I was lucky enough to be able to attend Jack Dusty's YELP event at the Ritz the past couple weekends ago. I must say it was a very well put together event that was creative, fun and also delicious. This restaurant brings the sea to you with fresh seafood and good entertainment. I absolutely love the interior design which brings the complexity of wave infused designs and a bright raw bar.
I was able to sample some of Jack Dusty's food and loved every bite of it. As simple and fresh as it is each bite was full of complex flavor. My most favorite would have to be the Shrimp Ceviche topped with a plantain chip. It may sound a bit weird, but I find that the fresh and tangy ceviche went well with the mellow sweetness and crunch of the plantain chip. The tuna drizzled in ponzu sauce was also extremely fresh and was not overpowered by the sauce.
What is a fresh raw bar without fresh raw oysters? I had a couple of oysters while I was there and must say they are superb. So fresh and juicy! Very impressed with the food here at Jack Dusty.
I had a pretty good start here at the Jack Dusty event. Met some new people and even took pictures with their model Mermans. Loved the events and prizes that Yelp and the Ritz had put together plus the fun DJ. Another thing I loved about Jack Dusty was the amazing view and patio they had created. I felt like every seat focused on you and the water. Great view and good ambient.
BE PREPARED...
So I would absolutely love to end my night as a good one but because of one incident I couldn't forget, made me incredibly upset that night. I loved the event and had no problem with it and thought everyone did a great job but I did have an issue with a staff member. I never like to complain and try my best to be reasonable but even after a couple weeks later I still can't believe what happened to me that night. Let me repeat myself that I had a blast at the event. There was good food, good people, and fun entertainment up until the incident happened.
So here is it, I usually bring one of my best friend around as my plus one which is perfectly fine. I was enjoying the night as is and because it was a pretty poppin' event I respected the staff and know how nerve wrecking it is to host such an event. My friend and I, after chatting for awhile decided it's time to try some of their specialty drinks, which I was pretty excited about because I kept seeing everyone holding a delicious looking glass. We tried the bar once but noticed that it was way too busy so we came back at a later time. We both stood at the bar for about 10 minutes waiting for the bartender to notice us which is fine because we understood that he must have been busy. After awhile I decided to leave my friend and walk to another end of the bar to another bartender but because he was bar back he was busy making drinks for the other bartenders. I respected that and waited for him to finish up and give me attention, he knew I was waiting since I asked him what drink he was making while I stood there watching him. After about 10-15 minutes later I asked my friend how it was on her side of the bar and she told me the bartender (that we were first waiting for) said the bar back was going to make our drinks so I happily stood next to her waiting. After about 15 minutes I asked the same bartender if our drink was coming and he rudely said "Events over".
This is where the tipping point comes in. I am very patient, but there is an limit to how much disrespect a person can get. I was shocked at his attitude and how rude he was when he told us that the event was over. We had clearly stood there for 30-45 minutes waiting for him to make our drinks and clearly watched him make other people's drinks that came after us. I even watched him play around while girls stuffed money down his shirt. I don't care about those kind of things, but for the fact that he acknowledged us and told us our drinks were coming and 20 minutes later say the "event was over" was what drove me nuts. I was at least expecting an apology or even putting out the effort to make us the drinks we patiently waited for.
Of course we both walked back to our other friends in a very angry and upset manner. We were both left speechless. I as a waitress understands that was certainly not the way to handle that situation and my friend who used to be a bartender was also very upset about how he rudely left us hanging.
Because of this one negative incident it destroyed our night. We both tried to leave the restaurant but were asked how our experience was. After some hesitation we told her about what had happened and I understand she tried to ease our anger by offering us a glass of wine. It was of no interest to me so I had to decline but after a few persuasive sentences from the young lady we stayed. It was because she offered to bring us the specialty drinks we were waiting for, so while we were waiting we sat out on the patio. I really think it was an amazing patio but because of how upset and irritated we both were we could not enjoy it to the fullest. After a few minutes we were told that the bartenders were getting interviewed and could not make our drinks. So he prepared us some wines, we took it just because we were already frustrated with the situation. We finished it and walked away, which was for the best because our frustration was not fixed and we needed to get away from the restaurant.
So after all this I still think this bartender which I won't release the name was what ruined my night here at Jack Dusty. I think the event was good, food and service was great except for that incident. Some of the waiters were funny and also came around to our table just to drop some food off and make sure we're doing good. I really appreciate all the work the others have done and feel sad that because of an bad incident with a particular bartender it really hinder my thoughts about this place.
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Sarasota Weekend
So with all that out of the way I wanted to share you all the foodie stuff I did while staying in Sarasota for that weekend. I was really glad that I planned out more than just the Yelp event for that weekend because then my whole weekend would consist of rethinking about that bad incident.
After the Yelp Jack Dusty event we were left hungry and upset. So what's the next best thing to cure unhappiness? Comfort food! We checked out a branch of Yummy House in Sarasota which was absolutely packed (a good thing). We ordered some take out to bring back to our hotel room. It wasn't as good and it was a shame that they forgot to poke holes into the box because our food got soggy. It's alright though~
Next stop! The Coffee Loft. I saw this while driving back to the hotel room the night before and suggest we all check it out before we start our day the next morning. I'm so glad I did because I love this place!! I love small coffee shops because they make you feel comfortable and they also make the coolest drinks. We ordered three different drinks but I'm not too sure what all the three names are but with my little hints I'm sure you'll figure it out.
First one is the All Nighter which consist of lots of espresso shots, this was for my friend since she's big coffee person. The drink I got had white chocolate and raspberry which was really delicious! The last drink I think was called something Sunset. Not too sure but I loved all the unique drinks made here.
I also have to mention I love the loft style of this coffee shop. There was a cool circle staircase that takes you up to the second floor which is lit up with tons of windows. LOVE! There's plenty of games for break time and seats and lounge chairs to chill out at. Don't forget the mini stage for some cool local performances.
After that we checked out St. Armand Square and the beach. Here's random photos I have from that adventure.
Chilling at ScoopDaddy's Ice Cream Parlor. It's such a cute place full of classic comic strips, Elvis, Madonna posters and so on.
Stopped by a Hot Sauce store and wandered around for a bit. Some very funny hot sauce names and tons of samples. I loved the pickled garlic!! Here's an example of some cool sauce designs.
Other finds
We also grabbed some crawfish at Monk's Steam bar while watching Sunday Football. It wasn't amazing but it was helping us fight the munchies while waiting for Munchies 4:20 open!
This should end my super long post :D!!
