4 /5 Thomas Lynch: **** December 5, 2024 - Two for my wife Birthday Dinner.
I have reviewed over 60 restaurants in the Sarasota City and area since April of 2021. We have belonged to the Florida Studio Theater for most of that time and every night we attend we usually go to dinner beforehand. I park near the theaters and walk to the restaurant of the night. We dine and walk to the theater. I walk near or past this restaurant for ALL of these years! We have had it starred but for some reason we just never went here?
The music from the rooftop caught my ear last week so we decided to drive TO Sarasota (no theater 54 miles roundtrip from our Venice home) just for this dining experience for my wife xx birthday at her request.
I parked in my usual free spot so I dont get another $375 towing charge from the City and its predatory towing companies. Not a fan of valet parking when there should be an easy parking option.... and there was - in Sarasota City you just have to be careful!
The exterior is delightful The entrance and lobby also inviting! We went to the rooftop bar to wait for our reserved seat.....we were purposefully early even with the almost hour drive in season. Live music was entertaining and prompt bar service was very nice! My wife got a Titos vodka cosmo. The drink, in a plastic martini cup was about 50% full if a 6 oz or even 8 oz cup it was woefully small and based on the coloring maybe a shot of vodka? The only reason for the whining is because it was $16? In Manhattan you might get soaked for $15 to $18 but it is a "full figured" glass? I got a club soda with a sprits of cranberry for $6???? Bubble water and gun sugar for the cost of a beer? Ok onward....
Went down to the lobby to get in queue for our now on time reservation table. Another duo playing and singing in the lobby were a wonderful distraction and VERY good.
Our server Steven S was TOP RATE! gregarious, conversational, and super well humored. Guiding and not afraid to make his opinion known on the food items AND probing enough to know I was not finding something exactly what I wanted. Zone defense table coverage with fast direct kitchen delivery, and bus service clearing table and sweeping out utensils and my favorite metric the never under half full water glass!!!!
For a first course I got the Pear Salad ***** and it was VERY fresh and loaded with a variety or greens and seeds, and veggies and a light wonderful dressing. My wife got the Fried Green Tomatoes **** and she REALLY enjoyed, I had a taste and it was smooth a delicious.
For the 2nd/main course my wife went for the Short Rib **** which was beautifully cooked and the display with tri-color peppers was a stunning dish to see when it was presented!! (pictures somewhere worth hunting for) the beef was super nicely garnished and rubbed. I went for the (eliminate the seafood) "Veggie" Bouillabaisse ***** that Steven has recommended instead of the cold cous cous vegan style dish I was going to settle on. MAJOR great suggestion on Stevens part!!! This was a truly AWESOME dish with perfectly grilled egg plant and vegetable garnish and a perfectly (for me) spicey curry sauce and some black beluga lentils that I was saddened when I had eaten them all!!! REALLY flavorful and a tremendous medley of textures and flavors/spices.
In summary, fantastic service! and a very good arsenal of food items and food groups to pick from very well prepared and presented.
So why not 5 stars? Well because the ROI and economics were "lower" and frankly there are numerous great restaurants with equal or better food items and just as amazing service for ~ $40 to $50 per person w/o adult beverages instead of the $56 to $65 we spent and then throw in the additional second $16 Cosmo and you basically compound a 20 to 25% tip on there and we escaped for just dinner for two at $183.90. ($91 / person?)