My inspiration to blog while on vacation stemmed from a visit to a fantastic restaurant! I often cook when I am visiting with my family, and I do have new recipes and photos to share next week. But it’s also a pleasure to eat at new restaurants when I travel, and my parents and I like to try at least one new place each year in the greater Sarasota area.

This year, we ventured over to Veg, a casual restaurant which serves both vegetarian and seafood fare. As frequent readers know, I am not strictly vegetarian, but appreciate simple vegetarian meals. When we took a quick look at the lunch menu before heading in, I was immediately impressed with the selection of sandwiches and salads. The menu items combined mostly plant based ingredients, and many options were either vegan or could be easily made vegan.

My Dad started with the potato leek soup, which had a rich flavor and plenty of potatoes and mushrooms. I had the Portobello sandwich with caramelized onions, my Mom chose the Farmer’s Market Panini with spinach and goat cheese, and my Dad got the Portobello Muffaletta with an olive tapenade and Gouda cheese. The sandwiches came with a choice of cole slaw or fresh fruit, and we all chose the fruit. All of the sandwiches were made to order, and served nice and hot. We each liked our choice and would order it again, except for wanting to try other menu items.

Since it was St. Patrick’s Day, our server told us her mother had made fresh Irish bread. We’re no strangers to Irish bread, and decided that it would make a perfect dessert to end the meal. This was a good version of Irish bread which was a bit more like a scone, just lightly sweet and very moist.

Our server was very friendly, and the place had a nice feel as a family owned business. This visit to Veg was a success, and I am looking forward to a return trip when I am back in the area. Plus, I really need to try their fish tacos which have gotten rave reviews. If you live in the area, or travel there, I recommend that you give this place a try!

• restaurant review