Pineapple fried rice is certainly not a new culinary trend; you can find it popping up on Thai menus from here to Texas. Yet the dish presented at Sarasota’s own Drunken Poet Cafe tastes revelatory.

When placed in front of you, it's almost unbelievable—a pineapple is cut in half, the meat scooped out, fashioning a natural bowl. Crackling rice straight from the wok, gargantuan, juicy rose-colored shrimp and hearty chunks of grilled pineapple practically overflow from these prickly golden confines. The entire thing is flanked by a delicate army of flowering and fragrant purple orchids. 

Though the pineapple proves to be the obvious star of the show, an unlikely ingredient swoops in for the prize—croutons. That extra little crunch (a key component of the traditional Thai recipe) brings a welcome pop for the tastebuds. Asian shredded sweet pork, roasted cashew nuts and dried cranberries round out the inspired union of sweet and savory. Add a dollop of Drunken Poet's homemade peanut sauce if you’re in the mood to up the flavor-ante. 

Drunken Poet Cafe, 1572 Main St., Sarasota, 941-955-8404