Update Nov. 2011: Duval's has opened a new restaurant called Duval's New World Cafe with a similar menu to the former Duval's. Duval's on Tamiami is now closed. Read all about Duval's New World Cafe at their website here.
Check out my October 2011 post: "Return to Duval's" and my November 2011 review of Duval's New World Cafe for additional information!
Restaurant: Duval's
Location: 5758 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL (Now Closed: check out their new restaurant on Main Street)
Date Visited: December 2010
A couple years ago I went on what could best be called an awkward date. He was intelligent and sweet, but also decorated his home in big pictures of a pained Jesus dragging the cross. Again I say ... awkward! But the best thing that came out of that date is that he took me to a small restaurant in a strip mall in Sarasota called Deja Vu. In Tampa, "Deja Vu" is the name of a strip club ... so I was somewhat reticient to go there. But what Sarasota's "Deja Vu" lacks in strippers, it made up for in delicious food. We shared the shrimp and crab cake, the best calamari I have had in Florida and bread pudding with a gigantic plop of whipped cream. But not just any bread pudding - bread pudding made with danishes. It was so rich; it tasted almost deep-fried. My taste buds rolled over and let out a collective gurgle of delight. It was New Orleans-style cuisine heaven.
While I chose not to go out with Mr. Jesus Paintings again, I did go back to Deja Vu again and again and again. But last July, I drove to Sarasota - visions of flash-fried calamari dancing in my frontal lobe. And what did my seafood lovin' soul discover? Deja Vu was closed! It was like being dumped by a guy out of the blue. I wanted to press my face against the glass windows and cry out "What did I do? I'll change! Come back to me, Deja Vu!" Confused, sad, let down ... I made my way back to Tampa in tears. OK, no actually I did some shopping and ate somewhere bland and sad and then went home. But you get the point.
Given the high drama of my discovering Deja Vu was closed for good, I was ecstatic to find out that Deja Vu has been reborn in November of this year. It is now Duval's - named after the owners - and the menu is very similar to Deja Vu's menu.
I headed down to Duval's on a Saturday after seeing a matinee of the movie "Black Swan." Because what else goes better with psychosexual thrillers than calamari? The movie was intense and delightful and so was my lunch at Duval's. I was concerned that maybe the food would not be as good as I remembered, but it was spot on. I started with the shrimp and crab cake with calamari appetizer. It comes with a cocktail sauce, a heavenly remoulade sauce and an aioli. The shrimp and crab cake was moist and flavorful. The calamari was light and tender. Duval's flash fries their food and claims less oil is left in the food without any greasy taste. This was definitely a true claim for the calamari - it was not greasy at all.
I then had the Napa salad. At Duval's they will make food however you want it, so the menu advertised that you culd get Napa salad with whatever you wanted on it. I chose pan-fried tender sea scallops. Duval's uses a pesto concasse with garlic and olive oil to dress the shredded Napa cabbage. When I die, I want to be dressed in the pesto concasse as well. It is robust and very garlicky-tangy. It truly makes one's mouth sing! The delicate scallops held their own against the tart salad.
Update Nov. 2011: Duval's has opened a new restaurant called Duval's New World Cafe with a similar menu to the former Duval's. Duval's on Tamiami is now closed. Read all about Duval's New World Cafe at their website here.
Check out my October 2011 post: "Return to Duval's" and my November 2011 review of Duval's New World Cafe for additional information!
Check out my October 2011 post: "Return to Duval's" and my November 2011 review of Duval's New World Cafe for additional information!
Restaurant: Duval's
Location: 5758 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL (Now Closed: check out their new restaurant on Main Street)
Date Visited: December 2010
A couple years ago I went on what could best be called an awkward date. He was intelligent and sweet, but also decorated his home in big pictures of a pained Jesus dragging the cross. Again I say ... awkward! But the best thing that came out of that date is that he took me to a small restaurant in a strip mall in Sarasota called Deja Vu. In Tampa, "Deja Vu" is the name of a strip club ... so I was somewhat reticient to go there. But what Sarasota's "Deja Vu" lacks in strippers, it made up for in delicious food. We shared the shrimp and crab cake, the best calamari I have had in Florida and bread pudding with a gigantic plop of whipped cream. But not just any bread pudding - bread pudding made with danishes. It was so rich; it tasted almost deep-fried. My taste buds rolled over and let out a collective gurgle of delight. It was New Orleans-style cuisine heaven.
While I chose not to go out with Mr. Jesus Paintings again, I did go back to Deja Vu again and again and again. But last July, I drove to Sarasota - visions of flash-fried calamari dancing in my frontal lobe. And what did my seafood lovin' soul discover? Deja Vu was closed! It was like being dumped by a guy out of the blue. I wanted to press my face against the glass windows and cry out "What did I do? I'll change! Come back to me, Deja Vu!" Confused, sad, let down ... I made my way back to Tampa in tears. OK, no actually I did some shopping and ate somewhere bland and sad and then went home. But you get the point.
Given the high drama of my discovering Deja Vu was closed for good, I was ecstatic to find out that Deja Vu has been reborn in November of this year. It is now Duval's - named after the owners - and the menu is very similar to Deja Vu's menu.
I headed down to Duval's on a Saturday after seeing a matinee of the movie "Black Swan." Because what else goes better with psychosexual thrillers than calamari? The movie was intense and delightful and so was my lunch at Duval's. I was concerned that maybe the food would not be as good as I remembered, but it was spot on. I started with the shrimp and crab cake with calamari appetizer. It comes with a cocktail sauce, a heavenly remoulade sauce and an aioli. The shrimp and crab cake was moist and flavorful. The calamari was light and tender. Duval's flash fries their food and claims less oil is left in the food without any greasy taste. This was definitely a true claim for the calamari - it was not greasy at all.
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| Shrimp and Crab Cake and Calamari with 3 sauces |
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| I forgot to take the picture before I liberally covered the salad in pepper and ate half a scallop! No one said I'd win food stylist of the year! |
And of course for dessert - the afore-mentioned danish-filled bread pudding. It actually tasted a little lighter than I remembered - not so deep-fried tasting. However that might just be my caloric denial!
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| Delicious and decadent! |
I was really happy to discover that Duval's quality food is still as good as it was when they were Deja Vu. If you're in Sarasota, FL - check out their fine New Orleans-style cuisine -- exquisite seafood, Po Boys, hearty soups and terrific salads.
Check out my October 2011 post: "Return to Duval's" and my November 2011 review of Duval's New World Cafe for additional information!
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