"Bill, my wife wants to go to Siesta Key beach."
Good choice. Dr. Beach rates it #3.
http://www.drbeach.org/
While the public beach is nice, head to Crescent Beach down by the south bridge. White sugar sand.
Italian? Yes I can. Cafe Bologna. Just a couple minutes off the South Sieste Key bridge just a bit north on US 41.
http://tinyurl.com/8llcn3
They make their own fresh buffalo mozzarella made with buffalo milk flow in from Italy.
"BOLOGNA CAFE
Rome may be the capital of Italy, but, as Bologna Café owner Claudio Ronchi says, “Bologna is the capital of Italian food. This is true. I know because I come from there.” In his cozy, 10-seat restaurant on South Tamiami Trail, Ronchi brings a bit of his beloved Bologna to South Sarasota. After tasting the food, it’s immediately clear that if Bologna isn’t the capital of Italian food, it should be.
For more than a year, Bologna Café has attracted a steady stream of foodies who crave authentic Italian meats and cheeses. It all starts with the mozzarella di Bufala, which is homemade in the restaurant. Several people told Ronchi he couldn’t make fresh mozzarella in Florida because, as he puts it, “Sarasota is beautiful, but the (tap) water—not so beautiful.” So Ronchi purchased a special water filter to make his signature mozzarella recipe. Today, several restaurants throughout the area come to him for his fresh, authentic mozzarella di Bufala. Bologna Café’s deli counter is also one of very few places in town where you’ll find speck, a smoked prosciutto from Northern Italy that Ronchi refers to as the “Bugatti of prosciuttos.”
The house specialty is the lasagna Bolognese. The sauce is cooked for up to nine hours without the use of butter or cream. While Italian Food can often weigh a person down and fill them up quickly, this Bolognese sauce is light, healthful and rich in flavor. Diners looking for a true tour of Bologna’s cuisine should leave the menu planning up to Claudio. “When the people trust me,” says Ronchi, “I give them the best because I never want to lose a customer that trusts me.” Reservations suggested. Entrees range from $15-17. Bologna Café, 5770 S. Tamiami Trl., Sarasota, 941-927-9262."
Ophelia's, while not Italian, is also very nice restaurant on the water at the very south end of Siesta Key.
http://www.opheliasonthebay.net/
If there is anything else I can help you with just let me know.