OUTDOORS

16 THE SUN FOOD & WINE

AUGUST 25, 2021

Brian Mathae Fresh, not fast

HURRICANE HANKS

As I mentioned in my last column, we are in the menu development stage for Fifty Three Fifty, The Pourhouse. Fifty Three Fifty will be much more than a coffee shop. We plan on staying open through the evening and serve small dishes, both sweet and savory, with recurring specials and just a bit of an internationally eclectic selection of items.

Food is a great way to let yourself be creative. Recipes are mere starting points - the quantities you use and the techniques you deploy speak about who you are and what you enjoy. Make yourself happy first - after all, you are the most important person in your life. Of course, making you happy with our food would make us happy.

From French-inspired galettes to traditional Mexican tacos our goal is simple; to provide you with tasty bites that use fresh and natural ingredients. I would much rather offer you some-thing that is fresh and free of preservatives whenever possible. Today’s recipe for Carne Asada is exactly that. Simple spices and a fresh cut of beef to elevate your lunch or dinner. I love a charcuterie board as much as anyone but I realize processed meats are not the best for me. Various sodiumbased products are used in processed meats for a variety of reasons, including to maintain color, contribute to the characteristic flavor, to prevent rancidity and to inhibit the growth of some microorganisms. I don’t know if sodium is the contributing factor, but studies suggest that regular consumption of even small amounts of processed meats can lead to a worsening of cardiovascular health.

Eating foods prepared from fresh ingredients is often hard to do. We are all in a hurry and the food factory engineers have pretty much figured out what triggers our brains. Whether a healthy choice or not, we want it because we think it tastes good and it's usually quick and convenient. It’s far easier to grab that glazed donut wrapped in plastic off the shelf of the convenience store than to make a special trip to a bakery. In addition to being more accessible, it is also likely cheaper. With increased shelf life, processed foods rarely spoil compared to fresh items. Limited waste results in cheaper costs for the manufacturers. But think about it - what went into making the donut stay moist and the glaze not melt for 60 to 90 days? We are not eating the same food our grandparents did.

Carne Asada is a traditional Mexican grilled beef dish. Beef steaks are marinated in lime juices and seasonings, grilled, sliced thinly and served as a main course or used as a filling for tacos or burritos. The beef steaks should be thin, so they grill quickly and evenly. The choice of cut is yours, but typically flank or skirt steaks are the traditional cuts. Even with the marinade, the flank steak can become tough if over-cooked because of how lean it is. Skirt steak has a higher fat content and can therefore be cooked more. Choose the cut based on how well you like your beef cooked. Add fresh guacamole, sliced avocados, a smidge of sour cream, or some Queso Fresco cheese to finish the flavor profile you are looking for.

I hope you will try this at home. Treat yourself to fresh, not fast. Your inner being will thank you.

SUBMITTED

Carne asada street tacos

(Serves up to 6)

Ingredients

2 lbs. skirt or flank steak 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves 4 cloves of garlic, minced 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tbs fresh lime juice 2 tbs fresh orange juice 2 tbs apple cider vinegar 2 tbs brown sugar 1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground smoked paprika

Accompaniments 3 limes cut into wedges 1/2 white onion diced finely 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves tortillas

Directions

• Create the marinade by mixing together in a baking dish all the ingredients except for the beef and the accompaniments. Place the steak in the marinade and turn several times to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate overnight. • Preheat your grill to 450°F. Remove the steak from the marinade and place on the grill. Grill for 3 minutes before turning it over to grill the other side. Once grilled evenly for about 6 minutes in total, reduce heat and continue to cook until desired temperature is reached. Using a meat thermometer, remove when the internal temperature has reached 125°F for medium-rare or 140°F for medium. The meat will continue to cook once removed from the grill. Cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. • Place the beef on a cutting board and, using a sharp knife at an angle cut slices across the grain of the meat so the pieces are thin and wide. Serve on warmed tortillas with chopped onion, cilantro leaves and lime wedges.

BORTELL'S: Reopening on Wednesday

FROM PAGE 1 plan was a nine-month turnaround that turned into three years,” he said.

Bortell’s Lounge closed for renovations in April 2018. That September, Rose and his wife were seriously injured when the private plane they were traveling in crashed while landing in South Carolina. The renovations were further delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The renovations came out so much better than I anticipated. Steve Titsworth, his daughter Ally Reese and the whole crew at Shoreline Builders came up with a lot of great ideas,” he said. “They were a great build partner. The bar is about 9 feet bigger and is made out of beams we think came from an old ship and were previously used as ceiling trusses. We think the wood came from a prohibition ship that cracked up on Passage Key and was taken to Cortez.”

“We put the bar back in the same spot. We rearranged it a little bit, but my goal is to keep it similar,” Rose said.

“We’ve got the old Budweiser Clydesdale carousel light that used to hang over the pool tables,” he added, noting the interior décor includes several other keepsakes, pieces of memorabilia and photos that accumulated over the years.

“I added a bunch of my fishing stuff and some other things I’ve picked up over the years. We’ve got a bunch of regulars and locals and we’re hoping they can help us add more local memorabilia,” Rose said.

In addition to the 24-seat bar, a 13seat drink rail has been installed along the front windows that face Gulf Drive. Additional chairs and tables provide a total of 62 seats.

A section of the wall near the back door features a photo of the late George Wilson Jr. lifting a glass and proposing a toast.

“We’re going to have a memory wall for our friends. Between 2017 and 2019 we lost about 10 regulars. We’re going to do something nice over in that corner,” Rose said.

The women’s restroom has been relocated and both restrooms have been completely renovated. The renovations include a large new retail display for Bortell’s shirts, hats and other merchandise.

The bright blue paint that long graced the outside of the building has been replaced with beige paint.

“It was time for a change. The building wasn’t always bright blue. At one time, it was white with reddish trim,” Rose said.

BAR AND KITCHEN

Bortell’s remains a full liquor bar, with package sales, too.

“We’ve added more draft beers. We used to only have Bud and Bud Light. Now we’ve got the capacity to do 10 different drafts. We put in a real keg cooler, which we never had before,” Rose said.

Rose realizes his clientele may have changed somewhat since he was last open.

“Over the past three years, the Island has gotten significantly busier with the tourism. We are going to see a much larger percent of tourists than we ever had, but that’s the case everywhere on the Island. They’re going to be drinking different things and looking for different things. I’ve got two frozen drink machines going into service. We’re still going to have a decent price for a well drink or a draft beer. We’re also going to have some stuff on the higher end of the scale. We’re going to have both ends of the spectrum.”

Bortell’s now has a new and significantly larger kitchen that features a six-burner stove, an oven, deep fryers, a grill, a cooler and a freezer. Rose anticipates food service beginning in December, which is when he also plans to host a grand opening celebration.

“There was a kitchen here before, but I never used it. It was used by Helen Bortell. This was her Thanksgiving menu,” Rose said, pointing to an old, framed menu hanging on the wall near the kitchen.

“With the kitchen staff, we’re probably a few months away. We’re going to start with the bar. Once we get that running then we’ll get the kitchen up and running. We’ll have food down the road. We’re going to be a bar that serves food. We designed this kitchen for the bulk of the food to be sold to go, but you’ll also be able to eat here. When the kitchen opens, we’ll be open for lunch and dinner and my plan is to serve food until we close at midnight,” Rose said.

“Our plan is for this to be a community bar. That’s one of the things we love about it. I plan to do a big homestyle Thanksgiving dinner this year like we used to do. Some of the greatest New Year’s Eves I’ve spent were here with the Island people,” Rose said.

“We’re still doing free hot dogs on football Sundays,” Rose said, of that longstanding Bortell’s tradition.

WORKPLACE HOUSING

“We are also going to do some limited employee housing. I’ve secured a triplex in Holmes Beach that were looking to utilize for staff. It’s no secret that the Island has priced out most people who work in this industry. In order to get them down to this end of the Island, we want to provide some housing here on the Island. It’s a fiveminute bike ride from here. If that goes well, I’ll look for some more,” he said.

JOE HENDRICKS | SUN Bortell’s Lounge owner Steve Rose is excited about the reopening. Right, These folks were among the first to visit during Saturday’s soft opening.

STEVE ROSE | SUBMITTED

AME: Two COVID-19 cases reported

FROM PAGE 1 it is expected the board will consider extending it during its Tuesday, Aug. 24 meeting. Since the board included an opt-out clause in the mandate, any student or staff member who doesn’t want to wear a mask doesn’t have to, making it essentially meaningless.

Currently, Manatee County is reporting 682 students testing positive and 143 staff cases countywide. There were 130 new cases as of Friday, Aug. 20, the second week of school, up from 178 total staff and student cases at the end of the first week of school, a 363% increase.

Sarasota County passed a mandate without an opt-out clause on Friday, Aug. 20 during a special board meeting. Sarasota County reports 778 student COVID-19 cases since the start of the school year and 168 cases of staff members testing positive. DeSantis remarked that the mandate was illegal while speaking at Manatee Memorial Hospital in Bradenton the following day.

Recently, the Hillsborough County School Board voted to have a mandate with no opt-out clause that is in effect through Friday, Sept. 17. The mandate is illegal under state law and drew the attention of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said, "The forced masking of schoolchildren infringes upon parents’ rights to make health and educational decisions for their own children."

18 THE SUN OUTDOORS AUGUST 25, 2021

Dog days of summer are here

Reel Time

RUSTY CHINNIS

The term "dog days" originated with the ancient belief that Sirius, the dog star, close to the sun, was responsible for hot summer weather. Dog days is a common term among fishermen signifying the long hot days of August and September when fish can be hard to find and catch. Add in an early and persistent red tide and anglers can be faced with a daunting challenge. While there's no doubt that late summer days are long and often intensely hot and uncomfortable, they can also yield some surprising results for savvy anglers. By employing a change of strategy and tailoring their efforts to maximize comfort and opportunities, anglers can catch fish in relative comfort.

One of the prime times to fish during the dog days is at night or in the early morning before the sun climbs high in the sky. The myriad dock and bridge lights that illuminate local waterways hold concentrations of fish including snook, trout, mangrove snapper, redfish, bluefish and tarpon. Docks and bridges surrounded by relatively deep water generally hold more fish. Tidal flow is another indicator of action. Lights on the up tide side of a structure are best, allowing anglers more latitude when making a presentation, preventing hang-ups and allowing flies, lures and bait to swing to the fish naturally. With a little attention to detail, it’s possible to target prime dock and bridge lights on the incoming tide, and then again on the outgoing tide.

The presence of hard bottom near a bridge or dock is another indicator of good fish habitat. Bait is also an indication of a prime area, and ledges, oyster bars and seawalls near lights can further increase the odds of action. Underwater lights, now fairly common, can really concentrate fish, especially when you factor in structure. Concentrate casts first to the shadowy edges and then progressively beside and through the light cone. Lights in Anna Maria Sound, Palma Sola and Sarasota Bay host the same opportunities for fish ranging from just a few pounds to more than 100 pounds. Match your presentation - fly, bait or artificial - to the size of the fish that are attracted to the lights.

During times of red tide, try concentrating on lights in and around the Manatee and Braden rivers where freshwater lowers the salinity and limits harmful algae blooms.

When the rising sun lightens the horizon, anglers can move to the flats to target redfish, snook and trout. Concentrate your fishing around flats with good grass cover. In addition, look for flats that feature channel edges, potholes, sand bars and oyster bars. Strong tides will also increase your odds.

In the hottest months, from August through September, most of the early morning tides are from one to one and a half feet, so anglers will seldom see pushes or tails. Instead, concentrate on scattering bait, working birds and schools of mullet. One of the most productive strategies is to fish “seams” - demarcation lines that separate grass, sand and other structure.

While pre-dawn or early morning is generally the best time during sweltering weather, there is one exception. Late afternoon outgoing tides that correspond to the full and new moons provide some fast action with a variety of species. Areas to concentrate on include the slues and channels that drain the inshore flats and the passes where the funneling effect concentrates game fish and their prey. Passes that have flanking seawalls and rock groins can be particularly productive. These areas attract and concentrate the baitfish on which the predators feed. Work lures and flies close to the structure.

Fishing the dog days of summer can be productive no matter where you fish as long as you follow a few rules. First and foremost, you must find conditions that are acceptable to the species you seek. In general, water temperatures must not be excessive, and you can count on early mornings and deeper water to moderate conditions. The exception to the rule will be those areas and times where the presence of food overrides the fishes’ desire to locate comfortable conditions. Fishing the dog days can be challenging, but master the rules and you’ll have a lot of productive fishing and very little competition.

RUSTY CHINNIS | SUN Captain Rick Grassett with a mangrove snapper that took a baitfish fly from an underwater light in Palma Sola Bay.

Trout fishing in Montana TURTLE TIPS

CAPTAIN RICK GRASSETT

I hosted a group of friends and clients on my annual destination fly fishing trip to southwest Montana recently. Rusty Chinnis and I traveled from Sarasota to Bozeman and met up with Kirk Grassett, from Delaware, Nick Delle Donne, from Pennsylvania and Denton Kent, from Virginia, and made the 2-1/2 hour drive to Medicine Lodge, on a 100,000-acre working ranch near the Beaverhead River, outside of Dillon, Montana. We met up there with Mike Perez and Dennis Kinley, from Indiana, who drove and met us at the lodge.

Despite some fishing restrictions due to heat and low water, we caught and released some quality trout. We fished the Beaverhead, Big Hole and Madison Rivers with guide Dave King, owner of King Outfitters (406) 596-0209 in Dillon, and his talented group of guides. I’ve fished with these guides for more than 20-years. They work hard, do a great job and know their fishery well. We had great action on 5- and 6-weight fly tackle with brown and rainbow trout to more than 20 inches on streamers, dry flies, dry/dropper and nymph rigs. The dry fly action was with a variety of grasshopper patterns, sometimes with a nymph dropper, or with a smaller dry fly and a few other bugs. Like fishing everywhere, there were good days and slower days but overall, it was great!

Back in Sarasota, red tide is an issue, but there are areas of clean water that are fine. Catch-and-release snook fishing around dock lights and bridges should be a good option now. There should be tarpon in areas of upper Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay. Juvenile tarpon in canals and creeks may also be a good option. You might also find them in a few places mixed with snook in dock lights. Due to the nature of red tide, conditions may change from day to day so be ready to adjust if necessary. Our natural resources are under constant pressure from red tides fueled by residential, industrial and agricultural runoff, toxic spills and intentional releases, freezes, increasing fishing pressure and habitat loss and degradation, please limit your kill, don’t kill your limit!

During sea turtle season, May 1 – Oct. 31, please follow these tips: • Turn off lights visible from the beach and close blinds from sundown to sunrise; lights confuse nesting sea turtles and may cause them to go back to sea and drop their eggs in the water, where they won’t hatch. Light can also attract hatchlings away from the water. • Don’t use flashlights, lanterns or camera flashes on the beach at night. • Remove all objects from the sand from sundown to sunrise; they can deter sea turtles from nesting and can disorient hatchlings. • Fill in the holes you dig in the sand and level sandcastles before leaving the beach; they can obstruct or trap nesting and hatching sea turtles, which cannot live long out of the water. • Don’t use wish lanterns or fireworks; they litter the beach and Gulf. • Do not trim trees and plants that shield the beach from lights. • Never touch a sea turtle; it’s the law. If you see people disturbing turtles, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

NESTING NEWS

Turtle nests laid: 417 (Record: 544 in 2019) False crawls: 560 Nests hatched: 98 Hatchlings hatched: 5,667 (Record: 35,788 in 2018) Nest disorientations: 22