2020 Chicago restaurants & 2019
Siesta Key Oyster Bar – 4/2019
Siesta Key Oyster Bar – 5238 Ocean Blvd. Sarasota, FL – (941) 346-5443, skob.com
Q-tips say: Stopped in after the Siesta Art Fair. I had a water and the Mr. had a beer and ordered some oysters on the half shell. Busy place took 20 mins to get oysters but was a nice relaxing time.
Siesta Key Artfest 4/2019
Siesta Key Artfest – Ocean Boulevard, Sarasota, Fl. – Siesta Fiesta Craft Festival is going to be organized at Ocean Boulevard, Sarasota, USA from 28 Apr 2019 to 29 Apr 2019. This event forays into categories like Arts & Crafts, Consumer Fair. The artists from across the globe participate in the Siesta Fiesta Craft Festival to showcase their creative art and craft work.
Q-tips say: Nice fest – great way to spend the afternoon. Park in a small shopping mall and it is “pay the meters” ($5.00 per hour) just about everywhere.
Tiki Bar at Peridia Golf & CC – 2020
Tiki Bar – Yes, it is fun to sit around the pool under an umbrella to have a drink and converse with friends. Drew, the bartender, makes it fun to drink your libations. Do it the winter because you probably won’t want to be outside doing it in the hot humid muggy summer unless you don’t mind the heat.
Muse at the Ringling 4/2019
Muse at the Ringling – 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota, FL 34243 – (941) 360-7390 – tableseide.com/muse
Q tips say: After an all day visit to the Ringling Museum, we and our guests were thirsty. I offered them some water but our guests wanted some libations. So we stopped at the Muse for a drink and munchies. Great place, menu for drinks/lunch/dinner, etc. Three beers and one Prosecco. Mr. Q also enjoyed a cup of their home made Chili. Table seating was fairly full and our guests, from Chicago, did not want to wait so we sat at the bar area. That was a great decision. We had a fun time with the bartender – “Shaq.” She is a great server/bartender and funny. Shaq made our visit especially enjoyable.
The Q’s will make an effort to return to Muse to enjoy an evening meal & say hi to Shaq.
Robinson Preserves 4/2019
Robinson Preserves – 17th Ave NW & 99th St NW., Bradenton, FL – mymanatee.org
Q-tips say: SEE IT! On the way to DeSoto Park we saw DeSoto Park was having a special program so we decided to take a detour to an old cemetery/church. Keep going past both and found Robinson Preserves. Robinson Preserves has different terrains, trail options, and activity options whether you want to walk, bike, stroll, kayak or climb the steps of the tower. The trail head at the North end has kayak launch along with a cleaning station, so you can hose it down before you load up to take it home. There are so many trail options mix and match, plus there are benches ever so often to sit in the shade and catch your breath (marked on the trail maps with a brownish hut/house icon) some even have workout signs with suggestions of how to get your blood pumping a little more. Nice, clean beautiful park so go enjoy! We and our guests enjoyed.
Nearby is a Historic Church & Cemetary – make a stop and see it.
WATERFRONTOO 4/2019
WATERFRONTOO – 2205 Tamiami Trl N. Nokomis, FL – waterfrontoo.com
Q-tips say: Cute place, nice ambiance, bar area with tv’s for sport fans & outside seating by a canal with boats & you can arrive by boat. Have a “happy hour” for those who enjoy that & Early Bird entrees.
Their claim to fame is slow cooked (6 hours) Prime Rib so we had to have that to compare with others we had. Was just ok – a tad better than one place but there are other restaurants that serve much better Prime Rib with less fat. So they are rated somewhere in the middle of the Prime Rib pack. The menu is varied with seafood, pasta, sandwiches and some Greek items. Glad we tried them but not sure how soon we will return to this restaurant.
Isn’t it Romantic 3/2019
Isn’t it Romantic – New York City architect Natalie works hard to get noticed at her job but is more likely to be asked to deliver coffee and bagels than to design the city’s next skyscraper. And if things weren’t bad enough, Natalie, a lifelong cynic when it comes to love, has an encounter with a mugger that renders her unconscious, waking to discover that her life has suddenly become her worst nightmare — a romantic comedy — and she is the leading lady.
Q-tips say: Is good. Tho is may not be bold, it is still funny, fast paced. The Q tips did enjoy. Mrs. Q says: The film’s best attributes are its positive messages for women.
The Shoplifters 3/19
The Shoplifters – After one of their shoplifting sessions, Osamu and his son come across a little girl in the freezing cold. At first reluctant to shelter the girl, Osamu’s wife agrees to take care of her after learning of the hardships she faces. Although the family is poor, barely making enough money to survive through petty crime, they seem to live happily together until an unforeseen incident reveals hidden secrets, testing the bonds that unite them.
Q-tips say: Did enjoy it – has subtitles. Seemed to be going every which way – performance(s) is a grab bag of little quirks and maladies – but enjoyable. The praise I can give it is saying it never feels like a film. It looks and sounds like real life, with real people doing real things in the real world, an Japanese World.
Can you ever forgive me? 3/2019
Can you ever forgive me? – Melissa McCarthy stars as Lee Israel, the best-selling celebrity biographer (and cat lover) who made her living in the 1970’s and 80’s profiling the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, Estée Lauder and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen. When Lee found herself unable to get published because she had fallen out of step with the marketplace, she turned her art form to deception, abetted by her loyal friend Jack (Richard E. Grant).
Q-tips say: We liked it. See it. Mrs. Q says: Supposedly based on a true story. McCarthy does a good job and the story line was enjoyable and has some funny/sad moments.