (not that I had any prior experience at this kind of thing). Not only were some of the chilies weeded out after the first round, but, so were some of the judges! Only a few of us would get to judge the final group. It was a waiting game for cooks and judges alike.

When the final table was revealed the best chilies from both groups had made the cut and happily so had I! On to the final round.

This time things were much tougher. The first round had some pretty obvious winners and losers. The chilies that made it to the next level were all pretty tasty. I made my rounds of the final table with Sergei’s instructions playing over in my head, “meat and sauce, meat and sauce…”. It actually took a few days to get those words out of there. It was kind of weird when I was eating a bowl cereal the next morning, “meat and sauce, meat and sauce…”.

Anyway, I circle the table several times, sampling along the way. I made my notes and marked my three top choices. Once my scoring sheet was turned in it was out of my hands. The sheets would be reviewed, scores tallied and a winner proclaimed.

Here’s how the Best Texas Red battle turned out:

1st: Gene Morelli Chili
2nd: Tigersbite – Ray Frederick
3rd: McAfee Antivirus Chili – Tim McAfee
4th: Half-Fast Chili – David Sinclair
5th: Rodney Jones Chili

Congratulations to all of the day’s winners! There were some amazing chilies cooked at the fairgrounds that afternoon. I’m hoping our Sarasota winner represents us well at the World Chili Cook Off.

Also congratulations to Elise Lipoff and the folks at Beks Entertainment Group for putting together a fantastic event. Can’t wait until next year!

We’ve had bunches of new places open up over the past six months or so. These new Sarasota restaurants have been making a big showing on The LIST.

Even with all of these new places to dine around town, some old Sarasota favorites make this months rundown of the most searched for restaurants on dineSarasota.com. June 2010 is a fantastic mix of the old and the new.

Here’s the top ten for the month of June 2010

1. Munchies 420 Cafe
2. Owen’s Fish Camp
3. The Old Salty Dog
4. Yoder’s
5. Trader Vic’ Island Grill
6. Morocco Restaurant
7. Cafe Gabbiano
8. Solorzano’s
9. Wild Hob BBQ
10. Shakespeare’s Pub

If you’re wanting more, here’s a link to June’s complete list.

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