A Burger A Week – New Pass Grill & Bait Shop
City Island Hosts An Iconic Sarasota Burger Spot
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Let’s start with this. There’s a high probability that if you’ve lived in the Sarasota area for any length of time, none of what follows will be surprising. Do you know what is surprising? Running into someone who has lived here awhile who HASN’T been to our 17th stop.
The New Pass Grill & Bait Shop gets categorized as a “local treasure.” At least in my book, it’s listed that way. After all, it’s been open since 1929. I’m not 100% certain that they’ve been grilling up burgers for the past 94 years. But they’ve been at it for a while. That much is for sure.
One of the things you’ll notice immediately about New Pass is that it’s comfortable. You know what to expect when you walk up that old wood ramp. No surprises. Well, usually…
📝 Our first attempt at a New Pass cheeseburger failed because the grill was not operational. No grill = No burger. Our 2nd attempt was much more successful. 😞
This stop seemed perfect for a Ride-Along. New Pass is a popular place. At least, judging by the number of folks that contacted us asking for a chance to sample a burger here.
My dining companion for the day is Brad Wooden. He’s been in town for a bit, so it will certainly not be his first New Pass experience.
Brad’s in the structural steel business. He’s a superintendent for Global Constructors. They provide steel for a bunch of the buildings you see rising up around town. He’s also a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan. (I root for the Chicago Bears, so I feel his pain. Sadly, this year neither of our teams were “In the Hunt” 🏈).
Let’s get to this. Let’s talk about our New Pass Grill burger experience…
RESTAURANT: NEW PASS GRILL & BAIT SHOP (1505 Ken Thompson Pkwy. (941- 388-3050)
DATE OF VISIT: DECEMBER 6, 2022
STOP #: 17 OF 52
BURGER TASTED: NEW PASS CHEESEBURGER
📒 OUR TASTING NOTES
🍔 This burger is served as listed on the menu: Build Your Own. Add lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, mustard, mayo, and ketchup. Includes fries. ($9.99)
• First, the setting could not be more vintage Sarasota. A beautiful waterfront setting (and a great view of the Longboat Key Bridge). Picnic tables and a few shore birds complete the perfect picture.
• This isn’t a “fancy” burger. In fact, it’s exactly the opposite of that. In this case, a “non-fancy” burger works just great. If you want a burger that’s all dolled up with jams, infused mayos, and aiolis, there are a lot of fantastic places in town to get that done. That’s just not New Pass’s thing.
• Brad thought the bun deserved praise. He found it nice and fresh, and I’ll have to agree with his semi-professional burger-tasting opinion. 🍔
• We both liked the fact that the toppings, for the most part, are on the bottom of the burger (we’ve talked about this before). Brad felt that the shredded lettuce they used was a nice change from a lettuce leaf. A great observation!
• This isn’t the type of place where you’re going to get a burger cooked to the temperature of your choosing. It’ll come out exactly how it comes out. It’ll all be just fine. 😆
• The Fries – Nicely cooked and crunchy. AND they’re included in the $9.99 price! 🍟
Let’s check out how all of this looked when we ordered it…
BURGER TAKEAWAYS: A VERY Sarasota burger experience • GREAT value for the burger buck 💸 • “Build Your Own” lets you have your burger just the way you want it • The atmosphere is pretty tough to beat ️(80° & 🌞 on our trip!) • YES, they still have a bait shop!
👀 SNEAK PEEK: Our next stop is going to take us to a place that probably isn’t on your burger radar. Don’t let the location of this Bradenton burger spot fool you. They serve some killer burgers! 🍔
We want to hear about your Sarasota burger experience. So much so, in fact, that we’ve started up a special Facebook Group just for this A Burger A Week series. So, feel free to share your Sarasota burger experiences, photos, and anything else burger related you’d like others to know about.
JOIN SARASOTA’S BEST BURGERS FACEBOOK GROUP HERE!
✅ Did you miss a week? No worries. Here’s a link to our A BURGER A WEEK SERIES ARCHIVE! 🍔
🗓️ SARASOTA FOOD EVENTS 🗓️
Here are some upcoming local food events that we think you might find interesting. All you need to do is make that reservation. We’ve provided you with a link to more info. (If you have an event, send us the details! (EMAIL IT)
WEEKLY POP-UP KITCHEN EVENTS – 99 Bottles Taproom & Bottle Shop
FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH – Cheese & Wine – Mademoiselle Paris (Downtown)
JAN 11 – Wines Around the World – GROVE Restaurant
JAN 14 – 4th Annual Sarasota Beer & Burger Festival – INFORMATION
JAN 21 – Lets Rock Food Truck Rally – Big Top Brewing
JAN 26 – Bonterra Wine Dinner – Mattison’s Forty-One
JAN 26 – Daou Vineyards Wine Dinner – The Chart House
JAN 26 – Chardonnay & Pinot Noir Wine – Mademoiselle Paris
JAN 27 to 29 – Sarasota Seafood & Music Festival – INFORMATION
JAN 28 – Italian Wine Tasting – 99 Bottles Taproom
JAN 29 – Jewish Food Festival – INFORMATION
FEB 1 – Old Forester Whiskey Tasting – Michael’s Wine Cellar
FEB 4 – Palm Ball, Call of the Wild – INFORMATION
FEB 6 – Allegrini Wine Dinner – Michael’s Wine Cellar
FEB 7 – Valentine’s Social Club – Michael’s Wine Cellar
FEB 14 – Annual Aphrodisiac Dinner – Ortygia
APR 15 – Food Trucks, Tunes, & Brews 5 – INFORMATION
APR 20 TO 24 – Forks & Corks Food & Wine Festival – INFORMATION
🧑🌾 FARMER’S MARKET INFO 🧑🌾
EVERY SUNDAY – Siesta Key Farmer’s Market – DETAILS
EVERY SUNDAY – Farmer’s Market at Lakewood Ranch – DETAILS
EVERY SUNDAY – The Meadows Farmer’s Market – DETAILS
EVERY WEDNESDAY – The Phillippi Farmhouse Market (Oct-Apr) – DETAILS
THIRD THURSDAY NIGHT – RADD Night Market – DETAILS
EVERY SATURDAY – Sarasota Farmer’s Market – DETAILS
EVERY SATURDAY – Downtown Bradenton Public Market – DETAILS
EVERY SATURDAY – Venice Farmer’s Market – DETAILS
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