Dining

Now is when Florida’s citrus is ripening on the trees dotting the landscape with colorful orange and yellow hues, and reminding us of our state’s bounty. These reminders give us special reason to add citrus to our holiday menus.

Don't miss your favorite sports teams play or tournament unfold while you're on vacation, or out on-the-town for business, by always having these game-watching hotspots in Sarasota in your back pocket. 

Whether an out-of-state sports fan or local fan, there's no reason to miss a can't-miss football game, highly anticipated tennis match or golf tournament with a plethora of restaurants and bars in Sarasota County to post up for an inning, quarter, match or period.

I'm at marks the end of my 21-day clean eating challenge. I gave up processed food, caffeine, alcohol and sugar which is hard when there are so many great places to eat and grab a drink in Sarasota County.  Luckily for me, I didn't have to look far to find places where I could honor my challenge and still get a healthy bite to eat without sacrificing flavor.  Here are a couple of my go-to favorites:

The Suncoast BBQ Bash is an annual fundraiser on the Suncoast Foundation for Handicapped Children, Inc. (SFHC).  This two-day festival in Venice, Fla. is home to professional pitmasters and award-winning musicians.

How much would you pay to go to a festival with offering world-class barbecue, nationally recognized musicians, a boatload of family-friendly activities and more?

How about nothing?

There's plenty of ways to fill your days near America's best beach after soaking up the sun on Siesta Key

You likely already know about Siesta Key Beach—having been ranked #2 of the '25 Best Beaches in the World' by TripAdvisor in 2022 and 2023, as well as its year-after-year accolade as 'The #1 Beach in America,' selected by TripAdvisor users in 2015, 2017 and 2020.

Discover some of the local delicacies and interesting dishes served in the destination.

In my family, we call them taste sensations. Food that is different and unique and usually newly delicious. It could be as simple as tater tots dipped in a ketchup-mustard mix. The complexity is not what makes a taste sensation, but the novelty. To get a head start on discovering some new taste sensations in Sarasota, check out these novel goodies.

Elevate your Bachelorettes, birthdays or just a regular weekend (or weekday) nights around Sarasota for the perfect Girls Night Out (or In).

Ah, the Girls Night Out. The reprieve all women need to let loose with the gals, complain about the responsibilities lingering back at home, and recharge with some girl power.

We all need it.

And yet each G-N-O looks different to each gaggle of girls. Maybe it’s Bachelorette Party time. Maybe someone needs a little extra girl love in her life. Perhaps it’s just time.

When desire strikes to cook seafood at home, check out these Sarasota-area resources.

Living in our coastal community affords us opportunity to enjoy delicious seafood on a year-round basis.  And as I see it, there are pretty much three options for procuring that delicious seafood:

From frozen sangrias to Cuban Sandwiches to “Jetty Dogs,” save room for a tasty treat from one of Sarasota County’s unique beach concession menus