A Food, Spirits & Wine Blog

I love sandwiches in all forms! Hoagies, po-boys, heroes, reubens, clubs, grinders, paninis, burgers, wraps – the list goes on and on! But I recently discovered tortas, which I always thought of as a cake or pie more than a sandwich. Here’s my new take on the classic Mexican torta! When a new sandwich shop opens in Sarasota, Laurie and I immediately start planning our visit – you can never have too many sandwich shops nearby! And the more ridiculous the sandwich the better! I

Last week we reviewed six restaurants/bakeries in the Sarasota area that Laurie and I have recently tried. This week we’ll round out the list with six more restaurants that we found worthy of our attention – let’s see if you agree! Our hometown - beautiful downtown Sarasota Eggsperience Eatery Eggsperience Eatery in Bradenton Vegetable Hash Meat Lover's Omelette Eggsperience Eatery is another breakfast/lunch restaurant tucked away in a slightly rundown strip mall off of 70

We’re back for my semi-annual restaurant review series – fall 2026 edition! There’s alot of ground to plow here with six new restaurants, along with six other local restaurants that Laurie and I have just recently gotten around to visiting! Let’s dive right in!! Selva Bar at University Town Center Chateau 13 Chateau 13 in downtown Bradenton Chef Presentation of the Tomahawk Chop Watermelon Salad 4-Ways Chateau 13 has been our list of "must visit" restaurants for years now,

I love pizza in all of its forms, but the best pizzas are the ones that can be made easily and quickly at home! Here’s a recipe that provides a fresh take on the classic by ditching the traditional pizza dough, red sauce, and pepperoni for ciabatta bread, a fresh arugula-parsley pesto, and chicken sausage. Retirement can be tiring! I mean, a brisk walk in the morning, followed by reading the papers, running errands, going out for lunch with Laurie, lounging in the pool while

What do you think when you hear the word ‘Zinfandel’? Do you think about your first ever taste of wine, a cloyingly sweet white Zinfandel, or do you instead think about a rich, robust, fruit-forward red wine that pairs wonderfully with a wide range of foods? Turns out the answer is “both” for me! Let’s talk about why I absolutely love the Zinfandel grape, in all its variations and styles!! A year or two ago, I wrote a blog series on the Chardonnay grape, and my plan has been