Blind Wine Tasting

It’s an easy way to put aside those preconceptions and just try the wine as it was meant to be.

Without knowing the varietal of the wine then you can’t say to yourself,’ “Self, I didn’t like the last Sauvignon Blanc I had so this one shouldn’t be any different.”

That’s thrown out the window and unless you are an experienced wine connoisseur then you will probably not be able to nail all of the wines.

We will have up to 10 wines from all of the world on display during our wine tasting on Sunday, May 23rd at Mario’s Bistro from 6-8.  We will also have some heavy hors d’oeuvres and maybe even a visit from Butterfly Limited to showcase their Butterum Chocolate Fudge Cake.

We always have fun at the wine tastings and we are really looking forward to this one.

Give us a call at the Bistro to make reservations (352) 375-4420…

eWinWin Has Started!!!!

If you haven’t visited Mario’s Bistro then there is no better time than the present.  We have once again partnered with eWinWin to give you an opportunity to save mula and enjoy a fabulous meal.

Visit our Facebook page or click here to go to the eWinWin site.  You spend $10 and get a $20 gift certificate.

A perfect gift for yourself or someone else!!!

Hurry because time is running out…

Stuffed Rainbow Trout with Oranges & Fennel

This is a delicious dish that needs to be exploited.

Whole Rainbow Trout with fresh oranges & fennel stuffed inside and roasted to perfection.  We previously served this dish and sold out.  It’s time to do it again!!!!

I have 1 bottle of the chilled Leconfield Sparkling Shiraz that pairs perfectly with this dish.  Pinot Noir or Pinot Grigio also pairs very well…

Drop by the Bistro tonight to enjoy this delicacy…

Sportsmanship

I recently read a story about sportsmanship at the highest level.

Grant Whybark, a sophomore at the University of St. Francis, was competing in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Golf Championship.  Grant’s team had already secured the team title and he was going into a playoff with Seth Doran from Olivet Nazarene for the individual title.

Grant lines up on the first playoff hole and hits it 50 yards out of bounds…on purpose!!!  If Grant had beat Seth then he would have prevented Seth from attending the National Championships.

With all of the negative publicity surrounding Tiger Woods, this story allows us to believe that this game is about prestige and honor.  What Grant did was both prestigious and honorable.

Kudos, young man!!!

Predators – Make Them STOP!!!!!

There have been some disturbing events recently that really concern me.  Sexual predators preying on minors.  It really makes me mad that physically capable (maybe not mentally) adults are luring kids into doing things that are not right.

One of the musicians in KC & the Sunshine Band, Richard Finch, gets busted for having sexual relations (Bill Clinton term) with teenage boys.   He was messing with boys from the ages of 13-17.  How sick do you have to be to do something like that?

Then one of our local guys, Steve Babik (sportscaster for the Gators), pleads guilty for sharing child pornography on his computer.  He’s slotted to spend at least 5 years in Federal prison.

This is even more concerning to me because of our 4-year old daughter.  Has this stuff always gone on and now that the media is more prevalent we are hearing it more often?  Or…is the world getting more deranged????

Whatever the case may be we need to stop it!!!

Shepherd’s Rabbit Pie & Shellfish Pot Pie

Over the next couple days we are crossing the lines of culinary disbelief.

Shepherd’s Rabbit Pie.  The rabbit is braised with Guinness beer and the taste is absolutely amazing.  It’s your traditional Shepherd’s Pie with pulled Rabbit meat instead of ground beef.

Shellfish Pot Pie. Fresh Maine Lobster, Scallops, Crab and Shrimp in a pot pie.  What else can you say about that?

After tasting these two dishes I’m not sure why there are not people breaking down the door.  If you have a chance to visit the Bistro today or tomorrow do so because this cuisine is amazing…

Gulf Oil

The oil spill in the Gulf has raised quite a stink…literally.

People all around Florida (from Tampa to Gainesville) complained about a foul stench yesterday.  No one can explain the odor other than the fact of a West wind possibly blowing the odor of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill into the area.

Not only is the spill bad for everyone involved it could possibly danger the creatures of the sea that we love to feast upon.  The spill is within 20 miles of New Orleans right now and endangering all of the sea wildlife, including wild oysters and shrimp.

This is just another setback for this hard working industry.  Hurricanes, norovirus and government regulations have hit them very hard.  Now you can add the oil slick to that growing list…

Hoppin’ at the Bistro

Things have been hoppin’!!!

Last week was the NFL draft and we had 2 former Gators and NFL stars grace the Bistro.  Eric Kresser and Trace Armstrong both dined with us last week.  We even had a former Olympian play music on Saturday night.  Can you guess who that might be?  You never know who you are going to see (or hear) at the Bistro…

The weather has been outstanding and we’ve had a blast putting together some authentic and tasty European dishes for our diners.

My favorite dish is tonight.  New Zealand Lamb Chops!!!!  They are absolutely delicious and go very well with a new wine that should be arriving this afternoon.  786 Cabernet…

See you at the Bistro…

Gator Nation Graduation

We have seen an influx of reservations for this weekend.  Gator Nation is graduating!!!

I remember that day.  When I walked down the aisle for my 1996 graduation, Danny Wuerffel was right behind me.  Not bad when you are being followed by the man that won a Heisman Trophy and National Championship for the Gators.

I want to wish everyone a happy and safe graduation and we look forward to taking care of those that will be dining at the Bistro…

Gator Gymnastics and Tebow

Mario’s wants to wish the best of luck to the Gator Gymnastics team this weekend at the NCAA Championships being held here in Gainesville.

We are catering one of the events and rooting for our girls to bring home a championship!!!

I’ve never been a Denver Broncos fan until about 10pm last night.  I grew up a Kansas City Chiefs fan and we despised the Broncos.  Especially the pigeon-toed wonder known as Elway.

Congrats to all of the Gators!!!!!