Darwin Santa Maria is a renowned Sarasota chef who's been involved in a number of Sarasota culinary endeavors. We've always loved his food and were anxious to try his latest - Darwin Evolutionary Cuisine. As always, he did not disappoint.
My wife and I both started with the Chilled Mango Gazpacho for $6. It was the most wonderful gazpacho I've ever had- richly flavorful. Every spoonful was wonderful. The gazpacho alone would be enough to lure me back.
My wife's entree was Entraña - grilled skirt steak, roasted sweet plantain, salsa beef criolla, and chimichurri sauce for $26. She is addicted to Darwin's skirt steak at whatever restaurant he operates. She keeps vowing to try something else, but can't pass up the skirt steak.
I had Andino Pesto Coated Lamb Chops with lentil stew, grilled asparagus, and roasted tomatoes for $38. The lamb was superb - tasty and perfectly cooked.
Our wine was a bottle of Pico Maccario Barbera d'Asti - a red from the Piedmont Region in northwest Italy for $34. It was very nice.
They did not have quite enough staff, so the service was a bit slow. There was also one diner who had no volume control.
The restaurant is located in the strip mall just south of Trader Joe's. almost next to the wonderful Peperonata Pasta empanada shop.
We highly recommend Darwin's latest.
Showing posts with label Peruvian Cuisine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peruvian Cuisine. Show all posts
Friday, August 4, 2017
Friday, January 20, 2017
Brasa & Pisco - Delicious Peruvian Cuisine
My wife and I recently enjoyed a delicious dinner at Brasa & Pisco (http://www.brasaandpisco.com/) a Peruvian restaurant at Lockwood Ridge and University.
My wife started with an appetizer of wontons filled with slow-cooked pork and served with a Huacatay, a Peruvian herb sauce, for $8. My appetizer was beef fritters filled with beef and picadillo, egg, and olives, with a side of dipping sauce, for $9. Both were very tasty.
Her main course was Bisteco a lo Pobre - New York strip steak with fried egg, sweet plantains, homemade fries, and a side of chimichurri sauce, for $25.
My main course was Tacu Tacu a lo Brasa, a multilayered stack with tacu tacu at the bottom, covered by sweet plantains, grilled beef in aji panca marinade, then egg, then topped by Peruvian onion slaw, and with a side of chimichurri sauce, for $24. Tacu tacu are basically Peruvian bean and rice fritters. Both dishes were very tasty.
Her drink was was a piscojita, which had Trader Vic's 151 rum, fresh mint, fresh lime, and pisco - a Peruvian brandy - for $11. She enjoyed it, but will probably try Sangria next time.
I had a glass of Avalon Cabernet Sauvignon for $9. It was decent.
The wine list had only five whites and five reds. However, this cuisine is not overly conducive to pairing with wine.
Our server, Courtney, was excellent.
The atmosphere seemed on the cold side to me.
My wife started with an appetizer of wontons filled with slow-cooked pork and served with a Huacatay, a Peruvian herb sauce, for $8. My appetizer was beef fritters filled with beef and picadillo, egg, and olives, with a side of dipping sauce, for $9. Both were very tasty.
Her main course was Bisteco a lo Pobre - New York strip steak with fried egg, sweet plantains, homemade fries, and a side of chimichurri sauce, for $25.
Bisteco a lo Pobre
Tacu Tacu a lo Brasa
Her drink was was a piscojita, which had Trader Vic's 151 rum, fresh mint, fresh lime, and pisco - a Peruvian brandy - for $11. She enjoyed it, but will probably try Sangria next time.
I had a glass of Avalon Cabernet Sauvignon for $9. It was decent.
The wine list had only five whites and five reds. However, this cuisine is not overly conducive to pairing with wine.
Our server, Courtney, was excellent.
The atmosphere seemed on the cold side to me.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Savor Sarasota at Selva Grill
A couple of nights ago, my wife, our daughter, and I enjoyed a delicious Savor Sarasota dinner at Sarasota's Selva Grill (http://www.selvagrill.com/), which was established by renowned Chef Darwin Santa Maria a number of years ago, but has since changed hands.
We have eaten here a number of times over the years, and have always enjoyed it.
My wife and I started with the Maya Ceviche - a shrimp ceviche marinated in orange, lime juice, and achiote, and tossed with avocado, tomato, red onion, and Cusco corn. It was fantastic.
My wife's main dish was the same main dish she and our daughter always order here - skirt steak over sweet plantains, beet relish, and Selva's chimichurri. I ordered Salmon Chileno - Chilean salmon with jumbo lump crab and manchego topping, and served with jasmine rice and bell pepper. It was finished with mango beurre monte. It was terrific.
My wife and I both had chocolate mousse for dessert. It was very nice.
We also enjoyed our wine, which was a 2012 Chento Malbec from the Mendoza Valley of Argentina for $56.
Another great experience at Selva Grill.
We have eaten here a number of times over the years, and have always enjoyed it.
My wife and I started with the Maya Ceviche - a shrimp ceviche marinated in orange, lime juice, and achiote, and tossed with avocado, tomato, red onion, and Cusco corn. It was fantastic.
My wife's main dish was the same main dish she and our daughter always order here - skirt steak over sweet plantains, beet relish, and Selva's chimichurri. I ordered Salmon Chileno - Chilean salmon with jumbo lump crab and manchego topping, and served with jasmine rice and bell pepper. It was finished with mango beurre monte. It was terrific.
My wife and I both had chocolate mousse for dessert. It was very nice.
We also enjoyed our wine, which was a 2012 Chento Malbec from the Mendoza Valley of Argentina for $56.
Another great experience at Selva Grill.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Darwin's on 4th, Sarasota - I love It
Last night, my wife, three friends, and I enjoyed a fantastic meal at Darwin's on 4th (http://darwinson4th.com/site/) in Sarasota. This was no surprise because we have had a number of excellent dining experiences at two of the three other locations where chef Darwin Santa Maria has operated restaurants in Sarasota. Our first experience was at his first restaurant, the small Selva Grill on Clark Road at Swift. Later, we had excellent meals when he moved Selva Grill to a larger venue on Sarasota's Main Street. We missed the opportunity to eat at his highly rated Cottage Restaurant on Siesta Key, which he still serves as a consultant.
When friends recently invited us to join them for dinner at Darwin's on 4th, his newest venture, we jumped at the chance. We had read good reviews of this restaurant and were eager to try it.
Chef Darwin, who is originally from Peru is an exceptionally creative and talented chef, who not only incorporates the influences of his native Peru, but of other cuisines as well. One way in which Peruvian cuisine differs from that of other Latin American cuisines is that it is influenced by the large ethnic Japanese community of about 50,000. Chef Santa Maria has incorporated Japanese tastes into a number of his dishes.
One unique aspect of Darwin's on 4th is that it also has its own microbrewery. The brewmaster, Jared Barnes, is very creative. One of our friends with whom we dined is a beer connoisseur. He loves the beers at Darwin's. I tried one sip of the first beer he had, and was really impressed. It is called Betrayal. It is an Oak Aged Imperial Stout with tastes of coffee, chocolate, and vanilla. It is very powerful, with an alcohol content of 10%. If you're a craft beer lover, check out Darwin's beer menu at http://darwinson4th.com/site/menus/beer-menu/
My wife started with an appetizer of Shrimp Spring Rolls with creamy shrimp, avocado aioli, and sweet chili sauce for $10. It was superb.
I started with Choritos - pan-roasted, fresh, Prince Edward Island mussels with Aji Amarillo butter and lime juice for $13. They were incredibly delicious.
My wife's entrée was Chef Darwin's Skirt Steak, an 8 oz. skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, beet relish, and sweet plantains for $26. She loved this dish at Selva Grill and was delighted to see it on the menu at Darwin's. As usual, it was wonderful. She likes it so much, she can't bring herself to try any other entrées.
Instead of having an entrée, I had a ceviche called Mayya Shrimp Ceviche for $13. It had shrimp, lime juice, orange juice, red bell peppers, avocados, cancha (crisp Peruvian corn kernels), and plantain chips. Every morsel was mouth-watering.
In the ceviche portion of the menu is another type of Peruvian raw seafood dish known as tiradito (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiradito), which differs from ceviche because it is sliced in long slices rather than chopped. One of the tiradito dishes is an example of a dish with Japanese influence. The Wahoo Tiradito has ponzu sauce, a citrus-based Japanese sauce, which I love. The Wahoo Tiradito also has ginger aioli, cucumber, mango, and seaweed salad.
For dessert, my wife had the Tumbao Pot of Mousse, bittersweet and white chocolate mousses, café cappuccino, tartufo chocolate, and mango and raspberry sauces for $7. It was outstanding.
My dessert was the Lavender Honey Poached Pear with goat cheese ice cream and black pepper caramel sauce for $7. Fantastic!
Our wine was a 2010 Decero Argentinian Malbec from the Mendoza Valley for $40. It was very nice.
Our server, Enrique, was extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and attentive.
The atmosphere at Darwin's is very nice.
I strongly recommend making reservations.
Darwin's is located at 1524 4th St. Phone 941-343-2165.
When friends recently invited us to join them for dinner at Darwin's on 4th, his newest venture, we jumped at the chance. We had read good reviews of this restaurant and were eager to try it.
Chef Darwin, who is originally from Peru is an exceptionally creative and talented chef, who not only incorporates the influences of his native Peru, but of other cuisines as well. One way in which Peruvian cuisine differs from that of other Latin American cuisines is that it is influenced by the large ethnic Japanese community of about 50,000. Chef Santa Maria has incorporated Japanese tastes into a number of his dishes.
One unique aspect of Darwin's on 4th is that it also has its own microbrewery. The brewmaster, Jared Barnes, is very creative. One of our friends with whom we dined is a beer connoisseur. He loves the beers at Darwin's. I tried one sip of the first beer he had, and was really impressed. It is called Betrayal. It is an Oak Aged Imperial Stout with tastes of coffee, chocolate, and vanilla. It is very powerful, with an alcohol content of 10%. If you're a craft beer lover, check out Darwin's beer menu at http://darwinson4th.com/site/menus/beer-menu/
My wife started with an appetizer of Shrimp Spring Rolls with creamy shrimp, avocado aioli, and sweet chili sauce for $10. It was superb.
I started with Choritos - pan-roasted, fresh, Prince Edward Island mussels with Aji Amarillo butter and lime juice for $13. They were incredibly delicious.
My wife's entrée was Chef Darwin's Skirt Steak, an 8 oz. skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, beet relish, and sweet plantains for $26. She loved this dish at Selva Grill and was delighted to see it on the menu at Darwin's. As usual, it was wonderful. She likes it so much, she can't bring herself to try any other entrées.
Instead of having an entrée, I had a ceviche called Mayya Shrimp Ceviche for $13. It had shrimp, lime juice, orange juice, red bell peppers, avocados, cancha (crisp Peruvian corn kernels), and plantain chips. Every morsel was mouth-watering.
In the ceviche portion of the menu is another type of Peruvian raw seafood dish known as tiradito (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiradito), which differs from ceviche because it is sliced in long slices rather than chopped. One of the tiradito dishes is an example of a dish with Japanese influence. The Wahoo Tiradito has ponzu sauce, a citrus-based Japanese sauce, which I love. The Wahoo Tiradito also has ginger aioli, cucumber, mango, and seaweed salad.
For dessert, my wife had the Tumbao Pot of Mousse, bittersweet and white chocolate mousses, café cappuccino, tartufo chocolate, and mango and raspberry sauces for $7. It was outstanding.
My dessert was the Lavender Honey Poached Pear with goat cheese ice cream and black pepper caramel sauce for $7. Fantastic!
Our wine was a 2010 Decero Argentinian Malbec from the Mendoza Valley for $40. It was very nice.
Our server, Enrique, was extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and attentive.
The atmosphere at Darwin's is very nice.
I strongly recommend making reservations.
Darwin's is located at 1524 4th St. Phone 941-343-2165.
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