The LIST – June 2024
It’s time for our monthly run around town!
☀️ Summer Is Here. That means hotter temps, late afternoon downpours, and more than a few food “celebrations.”
🟩 Here Are a Few of the Easy Ones…
June 2 – National Rotisserie Chicken Day (Costco or Publix)
June 4 – National Cheese Day (Artisan Cheese Company)
June 7 – National Donut Day (Five-O Donuts)
June 12 – International Falafel Day (Divan & 1592 Wood Fired Kitchen)
June 15 – National Lobster Day (The Lobster Pot & LobsterCraft)
June 18 – International Sushi Day (Jpan & Tsunami)
June 28 – National Ceviche Day (Selva Grill)
🆕 We Have Some New Additions
There are a few new kids on the block since last month. Yes, new restaurants continue to open at a fairly blistering pace. Looks like we’ve got a lot more seats to fill around town!
The Barnyard (624 9th Avenue West. Bradenton (941) 896-8760)
Home of the locally famous Barnyard Betty Chicken Sandwich! This family-owned and operated restaurant has been in a few locations. Their growing popularity keeps them on the move in search of better digs to serve larger numbers of hungry diners. They were stop #43 on our burger trail (READ IT HERE!).
THE FAT RABBIT (1529 Main St. (941) 780-1151)
Who remembers Stairway to Belgium? How about Bayou Bleu? Yes, The Fat Rabbit now occupies this quirky, out-of-the-way space. They’re serving up sandwiches, salads, burgers, and more on the second floor. Take the stairs or the elevator! 🪜 MENU
1818 GRILL (1818 S. Osprey Ave. (941) 955-1818)
This is the former Knick’s Tavern & Grill. The Barger family sold the restaurant back in April to new owner Tommy Lovell. I think the Roast Duck that was on the dinner menu is already toast. But I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the Italian Wedding Soup makes the cut! 🤞 – MENU
With all of the adding and subtracting (see below), the dineSarasota.com database now stands at: 390!
You’ve been doing a lot of searching on the dineSarasota.com website for the past month. (Thanks for that! 👏.) So, let’s not wait another second. Time to take a peek at which restaurants are grabbing your attention…
🏃 Let’s Run it Down!
Osteria Southside and GROVE both return to the Top 5. With a couple of the most popular annual dining events (Easter & Mother’s Day) behind us, our list should start to look and feel a little less formal (?).
#5 Rose & Ivy (1296 1st St. (941) 343-2122)
• Where: Downtown
• What Can I Eat?: Sushi, Asian Cuisine- MENU
#4 Shebeen Irish Pub & Kitchen (6641 Midnight Pass Rd. (941) 271-4714)
• Where: Siesta Key
• What Can I Eat?: Irish Fare ☘️ – MENU
#3 Osteria Southside (1812 S. Osprey Ave. (941) 361-3200)
• Where: Southside Village
• What Can I Eat?: Homemade Italian Cuisine
#2 GROVE Restaurant (10670 Boardwalk Loop (941) 893-4321)
• Where: Lakewood Ranch Main Street
• What Can I Eat?: Small Plates, Happy Hour, Brunch – MENU
#1 Beso (30 S. Lemon Ave. (941) 279-2999)
• Where: Downtown
• What Can I Eat?: Spanish Tapas – MENU
➡️ THE BEST OF THE REST
Southgate Italian restaurant Vino Vino makes a first-time appearance in the Top 10. Congrats on that! They are followed by The Fat Rabbit (see above), the newly relocated Mouthole Smashburgers, The Mable, and downtown Sarasota’s Tzeva. That’s a fine group!
🗒️ HERE’S THE COMPLETE LIST OF THE TOP 25 FOR JUNE 2024!
📌 Some Odds and Ends…
👋 So Long, Old Friend. This is not going to come as “news” to most of you. It’s been written about by some of our fantastic food writers in town. We lost a couple of Sarasota favs this past month.
🍔 The Hob Nob – Yep, after 67 years, this North Trail burger stand has flipped its last patty. We’re obviously sad to see them go. But we did have the opportunity to write about their namesake, Hob Nob Burger, recently. And we took our friends from Sarasota Magazine along for the ride. (READ IT HERE!) Good luck, Cary & Debora Spicuzza. Enjoy your retirement!
🍝 Flavio’s on Main – This longtime Main Street Italian eatery has also closed its doors. There are a couple pieces of good news, though. You can visit Flavio Cristofoli at his Siesta Key Village location. AND this downtown space will soon be cranking out authentic Cuban cuisine. Welcome Cuba 1958 to Sarasota!
🍽️ Ready, Set, Dine! – Savor Sarasota is on! There are 62 Sarasota area restaurants just waiting to impress you with their two-course lunch and three-course dinner menus. No excuses this year. Get out there and eat! 📃 HERE’S OUR 2024 SAVOR SARASOTA RESOURCE PAGE.
🧹 A Little Housekeeping. We’re going to lighten our load a little bit this summer. Yes, we will still be in your inbox. No, it won’t be as frequent as you’re probably used to by now. We’ll pick up the pace once we get to August. Until then, get out there and enjoy your summer! 🌞
That’s it. Hope you had fun. Oh, wait, there is one more thing. We have some restaurant, food, and dining stories for you. See, we didn’t forget. Enjoy!
~ LH
📰 IN THE NEWS –10 INTERESTING STORIES!
1️⃣ All Is Not Lost
2️⃣ New Details Revealed For Massive Five-story Food Hall Coming to Downtown St. Pete
3️⃣ C’est La Vie’s Second Location Opens Today in Lakewood Ranch
4️⃣ Another Slice of Victory for Osteria 500
5️⃣ All Faiths Food Bank to Provide Free Summer Meals for Children
6️⃣ Detwiler’s Has Broken Ground on a New Distribution Center
7️⃣ Florence and the Spice Boys Is Coming to University Town Center
8️⃣ Anna Maria Oyster Bar: A Seafood Evolution
9️⃣ Owen’s Fish Camp Co-Owner Shares the Secret Sauce Behind the Second Location
🔟 Hob Nob Officially Closes After 67 Years in Sarasota
🗓️ 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, we’d like to help you spread the word. Let us know! (EMAIL IT)
📖 BUY A COPY OF OUR 2024 SARASOTA DINING BOOK! – ORDER HERE 📖
😋 MICHAEL’S ON EAST – MONTHLY EPICUREAN MENU – SAVOR SARASOTA
WEEKLY POP-UP KITCHEN EVENTS – 99 Bottles Taproom & Bottle Shop
😎 GECKO’S SUMMER 2024 MENU – HAVE A LOOK!
🧑🍳 MATTISON’S SUMMER CHEF CAMP 2024 – REGISTER!
We’ve got a few things for you to do in the next days, weeks, and months. Get out there and take advantage of what our Sarasota restaurant community has to offer! ⬇️
JUNE 2024 – SUNCOAST SUMMERFEST – EVENTS & TICKETS HERE
JUN 11 – Tequila Ocho Dinner – State Street Eating House
JUN 13 – Penelope Bourbon Pairing Dinner – Michael’s Wine Cellar
JUN 14-16 – Father’s Day Specials – Kona Grill
JUN 21 – Wolffer Estates Wine Dinner – GROVE Restaurant
🧑🌾 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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