Disclosure: Some posts on this blog may contain affiliate links. This blog may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.<\/em><\/p>\n Calling all Suncoast foodies! Savor Sarasota returns for its 20th season, June 1 \u2013 20, 2025. More than 50 area restaurants, from Englewood to Palmetto, and of course, Sarasota, are offering delicious and creative prix-fixe menus with two-course lunches for $25 and three-course dinners for $45 per person. In celebration of the 20th anniversary, diners have more than a week to taste their way through the Sarasota area, they have 20 delectable days.<\/p>\n As a content creator, I attended a sneak peek with several participating restaurants earlier this month at Michael\u2019s Wine Cellar<\/a> in Sarasota. For years I\u2019ve considered myself a foodie and I even became a certified food judge<\/a>. But about three years ago, I was prescribed Mounjaro<\/a>, an injectable GLP-1, to help manage my type 2 diabetes. Because of this, my relationship with food and alcohol changed.<\/p>\n Everyone has different experiences with Mounjaro. With me, the medication\u2019s side effects cause some nausea and over time, it\u2019s dulled my sense of taste, especially with highly processed foods. There are some days when food isn\u2019t palatable, but I still enjoy visually creative entrees and appreciate scrumptious dishes. On occasion, I\u2019ll sip an adult beverage.<\/p>\n Mounjaro calms most of the food noise, I\u2019m not constantly thinking about food. But being on the medication amplifies my cravings for simple, quality ingredients with fresh and bold flavors. I barely finish a full entr\u00e9e when dining out, smaller meals satiate me. I\u2019m more selective as to what I\u2019ll eat, focusing on dishes highlighting proteins and vegetables, while treading lightly with heavy carbs and deep-fried dishes.<\/p>\n Sarasota is a foodie destination, adored by locals and craved by visitors. Although dining out is a different experience for me these days, I\u2019m looking forward to Savor Sarasota<\/a>. <\/p>\n This culinary season is more than eating a meal in a restaurant. It\u2019s an occasion to connect and catch up with friends and family, taste new flavors, and support locally owned eateries.<\/p>\n Looking at the menus and having sampled dishes from some of the participating restaurants, it\u2019s hard to choose which I\u2019ll be visiting! I\u2019ve narrowed my wish list to seven eateries. A caveat, some of my selections may not seem diabetic-friendly but most everything is okay in moderation. <\/p>\n Although many restaurants are serving two-course lunches for $25, some are offering three-course lunches for the same price. Some offer add-ons. Confirm with the respective restaurant before visiting or be pleasantly surprised with a possible bonus course!<\/p>\n Because I live in South Sarasota County, I\u2019m eyeing these three restaurants first:<\/p>\n Anna Maria Oyster Bar \u2013 North Port<\/strong> My Lunch Picks: The spicy seafood gumbo to start and ease into the Brussels sprouts (kickin\u2019 sprouts) as the main entr\u00e9e. They\u2019re served crispy, tossed in ginger-soy glaze and Thai chili aioli. Included is key lime pie for dessert.<\/p>\n Farlow\u2019s on the Water<\/strong> My Lunch Picks: To start, I\u2019m going with the poached shrimp and gazpacho because it\u2019s layered in many fresh, bold flavors. It has poached Bay shrimp, avocado gazpacho, compressed melon, whipped bluey goat cheese, fresh huckleberry, pickled onion, and topped with chili crunch almonds and radish. Flavors complement each other for a magical combination.<\/p>\n For the main entr\u00e9e I\u2019m considering the Caribbean triggerfish served blackened with potato hash, red peppers, scallions, all tossed in bacon honey mustard dressing, with brown sugar caramelized carrots. For dessert, the Fluffernutter cake served with marshmallow fluff, cashew praline butter, and semifreddo sounds perfect.<\/p>\n Pop\u2019s Sunset Grill<\/strong> My Dinner Picks: I\u2019ll be pacing myself with this visit so I\u2019m starting with the grilled romaine salad with heirloom tomatoes, candied pecan-bacon, and cucumber drizzled with citrus vinaigrette sounds divine. Not included yet worth the splurge is Papa\u2019s Shaken Colada. I\u2019m not a big drinker but this is a Southwest Florida vacation for the palate. It features Papa\u2019s Pilar Blonde Rum, pineapple juice, and Coco Lopez topped with Papa\u2019s Pilar Dark Rum.<\/p>\n As for the entr\u00e9e, I sampled the almond and walnut crusted hogfish and the whole dish pops with flavor and is delightful. The fish is topped with tomato, shaved parmesan, Casey Key lime butter, and green onions. This entree is served with coconut rice and garlic butter green beans.<\/p>\n Keeping the tropical theme, I\u2019ll end my meal with the Florida orange cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e for dessert.<\/p>\n These four Sarasota restaurants will be worth the drive:<\/p>\n Kolucan<\/strong> My Dinner Picks: Kolucan serves a fusion of traditional and modern Mexican cuisine, resulting in an elevated experience. I\u2019ll start with a cup of chicken tortilla soup. It\u2019s a tomato broth with roasted corn, chipotle peppers, poblanos, onions, and of course chicken. Moving into the main course, I\u2019m going with the cochinita pibil. This is a tender, Yucatan-style roasted pork shoulder in banana leaves with sour orange, annatto seeds, and cinnamon, served with rice, beans, and warm tortillas. Buen\u00edsimo! To finish off the meal, it\u2019s the flan de la casa. <\/p>\n If you visit Kolucan, stop by the Frida Lounge and order the tamarind margarita. It\u2019s a refreshing treat.<\/p>\n Lefty\u2019s Oyster & Seafood Bar<\/strong> My Lunch Picks: I could make a whole meal out of Lefty\u2019s seafood ceviche. As part of the Savor Sarasota menu, it\u2019s offered as a first course for lunch and dinner. The fresh seafood is perfectly marinated in citrus juice and cilantro for a refreshing flavor combination.<\/p>\n For the main course, I love a good fish taco, and two blackened Mahi tacos sound divine. Served on flour tortillas, these are topped with cabbage, pico de gallo, and taco crema.<\/p>\n Mattison\u2019s Forty-One Restaurant<\/strong> My Dinner Picks: Dining at Mattison\u2019s is always a culinary adventure. The restaurant only serves dinner. To start, the membrillo glazed pork belly and scallop sounds tasty. It\u2019s accompanied by a Manchego cheese arepa cake with sweet summer corn pur\u00e9e, and jicama-apple slaw.<\/p>\n My main course is an international journey on one plate. I\u2019m opting for the seared halibut. The sweet, mild fish is served with a crispy yucca fritter, Cuzco corn and avocado salad, nduja butter, and braised rapini.<\/p>\n And for dessert, although the Bailey\u2019s Irish Cream mousse bomb sounds incredible, I\u2019m choosing the passion fruit panna cotta for something a bit sweeter and lighter, and in my mind, healthier.<\/p>\n Michael\u2019s On East<\/strong> My Dinner Picks: Michael\u2019s On East is a Sarasota staple and because the fine-dining restaurant was one of the initial Savor Sarasota participants, plan a visit during your Sarasota culinary journey. They\u2019re only open for dinner.<\/p>\n My pick for the first course is the South African-inspired Londolozi curried shrimp bisque with tarragon shrimp relish. For the main course, I\u2019d like to taste the French flavors of pan-roasted Scottish salmon in roasted red pepper beurre mont\u00e9, chive and parmesan acini di pepe, petits pois, thyme-scented roasted grape tomatoes and crispy leeks. <\/p>\n I\u2019ll end this meal a Maine-inspired dessert, wild blueberry crisp served with house made vanilla bean ice cream.<\/p>\n New this year is the Savor Sarasota Flavor Trail,<\/a> a digital passport to guide diners to participating restaurants. Thankfully, it\u2019s not another app to download, but a mobile-powered passport delivered either by email and text and can be saved to your phone\u2019s home screen. Search for restaurants either by name or nearby. View the specially created menus through the passport, too. Diners can check in through the pass at each restaurant and the three top diners with most unique check-ins between June 1 \u2013 20 will win exclusive Savor Sarasota swag.<\/p>\n The top three diners with the most check-ins between June 1\u201320 will win exclusive Savor Sarasota swag!<\/p>\n \u201cFor twenty years, Savor Sarasota has brought people together around the table,\u201d said Erin Duggan, President of Visit Sarasota County, the county\u2019s official tourism office. She added, \u201cWhat started as a way to support our restaurants during the summer has grown into one of the most anticipated food events in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n Savor Sarasota began as a way to extend the spring season for local restaurants. When created, June was a slower time for the tourism industry, especially eateries. Twenty years ago, and earlier, some closed for a week, a month or the entire summer because the business levels couldn\u2019t sustain the operations. The Savor Sarasota dining week gave participating restaurants an economic boost. It\u2019s also an opportunity for eateries to introduce new menu items.<\/p>\n Plan your Savor Sarasota culinary adventure on the event\u2019s website<\/a> where you will find participating restaurants and their menus. Learn more about and register for the Flavor Trail here<\/a>. <\/p>\n Bon app\u00e9tit! <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Disclosure: Some posts on this blog may contain affiliate links. This blog may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. Calling all Suncoast foodies! Savor Sarasota returns for its 20th season, June 1 \u2013 20, 2025. More than 50 area restaurants, from Englewood to Palmetto, and of course, Sarasota, are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":287687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[118304,118305,118302,2,118303,118306],"tags":[4224,516,18939,10922,11431,4965,542,1619],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-287686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mysarasota","category-savorsarasota","category-culinary-travel","category-featured","category-florida-fun","category-sarasota","tag-adventures","tag-girls","tag-glp1","tag-planning","tag-restaurant","tag-solo","tag-travel","tag-week"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/solotravelgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Selfie.jpg?resize=640%2C711&ssl=1\")
How My Relationship with Food Has Changed with Mounjaro<\/h2>\n
![\"Savor](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/solotravelgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Pops-Sunset-Grill-Fish-1.jpg?resize=640%2C397&ssl=1\")
Planning My Savor Sarasota Adventure<\/h2>\n
![\"Savor](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/solotravelgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Savor-Sarasota-Farlows-on-the-Water-Shrimp.jpg?resize=640%2C480&ssl=1\")
South Sarasota County Area Restaurants<\/h3>\n
14132 Tamiami Trl., North Port, FL 34287<\/p>\n
2080 S McCall Rd, Englewood, FL 34224<\/p>\n
112 Circuit Rd, Nokomis, FL 34275<\/p>\n![\"Savor](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/solotravelgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Kolucan-xoxhinr-PIVIL.jpg?resize=640%2C480&ssl=1\")
Savor Sarasota Restaurants in Sarasota<\/h3>\n
6644 Gateway Ave, Sarasota, FL 34231<\/p>\n
428 N Lemon Ave, Sarasota, FL 34236<\/p>\n
7275 S Tamiami Trl., Sarasota, FL 34231-5555<\/p>\n
1212 S. East Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34239<\/p>\n![\"Savor](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/solotravelgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Savor-Sarasota-Mattisons-Seared-Halibut.jpg?resize=640%2C480&ssl=1\")
New This Year: Follow the Flavor Trail<\/h2>\n
![\"Savor](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/solotravelgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Savor-Sarasota-Lefty-Ceviche.jpg?resize=640%2C853&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Savor](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/solotravelgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Savor-Sarasota-Lefty-Ceviche-Chips.jpg?resize=640%2C853&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>Savor Sarasota\u2019s Origin Story<\/h2>\n