Tuscan Chicken Panini – Madison Avenue Cafe & Deli – Sarasota

How to spend a lazy Labor Day? Sandwich road trip!! We ventured out in search of local delis in Sarasota. Note to self: most local delis are family owned and therefore closed on Labor Day. Luckily for us, St. Armands Circle and its shops and restaurants embrace capitalism. So we ended up at Madison Avenue Cafe & Deli. The restaurant was run by a staff of one….a super friendly guy who knew his local sports and explained the place was going through a remodel. The Tuscan Chicken Panini was amazing; chicken, provolone, romaine, tomato, onion, balsamic vinaigrette, and a finger licking sun dried tomato spread on foccacia. We also tried the California Croissant, served with the usual suspects of turkey, jack, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. As this is tourism central, the prices were a little high (almost $10 for a sandy served with no sides). I’d definitely go back, due to that awesome chicken panini and the friendly service.