Foodie Blogroll

Monday, July 25, 2011

Our Anniversary on an Island at The Sandbar

Yesterday was our 18th wedding anniversary and we spent part of the afternoon on Anna Maria Island. It is only about a 40 minute drive north from us, but it always feels like we went away on vacation. So where do you go when you live in a vacation destination? :D Summertime is nice for us locals who can take advantage of the vacation spots and waterfront restaurants and not have towait to get in.

So funny though right now on the news they are saying northerners are coming down to Florida to beat the heat! What? We are in our normal summer weather of high 80s to low 90s, sometimes afternoon showers to cool us off a bit and we never reach 100 here on the coast!


Our first stop was the Anna Maria City Pier that turned 100 years old this past May. We like to walk out and enjoy the view...looks like he has a pretty good view up there.


We do have to share it with the fishermen...but we liked watching the cormorant and pelicans dive for fish...

...you can see many fish just peaking over the edge....I wonder...is this is 100 year old wood?



nothing fancy here, but they have a little bar here as well, a nice spot to buy a drink and enjoy whats around you.




The island is painted so pretty, reminds me of the Caribbean. I didn't catch a photo of all the pastel and pictures painted on the buildings, just couldn't while we were driving.

We went to the Sandbar Restaurant for an early dinner, we did the same thing a couple of years ago and enjoyed it so much we wanted to do it again.



This was what we had to look at while we ate. I love it! nothing like sitting right on the beach, even if it's in the sun!




start off with a couple of cocktails...the glasses didn't take too long to become all sweaty...



we tried to keep them in the shade...



at this time of day looks like the rest of the deck is catching some sun too.





...on to the the appetizer...
ESCARGOT –Tender Escargot baked in Garlic
Butter




We decided to get salads instead of a big dinner, mine was the salmon salad.

WASABI ENCRUSTED SALMON – Filet of Salmon in a
light coating of Wasabi and Japanese Breadcrumbs, baked
and served over Mixed Greens with Mandarin Oranges,
Grape Tomatoes, Red Onions and our Sesame Ginger
Vinaigrette Dressing




My husband went for the seafood pasta salad.


SANDBAR CRAB PASTA SALAD – An Old Anna Maria
Island Favorite! Chunks of Crab and White Fish tossed
with Seashell Pasta in an Herb Mayo Dressing, served
with Tropical Fruit



I couldn't get over how big the piece of salmon was... mmm...so good too, loved the sesame ginger vinaigrette.





but the best part is eating in a restaurant where you can kick your shoes off and have sand between your toes!



and listening to a little island beach music to go with it...



a nice walk on the beach afterward, the white sand doesn't get hot down here, so you can always go barefoot with out burning your feet on hot sand.




that was our table, the waiter was too tall...had to duck under the umbrella to take our order.



One of the painted courtyards on the walk back to the car, before my memory card was full.


Thanks for coming along with us to Anna Maria, Florida and celebrating with us!

22 comments:

  1. What a perfect anniversary celebration you 2 had! Your Photos are so nice and your food was the perfect choice. Love is in the air; enjoy! Have a nice week.
    Rit

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  2. Looks like yall had a perfect day.

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  3. Congratulations on your anniversary. Looks like it is a day to be remembered. Great photos. Diane

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  4. Sounds and looks like an awesome place and escargot is a favorite of mine!
    Thanks..

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  5. Congratulations on your 18th Anniversary! That's a perfect place for the celebration :)

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  6. Congratulations! What a wonderful place. Nice food.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  7. What a fun mini-vacation! Happy Anniversary! Florida is chock full of places to go for a quick break. Key West is one of my favorites.

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  8. Happy Anniversary. Thank you for posting the wonderful pictures, made me feel like I was at the beach too!

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  9. I always love to see photos of fun adventures from others...yours look like an amazing and relaxing time, and not too far from home!
    Happy Anniversary!
    Love the light seafood lunch, especially the wasabi crusted salmon.
    This is the type of fun and enjoyment we are also having here in South Florida, when we get a chance.
    Thanks for sharing, you are so nice:DDD

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  10. Wonderful anniversary and a lovely 'staycation' :) That salmon looks fabulous! So glad you had a good time

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  11. Happy anniversary to you Lyndsey and may you have many more to come!:D I really envy you having such a nice place so near to visit...love your salmon too!

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  12. Happy anniversary dear, love the pictures. May you have many many more such wonderful, romantic and happy years.

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  13. Happy anniversary to you. Sure picture speak thousand words. Looks like you had wonderful time. Like all the food too.

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  14. Congrats in your anniversary Lyndsey! This place look amazing, beauty, and the food georgeous!! xgloria

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  15. Happy Anniversary! Lovely place to spend with our loved ones! Great that you had a wonderful time!

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  16. Happy Anniversary!
    The salmon...wow...looks so good!

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  17. Happy anniversary! It looks like you guys enjoyed it to it's fullest potential!

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  18. Happy 18th Anniversary, Lyndsey! That looks like a very fun getaway :D Love the place and the food. That piece of salmon is really big!

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  19. Lyndsey, Happy 18th Anniversary!! What a great idea to go to celebrate in an island. The place look beautiful and peaceful. Love all the food you had there especially the escargot!

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  20. Happy anniversary! Congrats!
    And the island looks lovely, you must have had a very relaxing yet great time.

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  21. Happy Anniversary. Looks like a perfect way to celebrate.

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  22. Congratulations!
    The island looks lovely!

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