Signature Sarasota Dish: A Taste of Platinum

When we asked Reylon Agustin, new chef de cuisine at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, to create a special “Platinum” dish, he aimed for something as “bright and luxurious” as Sarasota itself. A native Pacific Islander who grew up in the Philippines and Hawaii, Agustin says that thanks to our “weather and setting,” he feels right at home, and he’s excited by our tropical produce and such local specialties as Mote Marine’s caviar. “It rivals European caviar,” he says, and he built his “Triple Platinum” stunner around that ingredient. The dish features a soft-scrambled egg topped with crème fraiche and caviar; handmade tagliolini pasta with compressed local heirloom melon (compressing the fruit gives it a silky-smooth texture); and pan-seared Florida pompano with baby fingerling potatoes, pearl onions and caviar beurre blanc. Sumptuous, elegant, and oh-so-Sarasota, it’s on the menu at The Ritz-Carlton’s Vernona throughout August.