We decided to hit the shopping malls first to get an idea of what shops were nearby. The first mall we went to was The Mall at University Town Center just outside Sarasota about 30 minutes from where we were staying.
It was a pretty high class mall including Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s and Dillard’s. We were very pleased to find Apple, Microsoft, Pandora, Tumi, Starbucks, Claire’s and The Cheesecake Factory.
We were looking for shorts for Bethany to wear for school and were frustrated to find all the girls shorts were really short and the only way to find longer ones was to look in the boys sections. After wandering the full length of both floors we had a break at Starbucks and headed off to the next mall.
Next up was an outlet mall at Ellenton. It was the same company as the one we had been to in Kissimmee but didn’t have all the same shops. Luckily it had a Justice store – girls clothes from toddler to teenager. Bethany was in her element and they had mid length and Bermuda shorts for girls. She picked out a numbers of pairs of shorts, a skirt with shorts underneath and a few t-shirts. We got the whole lot for less than what two pairs of shorts would have cost us in Switzerland.
Bethany also found a Claire’s outlet where she bought lots of bits and pieces that she had already seen in other branches.
I also bought a new purse at Fossil and we found a great set of reuseable cups at Starbucks.
We then drove over towards the coast to drive along the Sarasota Keys.
We started at the north end at Anna Maria Beach and then drove along Longboat Key and down to St Armand’s Circle.
The keys were very narrow in places, so narrow that we could see water on both sides. The views were great but not easy to photograph from the car.
We decided that we would come back and visit St Armand’s Circle as there were lots of shops and restaurants. This would however have to wait as we had to get back for our restaurant reservation.
On the way into Sarasota we drove over a longer bridge.
We were surprised how big the town itself was. We drove back along the I-75 as it was faster.
After a quick shower and change of clothes we drove back into Venice to the restaurant.
Bruno and Florian moved to take over the restaurant in August 2016. When they were in Switzerland they were both store managers for Starbucks in Zurich. Previously Bruno had trained and worked as a chef. He is now doing all the cooking while Florian runs the front of house.
Bruno and Florian do a mixture of European food including a number of dishes from Switzerland and tapas with various flavors.
We decided to have tapas for starters and full main courses. The tapas were really tasty and interesting. We were definitely looking forward to our main courses.
I had Chef Bruno’s Special – chicken in a Dijon mustard sauce served with rice. I had already started to break up the rice before I took the photo so it doesn’t look quite as it did when it arrived.
Bethany chose Riz Casimir.
And Michael had Crevettes à la Provençale.
Everything was delicious.
For dessert Michael had Hot Love – warm berries with vanilla ice cream – and Bethany had chocolate mousse.
I had enjoyed a glass of sangria followed by two glasses of Pinot Grigio, as the wine was on two glasses for the price of one.
There are regular offers on at the restaurant to try to increase footfall.
Bruno and Florian eventually found time to come and chat with us. They had been relatively busy, for the off season, and only had one waiter to help them out. We also got a tour of the back of house. The kitchen was small and we were more amazed by the food Bruno had prepared.
If you ever happen to be on the Gulf Coast near Venice we would definitely recommend calling in for lunch or dinner. You can check out the rest of the menu online.
We left just before they were due to close and said that we would definitely be back before we go home.
Crouch Family On Tour 