Writes of Passage

We dined at this restaurant a little too frequently this December.

I forgot to make a reservation for a 1:00 p.m. lunch and had to wait an hour.

The server said, “The fire marshal says this restaurant can seat 1,700, but we’ve never tried before.” Not 7,000 I thought I heard.

The water glass is dirty.

We had:
– Peñaclara
– Casimiro Sauvignon Blanc
– Casimiro red blend
– Lechón asado
– Merluza a la rusa
– Mahi
– Cuban sandwich with soup

All were good, but the eggplant and shrimp we had last week in Sarasota were better.

Peñaclara is a Spanish brand of natural mineral water sourced from a deep artesian spring in the Sierra de Cameros, La Rioja region. This sprarkling water tastes pretty good.

While waiting, we looked closer at the sidewalk pavers, some are black while others white, along 7th Avenue in front of the restaurant, that features engraved personalized messages, from love notes to tributes to wedding anniversaries.

325 N Florida Ave,
Tampa, FL 33602

… more pix on Google Maps, Yelp, TA

Will return.

Hyatt House Tampa Downtown is a pleasant and efficient hotel in a convenient location.

I had never stayed at a Hyatt House before—this one is wonderful, from the location to the lobby and the room. The lattice screens add a touch of elegance. Coffee & tea are available 24/7.

The room is nicely laid out. The kitchenette—with a refrigerator and dishwasher—may be a bit more than necessary, but it is certainly appreciated.

• location: 5/5
• lobby: 5
• shower pressure: 4
• toiletries: KenetMD
• towels: 4
• bed: 4

Our room was made up promptly the following day—thank you. Breakfast is decent and included. The gym on the 4th floor is spacious, and the small pool is an added bonus.

Sarasota, FL

City Island is a neighborhood, and a peninsula on Sarasota Bay, with a substantical downtown, around St. Armands Circle.

It has a few waterfront parks (like Ken Thompson Park), marine research (Mote Marine Laboratory’s main campus), dining (Old Salty Dog); Lido beach, etc.

• Columbia Restaurant
• Lido Beach
• St. Armands Key Lutheran church

@ Sarasota Opera House

… more pix on Reddit.

The Nutcracker is one of Tchaikovsky’s most beloved ballets—a holiday ritual and a time for family. As always, the score is magnificent. However, in this production the music was played through boomboxes, which seriously diminished the beauty and richness of the melodies.

I googled the top 5 ballets, 1-3 are Tchaikovsky’s:

1. Swan Lake
2. The Nutcracker
3. The Sleeping Beauty
4. Giselle, and
5. Romeo and Juliet

My rating for this production

(Music scores: 6/5)
Music playing: 2/5
Performance: 3/5
Audience: 2/5

From the outset, the opera house feels chaotic. Will Call is mandatory, and even eight minutes before curtain, the line still stretches around the block—why?

One female staff member is outright rude, thrusting her arm across my face without the slightest apology.

I knew exactly where my seat was, yet an usher insisted otherwise. Two steps later, she conceded I was right. “My first time here,” she said.

The performance, unsurprisingly, started late, followed by a good five minutes of acknowledgements and speeches.

There are many kids in the product. Two looks to be little more than toddlers, who are cute and adorabale. It’s a great way for the young apprentices.

There are over-exuberant clap excessively throughout the performance. Are they the parents?

The woman seated to my left, accompanied by a young girl, checks her phone nonstop. Behind me, a family with children around ten years old speaks Russian, talks excessively, and makes constant noise—candy wrappers, water bottles—and in the second act, one of the children repeatedly kicks my chair.

I’ve been to a few Nutcracker elsewhere but never was this unsettling.

• Dinner at Columbia @ City Island is wonderful
• streetscapes
• Lido Beach
• Tiramisu gelato @ Fresco Italian caps the day

The Nutcracker (1892) two-act ballet by Tchaikovsky

老柴的《胡桃夹子》（1892年） 节日应景的节目

谷歌 前5芭蕾
1. Swan Lake
2. The Nutcracker
3. The Sleeping Beauty
4. Giselle, and
5. Romeo and Juliet

前三都是老柴的 👍
想不通这么美丽音乐的作者怎么会出生在…

Lido Beach @ City Island
Sarasota

Lido Beach is a beautiful barrier island beach known for its soft white sands, clear water, and proximity to St. Armand’s Circle, a popular shopping/dining area on Lido Key. It offers family-friendly amenities like lifeguards, restrooms, concessions, rentals, and ample free parking, plus distinct areas like the more secluded North Lido and nature-focused South Lido (Ted Sperling Park) with kayaking/fishing. It’s a relaxing alternative to Siesta Key, good for strolls, shelling, and watching beautiful sunsets.

… the white powder sand

… and the beach

411 St Armands Cir.
Sarasota, FL 34236

… more pix on Google Maps, Yelp, TA

Will return.

Thanks for having this branch out in City Island. We come to Sarasota often: have subscriptions to the operas and come to concerts @ Van Wezel, and ballet, but never ventured out to this corner.

This branch is in St. Armands Circle, a busy location, with good service and delicious food. We’ve

Love the tiles. We sit by the open door/windows, enjoying both indoor ambience and outdoor lazy December sunshine.

we’ve

• Cuban tamale-ts
• Shrimp & yellow rice
• Eggplant riojana

The bread and all of the above are red hot, which differ from last week’s at Ybor City where food was warm to a little cold. The two main courses are delicious – could be a bit saltier (?) … ok, I’m overdoesing on salt.

1536 Main St,
Sarasota, FL 34236
(941) 555-3737

… more pix & video on Yelp*, TA*, Google Maps*

Will return to Fresco Italian Cafe E Gelato!

The small blue tiles by the entrance immediately caught my eye. When I looked inside, the sparse, white, and pleasant décor drew me in.

The wall mural to the right feels like a hand-painted escape to the Mediterranean, depicts a sun-washed Italian café scene. The palette—soft blues, warm yellows, and creamy whites—creates a breezy, coastal calm.

They seem newly opened (or at least very new). There was only one woman serving, so the line moved slowly. They offer gelato, espresso, and café treats like tiramisu, salted caramel gelato, and smoothies. I had the tiramisu gelato—it was really good.

They’re in the former Yume Sushi spot.

804 Providence Rd,
Brandon, FL 33511

… more pix on Google Maps, Yelp, TA*, FB, Insta

Won’t return.

It has a long name: Hong Brandon x Chen’s Duck & Dumplings 鸿, but unfortunately, the experience fell short. The seating is uncomfortable (high tables with low chairs), the décor is loud, service is decent – the manager walks around checking, and the Peking duck is just so-so.

We ordered:
•String beans – tender and fine
•XLB (soup dumplings)
•Beijing duck

XLB:
•Well made, none broken
•Skin is fine
•Soup is slightly sweet
•Filling tastes processed

The duck is pre-sliced, and I doubt it comes close to the traditional 108 slices. They do let you take the bones home. I came specifically because they use thin pancakes instead of steamed buns, but the pancakes were sticky, damp, and rather cold; they need careful handling to unfold. When the duck was served, the two slots for cucumber and scallions were empty.

We ordered a bottle of wine. The server had to open it elsewhere because her opener was broken. When she returned, she poured directly into our glasses. I understand this is a casual restaurant and formal service isn’t expected—I’m okay with that. (Are they still in the soft opening period?)

The duck itself is small. We could have ordered more, but didn’t. The entire time I sat there, I kept wishing I were a few inches taller and that I’d brought two phone books with me. The visual assault is hard to stomach.

On the plus side, the bathroom is clean and spacious. However, the stall I used had a broken bag hook. Isles are wide but tables are small.

edit:

XLB came first. The juice and vinegar made the plates messy. But they didn’t change when the duck arrived. When my friend asked for fresh plates, the server’s reaction showed this might not be their routine, but she did so promptly with a smile. She has a trainee following her.

The restaurant has two sections: the duckies with a menu, and the hotpot side is buffet style. Either I heard from my friend or read it somewhere, that they’ll charge you for wasting food, which I like and agree with: good for them. (Ok found it: on their web site: We reserve the right to apply a $13.99/lb surcharge for unfinished food.)

In looking through my photos for this ‘charge’ phrase, I found their BJ Duck photo, which is inaccurate compared to what we got: the pancakes in the photo that got me there to begin with look flat and dry – the way they should be.

10248 Big Bend Rd
Riverview, FL 33578

… more pix on Google Maps, Yelp

Will not return: dirty tableware.

The wide rim of the chowder plate has dried smudges. Either they didn’t wipe it off the overspill cleanly, didn’t wash it clean, or it’s unwashed.

There is a bit of ketchup (?) on my grilled salmon plate. I normally would not have picked on it. But this seems to confirm the smudgy soup plate isn’t an isolated matter.

The wine tumbler with their logo is clean and cute, and the Copper Ridge Chardonnay is ok.

We’re a group of 10. It took 48 minutes to have the soup. The food is passable. My salmon is dry, and the broccoli is soft.

The colorful ballpens the servers use are like rainbow. Mutiple tv monitors line the walls. They’ve outdoor section too.

10220 Big Bend Rd,
Riverview, FL 33578

… more pix on Google Maps n Yelp

My grocery and household items shopping has been replaced by another supermarket delivery service. Occasionally shopping at Aldi is always pleasant. The spacious aisles are very wide, which I don’t see anywhere else.

After lunch at Glory Days Grill, we stopped by. The products are decent, and I always find something to buy -:)

The paper flyers are still in use. I think it’s time to get rid of them!

Remember, they charge you for bags and a quarter for the deposit to use their shopping carts.