Sarasota: Dining Destination
Tribune photo by JULIE BUSCH
This chef statue outside Mattison's City Grille is symbolic of Sarasota's standing as a hotbed of culinary creativity.
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Published: October 4, 2007
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SARASOTA -- They call it the city of the arts, but it could just as easily be the city of the eats.
We're standing at the corner of Pineapple Avenue and Main Street, and the aroma of truffle risotto wafts past our noses, followed by the scent of braised lamb. The evening breeze carries a hint of spicy seafood, and at the next block we detect an all-out clash of French and Floribbean.
Welcome to downtown Sarasota's restaurant district, where dozens of eateries form a veritable goulash of options for hungry locals and visitors. We visit often because Sarasota, plain and simple, cooks.
About this time of year, the kitchens kick into high gear. It seems half the residents are prosperously retired, with plenty of cash to spend on food — and you need cash to live downtown. Others come from up north and infuse Sarasota with their savory savings accounts.
So chefs come here to baste their best offerings, from the elegant Italian at Bacco's to the artsy Peruvian fare at Selva Grill to the fresh catches at Barnacle Bill's. This makes Sarasota a perfect fit for Friday Extra's occasional series on restaurant destinations, featuring neighborhoods where you can park your car and stroll to any number of enticing places to dine.
This wasn't the case a decade ago, before downtown Sarasota's explosion of growth, said J.P. Knaggs, owner of the newly expanded Bijou Cafe across from the Sarasota Opera House.
"Downtown has really turned around in the last 10 years, from a sleepy little village to a major business center with lots of condos," he says. "So it's become a destination to eat."
So much so that Knaggs and about 60 other independently owned restaurants formed "Fresh Originals," a nonprofit group dedicated to preserving the community's "culinary sense of being." Their collective zest has garnered awards from Florida Trend and Zagat (check it out at freshoriginals.com).
More than 800 new dwellings — mostly condos and townhomes — have been built during the last five years (another 1200 are in the planning stages), turning downtown into a collective high-rise, complete with a Whole Foods Market. The population density, Knaggs says, may have smothered the old charm, but it hasn't hurt business.
"This is a living as well as a working place," he says of downtown. "People [who live here] eat out every night."
With more people come more parking problems, although the preponderance of places to eat offsets the car crunch. Once you find a spot, the rest is a breeze. A stroll down west Main Street, for instance, includes a smorgasbord within two blocks: Sports Page Bar & Grill, Cafe Epicure, Selva Grill, Two Senoritas, Cafe Amici and Cru Bistro. Walk another block and you have Patrick's Restaurant, Americano, Pino's (see review, Page ), Tropical Thai and Caragiulo's.
Surprisingly, few eateries are chains, says Virginia Haley, president of the Sarasota Convention and Visitor's Bureau: "They're independent restaurants … so you're looking at a dining experience you can't get anywhere else."
If many restaurants suffer during the summer — when touristy Sarasota thins out — the crowds return in autumn for the postcard weather and the city's famed arts season. Finding a secluded place at the beach or a ticket to the opera might be tough, but diners will always find a table.
"You can go downtown and have no idea where you're going to eat, but you are guaranteed a good experience because there are so many places," Haley says. "You just go and see who doesn't have a wait that night. There's such a quality and consistency among Sarasota restaurants that you can't go wrong."
SARASOTA SAMPLER
Downtown is more than a dining destination, it's a culinary mecca. Consider this selective list of 20 restaurants -- we had to whittle it down -- all within walking distance of one another. Be sure to call for hours and reservations.
1. Vernona, 1111 Ritz-Carlton Drive, (941) 309-2008: The Ritz-Carlton hotel doesn't skimp on anything in its signature restaurant, where an impeccable contemporary American menu and crack professional service match the ornate dining room overlooking Sarasota Bay.
2. Marina Jack, 2 Marina Plaza, (941) 365-4232: This waterfront icon offers terrific views and good seafood specials. The place to chat with local sailors.
3. Bijou Cafe, 1287 First St., (941) 366-8111: Nestled in a refurbished 1920s gas station, the Bijou is one of Sarasota's hot spots for upscale continental dining, and newly expanded dining rooms accommodate the crowds.
4. Pino's 100 Central, 100 Central Ave., (941) 955-3739: The dark wood interior blends well with the kitchen's creative Mediterranean fare, and live music can be heard in the spacious wine bar.
5. Sports Page Bar & Grill, 1319 Main St., (941) 365-0469: Watch the Bucs lose on five big screens and 14 televisions at this popular hangout for hearty grub and beer.
6. Cafe Epicure, 1298 Palm Ave., (941) 366-5648: Italian food in a casual bistro setting, complete with a small Italian market for takeout.
7. Selva Grill, 1345 Main St., (941) 362-4427: Chef Darwin Santa Maria turns the restaurant's Peruvian menu into a masterpiece of elegance, especially the trademark ceviche.
8. Two Senoritas, 1355 Main St., (941) 366-1618: Mexican/Southwest cuisine comes alive in one of the more ornate settings in the restaurant district.
9. Cafe Amici, 1371 Main St., (941) 951-6896: Fine Italian in the heart of downtown, with window views of Main Street.
10. Cru Bistro, 1377 Main St., (941) 951-6272: A true celebration of food and its partner, the rarefied grape. The kitchen cooks up a simple masterpiece with its Florida Rock Shrimp Risotto.
11. Patrick's Restaurant and Tavern, 1400 Main St., (941) 952-1170: Popular among the theatergoing crowd, this casual haunt and bar serves up a dependable American menu.
12. Americano, 1409 Main St., (941) 365-1026: Casual trattoria style dining, with outside tables for people watching.
13. Tropical Thai, 1420 Main St., (941) 364-5775: The simple menu offers plenty of authentic gems from Thailand, especially the crispy duck.
14. Bacco's Ristorante Italiano, 23 N. Lemon Ave., (941) 365-7380: Tuscan-style cuisine in one of Sarasota's older buildings. Homemade desserts are a specialty.
15. Mattison's City Grille, 1 N. Lemon Ave., (941) 330-0440: One of downtown's most popular spots for a beer or al fresco dining; live music, brick-oven pizzas and a full bar complement chef Paul Mattison's intriguing menu.
16. Barnacle Bill's Seafood, 1526 Main St., (941) 365-6800: Despite its cornball name, this attractively appointed restaurant serves up fresh seafood at reasonable prices.
17. Sangria, 1532 Main St., (941) 955-8372: Light appetites can dine on hot and cold tapas and traditional Spanish sangria.
18. Cinco de Mayo, 1551 Main St., (941) 917-0043: Cool atmosphere and hot food make this one of downtown's best Mexican restaurants. Don't miss the extensive beer list.
19. Divino, 1766 Main St., (941) 330-9393: A trendy little find on east Main, the restaurant manages a balance between elegant and casual with its homemade Italian dishes.
20. Caragiulos, 69 S. Palm Ave., (941) 951-0866: After nearly 20 years, the Caragiulo brothers continue to please local palates with a bistro-style menu and good wine list. Consider dining outside.
Reporter Kurt Loft can be reached at (813) 259-7570 or kloft@tampatrib.com.
