Last week it was Roy's, this weekend we hit Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for dinner. Sarasota is no stranger to high end steakhouses. In addition to Ruth's Chris, Sarasota also boasts a Fleming's Prime Steakhouse, a Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse, the locally based Zak's Steakhouse, and seasonally, Mattison's Steakhouse on Longboat Key.

Friday night, I started with the Ruth's Chopped Salad and continued with a Petite Filet Mignon, cooked rare, seared to 1800 degrees and topped with sizzling butter. A la carte sides of onion rings and creamed spinach (it's a steakhouse after all, not a spa!) completed the entree.

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During a quick drive this morning through the village of Osprey, I noticed that the first phase of Bay Street Village, the 45 acre, new urban, mixed-use development, just south of The Oaks Club, appears almost complete and ready for its first commercial tenants, which are slated to include Quizno's Subs, Starbucks, Decor De France--a Sarasota based home decor and gift shop (there's also a location on St. Armand's Circle), a cafe, a boutique salon, a bank and a jeweler.

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Historically, Sarasota has long been at the forefront of modern architecture and design. While the Katy model from the Italian custom kitchen design firm Cucine Lube also features more classic, linear forms, the centerpiece of the collection emphasizes a dramatic, curved shape for the main island to increase efficiency. Locally, Cucine Lube can be found at Lube of Sarasota.

A quick trip up to the northern end of the county a few weeks back revealed a couple of piles of dirt and moving equipment marking the future site of the 900,000 square foot University Town Center, the mall project which will be anchored by Nordstroms, Neiman Marcus and Macy's. Development partners include Taubman Centers, Inc.--the developer of International Plaza in Tampa and The Mall at Millenia in Orlando. When combined with surrounding hotels, restaurants, homes and offices, the project will be over 1.7million square feet.

With the opening currently planned for November, 2010, impatient Sarasota shoppers will have to make do with architectural renderings for the time being.

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Roy's Hawaiian Fusion, the upscale restaurant chain bearing the first name of founding chef Roy Yamaguchi, has been open in Sarasota, at the intersection of Tamiami Trail and Siesta Drive, for just shy of two years and rarely fails to consistently deliver one of the best seafood dining experiences in town.

Reservations are a must to secure desirable booth seating offering views of the small, and usually busy main dining room. Saturday night, I started with Roy's Spicy Tuna Roll, and continued with Roy's Classic Trio--individual portions of signature menu items, Hibachi Grilled Chicken, Roy's Original Blackened Ahi Tuna & Hawaiian Style Misoyaki Butterfish--and finished with the Signature Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle.

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View of Downtown & Sarasota Bay from The University Club

A beautiful day last week on Lido Beach.

This year's (and my first...) Ungala Gala can be summed up in two words: exotic...and wet. The drizzle started early, and by the time of my party's fashionable arrival at the Moroccan themed event, a steady mist enveloped the central courtyard of the Ringling Museum. Tents had been hastily erected earlier in the day to cover the buffet tables, dance floor and drink stations, but you had to go into the drizzle to get to the tents.

Once the rain started in earnest around 9:30PM, workers were dispatched to regularly squeegee the treacherous dance floor. One of the last scenes I witnessed before making my exit was a bejeweled and ...ahem...very augmented woman taking a dive on her formally attired backside onto the slick floor, while her clueless and not-too-gallant companion continued the white man's overbite to a popular Donna Summer number from the late 1970's. Ah, good times. You can catch a photo recap of the event here.

This weekend's Ringling Museum black-tie, invitation-only fundraiser for the young and hip, The Ungala Gala, marks the official start of Sarasota's annual philanthropic party season (the annual flock of the snowbirds won't be far behind...). To quote the Ringling:

Each year, more than 1,200 attendees are offered an unparalleled opportunity to unwind in an intriguing atmosphere that is unfettered by the conventions of the traditional black-tie affair.

I was actually graced with an actual, real invitation this year, so the tux is dry-cleaned and the fingers are crossed that the weather will hold (the forecast calls for rain tomorrow night).

Broadway-bound musical, A Tale of Two Cities, from composer-lyricist-librettist Jill Santoriello, with sets by Tony-award-winning designer Tony Walton, started previews at the Asolo Theatre on October 13 and will celebrate two opening nights on October 26-27.

A Broadway debut is hoped for in 2008, but no official date has been announced. Performances of the musical, based on the 1859 novel by Charles Dickens, continue thru November 18.