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.

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.

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.

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.