- The Dining Diva returned to Sarasota especially for an exquisite dinner. No need to reach for your dictionary; this queen of foodies has the terminology covered for you. It’s been said that we eat with our eyes first, and we kept this in mind as we headed to The Table Creekside for a veritable feast for the senses that included tastes and influences from around the globe. Every offering that issues from Chef Pedro’s kitchen is a piece of art that tastes and smells as good as it looks. [...]

Carmel Café & Wine Bar brings a new experience to this town of foodies that has surely seen it all. Together with the time-honored qualities that we have come to expect of our local restaurateurs — great food, outstanding service and a convivial atmosphere — this latest in a local restaurant group presents the innovative MenuPad. This nifty device is provided tableside in the form of an iPad that allows diners to browse the extensive menu, complete with gorgeous high-resolution photos, before placing their order and even controlling the timing [...]

John Dough Bakery on University Parkway is already a local favorite, thanks to the incredibly flavorful soups and artisan sandwiches served daily in the bright, high-ceilinged café. Now, thanks to the talented Chef Walt Murawinski, they’re poised to become the best bakery to turn into a bistro since Savory Street. My brother Gordon has been working at John Dough for the past couple of years whilst pursuing a degree in engineering at USF, and when he raved about the nightly specials served at the new “John Dough Bistro,” I hastened [...]

From renowned food critics to celebrity chefs to restaurant patrons, there is a unifying consensus regarding the source of the world’s best food: Mom. When asked about their choice for a death row meal, most people will name a dish that only their mom truly makes perfectly. My mom’s meatloaf may taste under-seasoned to you, but that’s because your mom makes hers entirely differently—and somehow those first meals are the ones that stick with and comfort us in the long run. It’s difficult to duplicate the taste of home because [...]

I arrive at Cutting Loose Salon wearing no makeup and exhausted from lack of sleep in preparation of the 2012 Sarasota Film Festival Opening Night with my bottle blonde hair and a smile. I am treated to a 20 minute express facial that is so relaxing that I feel tension escaping my pores along with other impurities.    My stylist Sam is fresh from a year spent in Germany training in various salons and perfecting her craft. She truly sees this as an art form and she is passionate about [...]

I feel an instant connection to Kara Shay Thomson. Everyone likes to feel special, and Kara Shay has a way about her of making one feel like the most important person in the room. She comes across as completely sincere, and within seconds we’ve established such a great rapport that I end up taking four pages of notes for my half-page article, and she is rushed away to rehearsal before I feel like I’ve spent enough time with her. Kara is the star of this season’s American Classic, Vanessa by [...]