If anything could rouse Shakespeare’s Hamlet from his brooding, soliloquizing melancholy, it would be the Sarasota food truck that bears his name.

Hamlet’s Eatery, permanently located at The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime, is a tucked-away spot that delights the browsing shoppers who prefer their art local and their dining ambiance al fresco. The truck’s tagline — “To meat or not to meat” — is a nod to the fact that pretty much every meaty dish is available as an equally delightful meatless version.

On the day my wife, Janet, and I brought our five-year-old daughter, Summer, we were greeted by Hamlet’s friendly chef Lisa Shields, who helped us pick out a few perfectly portioned lunch options.

I thought I knew avocado toast. As polarizing as it can be to some culinary sophisticates, I tend to enjoy its simplicity as a meatless, filling, refreshing brunch option. It’s not avocado toast’s fault that it’s been pic’d, posted, and memed to death on social media platforms over the last 10 years. It’s go-to for me as a default when I can’t decide, but it was this bold take on the classic that drew me to Hamlet’s version. The smashed avocado, thinly sliced cucumber, smoked salmon, dill and a citrus sour cream are topped with pickled shallots, an over-medium egg and small handful of summery microgreens.

I devoured every last goopy bite, the flavors commingling into a marvelous melange. The egg with the smoked salmon in one bite, the avocado with the greens in another, the bread with the pickled citrus sour cream and pickled shallots. The combinations were fun and plentiful and made for a dish that evolved brilliantly as I ate it.

Shields swaps out her avocado toast recipes fairly regularly, so the salmon take that I had may not be on the menu when you go. Based on the accompanying photo that captures the crab version, I’m guessing you won’t be disappointed.

Adding to our enjoyment, my wife and I watched my daughter play with a fellow diner’s puppy between bites of her kid-friendly plate of grilled cheese and a heaping pile of french fries that would be a serious contender for Sarasota’s best. This is the type of spot where diners can’t help but have a smile on their faces. The vibe is chill, open air, inviting to all.

I’m embarrassed to admit that this was my first time visiting the Bazaar, which is just a few minutes from downtown. It was the perfect mid-day getaway — an ideal way to refresh and recharge. To top off the experience, Summer walked out with a free children’s book — as all kids who visit the Bazaar are welcome to do — and I couldn’t help but think how well a place like Hamlet’s Eatery would do in the Dane’s hometown of Elsinore. And how lucky we are that it’s here.

Hamlet’s Eatery, located in The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime, 821 Apricot Ave, Sarasota, 941-445-1938. 

Pictured: Hamlets crab variant of avocado toast combines fresh, complementary ingredients in and a fun, lively atmosphere. Photo by Wyatt Kostygan.

For full menu click here

Kicking off the Hermitage Artist Retreat’s 20th Anniversary Season, the Hermitage’s annual Artful Lobster: An Outdoor Celebration will be held on Saturday, November 12, 2022, from 11:30am to 2pm. Now in its 14th year, this signature event raises valuable funds for the Hermitage’s renowned artist residency program. The Artful Lobster is the only Hermitage benefit to take place on the grounds of the historic Gulf front campus–outdoors beneath a large tent–located at 6660 Manasota Key Road in Englewood. Michael’s On East offers a luscious lobster feast, with performances from renowned Hermitage Fellows. The 15 th Anniversary of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner will be held on Sunday, April 16, 2023, from 6pm to 8:30pm outdoors on the grounds of The Ringling Museum in Sarasota and catered by Michael’s On East. This elegant dinner heralds the jury-selected recipient of this prestigious prize, which will be awarded in the discipline of visual art in 2023. The $30,000 Hermitage Greenfield Prize is an annual commission awarded by the Hermitage Artist Retreat in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation, and rotates among music, theater, and visual art. The 2023 prize winner’s newly commissioned work will have its first public presentation in Sarasota in the spring of 2025. For more information about the Hermitage and upcoming programs, visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org. 

Pictured: Raleigh Mosley performing at Artful Lobster. Photo provided by Whitney Patton/the Hermitage Artist Retreat.

Flora Imaginaria: The Flower in Contemporary Photography opened Saturday, July 16, at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus. The indoor/outdoor exhibition, co-organized with the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography (FEP), features more than 70 images created by 49 internationally acclaimed photographers. The show remains on view daily through September 25.  Flora Imaginaria includes a total of 72 photographs produced over the past three decades. Works by celebrated artists such as Pedro Almodóvar, Valérie Belin, Daniel Gordon, Abelardo Morell, Vik Muniz, Viviane Sassen, and Martin Schoeller appear alongside compelling photographs by emerging artists. The photos may depict flowers found in the landscape or even the cityscape, or they may have been taken in studios in an effort to conjure original approaches. Some honor art history, while others take a gleefully subversive approach. “This colorful, wide-ranging overview pays homage to the flower’s perennial attraction and reminds us of the flower’s extraordinary endurance as an inspiring subject in art,” said FEP’s William A. Ewing, who co-curated the show with Danaé Panchaud. “Taken together, these photographs present a sumptuous bouquet in the exceptional setting of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.” Following its debut at Selby Gardens, Flora Imaginaria will travel to other venues in the U.S. and beyond. The show also follows a similarly themed exhibition of 30 years ago—Flora Photographica—which was first shown in London’s Serpentine Gallery and subsequently traveled to New York, Toronto, and elsewhere. FEP curator Ewing wrote the catalogue for that original exhibition. Access to Flora Imaginaria is included with general admission to Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus. For more information and to purchase tickets, go online to www.selby.org/visit. 

Seen by more than 22 million music fans since it opened in London’s West End in 1989, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, the show that inspired a generation of multi-million selling juke-box musicals including Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia, Million Dollar Quartet, and We Will Rock You — is back by popular demand! See Buddy at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on October 22, 2022. Tickets go on sale Friday, July 22 at 10 a.m. Buddy speaks an international language and continues to have audiences from 8 to 80 rockin’ in the aisles across the globe. Loved by critics and audiences alike, Buddy tells the enduring tale of the musical icon’s meteoric rise to fame and his final legendary performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, before his tragic and untimely death at the age of 22. In 18 short months, the Texas-born boy revolutionized the face of contemporary music influencing everyone from The Beatles to Bruce Springsteen. Buddy’s widow, Maria Elena Holly, says “When we opened the show we never imagined Buddy’s music and story would still be rocking stages and entertaining audiences around the world, week-in, week-out over 25 years later. I believe this is testament to a great show – the first of its kind – and to the enduring appeal of Buddy Holly and what he represents; a youthful energy, huge talent and creativity, combined with a determination to make a lasting impression in this world.” Writer Alan Janes says, “Audiences dance in the aisles every night to our enactment of the story of a young man whose musical career spanned an all-too-brief period but whose music will be remembered forever.” Tickets are $37 - $77 and can be purchased at www.VanWezel.org, by calling the box office at 941-263-6799 or by visiting the box office Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Groups of ten or more should contact 941-263-6726. 

Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Venice welcomed the 100th baby delivered there since the new hospital opened in November of 2021.Benjamin Anthony Moran was born on July 16 at 9:39 p.m. to proud parents Miranda Weese and Kevin Moran. This is the family’s second child, and Benjamin will join his 6-year-old big brother Aiden at home in Englewood. Sarasota Memorial Health Care System opened SMH-Venice last fall to serve the growing south Sarasota County region. The new campus and the health system’s flagship hospital in Sarasota are the only two hospitals in Sarasota County providing maternity/OB services. The delivery team at SMH-Venice included OB/GYN Anthony Canino, Jr., MD, assisted by Labor & Delivery nurses Andria Perry, RN, Tabby Bennet, RN, and Kayla Klein, LPN. SMH-Venice includes 10 private Birthing Suites that allow laboring women, their support people and baby to stay together in the same room throughout the birth experience. There are specialized obstetrical physicians on-site, and neonatal providers on-call 24/7. The hospital also has a designated Obstetrical Emergency Care Center, and advanced surgical suites designed for OB procedures.The mother-baby nursing team at SMH-Venice celebrated the birth of the 100th baby with cupcakes and balloons marking the occasion. 

In June 288,420 passengers traveled through the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. This is a 7.8% decrease in passengers compared to June of 2021. Passengers traveling through the airport year-to-date totaled 2,093,305 compared to 1,459,691 year-to-date for 2021, an increase of 43%. “We are starting to see a slight dip in the number of flights scheduled for our summer months. However, the aircraft servicing our airport are operating with much higher passenger loads than last year. This follows a nationwide trend of flight reductions due to much higher fuel prices, airline staffing shortages, and fears of a recession. Even with the slight dip in flights and passengers this summer, we expect to end our fiscal year on September 30 th with a new record of over 3.5 million passengers. For next fiscal year beginning in October, we expect our growth to continue as we welcome the return of Air Canada with flights to Toronto and Allegiant service to Minneapolis, Minnesota,” stated Rick Piccolo, President, CEO of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.