Opening in 1959 on St. Armand's Circle, the
Columbia Restaurant has been serving Sarasota the best Spanish/Cuban cuisine in a cosmopolitan Mediterranean setting in Lido Key. If you were coming to Sarasota for a few days, the Columbia Restaurant is a must!
Our favorite tipple to start with is always a pitcher of their
Sangria de Cava. Cava, Spain's version of Champagne, makes a lighter more sophisticated version of the well loved Spanish drink.
You can order from their extensive Tapas or Entree menus, but I seem to stick to my favorite in the summertime: If eating inside, I always start with a cup of their Spanish Bean Soup. This soup has a ham/chicken broth base and is loaded with Garbanzo beans, diced potatoes, ham, and Chorizo sausage.
Inside our out, I always have their signature "1905 Salad". This is an absolute must as a starter if ordering an entree, or a refreshing, very satisfying main dish salad. On a hot day, there is nothing better than to sit out on their patio and watch the world go by.
While the Columbia are very generous to post some of their recipes on their website and have a cookbook (James - hint, hint) - nothing can duplicate the experience of actually dining at one of the Columbia's seven restaurants.
The outside seating area is bliss. There are tables under cover with nice flans to keep you cool, and there are also tables outside under the light strung trees, feet from the shore line.
There is usually a bit of a wait. We like to put our name in and then head to the bar. While the inside does have a nice atmosphere, we like to take our drinks outside and wait out on the dock. It was quite overcast that day, but was the perfect cool down to a hot day in our pool. I had the Passion Fruit Pina Colada.
Even a 30+ minute wait is enjoyable with the massive pelicans to watch. It is probably due to the fact that you are closer to them here than at the beach, but Mar Vista's pelicans really do seem bigger than the average pelican. Or maybe it was the rum...
... either way, we could sit out for hours taking in the view, even on a cloudy day.
In addition to arriving by car, you can also arrive to Mar Vista by boat.
We were told that there would be a 45 minute wait that night, but it felt more like 15. I had the Caribbean Chicken Sandwich ($ 8.99) which was a chicken breast marinated in tropical fruit juices, blackened, and topped with Provolone cheese on a whole wheat bun. It had just the right amount of heat and was just what I was craving.
James opted for the Mar Vista Burger ($8.99) with Cheddar, Bacon, and Blue Cheese. I'm guilty of sneaking a bite, and with their thickly sliced dill pickles, think that he made a great choice.
