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| Scotland's Saltire The World's oldest national flag |
In Florida, Scottish restaurants are as hard to find as Nessie, unless you include McDonald's and “Duncan” Donuts. As far as I can tell there is one place in the state that claims that designation, MacAllister's in Lakewood Ranch. I recently had a chance to stop by on a visit to Sarasota.
MacAllister's Grill and Tavern has two themes – Scotland and golf. In fact, I would say it's mainly a Golfing theme with a Scottish flavor. The outdoor seating looks nice but since it was raining we dined inside where the décor was tavern style with lots of wood, booths and golf. In our room, the walls held pictures of castles, golf courses and a tribute to Payne Stuart.
On the menu, a flag beside various items indicated Scots inspiration but that was actually a little confusing when the Seafood Pasta was marked as Scottish but the Highland Chicken wasn't. Many items were obvious, though, like Steak Pie, a number of Salmon dishes and Haggis.
On principle, I started with the Haggis and Tatties appetizer. Like most people, I'm not really fond of what Robert Burns called the “Great chieftan o' the puddin race”, but I actually found this version tasty: a slice of haggis wrapped with mashed potoatoes, deep fried, then topped with onion strings and served with a gorgonzola and whisky sauce.
MacAllister's Grill and Tavern has two themes – Scotland and golf. In fact, I would say it's mainly a Golfing theme with a Scottish flavor. The outdoor seating looks nice but since it was raining we dined inside where the décor was tavern style with lots of wood, booths and golf. In our room, the walls held pictures of castles, golf courses and a tribute to Payne Stuart.
On the menu, a flag beside various items indicated Scots inspiration but that was actually a little confusing when the Seafood Pasta was marked as Scottish but the Highland Chicken wasn't. Many items were obvious, though, like Steak Pie, a number of Salmon dishes and Haggis.
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| Haggis and Tatties |
My entree, the Edinburgh broil, was essentially a London broil given a Scottish name, a nice rosemary sauce, and another helping of tatties. Pretty good for $10. My wife is a sucker for Chicken Pot Pie and said this was one of her better ones.
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| The (Scottish) Beer List |
Over all, the food is decent and the prices reasonable. It's a good place to go and pretend to be a Scotsman or a golfer for a little while.
MacAllister's Grill and Tavern
8110 Lakewood Main Street
Lakewood Ranch, Fl 34202
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