Recognizing Sarasota’s passion for all restaurants Italian, Paul Mattison has infused his Mattison’s Steakhouse at the Plaza with Tuscan flavor. "Gone Tuscan" is the proclamation on the menu, which outlines some new offerings and some old favorites. The focus on steaks is a natural for this transformation, since bistecca is a foundation of the Tuscan kitchen. Other touches include a bit of accessorizing to bring an Italian design sensibility to the otherwise-elegant dining room, always one of the most tasteful on Florida’s west coast and still displaying a decidedly up-market ambiance.

Mattison says his "Gone Tuscan" focus resulted from his recent withdrawal from a restaurant project on St. Armands Circle. A frequent host of guided culinary trips and cooking classes in Italy, he said he wanted to bring his longtime interest in Italian food to Sarasota, "but the elements weren’t there for us on St. Armands." Instead, Ben Christopher, the chef who was going to lead the St. Armands project, took the reins at the Plaza——and voil‡, a refreshed restaurant. By the contented looks on the patrons’ faces in the packed house the night we visited, I’d call "Gone Tuscan" a hit.

The menu offers some fresh takes on Italian food. An order of ostrica infornata, oysters on the half shell baked with a dollop of spinach (and aren’t we all thrilled spinach is back?), sports a wonderful hint of licorice supplied by fennel and the suggestion of sambuca—sumptuous. The flavors march together in culinary lockstep, and, with the oysters, make for a sensuous dish. Melanzana involtini, eggplant breaded, sautÈed and stuffed with fresh ricotta and smoked tomatoes, sounds divine—and the creative mix of flavors is representative of the selection of primi courses coming out of this kitchen. Not all is Italian, however; if you pine for an American starter, order the crab cakes Americano, which Chef Christopher enlivens with an inventive habaÒero tangerine remoulade. Most items found on the primi menu are in the $10-15 range.

Mattison’s wonderful pasta fagioli heads up the zuppa listing. It’s a headliner at his Siesta Key Grille, too, and always delivers that home-cooked goodness that can transport the diner to a different time or place with the first spoonful. The insalatas bring a varied mix of old and new. The signature salad will be familiar to regulars: a mix of field greens with pine nuts and Gorgonzola cheese in balsamic vinaigrette. The Mediterraneo exhibits a creative mix of cucumbers, red onions, feta cheese and olives tossed with a fresh herb vinaigrette. It’s a toss-up between that and the arugula, or rucola. These "rocket greens" fill the mouth with peppery freshness and the components—shaved fennel, an earthy fresh goat cheese and a hint of citrus—deliver a revitalizing salad that stimulates the appetite for things to come. Tariffs for this course are $8-10, but the portions are huge, so share.

Happily, the bisteccas are just about identical to pre-"Gone Tuscan" times at this restaurant. The Plaza serves a great steak, and the choices are numerous, ranging from a six-ounce filet to a 22-ounce T-bone. Within that array of cuts, more choices emerge as menu items—a 16-ounce rib eye with Gorgonzola cheese and apple-smoked bacon is a bistecca blu. It’s also heavenly. The ribeye’s well-marbled fat merges with the salty richness of the blue cheese and the tart apple flavors in the bacon to produce many levels of tastes and textures. Mashed potatoes dosed with truffle oil accompany this, adding an appreciated starch to balance the plate. The bistecca oscar, new for Tuscany but not Longboat, tops a filet with fresh lobster and crab meat with the requisite BÈarnaise sauce. Molto bene.

Cinghiale, or wild boar chops, arrive in an elegant presentation that denies their backwoods origins. The meat is earthy but certainly not gamey. Served with caramelized onions and an addictive apple polenta, the cinghiale is a much-welcomed addition to our local culinary scene.

The entrÈes, which are priced from $22 to $60, include a nice selection of seafood, including a fresh sea bass that’s roasted and served whole in the Italian style. (The staff will filet the fish tableside if you’re not up to another set of eyes joining the group.) The bass—sans head—is gently unassuming, the perfect foil for a pile of exquisitely roasted chanterelle mushrooms, their sweet and lush flavors complemented by the earthy flavors of a roasted artichoke. Another home run for Chef Christopher.

You may be way too satiated for any dolce, but that would be your loss. The pastry chef has created a menu of fabulous desserts. Topping the list is the honey Parmesan flan. The traditional milk custard is transformed with the addition of honey in concert with the salty, savory character of Parmesan cheese. The competing tastes are absolutely delightful, and our flan quickly disappeared. The chocolate bruschetta is an interesting concept that will appeal to the chocolate lover. Lovely housemade chocolate-hazelnut biscotti are topped with a layer of mascarpone mousse, fresh strawberries and then drizzled with chocolate. I would have been just as satisfied with the biscotti, which were rich and nutty and fabulous on their own.

The cannoli are delectable, too. The ricotta cream is so sumptuous, with its bits of dark and white chocolate, that the cookie shell seems superfluous. And finally, the cheesecake: Baked with mascarpone cheese, it has an intriguingly different character from the typical offering. I loved it.

The international wine list provides a number of options in all price ranges. With the advent of the "Gone Tuscan" theme, I hope to see more Tuscan wines—especially more "super Tuscan" reds and a greater variety of Chianti classicos to complement the excellent bistecca.

MATTISON'S STEAKHOUSE AT THE PLAZA
525 Bay Isles Parkway, Longboat Key
(Located behind Publix)
(941) 387-2700
5-10p.m. Tuesday-Saturday
5-9 p.m. Sunday
Closed Monday
Valet parking available
Off-street parking available
Handicap accessible
All credit cards