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| photo from http://cookerycourses.blogspot.com/ |
Drive past the shopping mall at the head of Gulf Gate off the Tamiami Trail and you will find a treasure trove of bakeries, pubs and specialty shops along with the ubiquitous nail salons and dog grooming parlors. The British shop was, to be honest, a disappointment. The prices were a bit too dear and the selection of goods wasn’t especially inspiring, though we did leave with a little tin of John West Dressed Crabmeat. Happily, the visit next door to Oriental Food and Gifts was a jackpot.
This place is packed to the ceiling with just about any foodstuff from the far east you could need. We left with tofu, gyoza, fish sauce, miso soup, cumin, noodles, soft ginger candies, chrysanthemum tea, shrimp crackers, hoisin sauce, coconut milk, Chinese herbal medicine for my cough and other items Jamie uses in his Thai and Indian dishes. On Saturdays they offer fresh Korean sushi and the place was packed!
I realize that what I love most about shopping in markets full of items from other countries is the packaging. Given the choice between a bottle of soy sauce with a photo of some lo mein and one with a drawing of a panda eating bamboo, I’m going to buy the panda every time. For us, there is something satisfying about opening the cupboard to see foreign alphabets and languages on brightly colored packages, a way of traveling via food to places you want to explore. Brilliant!
We were also in the Gulf Gate area to visit the Sarasota Brewing Company brew pub but not before being lured into Ooh-La-La French Bakery and Creperie. Step through the door and you are greeted by pastry that qualifies as art. I was so excited I forgot to take photos so visit their Facebook page for delectible pix . Such a beautiful assortment of deliciousness awaits you that it’s hard to make a choice but we did. Jamie ordered an espresso for then and a raisin croissant for later. I selected a small lemon tart that we’ll have for pudding tonight perhaps with fresh strawberries from O’Brien Family Farms not far from us. (Yes, finally strawberries with taste!)
From espresso to beer is not such a big leap if you’re a Yorkshireman (or married to one!) so we walked just a block and sat ourselves down at Sarasota Brewing Company. The pub is full of tankards and televisions and nice staff, though it’s really dark inside and hard to read the menu. It’s clear the place has a lot of regulars judging by the personalize jugs everywhere. Tables and bars are tucked around the brewing equipment. Jamie had two pints of their current IPA that he totally enjoyed. I tried the Sequoia Amber Lager which was quite yummy, though the waitress brought a full pint when I had only wanted a half. Fortunately, Mr. Pearson is a champion of beers in distress and finished the glass for me. While Jamie loved the beer, I don’t know that I’d bother to go back to Sarasota Brewing, not when there are many more places to explore or known fabulous spots like Dunedin Brewery north of Tampa which come to think of it, we’ll visit again and write about!
Our final stop on this day was Il Panificio, an Italian bakery/market that was so delicious it deserves its own entry. Thanks for visiting Gulf Gate with us and see you at the Il Panificio blog above just as soon as I write it!
