Waterside dining is on the menu

Relishing brilliant blue skies and balmy breezes, I joined two friends for lunch Saturday at Simon's Coffee House in Sarasota. Lots of comfortable, outdoor seating facilitated our enjoyment of the picture-perfect weather, even though the parking-lot view could have been more exciting.

Simon's is a great little place with fast and friendly service, eclectic food and moderate prices. The menu includes a mix of traditional breakfast and lunch fare, including Mexican omelets, fresh cinnamon rolls, paninis, wraps and cold sandwiches. If any of that doesn't grab you, there are also pastries, fresh quiche, deli meats and breads available for takeout.

But Simon's is mostly known for its healthy options, such as a vegan Mediterranean tofu scramble with mushrooms, olives, sundried tomatoes and basil served with sprout toast.

I was especially intrigued by the tempting array of healthy drinks, smoothies and shakes. What especially caught my eye was lemonade made with apples and lemons, then poured over ice. Coincidentally, my sister had just written me about Mariel Hemingway's Green Apple Lemonade, which I chose to share as this week's recipe.

The outdoors beckoned again Sunday morning as I sat down to work at my computer. This time, my better half joined me as I drove south again. Forty minutes and 29 miles later, we parked along the street at the Star Fish Co., a dockside restaurant and seafood market in the Cortez Village in Bradenton.

I discovered this historical, wholesale fish company a year ago during a search for smoked mullet I needed for a recipe. Founded in the early 1920s as a wholesaler, the market opened in the 1960s. After the restaurant was sold in 1996, current owner Karen Bell added the restaurant.

The place is easy to miss as you drive down Cortez Road. Look for a park bench with a Star Fish Co. sign at 123rd Street, then turn left. The market is just before you reach the Cortez Bridge, which crosses over to Bradenton Beach.

You know you're in the right neighborhood by the sight of old, weathered boats in every other yard or driveway of this cozy coastal community.

We headed around the back of the seafood market to the dock and waterfront, where we were greeted by half a dozen or so brown pelicans loafing on pilings. Even before the restaurant had opened, customers were standing in line waiting to order their food.

Sharing our picnic table and a friendly conversation were David and Bettie Perry, part-time residents of Longboat Key. Serious seafood lovers and frequent patrons, they had come for the Florida stone crabs before the season ends in mid-May.

A sign posted at the ordering window read, "Relax you're on Cortez time."

In other words, don't expect fast service. As you wait for your meal, be prepared to linger and enjoy the experience of waterfront breezes, seabirds and lots of friendly people.

Fried or blackened mullet, conch fritters, grouper sandwiches, crab cakes and the like are included on the fairly standard seafood menu. Each entree comes in light or hearty versions, with sides of cheese grits, hush puppies, coleslaw or fries.

After saying goodbye to our new friends, we headed to the Rod & Reel Pier at the tip of Anna Maria Island. A wooden boardwalk over the water led us out to the restaurant, which sits on top of a tackle shop and bar. Fishermen cast lines around the girth of the building.

We enjoyed a piece of mouthwatering Key lime pie as we watched for dolphins and the occasional manatee. If you're ever in the area, it's worth stopping by the pier just for a piece of that pie and one of the best water vistas around.

GREEN APPLE LEMONADE

1 green apple
1 lemon
1 tablespoon flax powder
1 tablespoon Stevia or 1/2 cup blueberries
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups water
Ice
Place all ingredients except the ice into a blender. Blend well. Serve lemonade over ice. For pink lemonade, add a handful of strawberries into the blender.
Adapted from "Healthy Living from the Inside Out," by Mariel Hemingway