Mercedes-Benz Car Show on Amelia Island

AMELIA ISLAND – Mercedes-Benz commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Silver Arrows at this year’s Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance that features over 250 rare classics. The event runs from March 12-15, 2009, on the grounds of The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island.

On display for the 75th anniversary occasion at the 14th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance are two vintage Silver Arrows including a W 154 and a W 196 R “Streamliner” and a 2009 SLR McLaren 722 S Roadster.

“Every record established by a Silver Arrow contributed to a legend that continues to intrigue car enthusiasts to this very day,” said Mike Kunz, manager, Mercedes-Benz Classic Center USA.

One of only 15 units ever built, the Mercedes-Benz W 196 R was available in both an open wheel variant named the “Monoposto” and an aerodynamic version appropriately named the “Streamliner.” In 1954 and 1955, Juan Manuel Fangio claimed world championship titles behind the wheel of one. The W 196 R Streamliner on display is part of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum collection.

See www.mbusa.com and www.maybachusa.com.

A Handy Sarasota Restaurant Cheat Sheet

From Lido Key, Old Salty Dog

Below are some of our favorite Sarasota restaurants. There are many more; perhaps readers can add favorites on the comments at the end if we have left a favorite off. We could go on and on; instead we’ve made this quick and handy list so you can have them all in one place.

Downtown

• El Greco: Classic downtown Greek dinner spot. The perfect Greek-American restaurant. They opened in 1969, year of moon launch, and still consistent each time.
• Selva Grill: Peruvian, and sensuously so. Scene at night. Happening without attitude. We do agree with the skirt steak and plantains dinner entree.
• Marina Jack’s: Big wide view of Sarasota Bay; the place you take mom for Mother’s Day, or just want the big atmosphere. Dinner boat too.
• Mattison’s City Grille: Downtown on Main Street, Mattison’s is part outdoor, and is always a scene. Great food but the view is better. Love the torches.

Longboat Key/St. Armand’s Circle

• Cha Cha Coconuts: Perfect spot for a beer and sandwich or burger on the circle. Good prices. Make that GREAT prices. Sister location in Tampa.
• Columbia Restaurant: Always good, and with the same menu as sister restaurants around the state, but a Sarasota flair all its own. As close to Cuba as you will get, but with a St. Armand’s flair. www.columbiarestaurant.com - (941) 388-3987
• The Old Salty Dog: This is our favorite Sarasota restaurant, not just because of the view, but the food, which includes local fish. Still, the big appeal is the view; the rumble rumble of the drawbridge gives it all a sense of drama. You could eat there every night. Really.
• Tommy Bahama’s: If you like this sort of thing, it’s here.
• The Colony and Monkey Room. At The Colony Beach and Tennis Resort, the main dining room attracts regulars from Longboat, and is the sort of place that would have been called “fancy” 30 years ago. Still is. The outdoor Monkey Room is a less expensive bar; at night there is jazz. Make sure the kids order the pasta, which is shaped like tennis racquets.
• Chart House: Expansive and extravaganza few of the pass between Longboat Key and City Island. Chart House was one of the great 1970s restaurant innovators, and it is still that amusing.
• Euphemia Haye: Gourmet stuff at Chef Raymond Arpke’s romantic restaurant at the north end of Longboat.

Siesta Key

• Lobster Pot: A cozy little seafood restaurant in Siesta Key Village.
• Salty Dog: A streetside version of the one near St. Armand’s. It’s great but we love the other one so much that it always disappoints.
• Turtle’s on Little Sarasota Bay: Overlooking the Intracoastal near Turtle Beach, it’s the quintessential cozy waterfront restaurant where the bar is hopping and an upstairs terrace gives you the perfect date night. Casual but not too casual. Cozy in a Thursday-night-drinks-out sort of way.

South County, Tamiami Trail

• Alpine Steak House: We’re not fans of the Terducken they serve here, but we are fans of the other burgers and meat. With a mean deli, too; if you are in town do stop by and see what they have in the way of tenderloins, etc.
• Demetrio’s Pizza: Fast service, a local favorite for pizza since 1973.
• Philippi Creek Oyster House: Busy place, the ultimate “you have to stop here on vacation” spot. Seafood is workable; folks just like to be there. Wish more folks would come via the dock.
• Sam Snead’s: In the area around Morton’s, this is a golf course grill type restaurant that turns luxe at dinner. Food is great, but you want to be there to see what’s going on and who drops in. Oh, and chomp on a big steak.
• J. Ryan’s on the Grill: What more good can be said about this bistro? The prices are seemingly right out of 1968 (we exaggerate a bit) as is the completely original menu. Chateaubriand, chicken piccata? What you imagined a restaurant to be, and no self important chef attitude. Fast service too.

Osprey/Casey Key

• Casey Key Fish House: How many good things can we say about this place? First, its ultra-casual, but on expensive Casey Key. Seafood is always fresh; the whole place just smells right. Pelicans on the marina get a bit close, but that’s all part of the scene. Tiki bar was kept closed by weasels in the county and pesky neighbors, but was set to reopen with limited hours. What a great Florida restaurant looks like. Osprey, (941) 966-1901

Venice

• Briandi’s: The sort of restaurant Frank would have stopped in at; it’s intimate (around a dozen tables) and has Italian classics. The Italian restaurant you remember from 1962. Nothing has changed, thankfully. No website that we can find.202 S Tamiami Tr., Venice, 941-488-9511
• Sharkey’s on the Pier: Kids will love the shark bones and teeth, and parents will love the fact that kids can run on the beach while you wait for a table. Packed, at the south end of Venice near the airport.

March 21, Save the Florida Panther Day

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has issued a proclamation making Save the Florida Panther Day March 21.

In the proclamation, Crist noted “It is proper and fitting for all Floridians to pause and reflect on the plight of the Florida panther and the task of preserving this rare component of Florida’s diverse natural resources as a legacy to generations of Floridians yet to come.”

The proclamation also said preservation of the Florida panther, which also is the state’s official animal, “…is the will of the people and therefore a mission of their government…”

The Florida Legislature has designated the third Saturday in March as the annual Save the Florida Panther Day.

The Florida panther once ranged across the southeastern United States, but now is confined to South Florida. About 100 Florida panthers remain in the wild, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The FWC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials say the cats’ numbers have risen slightly in the past two decades, largely as a result of better habitat and genetic management and additional public land purchases. .

Florida funds part of the panther research and protection effort through the sale of Florida panther specialty license plates. Eighty-five percent of the money collected from those sales is deposited in the FWC’s Florida Panther Research and Management Trust Fund to help fund the species’ recovery from the threat of extinction.

To view the governor’s proclamation or to learn more about Florida panthers visit PantherNet at MyFWC.com/panther.

Bromby and Liljedahl Win 2009 Bacardi Cup

MIAMI – Bermuda’s Peter Bromby and veteran Star Class crew Magnus Liljedahl of Miami won the 2009 Bacardi Cup Star Class Regatta Friday on Biscayne Bay in Miami.

Bromby and Liljedahl sailed to victory on the final race in the six race regatta to finish with a commanding six-point lead over Floridian Mark Mendelblatt, the 2005 Bacardi Cup champion, and crew Bruno Prada  who finished second overall.

Bromby took an early lead on the left side of the fleet following a very strong start and held the lead at each of the first three marks. He rounded the fourth mark in second place behind seven-time Bacardi Cup Champion Mark Reynolds of San Diego, sailing this week with crew Hal Haenel, but regained the lead on the final leg to capture both the Day Six victory and his third Bacardi Cup championship.

“Every time we needed some extra horsepower, we seemed to find it today,” said Bromby. “We were keeping an eye on Mendelblatt. If he would have taken control of us, things would have been very different. Our strategy was to cover him throughout the race.”

Added Liljedahl, “We attacked [Mendelblatt] at the start, tripped him a few more times, and sucker-punched him a couple times at the end. We just needed to stay ahead of him today.”

Rounding out the overall top five were New Yorker Rick Merriman and crew Phil Trinter; Switzerland’s Olympic Star sailor Flavio Marazzi and crew Petter Pedersen (NOR); and veteran Star sailor Paul Cayard, who has finished second in the Bacardi Cup four times, with crew Austin Sperry, the 2008 Olympian representing the United States in the Star Class.

“Our start was a disaster,” said 2003 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Augie Diaz. Half way up the first weather leg, we had an opportunity to come across, but we got greedy. Had we gone toward the fleet, we might have been in the top 20. For us, it was combination of sailing badly and a bad start. Bromby, however, was on fire this week; he is very deserving of this victory.”

“I came in not knowing what to expect,” added Clay Bischoff, a Star Class up-and-comer and winner of the 2009 ISAF Team Racing World Championship with Team USA in Australia. “I came to learn as much as I could, regardless of the scores and standings. Growing up in Miami, seeing this bay, and being around a group of great guys willing to pass down their knowledge created just a perfect atmosphere for me as a young sailor. I can’t wait to come back to the Bacardi Cup.”

More than 60 teams representing 15 countries competed in the 82nd Bacardi Cup Star Class Regatta, one of the most competitive Star Class events in the world. The legendary Bacardi Cup, ranked as one of the best international sailing regattas in the world, is sponsored in full by Bacardi U.S.A., Inc. and co-hosted by the Coral Reef Yacht Club and the U.S. Sailing Center in Miami, FL. What started out as a three-day event with less than 10 boats in Havana, Cuba in 1927, remains one of the few sporting events in which weekend enthusiasts have the opportunity to compete head on with Olympians and Star World Champions.

Whopper Bar, Whopper Studio at Universal

ORLANDO – Universal Studios has gone Whopper.

Burger King Corp. (NYSE:BKC) just opened the world’s first Whopper Bar restaurant at Universal CityWalk at Universal Orlando Resort. The Whopper bar offers diners the ability to pick toppings for their Whopper.

Visitors to the Whopper Bar can also visit to the Burger King Studio kiosk. There, guests can create customized t-shirts using original designs by young artists inspired by Burger King, and have them printed on site. Part art gallery, part creative laboratory, the first t-shirt factory opened in Chicago last fall.

Studio first hit the underground scene in Chicago last fall. The outpost at Universal CityWalk marks the next stage of the concept, which Burger King Corp. makes available via an interactive Web site, www.burgerkingstudio.com.

See www.bkwhopperbar.com for more information.

Morikami Finds Yellow Peril

DELRAY BEACH – Is third-generation Japanese-American Roger Shimomura a prankster or a social commentator? Turns out he’s both. And that’s why the exhibition Return of the Yellow Peril: A Survey of the Work of Roger Shimomura, 1969-2007 is as compelling in its message as it is visually captivating. Read more

Fort Lauderdale Hilton Marina Renovation

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.- The former Fort Lauderdale Grande located on Fort Lauderdale’s Intracoastal Waterway, is now the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, part of Hilton Hotels & Resorts.

The hotel is just off a $70 million renovation, including redesigned guestrooms, a new lobby and refurbished common areas that highlight South Florida’s colorful locale and culture. In addition to Fort Lauderdale’s first China Grill restaurant, the hotel is home to a 33-slip inlet marina.

“We’re delighted to welcome the Hilton Ft. Lauderdale Marina to our spectacular Florida portfolio,” said Jeff Diskin, senior vice president – brand management, Hilton Hotels & Resorts.

The hotel was redesigned by Barry Design Associates. The hotel has 589 rooms. The General Manager is Carlos Molinet.

The hotel’s signature restaurant is Jeffrey Chodorow’s China Grill. Other dining options include The G, a lunch spot overlooking the hotel’s marina and Antea, located in the hotel’s waterfront lobby.

The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina is located at 1881 S.E. 17th Street Causeway, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 – Telephone: (954) 463-4000, Reservations: (888) 554-2132

Visit www.hilton.com.

Assisted Transport for Elderly in Sarasota

SARASOTA - Finding transport for elderly parents to and from Florida is made easier with the services of Sarasota-based Silver Line Elder Transport. The company, founded in 2007, specializes in assisting seniors with transportation both inside Florida and to and from Florida.

Started by Sarasota occupational therapist Amber Lyon, the company handles getting passengers from home to airport, train station or cruise terminal. If necessary, the company also handles traveling companions and every level of medical need.

All staff members have a medical or rehab background.

Contact Silver Line Elder Transport at www.silverlineeldertransport.com or 877-724-6066.

Fun Photo: Harbour Club Naples

The Harbour Club, Naples. Fun sign; great color blue tile. Way cool sign.

Mating Horseshoe Crabs Sought

TALLAHASSEE – Biologists seek public’s help for horseshoe crab research.

Biologists at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute need help from the public in identifying horseshoe crabs spawning on beaches throughout the state. Read more

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