Bistro, the seasonal-inspired restaurant at Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art + Design, has launched its new spring menu in line with its latest museum exhibitions – A Beautiful Mess: Weaver & Knotters of the Vanguard, Richard Benson: The World Is Smarter Than You Are and Sara Berman’s Closet. Operated by the culinary experts at Constellation Culinary Group, Bistro draws inspiration from Florida’s fruit stands and farmers markets by focusing on locally and seasonally sourced ingredients.
Bistro is helmed by Executive Chef Kaytlin Dangaran, a Tampa native who trained at the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan. Her background includes stints at famed restaurants L’Apicio and L’Artusi in New York City, Quince and Cotogna in San Francisco, and Verde at Pérez Art Museum Miami.
Dangaran’s new spring menu for Bistro highlights comforting soups, such as the Asparagus Bisque ($11), topped with crispy pecorino, and Chicken Spring Vegetable Soup ($12), with spring peas and farro. Garden-fresh salads include the Asparagus and Spring Pea Salad ($17), mixed with frisée, mint yogurt, preserved lemon vinaigrette and Marcona almonds; Strawberry and Rhubarb ($17), made with Lolla Rossa lettuce, fava beans, black pepper, mint and verjus vinaigrette; Crushed Cucumber ($18), featuring toasted sesame, spring radish, pea shoots and crispy chili dressing; and Spring Chopped Cobb ($23), with little gems lettuce, smoked blue cheese, avocado, heirloom cherry tomatoes, house-cured bacon, six-minute egg and green goddess dressing. Guests can add protein to any salad, including Six-Minute Egg ($3), Niçoise Tuna Salad ($9), Lemon Dijonnaise Chicken Salad ($9), Grilled Chicken ($10) or Cedar-Roasted Salmon ($11).
The menu’s crisp tartine selection includes open-faced sandwiches sliced from freshly baked tartine loaves from C’est La Vie bakery. Options include Avocado ($14), with chia seeds, spring radish, ginger and balsamic soy; Heirloom Tomato ($16), with goat cheese, garlic and thyme; and Salmon ($17), topped with dill crème, capers and heirloom tomato.
The menu also features several fresh sandwiches served with house-made bread and butter pickles. Options include the Griddled Cheese ($13), featuring fontina Mornay, sharp white cheddar and tomato jam on Pullman loaf; Green Tomato Caprese ($16), served on focaccia with mozzarella and pesto; Tuna Salad Niçoise ($17), made with dry-roasted olives, egg and bagna cauda on ciabatta; Lemon Dijonnaise Chicken Salad ($17), with little gem lettuce and pickled red onion served on a croissant; Grilled Chicken Club ($18), served on sourdough with avocado, sprouts and bacon; Toasted Corned Beef Reuben ($18), with Norfolk sauce, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese on rye bread; and Italian ($18), topped with pepperoni, prosciutto, aged provolone and garlic aioli.
Bistro also offers a special section called “The Halves,” where diners can mix and match dishes with a choice of two of the following for just $16: Asparagus Bisque, Chicken Spring Vegetable Soup, Market Salad, Griddled Cheese and Tuna Salad Niçoise Sandwich.
Inspired by the Sarasota Art Museum’s 1926 M. Leo Elliott neo-Gothic building and Paul Rudolph’s 1951 Modernist building, Bistro’s design pays homage to both eras and calls upon the buildings’ origins as a high school and public space to create an environment for museum-curated art experiences coupled with artfully crafted fare. Bistro also offers outdoor seating within the Museum Plaza, the perfect spot to enjoy a meal surrounded by interactive sculptures such as “Staccato” (2017) by Molly Hatch and “Ernest and Ruth (Exuberant Pink)” (2018) by Hank Willis Thomas.
Bistro is open daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Menu items are also available for delivery or pickup.
