"Rich, imaginative food that's meant to be taken seriously." Sarasota Herald Tribune

Sarasota Herald Tribune WORD OF MOUTH/Barbara Peters Smith J. Ryan's on the Grill An unremarkable little joint has been remade into a treasure that does everything well and is surprisingly affordable. O.K. I'm really excited about this one. Four Sarasota businessmen got together and renovated one of those defunct chicken places on Sarasota's South Trail into a snazzy, urbane little jewel of a restaurant. From the outside it looks like a million other joints, but step inside and you've entered a uniquely convivial cocoon. The small box of a dining area is adroitly broken up by a partition of glass, stucco pillars and gleaming wood. A rustic wooden trellis overhead hides the geeky acoustical-tile ceiling, and built-in oaken wine racks line the farthest corner. Old-style brick provides a classy accent, as do the open kitchen and elegant bar that form the entire back portion of the restaurant. A word about this bar : It's actually a lovely place to sit and have a drink, and you don't find that much anymore. The reason is that most restaurant bars are so overwhelmed by smokers - the social outcasts of our age - that even other smoker don't want to do their breathing there. At J. Ryan's there must be something about the open architecture or the ventilation system that clears the air rather magically. I sat at the bar one night before dinner, virtually surrounded by pale lavendar plumes of smoke, and I just couldn't get irritated enough to become the least sanctimonious. Instead, I watched Sarasota sophisticates puffing away and sipping their martinis and felt as if I were back in the 1950s. By this time your table should be ready. J. Ryan's doesn't take reservations, but you can call ahead to put your name on the list and cut down the wait. And you're advised to arrive hungry: This is rich, imaginative food that's meant to be taken seriously. There are a few nods to the lighter appetite. Even the soups and salads are sumptuous and complex. Ordering an appetizer involves you immediately in a dizzying confusion of flavors that you'll enjoy sorting out. The Smooth Mousse of Chicken Liver ($3.95) is sort of a light-hearted pate, offered with richly garlicked toast points that deepen the experience. The Shrimp and Chicken Spring Roll ($5.75) is a gigantic log of a mousselike substance encased in a coat of perfect wonton, that you must cut up to dip into a smoky sesame-soy solution or into a generous dollop of heady green wasabi paste - that Japanese root that clears the sinuses like horseradish. We tried the Conch Chowder ($2.95) and the soup of the day, Cream of Mushroom ($2.95), and pronounced them both perfect - mellow, satisfying and rather understated and rather understated when compared to other menu items, but certainly hearty. Combined with the marvelous golden loaf of egg bread that comes with herbed apple butter, this is a meal all by itself. The Caesar Salad ($4.50) is outstanding, of the popular creamy variety. You can order it with smoked chicken ($5.50), gorgonzola cheese ($4.95), grilled scallops ($8.50) or sweet shrimp ($8.50). Many of the entrees, including sandwiches, involve preparation at the restaurant's two grills. Aside from the traditional wood-burning variety, there's a stone grill, a novelty in Sarasota, that is supposed to provide a gentle, smoky sizzle to fish and other delicate cuts of meat. So we tried the Stone Grilled Salmon BLT ($7.50), an open-faced pile of dill sauce on salmon over tomatoes, bacon and bread. The combination proved unwieldy, since it was difficult to cut through the inch-thick slab of salmon and successfully spear any of the delights beneath. No matter: The fish by itself was a rosy feast. Another grilled sandwich, the Turkey Tender Club with Smoked Dutch Gouda ($6.50) was every bit as meltingly tasty as it sounds. The sandwiches - including, of course, a grilled burger at $5.75 - come with enormous mounds of thin-cut, lightly fried potatoes. Among the heartier meals, we tried the Mostaccioli Pasta Tubes with Smoked Chicken ($7.95), a pleasing combination, babied in just the right amount of pale pink tomato-cream sauce. We also enjoyed the earthy, almost gamelike essence of the Filet Mignon Thumb Bits ($9.50), served on toast with couscous and airy little onion slivers. For us, the most memorable standout was a Veal and Wild Mushroom Meatloaf ($7.50), a juicy, tender construction that falls apart in your mouth with a series of flavorful chain reactions. This is served with scallion-mashed potatoes under a little brown gravy - comfort food with an attitude. Dessert is all-American: Double Fudge Chocolate Brownie ($3.75) or Upside Down Apple Pie a la Mode ($2.95). We tried the brownie and swooned: the combination of a burnt-caramel pecan sauce, chocolate and orange liqueur is overpowering and not for the casual chocolate consumer. This posh little place that does everything well is surprisingly affordable - the biggest ticket is $13.95 for a rib eye - and offers a fun-filled wine list as well as full bar. And the people who serve you are just right; they have plenty of personality but aren't about to burden you with it. Even better, they seem to know what they're doing - almost as rare a treat these days as an unsmoky smoking section.                                                                                                         Back to Reviews