Terrific Lobster Dinner at Michael's on East

Michael's on East is one of Sarasota's classiest restaurants. They have an excellent regular menu and a variety of creative special menus. One special which they have every summer and which I love, is the Lobster Pot dinner, which is served on Friday nights. I normally have it for my birthday dinner. This year was no exception. The dinner was made even more pleasant because we were joined by our friends M & T.

The Lobster Pot dinner includes two 1 & 1/4 pound lobsters, mussels, clams, a couple of potatoes, and an ear of corn. It costs $34.95.  M, T, and I all had the lobster pot. I also had the lobster bisque, which was terrific and which had large chunks of lobster in it.



My wife had the Pan-Seared Scallops, a dish with scallops, lobster, housemade ricotta, gnocchi, roasted butternut squash, and sage brown butter with crushed amaretti. This dish was delicious.

For dessert, my wife had chocolate truffle cake - warm liquid ganache-filled chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and fresh raspberries.

I had Riesling Poached Pear Cobbler -  Sweet pears poached in a spiced riesling, baked
in almond frangipane crust with brown ale ice cream.

Both desserts were wonderful.

M & T started out with a Graham Beck sparkling wine from South Africa. They had visited the Graham Beck winery on one of their visits to South Africa. They had a chardonnay with their lobster.

My wife and I shared a bottle of the same wine we'd had at the Ritz several days earlier - a 2007 Font du Vent Côtes du Rhône. It was very nice and cost $34 -$5 less than at the Ritz.

With my dessert, I had a glass of 10-yr old Taylor Fladgate port for $8.

Our server, Mike, did an excellent job.

As is usually the case, co-owner Michael Klauber stopped by our table to chat. He is always very attentive to his customers.

The singer who was entertaining the clients was very good.

We were fortunate to have made reservations - because the restaurant was filled within minutes of our arrival.

Every month, at least during the summer, Michael's has 3-course Epicurean Adventure dinners for $25. They can be paired with wine for an extra $10. This month's theme is New Orleans. The menu, which can be viewed at http://www.michaelsoneast.com/cuisine.html?menu=special&mid=35, looks terrific.

The bottom line is that co-owners Michael Klauber and Phil Mancini do a superb job. Check out their web site at: http://www.michaelsoneast.com/