SRQ DAILY Sep 29, 2020
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Though lumping Southeast Asian cuisine together can feel distinctly like the Western tradition of pigeon-holing non-Western cultures, the history of the region—replete with all the usual trappings of empire like trade or war—lends itself to a number of common threads. From China and India, the region adopted many of the ingredients that find their way into most dishes. Rice, garlic, ginger and chilis abound, but, naturally, cultures in what would become modern-day Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and others also incorporated some of the ingredients native to their tropical climate. Coconut, kaffir lime, lemongrass, galangal and certain fruits like mango all make cameos in their richly flavored cuisines.
So much flavor makes its way into Southeast Asian cuisine, in fact, that even a party-platter comfort food like nam khao packs more tang than a SweeTart. Comprised of deep-fried rice balls mixed with ground seasoned meat, traditionally pork, the little croquettes are then broken down into chunks and tossed with chopped peanuts, shallots, cilantro, lime juice, fish sauce and whatever fresh fruits or vegetables its maker elects to use. At Isan Thai, which lists the dish by its Northern Thai name of naem clook, sliced ginger is used, giving the crispy rice salad that full-bodied flavor profile of sweet, spicy, sour and salty that is the hallmark of explosive Southeast Asian flavor.
That it’s listed as a salad belies its substantive, filling nature, but it does pair well with a pair of fresh spring rolls for those who might have outsized biceps to feed.
Isan Thai is open for curbside takeout and delivery through Bite Squad, 11am to 8:15pm Monday-Thursday, to 8:30 pm on Friday and Saturday, and 12pm to 8pm on Sunday. Takeout orders can be placed over the phone or online. 
Isan Thai, 5758 S Tamiami Trail, 941-923-1232
Sage Restaurant reopens on Octobert 14 with autumnal flavors alongside comprehensive CDC-led procedures. The new fall menu from Executive Chef Christopher Covelli will showcase globally-inspired autumn flavors as well as some exciting new developments coming in the very near future. Sage’s latest menu represents the downtown Sarasota restaurant’s ongoing commitment to exploring seasonal ingredients through an international lens, with an increasing emphasis on sustainable sourcing. Fall flavors like root vegetables, pumpkin and yucca shine in dishes inspired by the cuisines of Italy, China, Mexico, India and more. “Fall is an exciting time for root vegetables. It's actually that time of year where the colors match the flavors and you can taste them when you see them,” says Chef Covelli. Featured items include spicy pumpkin soup, duck consommé, a salt-roasted beet steak, foie gras Asian-style dumplings, as well as Sage’s popular and ever-evolving Thai bouillabaisse. The bar team is also contributing to the fall menu craft cocktails made with seasonal flavors like a Fig Sherry Cobbler using brûléed mission figs and a gin-forward Neptune’s Revenge with spirulina-infused gomme syrup.
“Our main focus has always been the health and safety of our guests and our staff,” says Sage owner Sharon Carole. “After careful deliberation, we feel confident that we can safely reopen and provide the exceptional service and dining experience that our guests have come to expect.”
The Sarasota-Manatee Originals have released details of their 2020 Set The Bar Cocktail Week planned for October 12 - 18. In light of the current climate, representatives of the organization have replaced the large-scale, one-night cocktail competition and grazing event of prior years with seven days (and nights) of specially-curated, controlled experiences in restaurants located across the two Gulf-coastal counties and online. The new format continues to showcase the enormous creative beverage talents behind the region’s best eateries with safety and physical-distancing being paramount.
For the past three years the Sarasota-Manatee Originals have brought together the area’s best bartenders, distillers and other bar and spirits professionals for their annual Set The Bar party, with over 400 in attendance last year at Universal Flight Training Hangar. “The bar program is a highly integral part of the health and innovation of today’s Restaurant Industry,” states Sarasota-Manatee Originals’ Executive Director Sarah Firstenberger. “Like the Chefs in the kitchen, our bartenders are driving the guest experience, delighting guests with thoughtful and creative cocktails and perfect pairings. Set the Bar was created as a playful platform to spotlight their enormous contributions and we are thrilled to expand the one-time event into a week-long celebration.”
The 2020 Set The Bar Cocktail Week will feature a varied and robust menu of special offerings from Sarasota-Manatee Originals’ Member Restaurants including limited-time house specialties, discounted drink offers, ready-to-drink to-go batch beverages, signature cocktail and food pairings, cocktail tasting events and dinners, and virtual and in-person mixology classes. The Sarasota-Manatee Originals consist of over 60 independent restaurants from the northern tip of Anna Maria Island to the southern beaches of Venice and every neighborhood in between.
Offerings and prices vary from location to location. All details including a list of participating restaurants can be found on the Originals’ website found here. Questions can be directed to Sarasota-Manatee Originals’ Event and Community Outreach Director Veronica Clinton at (941) 365- 2800 or by email at veronica@dineoriginal.com.
The Sarasota/Manatee MPO has decided to move the 3rd Annual Gulf Coast Safe Streets Summit 2020 to a virtual event. This educational event focuses on how to design and implement safe and equitable transportation facilities for all modes. The virtual conference will include the regular offerings and opportunities for engagement, including various professional development credits, breakouts, keynote, and space to connect with colleagues, federal partners, and sponsors. They look forward to having you join them for this fully online event for the week of November 16.
Toys for pets designed by Ringling College of Art and Design students are now available exclusively at DOGPerfect through October 31 and will be available at other retailers thereafter. The locally owned pet retail company with stores in Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch and University Park will continue to carry the toys indefinitely. DOGPerfect will also donate $5.00 to Ringling College of Art and Design for each toy purchased until October 31. “We’re thrilled to provide the opportunity for Ringling College students to see their exceptional designs on our store shelves,” said Fernando Carrera, Director of Operations at DOGPerfect. “Our customers will love the toys, and knowing they were created by local students is an added bonus.” The project was run through Ringling College’s Collaboratory, a partnership between Ringling College and the Patterson Foundation through which the College is able to guarantee every student the opportunity to work on a real-world project with a real-world client before graduation.
Michael Saunders & Company is pleased to welcome Ashley Weaver to the St. Armand Circle II office. Ashley can be reached by calling 941-807-0971 or visiting the office located at 330 John Ringling Blvd.
Trendsport: Travel-Well Takeaway Foods.
Click here to read the full article from SRQ's New September 2020 edition.
MOMLETA will provide a month-long challenge calendar with attainable daily goals focused on hydration, nutrition, rest & recovery, and of course, fitness. New member bundle includes: 3 months of unlimited fitness classes, fall fitness challenge and tank top as well as new client equipment kit. You will have access to daily virtual fitness classes through our MOMLETA Online Community, pop-up challenges, and more.
Since 2013 Sarasota Opera has hosted the annual Taste of Downtown on the stage of the Sarasota Opera House. This year, like so many other things, this important fundraiser for the Sarasota Youth Opera is going virtual, with a goal of raising $20,000. Make a gift of $75 or more between Monday September 21, 2020 and Friday October 2, 2020, and they will send you a discount card to use at local businesses from October 1, 2020 through November 15, 2020.
After 13 hours of testimony over the course of two days, the City of Sarasota's Planning Board voted 4-1 to recommend approval of Selby Gardens' Compromise Master Plan to the City Commission.
Welcome to Out of the Blue 2020 – a unique Live Online Event and Costume Contest supporting the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Throughout the month of October, you will have the opportunity to enter a picture of your best “BLUE” costume. On October 29th from 6:30-8:00 pm, NAMI will host a Live Online Zoom event emceed by entertainer Jonathan Cortez and featuring local artists and talent all in support of NAMI. Our evening will wrap up by announcing the Costume Contest winners with a “Best in Blue” winner in each category. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to have fun creating a “Bluetiful” costume along with an enjoyable – and safe – evening of entertainment.
Taiwanese American violinist Max Tan has been praised as “eloquent” by the New York Times and as a “warmly rhapsodic player” by the Boston Globe. As a winner at Artist Series Concerts’ 2018 National String Competition, an alumnus of the Perlman Music Program and a member of the Sarasota Orchestra, Tan is a welcome and familiar presence on Sarasota’s arts scene. He has also been the recipient of numerous other awards, most recently the 2019 Foote Prize from the Harvard Musical Association. He has been featured on WNYC/WQXR and on Belgian radio Musiq3 as a semifinalist in the 2019 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition. He has performed as a soloist with many orchestras including the Juilliard Orchestra, New Juilliard Ensemble, Longwood Symphony, Boston Philharmonic Youth, and Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestras. Tan performs on the 1701 “ex-Franko” Stradivarius on generous loan from the Juilliard School. Pianist, arranger and conductor Joseph Holt is director of artist programs for Artist Series Concerts and artistic director of Choral Artists of Sarasota. Dr. Holt served more than 20 years as principal pianist with the United States Army Chorus, performing for U.S. presidents, military officials and dignitaries from around the world. Tan and Dr. Holt perform a variety of works by the composers Tchaikovsky, Paganini, Beethoven, Ravel, Beach and Wieniawski. This program will be presented live at Michael’s On East as well as streamed for an online audience.
Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota , Michael’s On East, 1212 S. East Ave
Thanks to the pandemic, the United States plunged from a record-breaking economic expansion to a severe recession. What choices do we need to make to reverse that trend and secure our economic future? William Dudley (’71-’74) is a senior research scholar at Princeton University’s Center for Economic Policy Studies. He served as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York from 2009 to 2018 and was also the vice chairman of the Federal Open Market Committee. In 2019, Dudley spoke about our nation’s record-breaking economic expansion. Shortly after, the pandemic cut that short. With breathtaking speed, the United States economy has plunged from its recent heights to the deepest recession in decades. The American economy is sick. What is Dudley’s prescription to bring the patient back to health? What choices must we make to jump-start a recovery? How long will it take to turn things around? Depending on our choices, Dudley will define the best-case and worst-case scenarios.
Insects inhabit every domain of our daily lives, performing essential functions that balance our fragile ecosystem on Earth — functions that often go unnoticed because of their small size or scale. Now, using cutting-edge technology and custom methods that put tiny insects on a human scale, artist and photographer Bob Sober allows visitors to see the patterns, textures, colors and details that have always been present, but too small to appreciate in The Bishop’s newest special exhibition: Small Wonders: Insects in Focus.
Creating human-scale images of insects, with resolution so high that every hair, dimple and tiny structure is clearly revealed, was impossible prior to the technological advancements of the past 10 years. Now, Sober’s skills allow us to see the intersection of natural science and art in the smooth metallic finishes and heavily stippled textures, strange body shapes, delicate wing structures and beautifully engineered body components in this series of 30 images that will are on display in the Museum’s second-floor Rincon Gallery and throughout the Museum.
Small Wonders: Insects in Focus features 30 of Sober’s spectacular images and viewers will find themselves at the intersection of art and science. The exhibition, which is included in the cost of admission, is organized by ExhibitsUSA, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance and will be open at The Bishop through October 20.
The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th St. W, Bradenton
From Young Concert Artists comes one of the most versatile string quartets in classical music today. The Omer Quartet is quickly gaining a reputation for “fearless renderings” (the New York Times) of the standard quartet repertoire as well as compelling performances of works by today’s composers. The ensemble burst onto the scene with top prizes at Borciani, Trondheim, and Bordeaux in Europe all in one year, having already captured the Fischoff National Competition Grand Prize. The quartet was awarded first prize in the 2017 Young Concert Artists (YCA) International Auditions and recently debuted at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall. Joining the quartet from Young Concert Artists is accordion virtuoso Hanzhi Wang. Praised for her captivating stage presence and performances that are technically and musically masterful, this groundbreaking young musician is the only accordionist in 59 years to win a place on the YCA roster. 3pm Pre-Concert Wine Reception. Tickets are $42.
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