Thursday, May 2, 2019

Paris Bistrot, Lakewood Ranch - A Long-Time Favorite

Paris Bistrot (https://www.parisbistrotlwr.com/on Lakewood Ranch Main St. is a long-time favorite. Not only does it offer authentic French bistro food in a pleasant atmosphere, and with excellent service, but it also provides me an opportunity to speak a few words of French. I usually eat there at least four times per year and am always very happy.

The other night, my sister, a special friend, and I shared a wonderful evening there.

The three of us chose the $28.90 "Chef's Menu" of one appetizer and one main dish. Everything we had was terrific.

The appetizer my sister and my friend chose was the Hot Brie Salad of Brie cheese on toast, with honey, lettuce, and tomatoes. I had the country paté, which I choose nearly every time I dine there.

Both ladies had the Pork Parmesan - pork tenderloin medallions in a puff pastry with a cream of parmesan cheese and shredded prosciutto.

I had Chicken Normande - diced chicken breast and mushrooms flambéed in Cognac with a cream sauce.

The Chef's Menu meals always include a vegetable plus a choice of rice or potatoes Dauphinois.

For dessert, my friend and I shared Crêpes Suzettes with orange marmelade and flambéed with Grand Marnier for $8.90.

I finished my meal with a cup of espresso.

I chose the wine I almost always have there - a St. Cosme Cotes-du-Rhone. It's always good and sells for $33 a bottle. This was a 2017.

Columbia Restaurant, St. Armands Circle - Always Nice

Columbia Restaurant on St. Armand's Circle in Sarasota (http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/Menus-By-Location/Locations/St-Armands-Circleis a Spanish restaurant that I always enjoy. Over the years, I've had a number of meals there with family and friends, and have never been disappointed. 

I recently had a delightful lunch there with a special friend of Spanish heritage. She knows authentic Spanish food. She loved her meal, and I loved mine. 

We each started with a cup of Gazpacho Andalucia - a purée of tomatoes, green peppers, onions, cucumber, and garlic. It was topped tableside by finely chopped vegetables and croutons. It was reeeeeeeeeeeeally delicious. Each cup was $4.45.

The main dish she chose was actually a Tapa - two Empanadas de Picadillo - pastry turnovers filled with spiced ground beef, garlic, tomatoes, onions, raisins, and olives for $8. They were excellent.

My main dish was Cakes de Congrejo - two crabcakes of grilled blue crabmeat drizzled with passion fruit aioli. They were tasty and solid, unlike the mushy version I'd had at a Punta Gorda restaurant a few days earlier. They cost $15.

(Normally, I have a larger main dish like Columbia's wonderful Ropa Vieja, but this time, I went lighter to save room for a nice dinner.)

My drink was a 2015 Rioja tempranillo wine called Rusty for $11. Like all the wines I've had at Columbia, it was very nice.

Our waiter, Norbert, who was Hungarian, was exceptional. Not only was he a superb server, but he was a hilarious comedian.

The parent restaurant of the Columbia group is located in Tampa. It was established in 1905, is Florida's oldest continuously operated restaurant, and is the largest Spanish restaurant in the world. It offers Flamenco dance shows, for which there is a cover charge.