Arrivederci Venice Florida! It’s time to say good-by. You’ve been very warm and welcoming but these snowbirds are ready to go home. Our hearts are yearning to see our sweet family. It’s been far too long and we can’t wait for our reunion. In typical Italian fashion, we’re sure there’ll be lots of food, talking, laughter, hugs and kisses. Aside from missing our family, we have a yard and house to take care of. . . dolce far ninete {sweet nothing} is over.
Fishing was certainly not what we had experienced in past years. There was the red tide, the storms, the heavy rains and the cool weather. Mother Nature had a big influence on the Gulf and the coast’s erosion. Salt water fish are sensitive to the clarity, warmth and salinity of their home. But in life there are no guarantees on how well you’ll do at the end of the day — that’s why it’s called fishing and not catching.
Every time we visit Venice Florida we have a chance to spend time with our favorite resident, Duke. This year we celebrated his 93 birthday at Fins — a restaurant that is part of Sharky’s On The Pier, a popular tourist destination. Everyone should have a Duke in their lives — he is as sharp as a tack, always upbeat and a wonderful raconteur. Taking him out to lunch is always an adventure. I will be writing a post about Duke in the near future and one of his favorite dishes.
One of the places we went to with Duke was Nokomos Sunset Hut. We really didn’t know what to expect; they just opened this year. We were pleasantly surprised. The view of Dona Bay is absolutely beautiful and the food we ate was delicious with its own special touch.
Honey had a Bloody Mary with a crawfish peeking out from the top plus a bleu cheese stuffed olive.The drink was spicy — just the way he likes it. I ordered the Aloha Salmon, Duke ordered the Mahi Island Wrap (not shown) and my Honey had the Fish Tacos. Each dish at Nokomos Sunset Hut has a special ingredient that makes it taste unique. If you’re not hungry you can still go to Nokomos and order one of their specialty tropical island drinks and watch the incredible sunsets. So, if you are ever in the Venice Florida area, make sure to stop at Nokomos Sunset Hut — it’s on the Tamiami Trail South. We may even see you there.
Arrivederci Venice Florida, speriamo di rivederti un giorno!
{Good-by Venice Florida, we hope to see you again some day!}
Un caro saluto e alla prossima.
