"Cafe Epicure has been on the Sarasota dining scene for over 20 years. Which is IMPRESSIVE in the world of restaurants. So they’re clearly doing something right. And that thing is the FOOD. The interior is quite lovely, the location is an excellent downtown corner with lots of outdoor seating on the sidewalks, but there is also a choice of seating options inside with a dedicated bar and high top communal table on one side (with tables as well and a more casual Trattoria setting on the other side with a large flat screen TV playing daytime television. The food is LEGIT wood fired, thin thin crust pizzas (quite a variety , pasta dishes, a small selection of breakfast/egg options, plates that are great for sharing (Fritto Misto, Eggplant Parm, Warm Octopus “Salad” and salads. LOTS of choices. Really something for everyone and everything freshly made from excellent ingredients. My parents LOVE this spot. I mean LOVE it. When I mentioned the fact that the person who appears to be in charge has a rather abrasive/unfriendly demeanor. Look I OWN a restaurant and work in it 50+ hours a week so I KNOW from the service industry and what it takes to do it and my exact quote was, “I find that to be an interesting choice of demeanor for the service industry.” Like, YIKES. I’m deducting a star for that alone. Rude. To my father. Super regular customer who spends A LOT of money and sings the praises of this joint. Unprofessional. That being said, 4 stars for the food. It’s fantastic. The bread that comes is really good; dense, flavorful. You get white and an olive bread that is really really good. It is also served with an olive tapenade that is pretty freaking great. (Don’t worry, they’ll give you more if you’d eaten your first round. But don’t fill up on the bread! Which would be really easy here. LEAVE ROOM! Fritto Misto (fried calamari, shrimp and zucchini is absolute perfection! This is a very hard thing to find. Perfectly fried, delicious and lightly coated with just the right amount of salt. I could eat this all day. Eggplant Parm. It’s good. Above average. Eggplant cooked perfectly. Marinara a little bland. Ask for the red pepper flake! I ordered the Caesar Salad because you KNOW ya girl is ALWAYS going to order a Cases if It’s on the menu. Epicure’s Caesar is now tied for Best Caesar Salad I’ve ever had. It is THAT good. They’re not overthinking it: fresh, crisp Romaine, paper thin slices of Parm, just enough dressing (the most common “error” with a Caesar Salad is that it is DROWNING with dressing. Not at Epicure! This salad is what every Caesar Salad should aspire to. I definitely wanted to have pasta because it is a VERY rare place I will order pasta at. Because it is a very rare place that is doing honestly good Italian food. Cafe Epicure has got pasta on lock. I wanted Puttanesca, but I didn’t want it with the pasta they were serving it with, I wanted Rigatoni (which was also on the menu, so I knew they had it in house . No problem at all. They subbed the Rigatoni, which was cooked perfectly (don’t EVER be serving me pasta that isn’t al dente, I will not eat it . The Puttanesca was good, not too much, just the right balance between pasta and “sauce.” Although their Puttanesca is not really a traditional “sauce.” There is no tomato base. Just the capers and olives, etc, tossed with the pasta. It’s good. Really good. I’d eat it again. Finished with a double latte. Yes, they know how to make an espresso drink. Which is another thing that A LOT of places attempt and also FAIL at. Excellent spot for authentic Trattoria/Roman style Italian food and espresso drinks. We couldn’t sit outside because it was 55 degrees and raining. But it was lovely inside as well."
