on the town
ARTFUL EATING AT OVATION By Rick Dakan
ART OVATION HOTEL 1255 N Palm Ave Sarasota, FL 34236 With multiple big buildings clawing their way into the downtown Sarasota skyline, it’s important to remember that bigger isn’t always better. The new Art Ovation Hotel is the newest in Marriott’s Autograph Collection, boutique hotels that have the tagline: “exactly like no other.” The new art-centric hotel found a perfect home on Palm Avenue, long one of Sarasota’s art gallery destinations. In addition to showcasing and promoting local artists, the charming venue offers three different food and drink venues, each with its own special appeal. Overture Restaurant is the magnum opus, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s immediately appealing to hotel guests, but its prime Palm Avenue locale just a few steps from Florida Studio Theatre and the Sarasota Opera should seduce anyone looking for a wonderful meal before or after a show. Experts have overseen the development of the restaurant’s menu, decor, and table settings since long before construction began. American classics were used as the starting place, but with an artistic and dramatic flare. 1 20
SARASOTA SCENE | SEPTEMBER 2018
The American classics are clear from the menu selection: lots of favorites but with something extra or unexpected. Deviled eggs are as traditional as it gets, but Overture tops them with candied bacon and sweet pickle. Of course, there’s a hamburger, but this one is a secret blend of three different meats topped with a house-made beer cheese sauce that, as the chef says, “spoons like Velveeta” thanks to a secret, all-natural process, but is made from real cheese and real beer. It’s a marvel and a delight to consume. The all-American inspiration goes deep in Overture’s menu, and has led the culinary team to seek out wonderful domestic purveyors of delicacies we normally think of as European. The fantastic Charcuterie Palette is a mix of cured meats and cheeses from artisans all over the US. There’s the award-winning prosciutto from La Quercia, in Iowa, along with The Fawn cheddar from Deer Creek in Wisconsin and the Humboldt Fog goat cheese from Cypress Grove in California. American winemakers take center stage on the restaurant’s intriguing wine list as well. Overture manager Judy Cote is a sommelier with twenty years of experience. She has created a list
