Perfect scallops on the Savor Sarasota menu at Mattison's.

Select three of the many restaurants that are participating in Savor Sarasota. Try their special menus and blog about them. And so, my assignment begins.

Pattigeorge’s- (Friday Night)

                             Our buddy, Gary, dives into Mattison's pot roast.

If our first experience is a glimpse of the rest of the week, we are in for an extremely flavorful assignment. Mattison’s Forty- One hit a homerun for us. The menu is creative and abundant in choices. For appetizers we chose the fried artichoke hearts with tomato, lemon and caper butter, sprinkled with Parmesan, and slow roasted duck spring rolls. Both cooked well, not the least bit greasy and a nice portion for beginning the meal.  For my entrée, I went with the server’s recommendation of jumbo sea scallops over pancetta and sweet pea risotto with smoked tomato coulis. Talk about savor! The scallops were cooked perfectly and the pancetta added a salty balance with the smokiness of the coulis. Cajun lime blackened mahi mahi with tropical fruit macedoine and citrus beurre blanc was our second entrée choice. A well-balanced dish. The fish was moist and blackening seasoning not overpowering. Both dishes were plated beautifully.  Dessert was nice, but the wildflower honey just a tad bit overwhelming for the croissant bread pudding. That’s not to say my dinner guest did not clean his plate!