Der Dutchman, Owen’s Fish Camp, Nicky’s On Palm: Restaurant News (Sarasota: rooftop, live)
Sarasota - Bradenton - Venice areaManatee and Sarasota Counties
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One of the most highly anticipated restaurant openings in Sarasota this year should happen just in time for tourist and snowbird season.
Yes, it has been a long wait, but it should be worth it — especially for those of us who adore fabulously authentic Jewish foods like corned beef sandwiches and matzo ball soup found in classic New York delicatessens.
More than a year ago, we reported that The Overton restaurant, located at 1420 Boulevard of the Arts in the Rosemary District found just north of downtown Sarasota, had been sold. That was soon followed by the news that a deli overseen by local chef Sol Shenker, known for his own beloved brand of "Jewish soul food," would take over the space.
The Original Wolfie’s & Rascal House in Sarasota should open 'probably towards the end of October'
The Original Wolfie’s & Rascal House will be opening soon. Wolfie's Box Office — a grab-and-go located at 1454 Boulevard of the Arts, just a few doors east of the delicatessen — should debut just before the main restaurant. Shenker, who is now officially the executive chef at Wolfie's, expects the restaurant to begin welcoming guests next month.
"I would have to say, probably towards the end of October," Shenker said by phone Wednesday, Sept. 20, when asked when Wolfie's would open. "Our grab-and-go more than likely will open in the next couple of weeks."
Wolfie’s menu reflects its long, rich history
In February, I reported that public records showed Jonathan Mitchell was the owner of the then-unnamed Original Wolfie’s Delicatessen. His long résumé includes chief executive officer of New York-based EDM Realty Partners, LP. He was also an owner of the Jerry's Famous Deli chain in California and Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House in South Florida, according to a Los Angeles Times story from 2000.
"Founded in 1954, Wolfie Cohen’s Rascal House returns as a late-night hot spot with a New York vibe located in Sarasota’s trendy Rosemary District," reads the restaurant's website. "At the Rascal House, you’ll find a moody ambience, live entertainment, tasty hors d’oeuvres, snacks, sweet treats and an expansive cocktail menu listing beers, spirits and wines."
The new Wolfie's "is dedicated to preserving the rich traditions of a deli while adding innovative elements to create a dining experience that is unique to Sarasota," reads an email from Meredith Dropkin of Sarasota-based Grapevine Communications, which is handling publicity for Wolfie's. "Everything is made from scratch, using the finest and freshest ingredients and Wolfie’s iconic recipes. Hand-carved pastrami sandwiches, corned beef, matzo ball soup, chopped liver, salads, latkes. We also have baked goods, including bagels, breads, black and white cookies, babka, rugelach and, of course, New York cheesecake."
Wolfie's will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a full breakfast menu available until 3 p.m., Shenker said. There will also be a late night food menu as well as deli cases filled with New York-style salads and pastries.
The Original Wolfie’s & Rascal House is at 1420 Boulevard of the Arts, and Wolfie's Box Office is at 1454 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota. For more information, visit:
One of the most highly anticipated downtown Sarasota restaurant openings should take place this week.
The Original Wolfie’s & Rascal House, a delicatessen overseen by local chef Sol Shenker, known for his beloved brand of "Jewish soul food," is set to open Thursday, Nov. 2, according to a press release issued by Wolfie's on Monday, Oct. 30.
Along Anna Maria Island, beachside towns such as Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach and Anna Maria are home to a gathering of beloved local restaurants that have been pleasing palates and delighting diners for many years. We embark on a culinary journey to learn more about these hidden gems.
Nothing says “weekend vibes” better than brunch. Toast with friends and family over Food + Beer’s new brunch menu and enjoy tasty twists on classics and familiar favorites.
Food + Beer’s updated menu includes offerings like the delectable blueberry muffin French toast, a battered and griddled blueberry muffin served over a warm blueberry compote and topped with whipped lemon ricotta and, for good measure, fresh blueberries. “It’s an over-the-top and elevated French toast that you won’t have to use syrup on,” says Mike Whalen, who co-owns the establishment’s six locations with Casey Daniels.
Guests with savory palates will enjoy the shrimp and grits, featuring jumbo shrimp in creamy New Orleans barbecue sauce with andouille sausage, peppers, onions and celery served over a plank of fried jalapeno grits.
Soak up of every morsel of goodness with a freshly made biscuit. For a Southwestern play on a bagel and lox, sample the citrus-cured salmon tostada. The team cures the citrus salmon in-house and presents it with chipotle cream cheese, fresh radish, avocado and lime crema on a crispy corn tostada. This bright and flavorful dish arrives garnished with cilantro.
Alongside the new menu items are the chicken and red velvet waffles, a crowd-pleaser at Food + Beer. After testing out various recipes, the team landed on the current red velvet Belgian waffle which comes with cream cheese icing, Sriracha syrup and pecans, as well as scratch-fried chicken.
Food + Beer; Gulf Gate: 6528 Superior Ave., Sarasota, 941-952-3361;
That's the credo of the family behind The Breakfast Company, which opened its first restaurant in 2020 and two more this year.
The most recent opening was three weeks ago at 8491 Cooper Creek Blvd. in The Shoppes at University Town Center, across the parking lot from the new Trader Joe's.
Terri Syros and her son, Dimitri Syros, are the driving forces behind the growth of The Breakfast Company.
"This was about 1-and-a-half years in the making. We're happy to be here now. We have a big vision for the company," Dimitri said of the University Town Center store. "We are looking to continue growing the company."
He is a law school graduate who decided that rather than going into the corporate world, he would put his energy and vision into the family business.
"Without Dimitri, the company would not have grown," Terri said.
But Dimitri says his mother is the heart of the business.
"She puts the love in the operation," Dimitri said.
Terri and Dimitri opened the original The Breakfast Company in October 2020 at 7246 55th Ave. E. in Tara's Twelve Oaks Plaza.
They launched The Breakfast Company as a tribute to George Soublis, the family patriarch who founded El Greco Cafe in downtown Sarasota in 1990.
The menu includes an extensive offering of egg dishes, handhelds, skillet bowls, pancakes, waffles and more.
The lunch menu includes an array of soups, salads, sandwiches and wraps. The company also has an expanded coffee and drink menu.
Terri's twin sister, Patti Corcoran, oversees the baking of all the restaurant's pastry items. All of the baking is done at the company's central commissary for consistency and quality.
"We started with 15 employees and now we have well over 100," Terri said.
Through its The Breakfast Company Express, restaurant offerings are available through DoorDash.
The University Town Center and The Landings locations are open 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. The Tara location is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. The restaurants are closed on Monday.
For more information about The Breakfast Company's newest location, visit: www.TheBreakfastCompanyFL.com or call 941-210-4760.
Imagine you’re standing on the corner of Ocean Boulevard and Avenida Messina, the main intersection in Siesta Key Village. Where are you in the mood to go?
Ready to dance the night away? Head to the Beach Club, where folks have been kicking up their heels since 1947.
Is one of the Tampa pro teams playing? You can catch the game on one of the big screens at MVP (short for My Village Pub) and grab a beer and burger.
Want to unwind in a cozy cabin with an Old Florida vibe? The Cottage has a chair with your name on it.
Wait. You’ve got more options. Hankering for fish tacos? Meet your amigos at The Hub Baja Grill. Baja California’s got nothing on Siesta Key!
Ready to celebrate a birthday or anniversary with a delicious meal and a nice bottle of wine? The Summer House beckons, just a couple of doors down the street on Avenida Messina.
There’s no shortage of drinking and dining options at the Village’s main intersection. And, though you wouldn’t know it from looking at them, all five establishments are owned by two partners, Chris Brown and Mike Granthon, founders of Sarasota’s Above the Bar Hospitality Group.
Brown, a Milwaukee native, moved to Sarasota in 1993, after his parents retired here. A Peruvian import, Granthon came to Florida 17 years ago via Washington, D.C., where he attended junior high and high school.
While Brown’s background is in auto wholesaling and real estate investing and Granthon literally grew up in the hospitality business (his mother worked for Sheraton Hotels), they share a commitment to delivering quality and authenticity in their dining and drinking establishments.
In addition to the Siesta Key eateries, Above the Bar’s portfolio includes Mad Moe’s Sports Pub & Grill in Osprey and Joe’s (formerly Smokin’ Joe’s) on Main Street in Sarasota.
Chef Ray Arpke and his wife, D’Arcy, acquired it in 1980. Housed in a cozy, historic cottage with intimate, candlelit dining areas downstairs and a lively bar upstairs, Euphemia Haye is celebrated for its outstanding selection of wine and spirits, seasonally influenced menu and elegant ambience.
The Arpkes hired Amy Whitt in 2007 as an administrative assistant, and she quickly worked her way up to bookkeeper. Crunching numbers was on her mind back then, not the mysteries of haute cuisine.
If you’d told Amy she’d own Euphemia Haye in the not-too-distant future, she would have laughed out loud. But that’s exactly what happened in 2020 when the Arpkes offered her a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — to purchase the restaurant upon their retirement. In December 2021, Whitt became the owner of one of the most prestigious eateries in the region.
Don’t leave Euphemia Haye without trying …
"If I’m limited to one choice, Key West Snapper is my personal favorite. You could always leave and come back, and try some of our other signature dishes, like duck and our peppered steak."
My insider tip for savvy Euphemia Haye diners is …
"Save room for dessert. Most newcomers don’t know that we have a full dessert room upstairs."
"We're approximately a dozen miles east of Sarasota's best waterfront restaurants and significantly farther from my favorite dining spots along Bradenton Riverwalk, or the renowned eateries by the famously beautiful beaches of Siesta Key, Venice and Anna Maria Island.
There are no natural beaches nearby, and I suspect that many of the ponds and lakes are man-made, but we are situated beside a substantial body of water. And while I'm more accustomed to searching for lazily floating manatees or frolicking dolphins, I've come to the edge of the elevated patio to gaze down over the rail at a swiftly moving alligator, which appears large enough to view me as a potential snack.
Such are the sights on the shores of Kingfisher Lake in the upscale new Waterside Place neighborhood of Lakewood Ranch. Waterside Place is where Old Florida meets New Florida, where ancient reptile predators swim in waters surrounded by bougie condos, shops, and restaurants. It's also where you will find one of the best new restaurants to open this year in Sarasota or Manatee counties."
One of the most highly anticipated downtown Sarasota restaurant openings should take place this week.
The Original Wolfie’s & Rascal House, a delicatessen overseen by local chef Sol Shenker, known for his beloved brand of "Jewish soul food," is set to open Thursday, Nov. 2, according to a press release issued by Wolfie's on Monday, Oct. 30.
Sarasota deli closes temporarily two days after opening, citing staffing issues
The Original Wolfie's and Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House opened Nov. 2 in the Rosemary District.
Two days after a much-anticipated opening, a New York-style and Jewish deli in Sarasota has temporarily closed, citing staffing shortages and issues.
The restaurant, The Original Wolfie's and Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House, issued a statement early Saturday afternoon on the temporary shutdown.
“We have decided to temporarily close our doors in order to welcome more dedicated and passionate staff into our Wolfie's and Rascal House family,” the statement reads. “Our aim is to ensure that every visit is as iconic and seamless as the first.”
A spokesperson for the restaurant told the Business Observer, sister publication of YourObserver.com, on Saturday afternoon that no reopening date has been set. The spokesperson says the first two days of the restaurant, Thursday and Friday, were packed, with waiting lists and lines 30 people deep at some points.
The Original Wolfie’s Deli and its nighttime sister concept, Wolfie Cohen’s Rascal House, are at 1420 Boulevard of the Arts in the Rosemary District, just north of downtown Sarasota. The restaurateur and chef behind the concepts is Sol Shenker, who garnered a devoted following in Sarasota for his New York deli-style food at several different eateries. Shenker has been living in Colorado, where his wife has been attending veterinary school. Shenker previously operated Sol’s NYC Delicatessen in a former Applebee’s in Main Plaza in downtown Sarasota, among other restaurants.
"This article presents a guide to seven Peruvian eateries located in Sarasota. Have you had the chance to sample any of them? If you have, we'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
The ranking of the entities listed below is derived from ratings and review data on Yelp and Google Maps, synthesized through advanced big data algorithms."
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