So Many Dishes

I haven’t posted this week because we’ve been away. (And I didn’t have a chance to read and like/comment on the blogs I follow; sorry!) We visited friends who live near Sarasota, across the state from us. And it was just the best few days.

Kathie is my best friend. She accompanied my school choirs and the church children’s choir that I directed for a number of years. We met and bonded through music, but we share so many interests. Her husband, Gerard, is also a fabulous musician, and so there was no question that our time together would include making music. Ken packed along part of his drum kit, so we had a great jam session.

Joining the ensemble was Parker, Gerard and Kathie’s dog. She loves music but had no prior experience with drums. She was fascinated, and wanted to learn all about them!

We didn’t just play and sing. On Tuesday, we visited the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota. Ken had been there before, but this was my first time experiencing the garden. It’s a beautiful setting, right along the water. In fact, parts were screened off because of damage from last summer’s hurricane. There were still lots of plants to see.

There was also an exhibit about George Harrison, his interest in gardening, and the gardens at Friar Park, the estate in England that he bought and restored. It was fascinating, and there were several small gardens inspired by Friar Park as part of the exhibit. My favorite, I think, was the topiary garden.

In addition to the botanical garden, we toured the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium. Ken and I had brought our kids here, probably 30 years ago, and it has expanded considerably since then. We all enjoyed the exhibits. It was hard to get good pictures through the tanks, but I got a few, especially of the jellyfish. There’s something almost meditative about watching the jellies.

Of course, there was plenty of food. Kathie cooked a really tasty ziti casserole with spicy Italian sausage on Monday evening. She and I have traded recipes for years, so I made sure to get this one.

We are at two excellent restaurants on Tuesday. After our garden visit, we stopped at the Sarasota Marina for lunch at the Blue Sunshine Cafe, an outdoor terrace by the water. I ate a delicious quinoa bowl that included red beets, marinated chickpeas, pickled onions, shredded carrots, mandarin orange sections, and broccoli slaw with a citrus-honey vinaigrette, to which I added blackened mahi. It sounds like a mishmash of flavors, but everything worked. I took a lot of grief for ordering quinoa, but it was worth it.

Our lunches were huge and filling, so when we went to The Point in Osprey, a suburb just south of Sarasota, for dinner, we decided to order appetizers to share. Our choices were all so good: calamari with a sweet chili sauce, crab cakes, a smoked mahi dip, and mussels. The mussels were my favorite of the evening, but it was all wonderful. So was the setting on the third floor of the building, looking out over the water at the sunset. The view was so stunning that I forgot to take pictures of the food.

It was hard to come home, but we have vowed not to wait to get together again. Good friends + good music + good food = good times.

As always, happy eating!