Certain things in life need to stay the same: Your mother’s applesauce cake waiting on the table during the holidays; freezing Snickers bars from the Halloween stash; cheeseburgers at Shady Glenn in Manchester, Conn.; a poppyseed bagel from H&H in New York City's West Side; butterscotch cream pie from Yoder’s. So when Patrick’s announced it was not renewing its lease after 25 years in the same location, the city of Sarasota panicked.

Who would take Sarasota Magazine's "Best Burger" category if there was no Patrick’s left at Five Points? While I confess to finding the old Patrick’s tired and in need of a good scrub, I could not be happier that it has signed another 25-year lease, this time just down the block on the opposite side of Main Street.


The new Patrick’s is in the space formerly occupied by the Brazilian steakhouse (not surprised that lasted such a short time), and quite a nice location it is. Showing a strong support for not only sports but Sarasota's arts community, the restaurant's walls are accented with local artwork. The best part for us, though, is the outdoor dining. Television sets are placed inside for easy game watching while catching a street breeze. Our dog, Norman, gives it two paws up, and highly recommends ordering the large bowl of ice water. He says it could be one of the most refreshing on Main Street.


Of course there are still the Patrick’s burgers, eggs Benny and most of the old favorites, but new winners on the menu are definitely the flatbread pizzas and the Caesar salad with fresh grilled mahi. (Tell them to go light on the dressing, though.)  Nice, too, to see the owners of Libby’s, Lee Roy Selmon’s and  The Sports Page, just to name a few restaurateurs, dining and toasting to the new Patrick’s, and, of course, its great burgers.


DIET DILEMMA

Alas, back to the diet drama. Not a single pound lost, but if you follow my Facebook page and ChefJudiG on YouTube, you will understand why. Our dear friend Jocie just lost 100 pounds--amazing, isn’t it?--and I need a pinch of her strength and will-power to get at least five off. Oh well, back to the treadmill and cabbage soup--that is, until I dine at Brasserie Belge this week to try some of the new mussel pots...and of course one cannot have mussels without frites, right...?

Where have you been dining lately?