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Years ago, back in the late 50s there was a restaurant at the northeast corner of Tuttle Ave and Ringling Blvd. called Casa Canestrelli with La Tosca Trailer Park right behind it. I understand the trailer park was named for one of the Canestrelli's daughters. I only remember going there once or twice since our children were very young then and we didn't venture out with them very often but it was so unique because during dinner they had circus performers doing aerial acts. There was nothing else in Sarasota quite like that.

Later, the same location became House of Chong and by then our children were a little older and could behave during a dinner out. Our son, Ken, really liked going out as long as he could have a hamburger. Shades of Wimpy. As much as I tried he would only order a hamburger. One night I ordered egg drop soup and asked him to just taste it and lo and behold he discovered a world apart from hamburgers and I lost my soup. It seemed to me that he went from that right to escargot and I informed him that he'd either have to go back to hamburgers or get a job. It's interesting to note that he is now a vegetarian.