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what we're talking about
Bubbles at Brunch
A weekend brunch is a relaxing way to spend time with friends and family. Take that leisurely morning meal to the next level by hosting a Champagne brunch and feature these refreshing cocktails offered at area restaurants. —K.RASFELD
Pommosa
INGREDIENTS
5 oz. Champagne
1 oz. Pama Pomegranate Liqueur
Splash of pomegranate juice
Garnish with floating
pomegranate seeds.
—Michael’s On East
Champagne Libby
INGREDIENTS
3 fresh strawberries, de-stemmed
3 sage leaves
1 oz. Hendricks gin
Simple syrup
Good California
Sparkling Wine
Muddle simple syrup and sage leaves in a shaker until flavors are combined. Add ice to shaker and add gin. Shake vigorously and strain into a Champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with a fresh strawberry piece.—Libby’s Café and Bar
Slippery When Wet
When construction began on a mooring field in Sarasota Bay, the effort was supposed to clean up the waters of derelict vessels. Instead, it just introduced frustrations about design and deterioration. Sarasota City Commissioners hired MillMac Corporation for $1.1 million and tasked the company with building and installing 35 mooring balls near Marina Jack’s. Questions immediately arose about the plans for the moors, but the company went ahead and installed 25 balls before testing began. Then, tests showed 19 of those would not hold to the floor of the Bay once a boat was attached. “We don’t know at this point whether the problem was with the specs or with MillMac,” says Deputy City Manager Marlon Brown.
The City suspects it was shoddy construction, and consultants from Coastal Engineering in Naples agree. But MillMac officials contend poor design doomed the field from the start. Without drilling anchors further into the floor of the bay, the best moors won’t stay put, the company says. When the City moved to cut ties with MillMac over the floating failure, MillMac officials geared up for a legal fight, contending it wasn’t their fault the moors couldn’t hold in the water.
City Attorney Bob Fournier says the company had an obligation to tell the City if the specs were bad, and City officials feel comfortable in severing ties with MillMac and having second-highest bidder Underwater Engineering do the mooring field construction instead. But if an independent study shows that the contractor was not to blame, the City will focus its eyes on Coastal Engineering’s drafting designs. —J. OGLES
Habits of a Retail Localvore
Laura Daniel Gale has drawn attention as a leader and
advocate of Sarasota’s local business community. From behind the counter of her Rosemary District boutique, Everything
But the Girl (EBTG), the shop owner shares the top five
reasons she’s focused on supporting local. —S. WALCH
ONE Sarasota has many hidden treasures. Its underground art scene is one of them. Everything But the Girl shines the light on these artists' work and helps to build the reputation of art and creativity that is specific to Sarasota by offering a welcoming home for the artist and the buyer. Our customers are people who want to support the local arts scene and are very often part of the underground community themselves: musicians, actors and designers.
TWO If you shop local and support local, more of your
dollar stays within the community. Take that one step further
and realize at EBTG, customers are buying locally made goods
as well. When I go to dinner at Derek's Culinary Casual a few doors down, I know I am creating a ripple effect. The waitress earns a good tip, comes downtown to get her hair cut and then her hairstylist comes shopping at a local boutique. What goes around comes around in a positive way if everyone focuses on choosing locally owned businesses first.
THREE The overall focus of EBTG goes beyond its four
walls. It is about the entire Rosemary District family. We are
a grassroots, D.I.Y., entrepreneurial group of business owners. People who eat and shop and do business here appreciate our vision, and the art and design we feature speaks to that.
FOUR As a parent, I have taught my son to “do the
right thing.” For us, that means looking out for your neighbor whether it is where you live, where you work or where you play. Within the Rosemary District, my customer very often comes from lunch at Sarasota
Olive Oil Company or Station 400. I get walk-by traffic from The Little Salon and Lourdes' Nail and Hair Studio. As business owners, we support each other and our customers support our business neighbors as well.
FIVE Making choices to shop and support local has a greater impact in a shorter time frame. When shoppers
and diners focus on being downtown, they drive a shorter
distance, then park and walk and explore. You always hear that you vote with your dollar, but I think you plant a seed
with your dollar. The best part about planting that seed
with a local, independent business is that you can
continue to nurture it and watch it flourish.
Wedding Crunch
Wedding season is upon us, and that means busy brides and grooms are
in their final prep phase. Nicole Kaney, wedding planner and owner of NK Productions, shares with us her last-minute tips for
ceremony bliss. —S. WALCH
Don’t stress about last-minute guest count changes. I have never planned a wedding where there wasn’t a guest who was not able to attend last-minute, so don’t let the guest list drive you crazy. Allow your planner to take care of notifying the caterer about the updates. If you don’t have a planner, appoint someone outside of the bridal party to assist you with this task. A close friend or relative would be perfect since they won’t have the time constraints on the wedding day that your parents will have. They can also leave the ceremony a few minutes ahead of time and check over the place cards table and list one more time.
Make sure the groomsmen try on their suits or tuxes before the wedding day. I had a groomsman realize just as the photographer was arriving that his shirt was white and everyone else’s was black. It was too late for the tux shop to bring him the correct shirt.
Arrange to have your dress steamed. The dress shop will be handing over your wedding dress in pristine condition, but most dresses are picked up months before the wedding and depending out how well you have stored it, there’s a chance it will need some touching up. I suggest having someone lined up to meet you where you’ll be getting dressed to freshen up your dress along with your maids’ dresses. If getting dressed at a hotel, check ahead of time as they are most likely able to steam the dress for you, or you can arrange for an outside seamstress to come to your location. When you pick up your wedding dress, check with the shop about its proper care and confirm that your dress can be steamed.
If you are staying somewhere other than at home on your wedding night, don’t forget to pack a suitcase and have it brought to that location. I usually put the father of the bride in charge of this task. Also, if you are heading out on your honeymoon the morning after, you’ll want to have someone else take your wedding dress home for you. No sense in taking the dress all the way to Jamaica!
Just because you’re married doesn’t mean your last name automatically changes. Book your honeymoon plane tickets in your maiden name, not your new, married one.
Bring a change of shoes with you on the wedding day. I see so many girls with gorgeous shoes but on hour three they’re miserable. Your planner or maid of honor can easily keep a pretty pair of flats or adorable flip-flops under the reception table that are special and allow you to dance all night long.
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