Funky Cool Florida Grandad Duds

SARASOTA – On St Armands check out the leisure togs at Taffy’s menswear. Always something dashing going down on the Circle.

Saturday Night Funk on Tampa’s WMNF with DJ CenFlo

TAMPA – While in the Tampa Bay region on Saturday nights, do listen in on WMNF to the Saturday Night House Party.

It’s great 1980s funk, with a smither of 70s and quite a broad reach. Those who were at University of Virginia in the 1980s will be reminded of The Party Authority on WUVA (or was it TJU?)

But back to the Tampa show. It is hosted by DJ CenFlo, and its described as a “funkafied trip back to the music of yesterday.” On their website, they listed some recent artists. (Just FYI, DJ CenFlo does Sugar Hill Gang.)

We particularly like the D-Train.

You can listen online as well, and send out shoutouts while the show is live. Or put some cash into their tip jar. It’s public radio, after all.

See WMNF.

Prosecco Cafe at PGA Commons

PALM BEACH GARDENS - PGA Commons will welcome Prosecco Café, opening fall of this year.

The restaurant will be a relaxed European bistro serving breakfast, lunch and dinner and featuring great sandwiches, wines, savory desserts, cappuccino and more.  Owner Avi Sekerel has been delightingBoca Raton with Saquella Café and now looks forward to serving Palm Beach Gardens. Avi received his education at the prestigious HotelConsult Cèsar Ritz in Switzerland, went on to open numerous restaurants, write a cook book on guiltless gourmet, and even hosted his own cooking show in Israel from 2003-2005.

Avi takes pride in his restaurants being a no-fry-zone offering fresh delicious meals at an approachable price point. Diners will enjoy gelato made fresh in front of them, artful salads, and at least three fish dishes in addition to a full diverse menu offered each day. A treat that is sure to become a favorite is “afugatto” the one calorie Italian favorite of espresso whipped with fresh made fat free gelato.

Also at the center:

• Top Drawer is expanding from 1300 to 1600 square feet.  Owner Joyce Weiss opened the unique shop in 2007 featuring “fashions for the sophisticated woman” and in the last few years has found success through excellent customer service and featuring all European hand selected fashions that you simply cannot find anywhere else.  In the boutique you will find designers such as: Le Painty, Zanella, Newman, Dismero, VotreNom, Missoni, Gran Sasso, Gossip, Vera Wang, GF Ferre and of course Elegantissimo, just to name a few. They also offer custom professional tailoring.  Grand opening at the new location is scheduled for mid summer.
• Furry Paws opening later this week, will feature pet beds, leashes, food, treats and more in PGA Commons East.   Well behaved pets are always welcome to shop with their parents to help pick out a treat!  Owner Melissa Ayers looks forward to meeting you and the furry paws!
• Coldwell Banker Real Estate is opening a branch in PGA Commons East late summer.  The brand was founded in 1906 on a commitment to professionalism and customer service that remains the core of their business philosophy today. They are the nation’s oldest real estate organization and their experience has helped make the dream of homeownership a reality for millions of families.

PGA Commons offers three distinct centers spanning one mile along PGA Boulevard between I95 and the Florida Turnpike.

See www.PGACommons.com.

Catch Owen’s Fish Camp in Sarasota

SARASOTA - Owen’s Fish Camp, located in the cozy Burns Court area of downtown, is a throwback to the Florida fish camps of old. These fish camp restaurants, once plentiful, were but shacks with porches, plentiful portions and a focus on a few key dishes that had local origins, either vegetable or fish.

Owen’s, which opened in early 2010, is named for early Sarasota pioneer Owen Burns. The stand manages to be deliberately nostalgic without being affected. It’s the quality of the experience. On a packed Friday night, everyone seemed to have time and attention for everyone else. Patrons included families with grandchildren, couples on dates, retired folk, and young singles. No group so ruled the roost that they turned the place into their own territory. Instead, it was all about everyone.

Located on a back street under a banyan, it’s owned by the Caragiulo brothers, who run the successful Caragiulos on Palm Avenue. It’s a basic seafood menu, all reasonably priced, with some inexpensive sandwich items. Fish come three ways, with a few basic sauces, all well prepared. With a fish dinner, I got corn on the cob, served with mismatched corn-cob holders. Now that’s authentic Florida.

Menu items run to the retro, but not annoyingly so. Including menu items such as greens and rhubarb strawberry pie can quickly turn cliche, as if these items could be seen as somehow gimmicky. But they both were obviously on the menu for a sensible serious reason; they taste good, and give patrons something different.

My former co-worker and Florida food connoisseur Silly Goose loves the place.

Creating a hit restaurant that captures a moment and place is always a difficult thing; it’s even more difficult at the height of a desperate recession, but the reasonable prices and restrained atmosphere suit the times.

See Owen’s Fish Camp, 516 Burns Ct., Sarasota Fl 34236, call (941) 951-6936 or owensfishcamp.com