Yesterday, my wife and I joined three other couples to celebrate a friend's birthday and our anniversary at Libby's in Sarasota. We had a great time and a delicious meal. On top of that, we were surprised by nice gifts of wine.
As if the friends, good food, and wine gifts were not enough, one of our friends gave me a tie clasp to add to my collection of over 1,700. The tie bar he gave me was one that he had obtained at the Philmont Boy Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico when he was 14. (On the train trip from Pennsylvania to New Mexico, he met former President Harry Truman.) This tie bar is a nice addition to my collection. I value tie bars from friends much more than ones that I buy.
Back to Libby's (http://www.libbyscafebar.com/). I had never been there before, but I think everyone else at the table, including my wife, had dined there. I'd heard many good things about Libby's and they were true. We all enjoyed our meals.
When we arrived in the vicinity of Libby's, we found that South Osprey Ave, the street in front of Libby's was blocked off for some type of major outdoor event. It turned out to be the 12th Annual Morton's Market Firehouse Chili Cook-off - a benefit for the Sarasota Fire Fighters Benevolent Fund.
Luckily, we found a parking spot within a block of Libby's.
Libby's has tables indoors and outside. Because of the noise from the Chili Cook-off, we all decided to take a table deep inside the restaurant - so that we could talk to one another.
My wife started with a small house salad of organic greens, cucumber, marinated grape tomatoes, ricotta salata, and golden balsamic for $6. It was nice.
She loved her entrée - Four Cheese and Pear Tortelloni with white cream sauce for $15. The one thing she found strange is that it was served in a pan rather than on a plate. She felt this delicious dish deserved a much better presentation.
I started with an appetizer of BCC Potato Fritters - with potatoes, Neuskie bacon, cheddar cheese, corn, and white truffle sauce for $9. It was very tasty.
My entrée was a Kobe beef meatloaf with bacon and bordelaise sauce and with a sunny-side egg on top. It was accompanied by a single, beer-battered onion ring and a side of green beans. The meat loaf was great.
For dessert, my wife enjoyed a huge, molten chocolate chip cookie with vanilla bean ice cream for $8.
I had pineapple upside-down cake with warm caramel glaze and Zaya Gran Reserva Rum Raisin Ice Cream for $8. It was very tasty.
Our wine was a 2009 Ridge Three Valleys Zinfandel from Sonoma for $40. Like all Ridge Zins, it was very nice.
With my dessert, I had a glass of Graham's Six Grape Reserve Port for $9.
Libby's has a very creative menu (dinner menu at http://www.libbyscafebar.com/downloads/dinner.pdf), and includes dishes with Korean and Japanese influences. It also has a number of gluten-free dishes.
Libby's is located at 1917 South Osprey at Hillview.
Phone 941-487-7300.
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