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Archive for April, 2009
Architecture
Stand by for incoming missiles! Modern architecture purists all over town won’t want to hear what’s coming next: Citrus Square, a retro, faux-European mixed-use building on North Orange Avenue, is a graceful and valid addition to our cityscape. So there—fire away. Sited on Orange a block north of Fruitville Road, Citrus Square is a welcome [...]
Read More >>Mr. Chatterbox
Here at Sarasota Magazine, where we are the arbiters of all that is glamorous and expensive, I am not, naturally, encouraged to write about garage sales. Which is a shame because they are the New Retail. They’re everywhere—have you ever seen so many? Many blocks around town now have two or three on the same [...]
Read More >>Naturally Good
Sharecropper? You don’t have to work the land to be a member of a community-supported agriculture organization like Geraldson’s Community Farm, where for $450 you’ll get a bushel of organic veggies each week during Florida’s 28-week growing season. geraldsoncommunityfarm.org Spice Island Even spices go au naturel with 150 choices (all preservative- and additive-free) sold by [...]
Read More >>Who’s in Store?
Barbara Portanova and Amie Swan are the dynamic duo behind The Paper Tree, a sophisticated mélange of unique gifts, chic stationery and paper goods. Barbara’s love affair with all things paper began at age 10, when she accompanied her grandparents on a tour promoting their book, Miss You: The World War II Letters of Barbara [...]
Read More >>Boutique
palm avenue The economy may rise or fall, but Palm Avenue remains Sarasota’s bastion of arts and luxury. The owners of the galleries and boutiques lining the historic avenue have created their own stimulus packages with plenty of affordable jewelry, art, and home décor rounding out high-end collections. Just one day of shopping these beautiful [...]
Read More >>Noisemaker
Take-Home Chef In December, Blake Ellis became one of only 16 chefs nationwide named “personal certified chefs” by the American Culinary Federation—the only organization the government recognizes for certifying individual chefs. And while the 20-something’s resumé also includes a degree from the American Culinary Institute and stints at Tampa’s Bern’s Steakhouse and The Ritz-Carlton, [...]
Read More >>From The Editor
YES, TIMES ARE TOUGH, but so are folks here in Sarasota. We can survive without double-digit annual real estate appreciation, and we can manage without all that money we once had in the stock market. We can even cut back on power shopping. But there’s something this city will never give up—dining out in our [...]
Read More >>Purely Delicious
Saturdays at the downtown Sarasota farmer’s market are a treat for the senses. People bustle down Lemon Avenue, clutching bouquets of fresh flowers, bags of vegetables, and Styrofoam cups filled with hot coffee. Neighbors stop each other in the street to say hello and compare purchases, and dogs—which, some Saturdays, almost outnumber people—go nose to [...]
Read More >>Fanta-sea
Knockout wraparound views of Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico provide the inspiration for a playful, yet totally sophisticated apartment that was recently completed in the Ritz Beach Club Residences. How playful? How about a powder room that, upon entering, launches a display of illuminated, multicolored sea turtles and plays the reggae-toned tune “Under [...]
Read More >>A Fiesta of Flavors
In our ever-expanding world of global flavors, every region seems to have its day. French, Italian, Asian and fusion—each has dazzled diners and lit up the foodie firmament for a while. But what about South American food? Close as that continent is to us, many Americans know next to nothing about the cuisine. The popular [...]
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