Even today, the high school cafeteria serves as the stage upon which the insecurities of a generation play out in melodramatic fashion. The “in crowd” feigns laughter, the misfits stare in impotent rage and they all stuff their underdeveloped bodies with lunches that likely include utilitarian vegetable slop and processed carbs. But, located across a sunlit courtyard from the lovingly restored former Sarasota High School, is a cafeteria for second chances—an inviting place where the confused and angsty teen inside us all can be rehabilitated with honest food. 

A CLASSIC GRILLED CHEESE. PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN

Called Bistro, the restaurant takes its aesthetic cues from the modern-yet-familiar design elements of the Sarasota Art Museum. Brightly lit with natural light from floor-to-ceiling windows, and decked out with peach-colored No. 14 bistro chairs, the wide-open space recalls the sprawling lunchrooms of our glory days (but the décor is elevated to new heights). Bistro’s lead “lunch lady” is Kaytlin Dangaran, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York City. Upbeat, highly skilled and well-traveled, Dangaran’s ability to read the room stands as her greatest feat. Rather than fill the menu with avant-garde concepts, she infuses the food with the spirit of simpler times and adds modest touches of panache. 

THE DINING AREA IS WAY MORE STYLISH THAN THE AVERAGE MOP-WATER CAFETERIA. PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN

It begins with the two soups on the menu: a matzo ball soup and tomato bisque. For the matzo ball soup, Dangaran opted to go with a “floater” for the matzo ball, which means exactly what it sounds like. “I’m not Jewish, but I learned in NYC that, when it comes to floaters versus sinkers, you just make the one you’re taught how to make first,” she says of the hot-button issue. Fluffy, savory and unmistakably eggy, the matzo ball sits in the unctuous broth like a nourishing iceberg surrounded by crispy slices of celery. The bisque, similarly simple and comforting, achieves a nice balance between the light, sweet acid of the San Marzano tomatoes and the cream that mellows and thickens the soup.

FLUFFY, EGGY "FLOATERS" TAKE CENTER STAGE IN THE MATZO BALL SOUP.

For sandwiches, few things pair as well with a tomato bisque than a grilled cheese. In the case of Bistro, the “griddled cheese” comes decadently filled with a fontina mornay sauce, sharp white cheddar and tomato jam, griddle-toasted between two slices of a Pullman loaf. The square shape offers the timeless appeal of a timeless sandwich. What the griddled cheese lacks in cafeteria nostalgia (how were we supposed to toast a sandwich at school anyhow?), the house-brined turkey sandwich has in spades. 

DETAIL OF "COMING TOGETHER" (2020) BY JOSE ALVAREZ (D.O.P.A)

Dangaran brines the bird for three whole days before roasting it, resulting in thick slices of turkey that outpace the blandness of the papery deli meat that mom and dad used to buy. The nutty multigrain bread comes smeared with smashed avocado, while sprouts and a broad slice of heirloom tomato fight for space between the bread. Served with potato chips and housemade pickles, the sandwich evokes the deepest sense of nostalgia on the menu while still exuding a touch of gourmet. But, should a food fight break out, the greatest tragedy would be for the roasted mushroom tartine to wind up splattered on someone’s backpack. This exquisite and filling open-faced affair comes with more savoriness than any cafeteria lunch. A thick slice of sourdough from a local Bavarian bakery provides a sturdy foundation for a paté made of maitake and crimini mushrooms. “The mushroom paté is based on a mushroom ragú I used to make,” says Dangaran, who mostly lets the spread speak for itself. Shredded parmesan cheese, a six-minute egg and a garnish of diced chives top this tankiest of toasts, but the drizzle of truffle oil sees the dish cross a line into a mature and epicurean bistro item. If any dish warrants the “signature dish” label, it is the roasted mushroom tartine.

THE LYONNAISE SALAD WILL NOT LEAVE YOU HUNGRY. PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN

The Lyonnaisewatercress salad makes for a hefty lunch of greens—with citrus, roasted beets, avocado, pistachios and smoked blue cheese piled on top of a bed of watercress that is lightly coated in a citrus vinaigrette. Make no mistake, this salad is as big as today’s shorts are small, and it will likely lead to leftovers. For the good boys and girls, Bistro offers a head-scratchingly delightful corn cookie. It has a taste somewhere between cornbread and a sugar cookie, with a crispy underside supporting a soft, buttery inside and a dash of sea salt on top. Arrive before the bell to get these cookies hot out of the oven and, just maybe, prevent an emotional meltdown beneath the crushing weight of pubescent insecurity.  SRQ  

"COMING TOGETHER" (2020) MURAL BY JOSE ALVAREZ (D.O.P.A)

Bistro at Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 South Tamiami Trl., Sarasota, 941-309-7662, sarasotaartmuseum.org/bistro, @sambistro