Cadgirl

It's been 8 years since my DH and I last traveled to Florida, but if I am able to locate some decent prices on airline tickets, we will be returning for five days at the end of April.

There are so many of our favorite dining spots that we want to visit : Myakka River Oyster Bar in Venice, Captain Curt's in Siesta Key, The Frosted Mug in Venice, Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa.

Please share with me 1) your favorite restaurant on the west coast of FLA in the vicinity of these great towns; and 2) let me know- what is your favorite thing to do in this area?

I seriously cannot wait to return to Florida!!

Thanks!!

AustinTraveler

If you don't get any replies here, post your question on the City-Data forum for Sarasota. There are some incredibly knowledgeable people on that forum who are very willing to help.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/saras...n-venice-area/

NewbE

The big news in Tampa is that the downtown area has been revitalized! There is a beautiful new museum of art in Curtis Hixson Park, across the river from UT; there's a cafe inside run by the owner of Mise en Place, which is one of Tampa's longstanding best-ofs. There is also a new Chirldren's Museum next door, and lots of restaurants, bars and cafes nearby. Fly Restaurant, Spain, Cafe l'Eden, Bamboozle, Taps, the list is delightfully long now! Another newcomer is the Tampa History Center, which has an outpost of the Columbia restaurant.

My favorite restaurant in Tampa is Pane Rustica--fresh, seasonal, creative fare. It's bustling and great for lunch, dim and even better for dinner. Location is a nondescript strip mall, but don't let that put you off! Cappy's for pizza and the aforementioned Fly are my close runners-up. Oh, yeah, and if you venture to Davis Islands, you must try Bailey's for traditional, NOT low-cal Southern cuisine.

My favorite thing to do around here at this time of year is kayak. I also listed a bunch of ideas in this thread:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...tampa-area.cfm

This one, too:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...e-in-april.cfm

Enjoy your stay!!

tchoiniere

Myakka River Oyster Bar now has running water so no more plastic silverware and paper plates. Still very good. I prefer Pop's in Nokomis. For drinks, I really like the Casey Key Tiki Bar.

My parents live in North Port so 1/2 hour south of Venice. Punta Gorda has really come into its own for great restaurants as well so it really depends on where you end up.

Beaucoup

We live in Osprey, between Sarasota and Venice. In Venice, new since you have been here—with good food—are Robbi’s Reef, the Upper Crust Café, Café Venice (new location and owner), and Cassariano Italian. Also excellent, but not new is the Crow’s Nest (Upstairs and the Tavern). In nearby Nokomis, Captain Eddie’s is still a dependable choice for casual seafood, while the Curry Creek Café serves a very ambitious menu (and does it well). In Osprey, there’s always the Casey Key Fish House (arguably the best fish in the area) and Roessler’s for fine dining done very well. Sarasota has many, many good choices including the Bologna Café, Café Baci, and Caragiulo’s for Italian, Marina Jack (the patio and upstairs), Owen’s Fish Camp in Burns Court, Morocco, and myriad others too numerous to go into here. Or, near Sarasota just drive around the Gulf Gate area and observe the variety of cuisines—then try one, they are all OK! There are even some good places in Siesta Key Village (apart from the usual beach/vacation choices) that offer a variety of cuisines.

I hope that you find a good airfare and that you come and enjoy yourself. It was 84 degrees here today…so enjoy!