Corporate Ladder – one of our favorite breweries, we visited twice.
1st visit! I got the coconut and chocolate Doppel Monitor (doppelbock) and Eric had a small pour of the Cherry Amaretti Cookie sour to start and a full pour of the Forti Animo Estote (strawberry, key lime, graham cracker and vanilla) as his second. We also purchased three cans to take home: bananas foster, amaretti cookie and the tiki sour.
2nd visit! This time we went with the group, the day after their Game of Thrones beer drop. I got the Gold of Casterly Rock which had a lovely honey apple flavor, kind of like a strong cider. Eric had the barrel aged Fire & Blood. The bartender accidentally poured us a White Walker so we tried that one too – it was bright blue and tasted like it looked, blue raspberry and vanilla soft serve. We got loaded tots and fried shrimp from the place next door, Jaxx Wing Co., and both were good.
Sun King Brewery – Located near the downtown Selby Gardens, we decided to stop in and enjoy the gorgeous weather out on their back patio. Parking is limited right outside the brewery but the business across the street is open for parking after hours and on weekends. I got the Wee Mac Scottish-Style Ale and Eric got the Lollipop Style Passionfruit (kettle sour). We decided to stay a little longer so we also split the Cherry Busey, a Flanders red ale. A nice stop near downtown Sarasota and quite relaxed on a weekend afternoon.
3 Car Garage Brewing and Loaded Cannon Distillery – We visited this brewery two years ago but they have since moved / merged locations with a distillery. So that meant Eric could get a peppermint chocolate martini and I got the peanut butter cookie ale (a little light for me but nice pb flavor). We brought our friend’s dog with us and everyone loved him. The staff was super friendly and the fries we got at Faith N Gracie’s To Go food Truck hit the spot. We left with a bottle of their peppermint vodka and toasted coconut rum.
2nd visit! This time Eric got the limoncello mojito, and I got the “Birthday Hug,” an imperial stout that drank like a cocktail. Our two friends each got a rye Old Fashioned that was solid but a little too earthy for my tastes.
Paris Bistrot – Located in Lakewood Ranch, this tiny place was the fanciest restaurant we dined at on the trip. Reservations are a must here as it’s very popular. We each got a glass of wine, a French pinot noir for me and a Beau-Rivage Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux for Eric. I was feeling like mussels so I got the traditional preparation which also came with some tasty fries. Eric got the two course option and chose a gorgonzola salad with walnuts and the “pork parmesan” with puff pastry, parma ham and cheese. To finish, we split the coconut and chocolate crepe. Everything was delicious and the service was very good.
Seasons 52 – Not knowing that there were multiple locations, I accidentally booked the wrong one that was further away from our friend’s place. Whoops! They didn’t have space for us in Bradenton but we hustled down to the Sarasota location in OTC and everything worked out. I think we were all pleasantly impressed. Everything on the menu is less than 595 calories, including the desserts which are a reasonable $4 each and served in large shot glasses! We each got a glass of wine, a Portuguese red blend for me and a Spanish Rueda white for Eric, and started with the roasted brussel sprouts appetizer (delish). I got the mushroom flatbread with goat cheese and Eric had the pork chop with braised cabbage. We split the s’mores dessert.
