When Hurricanes Helene and Milton wrought havoc on the Sarasota area last fall, our barrier islands experienced the worst of it. Many coastal restaurants were damaged or outright destroyed. But through teamwork, determination and grit, some restaurants recovered in record time—like Longboat Key’s Maison Blanche, which was up and running just weeks after the storms passed. Maison Blanche isn’t new, and its menu has changed little in recent years, but after the storms, I felt called to revisit it. Had Mother Nature changed one of our area’s best restaurants? 

Inside the restaurant, diaphanous white fabric hangs from the ceiling, covering the restaurant’s walls and cocooning its guests, while warm-toned wood floors gleam in the soft lighting. There is zero indication of water or wind damage—save for outside, where the sign for the Four Winds Resort (where Maison Blanche resides) is lying on the ground.

The restaurant’s kitchen is helmed by Michelin star recipient José Martinez and offers a nightly prix fixe menu composed of three courses—an appetizer, entrée and dessert—for $90 per person. It is perhaps the best prix fixe deal in town and one of the area’s best values, period. Martinez showcases French fine-dining techniques you would expect to find in a much larger city—we’re lucky to have his skill here at home.

First course offerings include roasted artichoke hearts in a red bell pepper sauce, octopus with a warm shallot vinaigrette and a green asparagus soup. Martinez tends to select a star ingredient for each dish and uplift it with subtle accoutrements. For example, blue crab is lightly dressed and enrobed in thin slices of avocado, then surrounded by small dots of celery rémoulade. The crab shines through the fatty avocado, which helps carry the dish’s complex flavors across the palate. It’s simple, yet difficult to execute.

Further proof of beauty in simplicity is a dish titled “egg,” featuring delicate chanterelle mushrooms that are browned and molded into a ring, then topped with a poached egg and beurre blanc, a white wine and butter sauce. It takes years for a chef to hone their craft to imbue such few ingredients with such deep flavor.

For the entrée course, you’ll find baked red snapper paired with crushed potatoes and lemon, braised short ribs with puréed potatoes and seared sweetbreads served with caramelized endives and a beet purée. A lamb saddle wrapped in pastry is more evidence of Martinez’s gifts. The lamb is served at a perfect medium rare, while the pastry surrounding it is crisp (a remarkable achievement) and a sauce made from the lamb’s own juices leans into the meat’s slight gaminess. Dover sole, meanwhile, is deboned in the kitchen and topped with lemon butter, capers and red peppers.

Before the entrées arrive, your server will deliver a dessert menu in case you’re interested in the restaurant’s chocolate soufflé, which takes longer to prepare than the other sweets. Forget the dense, flourless molten lava cake masquerading as “soufflé” at restaurant chains across the country. Here, it’s made with whipped egg whites and finished with Grand Marnier crème anglaise—light and airy instead of dense or stodgy. While the soufflé is perfect, the vacherin—a meringue dessert similar to pavlova—is awe-inspiring. It’s filled with raspberry sorbet and adorned with circular pink discs of crisp meringue.

To accompany your meal, Maison Blanche offers a robust selection of wines from around the world, with a focus on French varietals. You’ll find approachable price points alongside bottles that go for hundreds of dollars. Leave room for a glass of Sauternes to accompany that vacherin.

We tend to think of “comfort food” as a homey dish that reminds us of childhood, or something prepared with care by a beloved member of our family. But these days, a fancy dinner at Maison Blanche is every bit as comforting as those simpler pleasures. Last year’s hurricanes could have closed down this restaurant for good. It’s a relief to know that it’s still here, and that the food is still impeccable. Let’s rejoice as all of our other island restaurants come back, too.

MAISON BLANCHE | 2605 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key, (941) 383-8088,
themaisonblanche.com