This past weekend your resident Sarasota foodie enjoyed a new dining experience at a local favorite, Blasé Southern Style, best described as the place you might find Hemingway or Picasso hanging out on a casual afternoon, listening to swanky jazz and discussing grand ideas.

It’s possible I’m romanticizing it a little too much, but I instantly felt the atmosphere when we walked inside and were greeted by the live band, the walls filled with hand-painted artwork and reproductions of well-known artists (which adds to the eclectic mood of it all), and the lovely general manager who told us we could sit anywhere we pleased. We chose to sit at the high-top bar with a prime view of every whiskey you could imagine and a selection of painted portraits of unclad women.

So you can imagine my surprise when we were handed the menu that read “The Last Dinner.” (Keeping with the art theme, of course — you have to respect it.) This piqued my curiosity, so I probed the lovely bartender for further information. “How long have you been open?” I asked.

“About 2.5 years, but we are actually closing tomorrow!” We were shocked! Every time we had gone by the restaurant previously, they were always busy. Unfortunately, the pandemic caused certain things to happen which led to the inevitable.

Nevertheless, we enjoyed soaking in the atmosphere at the bar while we shared a plate of fried goat cheese, roasted garlic and a citrus marmalade on crackers that invoked memories of my childhood. (My grandmother once took me to a French restaurant that served a plate with a similar concept, only it was melted brie and caramelized onions — a dish I’ve strangely never forgotten.)

The funny thing is my fiancé and I weren’t even planning to go to Blasé for dinner. We had actually driven to this downtown village to eat at one of our favorite sports bars. However, we decided to change things up and try something new. Although we were somewhat sad to find we won’t be able to return to that location, the good news is they are still going to have their flagship location on Siesta Key, operating since 1997.

We are definitely the type of folks who make memories over food, so catch us eating freshly sourced food and sipping on cocktails at Blasé Café on the Keys, fully enjoying the experience of Southern warmth and hospitality!

— Amanda Jones, account executive