Aniko Gulyas prepares her kürtős cakes ($5 each, above)—a Hungarian tradition—by wrapping raised dough around a spit, sprinkling it with raw turbinado sugar—or other toppings—and baking it in a special oven that she brought over from Hungary. The result is a cake that’s crisp on the outside, soft on the inside and delicious. (Visit kurtoscake.com to see where to buy.)

Make your own Oktoberfest with the pork schnitzel with red cabbage and spaetzle from Geier’s Sausage Kitchen—and pair it with an authentic German beer. There’s a new seating area outside, too. And schnitzel lovers, rejoice: They’re available year-round!

Mar Vista’s “tater tots” ($8) are not your run-of-the-mill frozen cylinders from the grocery store. These are tots on steroids: Golf ball-size spheres, crispy on the outside, with onion, potato and ooey-gooey cheesy goodness inside. Dip them in the zesty homemade honey mustard that's served alongside.

You can’t go wrong with anything on Blu Kouzina’s menu, but be sure to order the dolmades ($12)—vine leaves stuffed with herbed rice and flavored from the olive oil imported from the owners’ 500-year old estate in Greece. They come with a side of the best tzatziki sauce in town.

(Slightly) cooler weather means soup season, and you can’t go wrong with the wild mushroom bisque ($6) at downtown Sarasota’s Indigenous. Rich and flavorful and topped with truffled rye croutons, it’s a perfect starter—but it would also be delicious by itself with an order of Indigenous’ Parmesan beignets and a glass of wine.

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