When Dessert Becomes the Star of the Show!
A banana pudding so good you’ll want it first!
Life Is Short, Eat Dessert First – Unknown. If you’re one of “those” people, then this piece is right up your alley. If you’re not, well, I think you’re still going to like it! 😃
When I drove down to Venice to do the research to write this, I had envisioned an entirely different kind of article. But, you know, sometimes things don’t always turn out exactly as you had planned. And sometimes, that’s A-OK.
Located on Venice Island, Darrell’s (215 S. Tamiami Trl. – Venice | 941- 485-9900) has been slinging “Southern Cooking” since 2013. Twelve years isn’t an insane amount of time. But in the restaurant business, it can seem like two (or more) lifetimes.
I don’t make it down to South Sarasota County as much as I should. And my Darrell’s experience is proof that there are a bunch of hidden gems south of Historic Spanish Point that scream out for more attention. (I’ll try to give them some.)
☑️ Time to Check Some Boxes! Even though it’s Florida, there aren’t a ton of what I would consider Southern Style restaurants. Maybe we’re just too far “south” for that.
Fried Okra, Fried Green Tomatoes, Chicken Livers, Louisiana Gumbo, Po’ Boy Sandwiches, various styles of Mac N’ Cheese, and, of course, BBQ. Yes, Darrell’s checks all of the Southern Cooking boxes. And I came here to experience that. But what I discovered was much more than a platter of brisket (I did have a brisket sandwich!). What I uncovered was bliss contained in a simple Mason jar…
🎞️ Let’s Rewind the Tape. How does something like this ever get started? For me, a lot of times it starts with a simple conversation. You would not believe just how many story ideas come from chatting with friends and, yes, sometimes even with readers of these newsletters. This time was no different…
➡️ Enter Chad. He’s a friend and works in the service industry, Mixologist. We were talking about how there are some really great spots to eat down in Venice/Nokomis/Osprey. Chad has roots down there.
I mentioned that I was adding some South County places into the dineSarasota.com database. Chad proceeded to tell the tale of how a restaurant on Venice Island is serving his grandmother’s Banana Pudding. And how this closely guarded recipe had been in his family for generations. Of course, he had my interest. This is precisely the kind of thing that begged for more research…
Darrell’s is a pretty ordinary-looking place. That’s not a bad thing. It’s just the way it is. It has lots of room for indoor dining.
It has a small bar area for eating and for drinking.
It even has a cozy little private dining room if you want to host some kind of small event or meeting.
It has some cute signage…
The staff was super courteous and attentive (Lisa was my server on this day). And the place was clean. It may not be flashy on the inside, but all the elements are there for a good dining experience.
It didn’t seem like good form to come in and go straight for the Banana Pudding. I thought that would be a little bit tacky. Ordering the Brisket Sandwich seemed like a much better way to make my entrance. 😁
In all honesty, a Southern Style restaurant should be able to put out a decent Brisket Sandwich without breaking a sweat. And to be fair, it was pretty good. It’s not going to knock you off your barstool or anything. It’s plain (the theme for this day so far), but you can jazz it up with any of the sauces they have ready for your topping pleasure.
🍟 FYI – The fries were great, and for me, that goes A LONG way!!
Enough dancing around the real intent of this visit. The moment has come. It’s time to put Chad’s grandma’s pudding prowess to the test…
🍌 Who Knew a Banana Could Taste So Good!? What we have pictured above is nothing short of an eye-closing, yum-inducing spoonful (or ten) of banana-y goodness. This Banana Pudding is nothing short of a revelation.
It is creamy but not overly sweet. It has texture to it. YES, those are Nilla Wafers scattered over the top! And one spoonful will not be enough! 🤤
I’m not even a dessert person by nature. And I’m certainly no expert on what makes a great Banana Pudding. But Grandma Christine’s creation is going down in my book as a good a reason as any (maybe better) to travel to Venice, FL.
🤫 A Secret Revealed. I didn’t ask Darrell if I could have the recipe to release to the world. But I did ask Chad! His Mother, Margaret, graciously agreed. That means all of YOU will have Grandma Christine’s recipe, too! And as a bonus, it’s handwritten! The only thing more authentic would have been if the paper it was written on was oil-stained.
📝 I used to have a fairly substantial collection of old handwritten recipe cards. Most of them are not from anyone I’d ever met! I just LOVE that kind of stuff.
Here you go! If you’d like to take a stab at Chad’s Grandma’s (and Darrell’s) Banana Pudding you now have the official playbook!
📃 GRANDMA CHRISTINE’S ORIGINAL BANANA PUDDING RECIPE!
Hope you enjoy this as much as I did! (Thanks Chad!)
~ LH
⚡Quick Bites
👋 Bad News ➡️ Good News. First, the bad. Little a, the daytime alter-ego of Southside Village favorite Adeline, is no longer serving up their delicious and innovative sandwich creations for the lunchtime crowd. The good. Adeline itself is still going strong! That is such a relief.
AND their fantastic burger is out from the shadows and into the bright light. It’s now featured on the regular dinner menu (both at the bar and in the restaurant area). It was fun to have that burger be a little local secret. But we’re SO glad that veil of secrecy has been lifted.
We wrote about Adeline’s burger a while back – READ ABOUT THAT BURGER HERE! 🍔
🥇 The Envelope Please… Yes, we have a winner from our Snacking Dinners cookbook giveaway. Congrats to Jana Donnelly. We’ll be sending her a copy of Georgia Freedman’s new book. Oh, just FYI – Jana loves Loaded Nachos for her snacking dinner. 🤫
🗓️ SARASOTA FOOD INFO🗓️
Here is some local food information that we think you might find interesting. We’ve provided you with a link to more info.
📖 BUY A COPY OF OUR 2025 SARASOTA DINING BOOK! – ORDER HERE 📖
😋 MICHAEL’S ON EAST – MONTHLY EPICUREAN MENU – GREECE🌍
🧑🌾 FARMER’S MARKET INFO 🌾
EVERY SUNDAY – Siesta Key Farmer’s Market – DETAILS
EVERY SUNDAY – Farmer’s Market at Lakewood Ranch – DETAILS
EVERY SUNDAY – The Meadows Farmer’s Market – DETAILS
EVERY WEDNESDAY – The Phillippi Farmhouse Market (Oct-Apr) – DETAILS
EVERY THURSDAY – Englewood Farmer’s Market (Oct-May) – DETAILS
EVERY SATURDAY – Sarasota Farmer’s Market – DETAILS
EVERY SATURDAY – Downtown Bradenton Public Market – DETAILS
EVERY SATURDAY – Venice Farmer’s Market – DETAILS
THIRD THURSDAY EVERY MONTH – UTC Night Market – DETAILS
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