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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.