Pictured: Jack Dusty in Sarasota has a refreshed look to go with its refreshing Summer Lites lunch menu.

Located at The Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Jack Dusty is a restaurant and bar known for its coastal-inspired cuisine and craft cocktails. The venue offers a sophisticated yet relaxed dining experience with a menu that showcases the flavors of the Gulf Coast. On Mondays through Fridays, Jack Dusty has begun offering a Summer Lites lunch menu for a relaxed mid-day dining experience inspired by Sarasota’s coastal charm.

To develop the Summer Lites Menu, the Jack Dusty team including Executive Sous Chef Andrew Thompson took some of the best-selling items that guests appreciated from the regular a la carte menu and incorporated them into a coursed meal. A two-course lunch is $26, while a three-course lunch is $30.

For the first course, diners can choose between the soup of the day, the baby gem salad, or the rraditional caesar salad. The soup of the day varies according to what ingredients are currently in season, but there are often both cold and hot options available. The baby gem salad is packed with local ingredients like baby gem lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, and roasted corn as well as avocado, spinach, farmers cheese curd and crispy cajun-spiced chickpeas. The salad is dressed with a housemade herbaceous green goddess dressing. The Caesar salad also has a housemade vegan dressing.

For the second course, diners can opt for signature dish Jack’s fish tacos which are made with locally-brewed Zote IPA beer from Calusa Brewing, battered wahoo, jalapeno ranch slaw and avocado all wrapped in a flour tortilla. The alternative option is the flavorful Roasted Turkey Focaccia with brie, bacon, tomato arugula, honey mustard and housemade caramelized onion jam.

If you decide to add the third course, you’ll get to choose from a number of mouthwatering desserts. The shooter du jour is a mini shot glass with whatever the pastry chef is whipping up that day. Diners can also order vanilla bean panna cotta, mixed berry compote, or house made sorbet.

“With three courses, it’s a nice steady lunch and we can serve it at the pace that you’re looking for,” says Thompson. “If you want it all coursed out, appetizer, entree, then dessert, we can do that for you certainly, but some people want their soup and sandwich together at the same time so they’re in for a faster lunch.”

Diners can also enjoy this refreshing lunch in a refreshed space. Jack Dusty was recently reimagined with new chairs, tables, flatware, plates and lighting. While the layout is essentially the same, both the indoor and outdoor dining areas feel brighter and airier, emphasizing that coastal feel.

Jack Dusty, 1111 Ritz Carlton Drive, Sarasota, 941-309-2266.

Pictured: Jack Dusty in Sarasota has a refreshed look to go with its refreshing Summer Lites lunch menu.