As travelers gear up for summer, Portugal occupies a prominent place on their trip itinerary. Renowned for its intricate and colorful mosaics, stunning coastal cliffs and turquoise waters, Portugal boasts an impressive culinary scene. At Amore Restaurant in Sarasota, Portuguese chef and owner Tito Vitorino shares his passion for his native homeland’s food with guests.

Vitorino grew up in the Alto Douro region from which port wine hails. He learned to cook around age seven or eight by observing his mother and grandmother and creating new recipes with his brother, to varying degrees of success. He spent his adolescence tending the vineyards with his grandfather. “I was always curious and playing around with recipes,” he says. Moving to the Algarve region in the south of the country, Vitorino furthered his skills while familiarizing himself with that area’s cuisine.

Following a friend he met in the Algarve, he moved to the United States, working in the Miami-based cruise industry before settling in Sarasota, where he collaborated with various restauranteurs and took on a leadership role at Amore. The restaurant’s current iteration, located on Lime Ave., represents the third stage of the business’s evolution. Half of the menu offers Portuguese delights; the other half features Italian staples. “A lot of customers come for Italian food because that’s what they’re comfortable with, but 70 percent of them turn the page and get hooked on a Portuguese item.”

Vitorino recommends that guests sample the best-loved and most traditional dishes the country has to offer, like salted cod fritters, or bolinhos de bacalhau in Portuguese. “Salted cod for us Portuguese is like pasta for the Italians. We eat more salted cod than the rest of the world combined. There’s a saying in Portugal that says we have 365 salted cod recipes, one for each day of the year, but believe me, that number is higher.” Amore sources its salted cod from Portugal, ensuring that the product is of the highest quality and authenticity. From the Algarve region, Amore serves cataplana dishes. The meal takes its name from the spherical pot used to cook a variety of ingredients using steam and pressure. The cataplana de marisco, or seafood cataplana, is a fan favorite. For dessert, Vitorino insists on sampling the scrumptious pastel de nata, an egg custard tart ubiquitous across the country, from fine dining establishments to the local corner cafe.

With a cozy interior and kitchen with an open glass window, Amore recreates the experience that many foodies dream of, stumbling upon a cozy and inviting spot with a dedicated team preparing tasty food. As part of the Savor Sarasota Restaurant Week, Amore offers guests a three-course menu to sample popular dishes, which will be available through November. If you can’t make it to Portugal this summer, Amore is the perfect culinary staycation.

Amore Restaurant, 180 North Lime Ave., Sarasota, amorelbk.com. 

Pictured: The cataplana de marisco, or seafood cataplana at Amore Restaurant. Photo courtesy of Amore Restaurant.

Join Chart House for a celebration showcasing the Women Behind The Wine. The evening will commemorate these remarkable women and their wines, expertly paired with a delectable 5-course meal curated by Chart House’s renowned executive chefs. The wine dinner will be held on Thursday, May 4th at 7 p.m. for $135 per person. The full menu is as follows: First Course- Burrata Cheese Bruschetta- Oven Roasted Tomato Bacon Jam, Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil Toasted Baguette, Poggio Al Tesoro Vermentino, Bolgheri- Marlisa Allegrini, Head Winemaker. Second Course - Spiced Pacific Shrimp Ceviche-Panko Fried Avocado, Jicama & mango Salad, Lotus & Taro Chips, Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough- Sue Whitehaven, Proprietor. Third Course- Lobster Tail Milanese- Roasted Asparagus, Basil Citrus Gremolata Roasted Shallot Beurre Blanc, Talbott Vineyards Kali Hart Chardonnay, Monterey- Kamee Kruston, Winemaker. Fourth Course - Calotte Ribeye- Shrimp & Mushroom Fondue, Truffle Brown Butter, J Vineyards & Winery Pinot Noir, Sonoma/Monterey/ Napa- Nicole Hitchcock, Winemaker. Fifth Course - Chocolate Kuchen- Toasted Meringue, Macerated Berries, William Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, North Coast- Christine Benz, Senior Quality Manager. 

For reservations click here.

Duval’s Fresh. Local. Seafood. is offering Mother’s Day specials on Sunday, May 14 th from 11am-10pm. The entrée selections on the menu include brunch-style selections as well as traditional lunch and dinner options. The entrée specials include Steak and Eggs, Chicken and Waffles, Seafood Linguine, and Croque Madame. The chef-curated menu will be available all day for lunch and dinner in conjunction with the
regular menus. Duval’s also offers the Mother’s Day menu for takeout and free delivery! To view Duval’s delivery zone, visit https://www.duvalsfreshlocalseafood.com/free-delivery. Pre-orders are recommended for takeout and delivery to guarantee your desired timeframe. To pre-order, call 941-312-4001 or visit https://www.duvalsfreshlocalseafood.com/mothersday23. Limited reservations remain for dine-in. Please call the restaurant to reserve your spot. Duval’s also offers a free shuttle to transport guests to and from the restaurant. For more information about the shuttle, visit www.duvalsfls.com/shuttle.
Duval’s is located at 1435 Main St. Sarasota, FL 34236. 

Wellen Park has announced Fresh Harvest, its new weekly farmers market coming to Downtown Wellen. Fresh Harvest Farmers Market begins Sunday, May 21, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and will offer a selection of local goods from local vendors. Fresh Harvest takes place every Sunday as part of Downtown Wellen’s event schedule. Attendees can peruse over 30 different vendor booths and stock up on a variety of goods. Vendors will offer produce, herbs, spices, cut flowers, teas, canned and preserved fruits and vegetables, syrups, baked goods, pickled foods, fresh seafood, meats, poultry, eggs, milk, specialty cheeses, and prepared food and beverages. Starting in the fall, cooking demonstrations will be offered at Fresh Harvest. Local chefs will lead the demonstrations and provide tips on food preservation and other kitchen skills. As a producer-only farmers market, Fresh Harvest will feature locally grown and prepared foods with limited exceptions, such as tea and seasonings. A limited selection of craft vendors are also participating in the farmers market. For a listing of participating vendors and more information on Fresh Harvest Farmers Market, visit wellenpark.com/events/fresh-harvest-farmers-market. Applications are also available online for interested vendors. 

Pictured: Wild at Heart Flower Truck, a Fresh Harvest participating vendor, is a mobile flower bar that offers fresh cut flowers for patrons to make their own bouquets. Photo courtesy of Wellen Park.

Sarasota Opera is pleased to announce the lineup for the 2023 Summer Classic Movies at the Opera House. The Classic Movies at the Opera House series featuring many beloved movies will open on Friday, May 12th at 7:30 pm with 2001: A Space Odyssey. Throughout the summer and into the fall, featured movies will include films ranging from the 1930’s to the 1990’s. Tickets will be $12 and will go on sale starting on Wednesday, May 3.  “We are happy to once again present a series of Classic Movies at the Sarasota Opera House this season,” said General Director Richard Russell. “The Sarasota Opera House was originally a movie and vaudeville theater, so this is a perfect way to celebrate that tradition. Unfortunately, we are not able to present performing arts films as we have in past years because there is a lack of available content. We will monitor that situation and if performances become available for us to screen, we will add it to our series.” All seats are general admission. Ticket buyers are encouraged to purchase tickets before arriving at the theater. Information and tickets can be found online at SarasotaOpera.org or by calling (941)328-1300. Sarasota Opera subscribers who wish to receive discount Classic Movie tickets must contact the Sarasota Opera box office directly. 

Ed Smith Stadium will once again host the Sarasota Orchestra for its annual Outdoor Pops concert on Friday, May 5, and Saturday, May 6. This year’s theme is “Dancing in the Streets: Music of Motown,” giving fans the chance to hear funky sounds from the height of the Motown era transformed into a symphonic experience. The program will feature hits made famous by artists such as Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, The Temptations, and Stevie Wonder. Songs include “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “I Heard it Through The Grapevine,” “My Girl,” “Superstition,” and more. The concert will conclude with a fireworks display, weather permitting. Tickets, starting as low as $15, are still available and can be purchased at Orioles.com/Spring or by calling (941) 893-6312. In partnership with the Sarasota Orchestra, the Orioles have donated tickets to members of Girls Inc. to experience and gain further education on arts and music. Girls Inc. is focused on the development of the whole girl, using long-lasting mentoring relationships, a pro-girl environment, and research-based programming to equip girls to navigate gender, economic, and social barriers. The organization was one of the 2023 beneficiaries of the clubs annual “Athletes & Artists Play For Kids” charity weekend which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for various charities through the Orioles Charitable Foundation’s Music & Arts Education Scholarship. Since 2013, the Orioles “Arts in the Ballpark” series has brought 25 free and low-cost, family-friendly arts and entertainment events to the Sarasota community, reaching more than 48,000 fans. Since moving their Spring Training Operations to Sarasota, more than 1.3 million fans have enjoyed Orioles baseball at Ed Smith Stadium, helping to generate more than $600 million in economic impact in the state of Florida since 2015. Beyond economic impact, the Orioles have provided more than $3.9 million to local Sarasota organizations through cash donations and in-kind contributions. Over the past 13 years, the team has made it a priority to help combat food insecurity, empower the youth of the community, provide arts and educational resources for local children, and be able to help when the community needs them the most. This past September when Hurricane Ian hit, the Orioles acted quickly to step in and help. Players and staff helped compile cases of water, gas tanks, ice, and other supplies, while Ed Smith Stadium parking lots were used to house emergency response providers. The Orioles also partnered with All Faiths Food Bank to provide local families in need with necessary food prior to the holidays. For details, visit Orioles.com/Sarasota.