The Table Creekside, 5365 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 941-921-9465

I love Fall in Sarasota: the weather is, ever so briefly, perfect and instead of changing leaves we’re treated to changing menus. I can’t wait to try the new additions at Made and Roast, but on Monday I met some girlfriends for The Table Creekside’s notoriously tasty and budget-friendly Happy Hour. After taking a look at the new menu, we ended up staying for dinner. There are many intriguing new items that I can wait to get into in the next couple of months, such as the Porqueta Stack with polenta cakes, peppercorn foie gras reduction, and apple shallot confit, and the Roasted Suckling Pig with Caribbean root vegetable mash, and fall legume confit. But as my friends will tell you, I’m a sucker for grilled octopus, so the siren song of the Napa Grilled Octopus was impossible to resist. Chunks of tender yet firm grilled octopus are presented on a bed of chorizo fingerling potato hash and salsa verde. I love that the chorizo hash didn’t fall into the overly greasy trap of the majority of chorizo dishes while still retaining the rich flavor of the sausage, which balances beautifully with the grilled octopus and the vibrant salsa verde.

The Table Creekside, 5365 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 941-921-9465