Before I returned to write for SRQ Magazine last month, I was vegan. True story. But I didn’t think I could effectively write about the Sarasota food scene without rejoining the estimated 90% of Americans who consume meat. I can say with confidence that reintroducing it into my diet has been way easier than the opposite.

As I’m easing back into my meatful journey, it’s restaurants like Circo that I have come to love and appreciate even more. It speaks to the omnivore in me — the one who loves the simplicity and challenge of creating incredible, complex flavors with plant-based ingredients, and the one who dreams about smoked and slow-cooked meats, melty cheeses and sausage. As a relocated midwesterner, I simply adore the region’s top exports.

On a recent Tuesday evening, with my wife out of town, I brought a date (settle down — it was my five-year-old daughter, Summer) to Circo in downtown Sarasota. She’s a cheese quesadilla connoisseur, and Circo offers a dandy for the kids that received a decisive thumbs-up on this night.

But all I cared about was the tacos. It was Taco Tuesday, and that meant a BOGO on six of Circo’s most crowd-pleasing taco varieties. With one foot firmly secure in my plant-based past, and the other in a meaty future, I ordered a pair of the Nashville hot tacos and a birria. The Nashville — boasting pickles, crispy tofu, and Napa slaw on a fluffy flour tortilla — comes with a side of that Nashville hot sauce that adds a flavor-first/heat-second kick that works to elevate all the ingredients. (Side note: If you’re dining with me and the phrase “Nashville hot” is anywhere on the menu, there’s no need to ask me what I’m ordering. For it will be whatever thing they’ve decided to douse in Nashville hot sauce.)

But as much as I adored the crunchy, flavorful, tangy veg experience of the Nashville hot, it was the birria taco that made the biggest impression.

During my meatless hiatus, I missed the birria taco’s ascension into cravedom. Why didn’t anyone tell me about this ingenious invention, this miracle of handheld deliciousness, this pocket of roasted, savory goodness?

I want more. I need more. When people ask me why I stopped being vegan, I’ll have one word: birria. 

Circo, 1435 2nd St, Sarasota, 941-253-0978. 

Pictured: Tacos from Circo, photo by Wyatt Kostygan.

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 "Pierre" was admitted to Mote’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital on January 31, 2022. The turtle was found floating at the surface near Anna Maria Island City Pier with watercraft injuries and moderate fibropapilloma tumors. The turtle was taken for a CT scan at Veterinary Surgery Center of Sarasota to evaluate the extent of the injury. CT results show no evidence of trauma to the brain case or presence of internal tumors. Mote's Hospital removed the external fibropapilloma tumors, and after several months of recovery, Pierre was cleared by wildlife officials for release. If you see a distressed or deceased sea turtle, manatee, dolphin or whale in Sarasota or Manatee counties, report to trained responders immediately. Contact Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program via their 24-hour hotline at 888-345-2335.  

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RE/MAX Alliance Group associates were recently recognized in the 2022 “America’s Best Real Estate Professionals” rankings by REALTrends + Tom Ferry. The prestigious survey is based on 2021 transaction sides and sales volume for participating agents and teams in the United States. To qualify for the REALTrends + Tom Ferry “America’s Best Real Estate Professionals” list, participating agents must have completed at least 50 transactions or closed $20 million in sales volume during the year. Participating teams were required to have completed at least 75 transactions or closed $30 million in sales volume. Only 1.5% of all Realtors in the country make up “America’s Best.”

The following agents and teams are honorees in the Sarasota area.

Individuals By Sales Volume | Robert T. Anderson Jr., Ryan Carson, Cathy Rustin and Carey Beychok of the Sarasota office; Cindy Quinn and Christine Kourik of the Holmes Beach office; Karin Dubbs of the Englewood office; and Lily Behrends of the University Park office were listed among America’s Best individual agents by sales volume.

Individuals by Transaction Sides | Cindy Quinn of the Holmes Beach office and Karin Dubbs of the Englewood office were named among America’s Best teams by transaction sides.

Teams by Sales Volume | The Brewer Team, Team Tritschler, the Glenn Brown Team, the Cail Grande Group, the Trexler Team and the Cleary Group in the Sarasota office; the Travis Group and Team Richard Capps in the Bradenton office; and the Stiver Firth International Team, the Sandra Newell Team and the Kathy Damewood Team in the Englewood office were listed among America’s Best teams by sales volume.

Teams by Transaction Sides | The Brewer Team, Team Tritschler, and the Trexler Team in the Sarasota office; Team Richard Capps and the Travis Group in the Bradenton office; and the Stiver Firth International Team, the Kathy Damewood Team and the Sandra Newell Team in the Englewood office were named among America’s Best teams by transaction sides. 

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The Education Foundation of Sarasota County has announced two Suncoast Credit Union Scholars Scholarship recipients. The $2,000 one-time scholarships are awarded each year to high school seniors planning to attend a four-year or two-year college, university, or technical school in Florida. The scholarship recipients are Abigail Koester and Diana “Nicole” Valero. Abigail Koester graduated from Sarasota Military Academy this spring and in the fall plans to study mechanical engineering at the University of Florida. Her long-term goal is to work in urban planning and development to help underprivileged communities. Diana “Nicole” Valero, a graduate of Sarasota High School, will begin at the University of South Florida in the fall, where she plans to study biology with the intention of going to medical school and eventually becoming an anesthesiologist in a children’s hospital. Of the two recipients, Jennifer Vigne, president and CEO of the Education Foundation, said, “These two young women are tremendous students and individuals. They are deserving of the financial assistance these scholarships will provide—and the votes of confidence they reflect.” The Education Foundation partnered with Suncoast Credit Union Foundation in 2019 to create these scholarships. Said Cindy Helton, executive director of the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation, “We believe the best way we can build better communities is by investing in education and health-related initiatives for children.” 

Pictured: Abigail Koester: (from L-R) Christina Bowman, SMA-COL, Chief Executive Officer, Abigail Koester, Sarasota Military Academy, Heather Koester, Heather Ferrigno, Scholarships Manager, Education Foundation of Sarasota County.

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