Bijou Cafe, 1287 1st Street, Sarasota, 941-366-8111.

‘Tis the season to deck the halls and pack on the pounds, right? We all give ourselves permission to indulge during the holidays and we’re content to slide into the New Year with a little extra padding and ten to fifteen pounds of built in New Year’s resolutions. As a food writer, it’s difficult for me to make healthy choices because I eat out a lot and tend to be far more relaxed about my diet when someone else is preparing my food. This year I’m determined to curb the seasonal sampling and begin paying attention to what I’m eating before 2016 officially rolls in. The fact of the matter is that we’re blessed to have fantastic restaurants like Bijou Café that offer sensational food that won’t break your budget or tip your scale into despair. My friends know that I love to eat at the bar–I feel less guilty about ordering an appetizer and it’s always fun to chat with the bartender. I love the Shrimp Piri Piri at Bijou Café the dish features American-harvest shrimp in a piquant sauce of cayenne, garlic, and lemon, which is served with creamy South-African style grits. I’m South African and love the creamy grits (we call it ‘pap’) but I like to get the Shrimp Piri Piri with sautéed spinach instead. The meal is inexpensive, tasty and healthy–and that’s something to feel merry about. 

Bijou Cafe, 1287 1st Street, Sarasota, 941-366-8111.