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Florian Trinkwalder didn’t discover kombucha until he quit drinking alcohol about four years ago.
That Christmas, his wife gifted him a home brewing kit to experiment with making the fermented tea.
“I started creating my own flavors and brewing it at home,” he told Patch. “It started as a hobby at first.”
Today, he owns Flobucha, a raw kombucha brewery and tasting room. There, customers can hang out and enjoy his creations in person, or purchase it by the bottle or growler to bring home with them. The brand is also available in some local small stores and restaurants, including Crop Juice locations, Simon’s Coffee House, Screaming Goat Taqueria and Boo’s Ice House.
Trinkwalder quickly came to appreciate the health benefits of drinking the fermented tea.
“There’s probiotics, that’s basically the main health benefit. It helps restore a healthy gut if people have problems with digestion and stuff,” he said. “It also has a lot of antioxidants and it has a lot of vitamins in there, too, especially if it’s unpasteurized and untreated, which ours is. You have a lot of living nutrients in there.”
He even lost about 20 pounds when he made the switch from alcohol to kombucha.
As Trinkwalder began experimenting at home, he began taking up more and more space with his brewing.
“At some point, my wife kind of kicked me out of the kitchen and said I’m using up too much space,” he said.
That’s when he decided he should go into business and founded Flobucha, moving into the Gulf Gate neighborhood at 2725 Mall Drive. The tap room opened in October.
In addition to serving his “healthy and delicious” kombucha, Trinkwalder also wanted to create a community around the beverage, which is why he opened a tap room — the only one in Sarasota — rather than focusing on wholesale or direct orders, he said.
This was especially important to him as a social person who enjoyed going out with friends when he was still drinking.
“This is considered a sober venue. It’s kind of like a sober bar,” he said. “When I quit drinking, I was really missing going out with people and hanging out with my friends. But I don’t want to be around people who are drinking, so we provide a safe space where no addictive substance is sold at all. … People can come in, hang out with their friends and socialize without alcohol.”
"Of all the places we have lost this year, this one hurts the most, despite the fact that far too few people had the chance to experience its New Orleans-style charms.
St. Armands Oyster Bar in Sarasota permanently closed after being in business about a year.
I first raved about St. Armands Oyster Bar in my Ticket Editor column published on August 12, 2022. Less than a year later, the restaurant at the doomed 15 S. Boulevard of the Presidents address on Sarasota's famously upscale St. Armands Circle had closed permanently.
St. Armands Oyster Bar's Facebook page notes that its "permanently closed" status was posted about two weeks ago as of Aug. 24. When I called, it went straight to an automated message informing me that the phone number “can’t take your call now.” I also saw on Facebook that a cook at St. Armand's Oyster Bar posted that the restaurant closed Aug. 6. I emailed the owner, Brad Hagen, earlier this week, but have yet to hear back.
Hagen opened the similar Grafton Oyster Bar in Grafton, Illinois, about six years ago. Both restaurants specialized in Louisiana dishes, with the extensive Sarasota menu featuring about 20 entrees including such Crescent City favorites as jambalaya, red beans and rice, and crawfish etouffee, which you could order individually or all together as the "Holy Trinity." St. Armands Oyster Bar also offered a full-liquor bar with Big Easy-inspired cocktails, and served one of my favorite beers, the Louisiana-made Abita Amber Lager."
Outback Steakhouse, the Australian-themed restaurant chain with the motto "No rules. Just right," is planning its third Bradenton-area restaurant.
Outback Steakhouse of Florida LLC recently filed paperwork with Manatee County Development Services for the construction of a new Outback Steakhouse restaurant at 12905 State Road 70 E.
The new restaurant is planned on the north side of State Road 70, east of Lorraine Road, in Lakewood Ranch.
"We're known for high quality, juicy steaks with your choice of big cuts and bold flavor, cooked just the way you like it. Spirited drinks that start the night off right and a heap of craveable dishes and fan favorites like our iconic Bloomin' Onion," the company says on its webpage.
Outback offers seven cuts of steak: sirloin, ribeye, New York strip, bone-in ribeye, filet mignon, porterhouse and prime rib.
Outback also offers chicken, seafood, pasta and other dishes.
Part of the Bloomin' Brands company, Outback's sister companies include Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar and Aussie Grill by Outback.
Bloomin' Brands also has a Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar coming to Manatee County at 8396 Tourist Center Drive. The new restaurant is being built where a Ruby Tuesday's restaurant once sat.
An Outback Steakhouse is coming to Parrish as 2 new restaurants planned in Manatee
In the last two months, paperwork has been filed with Manatee County Building Services for two Outback Steakhouses.
In July, it was for a restaurant at 12245 State Road 70 E., Lakewood Ranch.
This week, it was for a seat-down restaurant at 3390 Erie Road in the Creekside Commons shopping center, Parrish.
Residents of fast-growing Parrish have long asked for more amenities, including more sit-down restaurants.
In 2007, Ben Jordan, then president of the Parrish Civic Association, told the Bradenton Herald that restaurants were at the top of the list for what residents wanted and would use.
"There's been a lot of interest up here in getting sit-down, full-service restaurants. Of all the things we haven't been able to get going, it's been that," he said.
The filing with Manatee County indicates all site work would be coordinated under separate permit by the landlord, Benderson Development.
Eatalia, an Italian market that specializes in imported meats, cheeses, olives, nuts and homemade bread, plans to open in Lakewood Ranch's Waterside Place town center in early 2024.
Eatalia also plans to offer build-your-own charcuterie boards, fresh pasta and other grocery items, as well as a cold bar with various salad items.
The planned market is for those "passionate about Italian cuisine, or anyone looking for a quick, quality-made bite on the go," said Lakewood Ranch developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch in a press release.
SMR also announced that The Wellness Space is planned at Waterside Place, offering an array of services, including mentoring and meditation.
A mainstay of Lakewood Ranch's dining and drinking scene will soon shut its doors, joining the other local restaurants that have closed thus far this year.
Truman's Tap & Grill, located at 11161 State Road 70 E. #100 in the Lakewood Walk plaza, will close after a final day of business Aug. 31, said Carrie Leitzman, co-owner along with her husband Jason. The couple have owned Truman's since 2021, but the restaurant has been open since 2012, initially under different ownership.
Leitzman said the decision to close Truman's was due to her health, as an eight-year cancer survivor with some long-term residual effects.
This season at Café L’Europe marks the 50th anniversary of the restaurant's opening.
“There's a lot of love for this restaurant from the community and families who have dined here for generations,” said Eleni Sokos, director of brand strategy for Oysters Rock Hospitality which represents the Café. “Grandparents come here with their grandkids. This is where they had their first date. Most of the locals had their first experience of fine dining at Café.”
The restaurant recently finished the second stage of renovations for a complete remodel of the famous St. Armands Circle eatery. While designing for the future, the staff couldn't help but reminisce about the Café's rich history.
Sarasota's oldest full-service restaurant, an iconic family-owned business on St. Armands Circle with more than six decades of history, appeared to be in dire shape due to the storm surge and related flooding caused by Hurricane Idalia.
Columbia Restaurant, located at 411 St. Armands Circle, can be seen in the police department video with waves lapping against its entrance. Nearly a foot of floodwater would inundate the beloved Spanish-Cuban cuisine destination that opened in 1959, with the same amount spilling into its next-door-neighbor sister restaurant, Cha Cha Coconuts, opened in 1989. Both businesses are part of the 1905 Family of Restaurants, taking their name from the year their flagship restaurant was founded, the Columbia located in Tampa's Ybor City, which is recognized as the oldest restaurant in Florida.
By the next morning, however, both restaurants were already set to reopen, with Cha Cha Coconuts welcoming guests at 4 p.m. on Thursday (Aug. 31), followed by Columbia at 5 p.m. Jeff Houck, vice president of marketing for the 1905 Family of Restaurants, noted that they used remote cameras in each restaurant to monitor things during the storm and never lost power at either business. Additionally, Houck pointed out that both places "drained very quickly once the pumps and natural drainage kicked in."
Moreover, he credited the dedication of his 1905 Family members.
"We got back in very early this morning with our extremely talented and hardworking staff and cleaned the place immediately," Houck said Thursday by phone. "Now, it’s dry and ready to go. It’s a beautiful blue sky day and you would never know a hurricane made it through 36 hours ago.”
Both the Columbia Restaurant and Cha Cha Coconuts will be offering abbreviated menus featuring their "greatest hits," Houck said.
At Columbia, these include the restaurant's famed Cuban sandwich as well as the Original "1905" Salad, which is perhaps just as beloved as the Cubano. Other favorites on the limited menu include tapas classics like Ybor City Devil Crab Croquettes and Scallops "Casimiro," as well as favorite entrees such as ropa vieja, featuring choice beef that is shredded, sautéed, and simmered with onions, green peppers, and tomatoes, served with plantains and white rice. For those who need some dessert following all the hurricane stress, Columbia will be serving its white chocolate bread pudding made with La Segunda Central Bakery Cuban bread from Tampa, as well as Key lime pie.
At Cha Cha Coconuts, the menu will include such popular items as the Havana Ham & Cheese and Cuban Mixed sandwiches. Those craving seafood will also find favorites like the grouper bites, grouper tacos, and coconut shrimp being offered.
"Step out anywhere in downtown Sarasota and you're soon met by a bunch of restaurants in either direction ranging from fancy to fast casual. There are dining options to consider on upper Main Street and lower Main Street, in Towles Court and Burns Court, and on various side streets such as Palm, State and Central. Yes, the choices can seem overwhelming.
To help, here are my picks for the best restaurants in downtown Sarasota. They're based on countless dining adventures I've taken just beyond the entrance of our Herald-Tribune headquarters. The hardest part? Getting my working list of about two dozen down to a more manageable 10.
Presented in alphabetical order, the restaurants range from a chef-owned Asian spot that opened in 2021 to a family Italian joint dating back to 1989. You'll also find the workplace of a James Beard-nominated chef, a "fish camp" serving fresh Florida seafood in a funky setting, and a gastropub that excels at comfort food classics. Plus, all of these restaurants offered nice, open-air seating options during recent visits."
"Everything tastes better on the water. I don't know if that's a scientific fact, but witnessing a spectacular sunset or spotting a frolicking dolphin definitely makes for a memorable meal. Fortunately, along with our famous beaches, we have lots of waterfront restaurants here in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties.
So, for the fourth year in a row, here's my guide to the region’s best waterfront restaurants offering outdoor seating. These places range from flip-flops casual to fine dining. Newly updated, the six-part series will again begin with places in downtown Sarasota and on nearby City Island, Siesta Key, Lido Beach, and the Sarasota County side of Longboat Key.
The restaurants are listed in alphabetical order and accompanied with lots of food and a few drink suggestions. Reservations are recommended where applicable, and please keep in mind that hours and menu items are subject to change."
"My dad used to find comfort riding the peaceful bike trails around Sarasota while my mother gets rejuvenated bobbing and talking with her friends in the pool. My sister seeks solace by reading books under the umbrella on the shores of Longboat Key and my husband discovered relaxation driving the boat on the glass-like Gulf waters.
Me? I find my body rests best after biting into a bagel.
So, with added stresses to my life that have been out of my control, I was bound to find the best bagels that make me feel “hole.”"
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