Bistro, the seasonal restaurant from Constellation Culinary Group at Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art + Design, has launched its new fall menu. 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. The kitchen 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.
Bistro’s new fall menu includes comforting soups, such as Roasted Pumpkin Soup ($11) with sage and za’atar and Navy Bean Soup ($12) with rosemary and country ham. Garden-fresh salads include the Farro Salad ($16), made with roasted pumpkin, radicchio, pecorino, pumpkin seed pesto and white verjus vinaigrette; Roasted Beets & Arugula Salad ($16), with avocado, bruléed goat cheese, popped sorghum and orange-tamarind vinaigrette; Kale & Brussels Sprouts Caesar ($18), mixed with broccoli, cauliflower, roasted Romanesco, toasted pine nuts and pickled shallots; and Fall Chopped ($18), with radicchio, pecorino, salami, olives, chickpeas, little gem lettuce and mustard vinaigrette. Guests can add protein to any salad, including Six-Minute Egg ($3), Avocado ($3), Niçoise Tuna Salad ($9), Grilled Chicken ($10) or Cedar-Roasted Salmon ($11).
The menu’s tartine selection includes open-faced sandwiches sliced from freshly baked C’est La Vie bakery loaves. Options include the comforting Welsh Rarebit ($15), with caramelized onion and sharp white cheddar; bright Crab & Avocado ($17), with preserved lemon dressing, chili crunch and cilantro; and classic Salmon ($17), topped with dill crème, capers and heirloom tomato.
The menu also features several fresh sandwiches served with crisp butter pickles and freshly-baked bread sourced from C’est la Vie bakery in Downtown Sarasota. Options include the Griddled Cheese ($14), featuring fontina Mornay, sharp white cheddar and tomato jam on Pullman loaf; Tuna Salad Niçoise ($17), made with dry-roasted olives, egg and bagna cauda on ciabatta; Waldorf Wrap ($17), with red grapes, celery, little gem lettuce, roasted chicken, toasted walnuts, green apples and white verjus vinaigrette; House-Brined Turkey ($17), with cranberries and pumpkin aioli on seven-grain bread; Grilled Chicken Club ($18), served on sourdough with avocado, sprouts and bacon; and Brisket Sandwich ($20), with house-made brisket, caraway mustard and Brussels sprouts slaw.
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: Roasted Pumpkin Soup, Navy Bean Soup, Market Salad, Grilled Cheese, or Ham or Turkey 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. Visitors can enjoy eating inside surrounded by art like Molly Hatch’s “Staccato” or take advantage of outdoor seating within the Museum Plaza which has a perfect vantage point of the interactive sculpture “Ernest and Ruth (Exuberant Pink)” 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.
