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The Columbia Restaurant is a Gem of Spanish and Sarasota Restaurants!
Relax and have a delicious lunch or dinner at one of the best Sarasota restaurants, The Columbia Restaurant, Gem of Spanish Restaurants, amidst more than 150 boutique and specialty shops on St. Armand’s Circle. Choose indoor or open-air seating at a patio table in this beautiful Mediterranean style restaurant. I’ve had delicious lunches here on St. Armand’s Circle and at the original Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City, Florida. There is an extensive menu, which makes it difficult to choose your Spanish style meal. The menu includes: Tapas, Sopas (Soups), Ensaladas (Salads), Carnes (Meat), Mariscos (Seafood), Pollo (Chicken) and Paella, “The National Dish of Spain.”
Now, if you’re into salads, you are definitely not going to want to pass up ordering the official salad of the Columbia Restaurant: the “1905 Salad.” Of all Sarasota restaurants, The Columbia Restaurant is the only one with this delicious salad. This is the salad to end all salads! The “1905 Salad” is prepared fresh, table-side, by your waitress or waiter, who is eminently skilled at "crafting" this tasty salad. Your waitress or waiter will arrive at your table, decked out in white long sleeve shirt (even in the steamiest of weather), black slacks and a white apron. He’ll put down his tray containing all the magical ingredients, along side your table and start performing culinary wizardry before your eyes.
It’s large enough so that there’s enough, for the $8.95 price, to be a first course for 3-4 diners. Or, a meal all by itself!
Other recommendations include the “Salteado,” with your choice of either chicken, beef or shrimp ($11.95/lunch - $18.95/dinner w/tenderloin tips). I like the chicken version of this Cuban stir fry dish, inspired by the Chinese who lived in Cuba in the 19th Century. The ingredients are sautéed in olive oil in a hot skillet: onions, green peppers, mushrooms, diced fried potatoes, chorizo (Cuban sausage which tastes like smoked bacon to me); all splashed with a little red wine. This is one good meal. It’s a big enough serving that you may have to take some home with you. Another delicious menu item I’ve enjoyed is the Cannelloni de Langosta “Setes Portes,” which came to the Columbia Restaurant from one of their visits to Barcelona. This delicate creation comes with two tender Cannelloni pastas that are filled with Maine lobster meat, shrimp, pan seared scallops and sautéed shallots in a lobster cherry cream reduction, then covered with a lobster cherry Mornay Sauce. This was an outstanding meal; delicious, tender, delicate and flavorful. The sauce was…mmm! There was only one problem with this lunch menu selection for me: it was so good but there just wasn’t enough! But it’s not their fault! When you’re ordering pricier menu items like: lobster, shrimp and scallops all in one dish, to keep the entrée reasonably priced ($11.95/lunch - $18.95 dinner), you don’t get as large of a serving as you might like, or as would be on a more expensive dinner menu. But it is delicious and I would have paid $18.95 to get a little more. I guess I’ll just have to order it again on my next dining experience there.
Of Sarasota restaurants, The Columbia Restaurant dinner entrees are moderately priced from about $16.95 - $26.95. The lunch menu offers equally good variety, value and food and is less expensive than the dinner menu. I like to go to lunch. Same great food and service with lower menu prices! The lunch menu also features soups, sandwiches and salads. There’s also full bar service and Sangria, a delightful, refreshing wine cooler, originally from Spain. With a reputation and tradition for fine food that dates back to 1905, one of many Sarasota restaurants, The Columbia Restaurant will provide you a fine culinary memory. Open for both lunch and dinner, as far as Sarasota restaurants, the Columbia Restaurant is a gem! Include it in your day of shopping and site seeing on St. Armand’s Circle!
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