Pictured, left to right: Ahi tuna taco salad. Mahi Mahi noodle bowl.

Phillippi Creek Oyster Bar represents all things classic Florida, from just-caught seafood, to water views to old-timey picnic tables and newspaper menus. While a neighborhood staple for decades, the Creek family regularly dreams up new ways to satisfy the cravings of their loyal patrons—the newest lunch specials highlighting a fusion of land and sea. The five dishes span a medley of styles, from Tex-Mex to Asian; the two noteworthy meals found in the Mahi Mahi noodle bowl and the Ahi tuna taco salad. The summer-friendly cold lo-mein noodles provide a bed for a massive piece of flaky white fish to sit, with toasted almonds, shredded veggies and a hoisin vinaigrette tossed underneath. The taco salad gets served in a crispy green taco shell, holding in blood-red seared tuna steak slices atop a guacamole slaw salad. Both plates perfectly are perfectly balanced for a lunchtime portion, with just enough left over for a dinner snack, each refreshing enough to be eaten outside even in the dead of Florida summer. 

Pictured, left to right: Ahi tuna taco salad. Mahi Mahi noodle bowl.

Phillippi Creek Oyster Bar, 5353 South Tamiami Trl., Sarasota, 941-925-4444.