One year after Sage opened, the downtown Sarasota restaurant's talented chefs are overhauling the menu, and are set to debut a number of new dishes in the coming weeks. Many of the items have been in the works since before the restaurant even opened, and have been tested and refined in recent months. According to a press release, the new additions will include mole lobster tamales, ratatouille and a new version of the restaurant's popular bouillabaisse.

At a recent taste testing, a couple dishes stood out. Boquerones (delicate marinated anchovies) tasted great atop a hunk of grilled bread and paired with roasted eggplant, a cozy nest of frisée, a sherry foam and a black garlic aioli. A shredded duck entrée also impressed, with tender meat that delivers an umami bomb thanks to a soy-ginger sauce and is elevated by a crunchy daikon, radish, carrot and scallion slaw. And the carrot cake bread pudding, with its sweetness cut by just the right amount of crunchy salt, sent me home happy.

Sage is located at 1216 First St., Sarasota, and is open 5-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more info, call (941) 445-5660 or visit the restaurant's website.