Ceviche 1216 1st Street Sarasota, FL 34236 Phone: 941-952-1036 Fax: 941-952-1039

7	Food Presentation Decor Service Value 7 7 8 7 6

How does dinner in a 1925 historic building sound?

Suppose this place had 4 floors of exposed brick, opened airy seating, a small outside terrace, and a rooftop bar with impressive happy hour sunsets? Not to mention an extensive menu of tapas?

If that sounds interesting, then Ceviche is the place to go. The original Ceviche, located in the Soho district of Tampa, opened in 1997. Since then, Ceviche has expanded its Florida presence to include, St. Petersburg, Orlando, and Sarasota. The Sarasota site opened in March, 2008.

The setting for Ceviche Sarasota is unique. Occupying the old Times building, Ceviche offers 2 floors of open seating for dining, a 3rd floor Flamenco lounge with a large bar, sophisticated lighting, live music, and the 4th floor roof top bar, Luna Lounge, with impressive views of downtown Sarasota and its sunsets. There is also a small outdoor dining area.

Consisting of some of the finest imported foods from Spain, the menu is not only extensive, but authentic. The wait staff suggested 2-3 plates per person. Since we were not very hungry, we ordered a total of 7 plates for 5 people. This was probably on the light side but did suffice. See the SRQ insider tip for more info on quantities to order.

A little planning on the tapas selection will allow you to try a variety of items and set up a natural flow to the arrival of plates; cold selections arriving before hot ones.

Our meal comprised the following tapas:

Garbanzo Hummus
Traditional puree of garbanzo beans, olive oil and roasted garlic, Served with toast points $5.50

Tabla Mixta
Chorizo morcilla, and Serrano ham with Mahon, Manchego, Tetilla cheeses, with sliced fruit and homemade pate $13.95

Vegtales a la Parrilla
Squash, eggplant, mushrooms and asparagus grilled and drizzled with virgin olive oil. $6.50

Ensalada de Vieiras
Sauteed day boat scallops over greens with candied walnuts and Cabralles cheese with warm bacon vinaigrette $11.50

Queso de Cabra
Baked goat cheese with tomato, fresh basil, and virgin olive oil $8.50

Banderillas Mixtas
Assortment of skewered grilled tenderloin, mild chorizo, marinated chicken and vegetables $9.50

Pato a la Parilla
Grilled duck breast, sliced over chocolate, port sauce $12.95

We completed our meal with our "tapas" beverage of choice; Sangria served with plenty of fresh cut fruit in a colorful ceramic pitcher.

All of the tapas were nicely plated and presented. We found the scallops to be inconsistent, some were undercooked others just fine. The vegtales portion too small for our group. This was our error. We should have ordered 2 plates.

If you are looking to try something new in an interesting setting with a group of people, then Ceviche in Sarasota should be on your list.

SRQ Reviews, the restaurant guide you need to find the best dining in Sarasota, Florida.

Insider Tips Tapas dining provides the ultimate in flexibility. We suggest ordering 1-2 unique plates for each diner, start sampling the food as it arrives, then ordering more of the dishes you especially liked, or adding a few new ones to sample if so inclined, until you feel satiated.  Please note: this is a fun and lively place without carpet or table linens to absorb the sound.

Categories: European, Seafood, Spanish
Styles: Zone - Downtown

URL: http://www.ceviche.com/

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