For this week’s Sarasota-Manatee restaurant news roundup we have exciting openings in downtown Sarasota and The Landings plus the closing of a longtime downtown restaurant, a new Sunday brunch spot and more, including info for dining atop the Finish Tower at Nathan Benderson Park on Valentine’s day weekend. Let’s begin with a new Asian restaurant and bar opening in downtown Sarasota.
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Kojo to open in downtown Sarasota
A new Asian restaurant, featuring the same ownership as a popular Sarasota-Manatee dining destination, will take over a prime location in downtown Sarasota.
Kojo has moved into the 1289 N. Palm Ave. space that formerly housed Lemon Tree Kitchen on Palm Avenue Parking Garage’s ground floor, with hopes to open by late February, said co-owner Natalia Levey. She is also an owner of Speaks Clam Bar, a New York-style Italian clam bar with Lakewood Ranch and St. Armands Circle locations.
Levey said Kojo was inspired by time she spent in Asia as well as traveling with her husband, and will incorporate cuisines from across the continent in its menu.
“The menu was inspired by the flavors and the ingredients and the uniqueness of Asia,” Levey said. “It strives to be familiar and satisfying, but there will be some definitely unique and unexpected flavors and dishes as well.”
Kojo plans to feature entrees such as bacon and shrimp kimchi fried rice and carbonara with guanciale, poached onsen egg and crispy nori, along with traditional sushi and nori tacos with fillings such as torched salmon teriyaki.
It will also offer vegan and vegetarian options as well as starter dishes, including shiitake mushroom miso soup and rock shrimp tempura.
The restaurant’s beverage director will be David Roth, who has worked in several New York establishments and won Don Julio’s Star Back competition.
The drink menu is expected to feature an emphasis on sake and other Asian touches, such as offering its take on a Midori sour and incorporating flavors like wasabi.
The restaurant will seat roughly 160-170 both indoors and outdoors, with its interior featuring an open kitchen along with touches that include a decorative moss wall sporting Kojo’s name. It plans to initially open for dinner service, then expand to lunch hours in the future.
Kojo’s Palm Avenue space was previously occupied for several years by Tableseide Restaurant Group, which currently operates Libby’s Neighborhood Brasserie and Circo: A Taco & Bourbon Joint. After opening Louies Modern there in 2013, it reopened in 2019 as the health-focused Lemon Tree Kitchen before closing last year amid the pandemic.
Tripletail Seafood & Spirits opening in The Landings
Gecko’s Hospitality Group’s latest venture, located in Sarasota shopping plaza The Landings, where the restaurant group started decades ago, will soon open its doors.
Tripletail Seafood & Spirits is set to open in the second week of February, joining other Gecko’s Hospitality Group businesses, including six Gecko’s Grill & Pub locations, Dockside Waterfront Grill in Venice, Dry Dock Waterfront Grill on Longboat Key and Red Barn Bar in Sarasota.
Tripletail’s 4870 S. Tamiami Trail location is the same as where the original Gecko’s opened in 1992 before moving to Stickney Point Road and U.S. 41, with the space then becoming Signature Events & Catering in 2019.
Mike Gowan, who co-founded Gecko’s Hospitality Group with Mike Quillen, said the pandemic made operating a banquet facility a more challenging prospect and they decided to make the location a restaurant again, using Dry Dock as a model.
“We really love our Dry Dock menu; it’s fresh seafood, we’re getting fresh local fish in every day, we do lobster rolls,” Gowan said. “It’s a great menu, it’s all seafood-driven, and we felt that The Landings could use a really nice seafood restaurant.”
The menu will largely be identical to Dry Dock’s, featuring a seafood-focused selection of entrees, sandwiches, tacos, soups, salads and appetizers. Yet Gowan said Tripletail will have a handful of different dishes, such as its namesake fish when in season, as well as a few appetizers and salads.
Its bar will feature specialty cocktails, four taps with local craft beers as well as bottled offerings and a wine list.
The restaurant will seat roughly 150, split between indoors and outdoors. The patio will feature greenery privacy walls and a 10-foot waterfall feature, while the interior’s décor will include vintage photos of the Sarasota area, with precautions including glass partitions and an air-filtration system.
Takeout will also be available.
Tripletail Seafood & Spirits’ hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. For more information, call 941-529-0555 or visit tripletailsrq.com.
Barnacle Bill’s in downtown Sarasota closes
After two decades in business and the closure of another location last year, Barnacle Bill’s on downtown Sarasota’s Main Street has shut its doors.
The seafood restaurant announced its closing in a Facebook post. Steve Horn, partner at the Sarasota-based Ian Black Real Estate that represents the 1526 Main St. property which is currently listed for lease, confirmed the restaurant’s closure to the Herald-Tribune. Attempts to reach the restaurant by phone and social media were not immediately successful.
“We have fought and struggled to make it through this pandemic,” the post read. “It has been the most stressful endeavor of my career. We want to thank all of the fantastic team members and wonderful guests for supporting us as much as they could. Thank you all, and let’s hope 2021 is much better.”
Brothers William and Kenneth Davis opened the Main Street Barnacle Bill’s in 1999 after opening a location at Beneva Road and Webber Street in Sarasota, according to Herald-Tribune archives. The restaurant became a fixture of downtown Sarasota’s dining and drinking scene, serving seafood over the years as other Main Street businesses came and went. William “Barnacle Bill” Davis died in June 2017 at age 68, according to his obituary published in the Herald-Tribune.
Barnacle Bill’s also had a location on 5050 N. Tamiami Trail with a signature lighthouse structure until last year, when it was bought by Sarasota Marine Safety Foundation Inc. The property housed multiple other restaurants over the decades, including the Mecca Restaurant and Supper Club and the Golden Buddha.
The Main Street Barnacle Bill’s is one of several local restaurants that have closed amid the pandemic, including in downtown Sarasota. Umbrellas 1296 in the historic I.R. Burns & H.H. Bell Building next to Sarasota Opera House shut its doors last summer, while fast-casual Mexican restaurant Poppo’s Taqueria closed its Main Street location near the end of 2020.
Kirby’s Bar & Grill damaged by fire
A restaurant and bar on Stickney Point Road, known by some for its karaoke nights, was heavily damaged by fire and smoke Sunday afternoon (Jan. 31).
Firefighters responding to the blaze that broke out at Kirby’s Bar & Grill, 2460 Stickney Point Road, at about 1:08 p.m. reported heavy fire through the roof and thick smoke that could be seen for miles.
Sarasota County Fire Chief Michael Regnier said shortly after arrival, a second alarm was called that brought 32 firefighters and 15 units to the scene.
“We were able to knock the fire down,” Regnier said. “There were no injuries of firefighters and there was nobody in the building at the time.”
Kirby’s Bar & Grill, in Gulf Gate, is closed on Sundays.
“From the looks of it, the extensive damage within, probably a total loss, but we’ll need to evaluate a little bit later,” Regnier said. “This restaurant has been here a long time. It’s sad to see the damage that has been done. Unfortunately, fires do occur. We were able to do the best we could to put the fire out. Hopefully, they can come back and rebuild.”
The bar has been owned by Linda Kirby since 1997. The property, built in 1980, was last assessed at $554,900 in 2020.
The State Fire Marshal has been requested to investigate the cause of the fire.
Sage to debut brunch, winter menus
Sage restaurant, located in the former historic Times Building in Sarasota, is beginning Sunday brunch Feb. 14. In addition, the new winter menu recently debuted at the downtown restaurant.
The brunch menu, created by Executive Chef Chris Covelli, includes recreations of brunch classics like eggs benedict and chicken and waffles, plus creative mimosas and bloody marys. “It’s not your typical brunch,” said Covelli in a statement. “We had to create a menu that was as spectacular as the setting.”
“This historic building with sun-filled windows looking out onto the city makes for an idyllic, easygoing brunch setting,” added owner Sharon Carole in a statement. “I’m so delighted we’re finally able to make this happen.”
Among brunch selections are a Mexican eggs benedict and falafel waffle, plus classic dishes like omelets and a seasonal BLT. Special cocktails include fresh beet juice and gin and several versions of mimosas and bloody marys.
According to Chef Covelli’s statement, he thinks the most exciting part is the way they’re using winter vegetables. “People think winter vegetables aren’t colorful or flavorful,” he added. “But take our mezzaluna pasta with kohlrabi and fennel — when you put those two together, the texture is smooth, but at the same time you get this bright burst of curry, because the cooking process brings out the flavor of fennel pollen.”
Sage’s winter menu includes cuisines from nine different countries. For starters, the chef is introducing stuffed piquillo pepper and cod, scallop with mint and pea puree, a prosciutto Caesar and crab cakes with shredded vegetables in a ginger glaze and more.
New entrees from Spain, Japan, Thailand, Italy, Mexico and beyond range from lamb carpaccio and roasted artichoke paella to pan-seared duck breast and cobia with wild mushrooms topped with a lemon cured egg yolk. Each dish is accompanied by colorful vegetables.
Beverage Director David Tlaiye is carrying out the theme with the squash old-fashioned, which has a veggie element as well as the allspice dram pour with herbs and spices, the akvavit sour with red cabbage and a Japanese highball, to name a few.
This spring, a new rooftop kitchen will accommodate brunch seating on Sage’s fourth-story, open-air dining space. The area also will be used evenings for international street fare and live music on weekends.
Sage offers limited social distanced dining room seating as well as dining in an open-air, rooftop bar. In response to COVID-19, the restaurant provides curbside to-go services.
Located at 1216 First Street, Sage is open Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m. and Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The restaurant can be reached at 941-445-5660 or online at sagesrq.com.
A Valentine’s Evening in the Park
For Valentine’s Day weekend, consider socially distant dining atop the Finish Tower at Nathan Benderson Park. There will be fine dining from Michael’s on East on Feb. 12 and by Mattison’s on Feb. 13. The price is $145–$165, and includes a three-course meal with complimentary beverages, champagne toast, outdoor movies and fireworks. Proceeds will benefit youth programs at Nathan Benderson Park. For more information, visit: bit.ly/ValentinesEveningatNBP.
‘Healthy and Delicious Sweepstakes & Photo Contest’ at Mattison’s
Chef Paul Mattison, owner and executive chef of Mattison’s Restaurants and Catering Company, is promoting healthy, all-natural, clean menu eating with his “Healthy and Delicious Sweepstakes & Photo Contest” featuring over $1,000 in prizes and multiple winners. The contest runs through Feb. 28th. As a thank you for entering the contest, each person who enters will receive a $10 voucher to use at any Mattison’s, valid through March 31.
Contest prizes include several Mattison’s gift cards valued at $200 each, and gift baskets with Niman Ranch products, Mattison’s swag and products from area partners.
To enter to win, visit heraldtribune.com/mattisons. For additional chances to win. visit any Mattison’s restaurant, order any dish featuring Niman Ranch, take a photo and post on the Mattison’s Facebook or Instagram page with the hashtags #NimanRanch and #Mattisons.
For the latest Sarasota-Manatee restaurant and bar news visit heraldtribune.com/entertainment/dining. Email restaurant news items to [email protected].
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