In the last month, I realized life can get into the way of having a life. I found out I had something in my left breast. Maybe it is Florida, and the doctor’s like to find things but I had a routine mammogram.
Monthly Archives: April 2017
Marietta Museum of Whimsy is a Must Visit in Sarasota
The Marietta Museum of Whimsy is a fun, amazing place where your mind is taken on an enjoyable trip. It is an odd little place but one that is fascinating and glorious. You couldn’t possibly visit and not laugh. It can be seen from Tamiami Trail (41) because the colors stand out and there is a pick flamingo outside. It isn’t far from another eclectic art museum; the Ringling Museum.
It is basically a free museum that relies on volunteers to “man” it, actually “woman” it. The owner, creator, and collector is Marietta Lee. They ask for a $5.00 donation and it is worth it. There is a guard sitting and watching you; of course, pretty quickly you realize it is a fake. There are lots of twists and turns in the various rooms and each one is a delight.
The docents (are real) encourage everyone to go to the bathrooms because they also are works of art. There are paintings, sculpture, a funky light show, moving objects, porcelains, and metal garden art.
You move into another room that is guarded by a stack of wooden animals that guide you into it.
There is a new kitchen area where the arches were created by the various volunteers.
Taking a walk in the gardens are a must because there are all sorts of art objects that are resting somewhere among the plants. Each view is just a delight.
It doesn’t take long to go through it but it is well worth your while to visit. It just makes you happy. What a wonderful place to conceive of, let alone, build.
The Marietta Museum of Art & Whimsy is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 1pm to 4pm from October to May. The museum is closed during the summer months and major holidays.
2121 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34234.
One of Sarasota’s Best: Pomona Bistro and Wine Bar
Pomona Bistro and Wine Bar is a lovely restaurant. It is a wonderful part of the Sarasota restaurant scene. While it sounds like a casual bistro, that is in name only. It is an upscale restaurant with great service from the moment you walk in.
It is located in the Rosemary District and so it is a little off the beaten path unless you have had breakfast, lunch or dinner at the Rosemary. Once you find it, you will wonder why you haven’t gone there before. The restaurant has both inside and outside service.
We were seated in one of the smaller rooms that immediately puts you at ease with calming colors and antique pieces that were placed between some of the tables.
One of the partners took us to our table and explained some of their philosophy about the restaurant. The wine list is very good although we wished the wines by the glass selection was a bit better. We had cocktails that are hand crafted and delicious.
Everything on the menu looked so good we wished we could eat more. They have a charcuterie platter that looked delicious and best of all, they have a wonderful cheese plate.
Mike had the French onion soup. It was simply sublime. The soup, which I typically think as the vehicle for the cheese, was amazing. It was excellent and probably as good as any I have had in Quebec.
I had the bistro salad with beets, goat cheese, orange and orange pomegranate dressing. It was light and delicious.
For our main dish, I had their duck breast with beets. Mike had their seafood pasta and it, too, was delicious.
The dessert was the best. We had their fresh berry Napoleon. It was the best dessert in Sarasota. Many years ago, we lived in Connecticut and there was a French bistro called Bec Fin in Old Greenwich. It closed many, many years ago, but they also made an incredible fresh berry Napoleon dessert and we have been searching for it ever since.
We found it here and we would go back there even if nothing else was good because this is so amazing. Unfortunately, because of it, we couldn’t manage the cheese course so we just have to go back.
The service was excellent from start to finish. We really enjoyed Pomona Bistro and Wine Bar and can’t wait to go back.
Pomona Bistro and Wine Bar
481 N Orange Ave, Sarasota, FL 34236
Sarasota, Florida
941-706-1677