Constance Gustke
04/01/2004
Sun-starved families have always flocked to Sarasota’s famed soft, white sand beaches. Yet until 2001, this city lacked a world-class hotel and restaurant. When the Ritz-Carlton opened that year, it was a welcomed, elegant addition. Like every Ritz, each detail throughout the 266-room hotel is well thought out. Those seeking a superlative meal enter through the arched white doors, walk across a pink Carrera marble floor, and approach the hotel’s Vernona Restaurant. Bathed in rose and lemon yellow, the Vernona is fitted with crystal chandeliers spilling colored prisms, floral prints on wall and rug, and etched decorative motifs, evoking a gracious, airy garden room.
The private dining room, which
can be accessed either through the main Vernona dining room or from the outside
via the balustrade, continues the restaurant’s airy decor. A large mahogany
table that seats 16 anchors the room along with an accompanying mahogany
breakfront stocked with Versace china. The grande balustrade, which wraps around
the back of the hotel, can be viewed through the room’s arched windows. The cost
for renting the private dining room starts at $500, which includes a captain,
two servers, food and drink; diners can either choose from the Vernona’s
extensive menu, or the chef will visit the table to talk with diners and create
individual dishes.
The food is world-class. Head chef David Serus, who
trained in Brittany and was formerly a chef at the Four Seasons in West Palm
Beach, places an emphasis on light, Mediterranean dishes. He relies on local
fish, herbs and produce for his colorful, artfully presented entrees and
appetizers, all tied together in simple ways. “I like to put two or three
flavors on one plate,” he says. “After that, it’s too much.”
Serus creates
his signature dishes by putting a twist on Florida staples, such as the West
Coast conch chowder made with a light basil oil base and the Vernona salad with
Florida-grown lettuce and baked goat cheese. Entrées include a Florida
favorite—grouper—served blackened and crusted with fennel seed. The Maine
lobster salad is freshened with crushed avocado and a passion fruit vinaigrette.
Serus matches his delicately woven flavors to pastry chef Stephane Cheramy’s
confections. “We taste each other’s foods,” says Cheramy, who studied pastry
in France and was formerly a second chef at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
Like Serus, Cheramy adds a personal touch to well-trod recipes, like cappuccino
crème brulée or key lime pie with coconut ice cream. “These are traditional
foods with crisp presentations,” he says.
The restaurant also boasts an
extensive wine cellar, from which diners can choose favorites such as the 1988
Chateau Margaux.
After dining, guests can retire to the Cà D’Zan Bar, named
after circus impresario John Ringling’s elaborate nearby harbor estate. Paneled
in deep, wainscoted mahogany, this comfortable bar features many signature
liquors, as well as Ritz signature dessert martinis, flavored with cappuccino,
crème brulée or key lime. Guests can also enjoy a nightcap on the terrace, where
panoramic views of the harbor and a healing garden of herbs await them.
The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota
941.309.2000
www.ritzcarlton.com