What’s new on the Sarasota-Manatee dining scene?
This week’s restaurant news roundup for Sarasota and Manatee counties features a popular restaurant that has expanded its reach with a fast-casual concept, a new sushi spot, a coffee shop opening soon and more, including where to soon find Sol’s NYC Deli favorites. Let’s begin with the new spot for fans of smartly done pub grub.
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The Parrot X-Press Grill opens in Sarasota
The Parrot X-Press Grill has opened at 2407 Bee Ridge Road in the former space of Smacks Burgers & Shakes, which closed in September. The new business is owned by Jeff and Melanie Gambino, who also own The Parrot Patio Bar & Grill restaurants in Sarasota and Bradenton on State Road 70 near Interstate 75.
“We’re super excited about it,” Jeff Gambino said about the new concept. “It’s got that great Parrot vibe to it, inside and out, and we’ve heard a lot of positive response from the general public, both at our other locations as well as just stopping by here.”
The Parrot X-Press features many popular dishes from the other Parrot locations, such as a beef on weck sandwich and Buffalo shrimp, but eliminated some of the larger entrée-sized items and added other options. Burgers are available as quarter-pounders as well as half-pound, and pizzas are offered as 16-inch pies along with the 10-inch size served at the other Parrot locations.
The new location also offers a variety of custards, with concretes that blend mix-ins, as well as specialty sundaes. The Parrot X-Press does not serve alcohol currently, but Gambino said they may look into adding beer and wine in the future. The restaurant seats around 84 people, 34 people indoors and 50 on a covered patio, and also offers curbside pickup.
Parrot Patio Bar & Grill opened its first location in 2018 on Webber Street and Beneva Road in Sarasota, originally under the name The Lazy Parrot. It opened its Bradenton location in the former space of The Angry Rooster Wing Company the following year and is currently in permitting for a new outdoor patio.
The Parrot X-Press Grill opens daily at 11 a.m. For more information, call 941-922-4000 or visit theparrots.com.
Bento Asian Kitchen + Sushi opens in University Town Center
A restaurant serving a variety of bowls, sushi rolls and bento boxes, with several locations throughout Florida, has now expanded to Sarasota-Manatee.
Bento Asian Kitchen + Sushi opened earlier this month in University Town Center, which is set to welcome several other new tenants this year. The restaurant remained in its soft opening as of press time, offering takeout and delivery only as it hires and trains staff, with plans to introduce dine-in in the coming weeks.
Tammy Laney, director of operations for the Orlando-based company, said the University Town Center location was appealing for a number of reasons, including expanding their footprint in the greater Tampa Bay area.
“We tend to center ourselves in high-volume shopping plazas, college towns, that’s where you’ll find a lot of our current locations,” Laney said. “We wanted to keep it in the Tampa Bay area; if you follow our locations, we’ve been opening in districts. So we’ve got three stores now – St. Pete, Tampa and now Sarasota.”
Bento opened its original location in 2002 near the University of Florida in Gainesville. It has since expanded to more than 20 locations in Florida cities that also include Orlando and Jacksonville, as well as Oak Street Eats in Atlanta.
The menu features a variety of bento boxes – meals featuring separate portions of rice, lo mein, choice of protein, ginger salad and string beans – and sushi rolls, along with a sushi combo box. It also offers specialty or build-your-own poke bowls, as well as several rice and noodle bowls and boba teas.
Bento’s full menu is currently available for takeout and delivery through third-party services, including a family meal featuring four chicken or tofu rice bowls and four sides, with choice of miso soup or house salad. When the restaurant opens for dine-in, it will seat about 44 indoors and 48 on its patio, Laney said.
The restaurant is one of several set to open this year in University Town Center, along with national artisan ice cream company Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, now scheduled to open in February, and a third location for Southside Village pizzeria Origin Craft Beer & Pizza Café. Other planned openings include a second location for Sarasota restaurant Selva Grill, Ford’s Garage, Georgie’s Garden Café and Bar George.
Bento Asian Kitchen + Sushi is at 190 N. Cattlemen Road Unit 5 and is currently open 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5:30-9 p.m. For more information, call 941-413-1202 or visit eatatbento.com.
Tenth Street Coffee opening in Palmetto
A new coffee shop will take the place of a previously existing one in Palmetto, offering an extensive food and drink menu with references to its Manatee County home.
Tenth Street Coffee is set to hold its grand opening on Monday, Feb. 1, at 1810 10th St. W., in the former space of Coffee Beyond the Borders. The new business is affiliated with Palmetto’s Church on the Rock, but Senior Pastor Tad Mathews said the coffee shop will cater to all customers, with the phrase “where everyone has a seat at the table” displayed on a wall.
“Our goal is just to be a community-based coffee shop,” Mathews said. “We think there’s a need in our community.”
Coffee will come from the Gainesville-based Sweetwater Organic Coffee, which offers beans from countries like Ethiopia, Colombia and Guatemala. Along with a wide range of hot, cold and frozen drinks, the shop will offer signature combinations with Manatee County-themed names such as Riverwalk to Remember (lavender and vanilla), Old Main Street (English toffee and brown sugar cinnamon) and Terra Ceia at Dusk (coconut, caramel and dark chocolate.)
Its food menu will feature breakfast items such as avocado toast, a breakfast sandwich and burrito and “donut chips” (panini-pressed cinnamon sugar donut holes.) For lunch, it offers a variety of sandwiches including a Ybor Cuban and The Palmettwah (chicken salad with celery, cranberries and walnuts on a croissant).
The newly renovated building seats about 48 indoors, with to-go options available. The coffee shop also plans to host live music and open mics, Mathews said.
The business joins other recently opened local coffee shops including Cremesh Coffee and Bakery in Bradenton, featuring the same owners as Cremesh European Restaurant, and Rise Coffee Co. & Nye’s Cream Sandwiches in downtown Sarasota, employing staff with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Tenth Street Coffee’s hours will be 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 4-10 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 941-212-4047 or visit tenthstreetcoffee.com.
Sol’s NYC Deli at Bridges
Solomon Shenker is bringing his authentic New York City deli selections to Bridges Restaurant at Embassy Suites beginning Monday, Feb. 1. The native New Yorker, who is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of New York, previously owned Sol’s NYC Deli on Main Street in downtown Sarasota and was executive chef of Hotel Indigo before it recently sold. He is executive chef of Bridges and, because of popular demand, decided to add his New York deli concept to the offerings.
“Even though we’re a hotel, we thrive on catering to our locals as well as our hotel guests,” Shenker said. “We do a lot of catering and takeout, and valet parking is free for restaurant guests. The deli items will be available for takeout as well as meat by the pound.”
Among deli favorites will be corn beef, pastrami, slow-roasted brisket, matzo ball soup, knishes, chopped liver and cheese blintzes, with Sol’s popular New York-style cheesecake also available. In addition, there are many choices from the regular menu like the popular Gulf seafood salad for lunch or the filet and lobster tower for dinner, plus light bites for kids and happy hour selections.
Bridges Restaurant is on the eighth floor of the Embassy Suites hotel with an open, modern setting and wide views of the city skyline and Sarasota Bay. Lunch and dinner are served in the restaurant or on the poolside patio.
Located at 202 N. Tamiami Trail, Bridges Restaurant is open daily from noon to 10 p.m. For more information, call 941-256-0190 or visit bridgessarasota.com.
Brancato’s Brick Oven Pizza in Bradenton closes
A Bradenton restaurant that opened in recent years offering authentic Brooklyn-style pizza and more has shut its doors.
Brancato’s Brick Oven Pizza will close permanently, the restaurant said in a recent Facebook post, attributing the decision to the pandemic and health reasons. Attempts to reach Brancato’s by phone and social media were not immediately successful.
“To our amazing customers and the West Bradenton community, it is with great (sadness we) announce that Brancato’s is permanently closed,” the post read. “Due to COVID and a recent medical issue, we can no longer remain open. We are grateful for the friendships we have established and for the support the community has given us.”
Brancato’s opened in 2018 at 5227 Manatee Ave. W. in Fairway Center. Erica Halvorsen, who opened the restaurant along with Paul Halvorsen and Alex Christianson, told the Herald-Tribune in 2018 that they wanted a local spot serving the pizza they knew from Brooklyn.
“We are all from Brooklyn and decided to open Brancato’s when we couldn’t find an authentic, good pizza,” Halvorsen said.
The restaurant served brick oven pizza with build-your-own options and specialty pies such as The Goodfella (fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, sweet sausage and fresh garlic), along with Italian sandwiches and entrees. Amid the pandemic, Brancato’s expanded its offerings to include breakfast items like brick oven bagels, family-size meals and more.
Numerous other Bradenton restaurants have closed their doors permanently during the pandemic. Fine dining spot EnRich Bistro closed in July, with owner/chef Rich Knowles calling COVID-19 “absolutely devastating” for the business, though Knowles still operates catering company Innovative Dining and joined the forthcoming Waters Edge Winery Sarasota as culinary director. Downtown Bradenton cafes/coffee shops Tellers and Oscura Café & Bar also closed their doors last year.
Gecko’s offering veggies to go
Gecko’s has begun offering fresh, organic veggies to go. The popular restaurants, founded by Mike Gowan and Mike Quillen, are in six locations in the Sarasota/Bradenton area. The restaurants also offer online ordering and curbside pickup.
Anne Rollings, manager of Gecko’s Hospitality Group’s corporate offices, explained that the work of Florida farmers is ingrained in who we are as a state and a community. “It is part of why we at Gecko’s Hospitality Group so value our partnership with our local farmers,” she said. “During this, the most bountiful time of the year, crops from our organic farmer, Honeyside Farms, come in supplies that are often influenced by uncontrollable factors of weather. Since our guests love enjoying these crops when they dine with us and have expressed an interest in continuing enjoying them at home, and in an effort to support our farmers and eliminate food waste at the farm, we have partnered to offer Gecko’s Veggies To Go.”
For $8, individuals can take home a brown bag of whatever might be growing at the farm at the time. One week, Gecko’s offered lettuces, bok choy, tomatoes and kale, while the next week might be different. Selections will vary per restaurant.
Gecko’s works in partnership with the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services as a Fresh from Florida “On the Menu” program, which joins together restaurants that feature “Fresh from Florida” products on their menus and promote local agriculture and cuisine.
Servers at Gecko’s may be asked about the week’s Veggies To Go availability. For more information, visit geckosgrill.com.
Bayshore Nutrition opens in Bradenton
A grand opening was recently held for Bayshore Nutrition, a smoothie and juice bar in Bradenton. Owners Filiz and Joseph McNamara recently moved to the Bradenton area after traveling with the military for 26 years.
They are passionate about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Their goal at Bayshore Nutrition is to provide nutritious options that taste great. All products sold are packed with nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
Filiz McNamara will be offering wellness evaluations, with recommended exercises and meal planning based on your goals. Her expertise in group fitness and Holistic Nutrition Certification will guide her in tailoring a plan that is right for each customer.
Bayshore Nutrition is at 5330 34th St. W., Bradenton. For more information, call 941-220-4191 or visit facebook.com/BradentonBayshoreNutrition.
Michael’s On East adds new catering venues
Michael’s On East, one of the most famous restaurants in Sarasota, is now on the approved list of caterers for the Powel Crosley Estate, the Bradenton Area Convention Center and the Premier Sports Campus. This expands upon Michael’s on East’s current off-site preferred catering locations. Michael’s on East continues to provide full-service catering services including rentals, event coordination and menu design within the Manatee-Sarasota region for all special occasions. For more information, visit michaelsoneastcatering.com.
Walking Historical and Food Tour of Bradenton
Taste Dining & Travel is currently sponsoring Walking Historical & Food Tours of Bradenton each Wednesday and Thursday. The outdoor walking events include visits to restaurants and art galleries, shopping, architecture and history.
Tour No. 1 on Thursdays: Includes exploring Village of the Arts, a charming mix of galleries and shops located in 1920s and ’30s homes. A “Meet and Greet” will provide culinary samplings at Bird Rock Taco Shack, Ortygia and Cottonmouth or Sugar Cubed. Participants should meet at Motorworks Brewing in the beer garden, where craft beer will be served at the tour conclusion. The tour begins at 1 p.m. at Motorworks, 1014 Ninth St. W., Bradenton. Cost is $45 and includes food from each restaurant and non-alcoholic beverages except for the beer at Motorworks.
Tour No. 2 on Wednesdays: Gives guests a glimpse of Old Main Street in a river town with a dynamic history. It includes a 1926 shopping arcade, Carnegie Library and classic, century-old buildings. Chef’s specialties will be offered at Sage Biscuit Café, and desserts are from Sugar Cubed artisan bakery. Guests should meet at 1 p.m. at the Bishop Museum, 201 10th St. W., where they may enjoy a full tour. Cost is $50 and includes food from each restaurant.
Guests at both tours are asked to wear comfortable clothing for rain or shine along the 1.5-mile historical tours. Reservations are required by phoning Taste Dining & Travel at 941-366-7950. For additional information, visit tasteweb.net.
For the latest Sarasota-Manatee restaurant and bar news, visit heraldtribune.com/entertainment/dining. Email restaurant news items to [email protected].
