Kimchi Gee Gae from Ssam Bar

On a rainy night last week, I ordered kimchi gee gae—ripe kimchi stew with tofu, pork and vegetables—at the tiny but popular Korean Ssam Bar on U.S. 301 just north of downtown. It came to the table almost boiling in a metal bowl and was a perfect dinner for a cool wet evening. —Susan Burns, editor in chief

Scandinavian Plate from Simon's Coffee House

Booking a breakfast meet-up in south Sarasota? There's only one proper destination: Simon's Coffee House, which excels at making healthy food that doesn't taste like healthy food. The Scandinavian plate ($11.95), for instance, apes a classic lox 'n' bagel platter, with hearty whole-grain bread swapped in for the bagel and a mound of gently smoked and salted salmon that's about the same size as an actual salmon. Crimson tomato slices, piquant onions, soft cream cheese and briny capers bring it home. —Cooper Levey-Baker, associate editor

Linguine al Frutti Di Mare from Cafe Epicure

Seafood lovers, this one's for you: the linguine al frutti di mare from Cafe Epicure is packed with shrimp, scallops, salmon and mussels tossed with linguine in a light tomato sauce. This pasta dish has me dreaming of Italy. —Vanessa Blankenship, editorial intern

Yogurt from Sunni Bunni

Now that it’s summer, I’m living almost entirely on cups of Sunni Bunni original tart yogurt. (Sometimes I’ll splurge and add a topping of cocoa-covered almonds.) They say a regular cup is 90 calories…here’s hoping they’re correct! —Ilene Denton, senior editor

Mediterranean Watermelon Salad from The Table Creekside

I recently got a sneak peek of The Table Creekside's Savor Sarasota menu, and I'm still dreaming of the Mediterranean watermelon salad appetizer. Pink hunks of cold, juicy watermelon share a plate with creamy feta cheese, house-made foccacia croutons and a fresh mint vinaigrette. The surprise, though, comes from baked kalamata olives—you get the olives' signature briny flavor, plus a pleasing crunch from their time in the oven. This one's perfect for the hot summer days on the horizon. —Megan McDonald, digital editor