the 941

Daawat Indian Cuisine
3.5 stars
239 S. Links Ave., Sarasota, 366-4433 or daawatcuisine.com

At the beginning of 2009, Sarasota had one Indian restaurant, Tandoor, the only game in town for a very long time. Now, as 2009 is coming to a close, the local Indian cuisine scene is chock-full of options, with two new restaurants open since the end of the summer. Gateway to India — on Hillview in the Southside dining district — featured a surprisingly tasty lunch buffet and capable dinner, different and a bit better than the fare offered at Tandoor.

And now that Daawat is here, in the space formerly occupied by Canvas Café in downtown’s Towles Court art district, it appears that Sarasota has taken another step in the right direction.

Admittedly, the location gives Daawat an edge over its competition. Towles Court is one of downtown’s last unspoiled pieces of old Florida, a group of bungalows and craftsmen houses away from the bustle of the business district. Housed in one of those converted houses, Daawat’s dining room is a tiny shoebox, easily ignored thanks to two wonderful outdoor spaces. Both the front patio and side courtyard are now covered, with plastic walls that can be rolled down to protect against rain or chill, all with views of the pastoral setting.

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The World Series of Beer Pong — “the largest, longest-running organized beer pong (aka Beirut) tournament in the world, created by beer pong players, for beer pong players” according to the WSOBP website — will start in less than two months, on Jan. 1 at the Flamingo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

But you knew that, right? You’ve been single-mindedly training since 2008, when team Chauffering the Fat Kid managed to snatch the suds from an all-but-victorious Iron Wizard Coalition by completing an amazing four straight sinks. Cinderella story? Yes. Biggest come-from-behind victory in the history of sports? Probably.

Don’t get the wrong impression about beer pong, though: it’s not all about beer consumption. (more…)

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Max McCalman didn’t plan on becoming a cheese guy. While working at the famed restaurant Picholine in New York City, the chef asked for volunteers to help him start a cheese program in the restaurant. It fell to McCalman almost by default. Now, 15 years later, McCalman has written two definitive books on cheese, with the new Mastering Cheese ($40, Random House) his third.

Mastering Cheese is somewhat of a departure from the previous two books, however. Instead of a cheese primer, or an encyclopedia of the world’s region’s and styles, McCalman has put together a fairly exhaustive course of study for readers who want to make the leap from cheese fan to true connoisseur. It’s almost laid out like a modern textbook, with dense text, lots of photographs, informative sidebars, and a bullet point recap at the end of each chapter as study guide. No pop quizzes, thankfully.

McCalman’s smart enough to string together the serious work of understanding cheese with plenty of narrative to keep a reader interested. He’s also passionate about his subject, especially when it comes to taking restrictive food regulations that limit the importation or production methods of raw milk cheeses. He’s preaching to the choir in this book, I imagine.

What makes Mastering Cheese so inherently useful, (more…)

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Taberna El Guaro
3 stars
3626 Webber St., Sarasota, 957-0000 or tabernaelguaro.com

Colombian cuisine has yet to receive widespread appeal. On the whole, that’s a good thing. It means that restaurants like El Guaro are more interested in appealing to the homesick taste buds of Sarasota’s ex-pat Colombians than the expectations of a populace jaded by neutered and sanitized ethnic foods.

The food at El Guaro is so simple, and so evocative of hearty home-cooking, that dining there feels like eating in someone’s old-fashioned dining room, albeit with beer on tap. That house atmosphere is heightened by the remnants of the previous occupants — first a Barnacle Bill’s outpost, then the local chain’s aborted attempt at a new concept with Chef D’s Italian Fisherman. The ceilings are too low, there’s grainy wood everywhere and the tables and chairs seem like remnants from an early ’80s Dinettes R’ Us.

Like the décor, El Guaro’s food is refreshingly uncomplicated. Beans and rice, arepa or tostone, and meat, lots of it, at prices — almost all below $10 — that belie the sheer caloric value of what’s on the plate. (more…)

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Maybe Michelle and Barack Obama were strong-armed into having an organic garden on the White House lawn by tough punks like Alice Waters, but Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack made his without any public opinion campaigns to twist his arm. Yep, there are two governement garden in DC, the second one run by the USDA itself.

On 1,250 square feet a few blocks from the Washington Mall, Vilsack and USDA employees have planted a “People’s Garden“, with the crops all going to local food banks. They’ve even created cooking projects around it. USDA pickles, anyone? Not for sale, though, because that would probably violate some regs. (more…)

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Things are looking up, Sarasota, just in time for season to start filling our empty coffers with filthy tourist luchre. Here are just a few of the new spots that have opened recently, some just in the past week.

Braza Brazillian Steakhouse 1481 Main St., Sarasota, 955-1481 or brazasteakhouse.com
Sarasota’s first churrascaria is finally open, after an extensive remodel of the former of Ritz Camera on Main Street. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, Braza serves rodizio-style, with servers cruising the restaurant bearing spits of grilled meat which they carve direclty onto your plate. It’s all-you-can eat meat, with some seafood offerings and a big salad bar featuring side dishes.

Blu Smoke Island Grill 149 Avenida Messina, Siesta Key, 346-0738 or blusmokeislandgrill.com
This restaurant  — in the former space of Maximo’s just off the main drag in Siesta Village — features traditional barbecue mixed with interesting open-fire grilling, along with a variety of sides.

Daawat Indian Restaurant 239 S. Links Ave., Sarasota, 366-4433
After six weeks in the old Canvas Cafe space in Towles Court, (more…)

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The Dalmore is a classic name in Scotch — located way up in north Scotland, just past Inverness and the Highlands — but one that has received little credit here in the colonies over the past decade or so. With a change from Jim Beam to a new marketing company, and an alliance with big daddy Southern Wine and Spirits for distribution, The Dalmore is trying to change its image here in the States.

Which is why I found fully-kilted Richard Patterson — Master Blender of The Dalmore’s parent company Whyte & Mackay — in my office, pouring much of The Dalmore’s line. Although most Scotch distilleries try to maintain a “house style” that’s consistent through the years and across different varieties, this was different. Each pour opened up a whole new range of textures and flavors, with a few subtle notes tying the line together.

Here’s the rundown: (more…)

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Thai-style Chicken Flatbread

(Read our profile of Steamy Kitchen’s Jaden Hair.)

I make my own pizza dough from time to time, but when I want to make an impressive appetizer last minute, I buy a ball of pre-made pizza dough or, even easier, a package of naan or flatbread from the supermarket. This chicken flatbread is inspired by one of my husband’s favorite restaurants, California Pizza Kitchen. When we were still dating in San Francisco, we’d just hop on the subway and walk to the CPK near Union Square. Those were fun times as many sweet nothings were whispered in my ear over a shared pizza. These days, with two loud, yappin’ giggly boys at the dinner table, there’s no more whispering! (Okay, replaced by footsies!)

SERVES 4 AS APPETIZER OR SNACK

1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium flatbreads or naan
1/2 cup Peanut Dipping Sauce (recipe below)
8 oz fresh shredded mozzarella
1 1/4 cups fresh bean sprouts
Few sprigs fresh cilantro (coriander)
1/2 cup roasted peanuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. (more…)

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Three Pea Stir-fry

(Read our profile of Steamy Kitchen’s Jaden Hair.)

My family loves peas every which way except for canned. What better way to please all than to stir-fry a combination of sugar snap, snow peas and shelled peas? Sometimes I’ll stand in the kitchen and just eat them straight out of the wok.

The peas cook at different times, so I add the sugar snap peas first. At my markets, fresh shelled peas are hard to find, so I often grab a bag of frozen peas. No need to defrost—just add them frozen right into the wok!

SERVES 4 AS SIDE DISH

1/2 lb sugar snap peas
1/2 lb snow peas
1/2 lb shelled peas (fresh or frozen)
1 teaspoon high-heat cooking oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Pinch of sugar
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

1. Wash all the peas. (more…)

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(Read our profile of Steamy Kitchen’s Jaden Hair.)

Lettuce Cups

This dish is an experience in textures and sensations…the cool, crisp lettuce cups cradles the warm filling. As you take a bite, you’ll first taste the bright, sweet, juicy mandarin orange, then the savory chicken and then the crunch of water chestnuts and the mild bite of red onion.

The best part of this recipe is that the ingredients are so flexible. You can keep it light and use ground chicken or turkey, or try it with ground pork or ground beef—it’s totally up to you. My kids love this when I substitute diced green apples for the red onion. Try to dice the vegetables into roughly the same size so that they cook evenly and are easier to eat.

To make this dish a full meal, include 1 cup of cooked jasmine rice per person. My kids like to spoon the cooked rice along with the filling into their lettuce cups.

SERVES 4 TO 6 AS APPETIZER OR SNACK

3/4 lb ground chicken, turkey, beef or pork
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons high-heat cooking oil
1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/3 cup chopped red onion
4 to 6 fresh shitake mushrooms, diced
4-8 peeled water chestnuts (fresh or canned), finely diced
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
16 cup-shaped lettuce leaves (Boston Bibb, Butter head, Iceberg or any lettuce with cup shaped leaves)
One 11-oz can mandarin orange sections, drained

1. In a bowl, marinate the ground poultry or meat with the soy sauce, wine and cornstarch for 10 minutes at room temperature.
2. Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat and when hot, add the oil. Swirl to coat and add the garlic, ginger and red onion. Fry for 15 to 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the ground meat. Cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the fresh shitake mushrooms, water chestnuts, rice vinegar and oyster sauce. Simmer for an additional 1 to 2 minutes until the meat is cooked through.
3. You can assemble the lettuce cups by spooning a heaping tablespoonful of filling into each lettuce cup and topping with the mandarin orange slices or you can serve the ingredients separately for your dinner guests to assemble themselves.

More options:

* Remember how I said this recipe is flexible? Raid your fridge. Finely diced green bell pepper, celery, frozen peas/carrots work great in the stir-fry. Even top the lettuce cups with chilled, shredded carrots!

* For a fun crunch, take a skein of mung bean noodles (also called cellophane noodles or vermicelli) and break it apart with your hands. Heat about 11/2 inches of high-heat cooking oil in a small pot or wok. When the oil reaches 350°F, slide a few noodles in and watch them puff up. It should take less than 5 seconds. Drain on a rack. The light, airy, crunchy bits of noodles make a wonderful topping for these lettuce cups.

* For a bit of salty sweetness, you can also dip the back of a teaspoon into a jar of hoisin sauce. Smear the hoisin sauce onto the lettuce cup before adding the filling.

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