Taste Dining & Travel Magazine

All you need to know about the dining scene, food, wine, and events for Sarasota, Bradenton and The Islands. See our archives for global travel tips and previous Great Finds articles.

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What’s New in Town? Let Taste Tell Ya’
(and what’s hot South of the Border)

The Year 2008 was a difficult one for many businesses, including the restaurant trade. In our area alone about 130 restaurants shut their doors with about 40 new opening. The area is still potentially big for restaurants as a few of the major chains are still very interested in our dining demographics and see the area as a good investment.

Many restaurateurs have had to resort to “creative financing” to help them through these difficult times. A few early dining discounts are springing up in many local restaurants (Barnacle Bill’s) and a few prix fixe dining specials that are normally seen over the summer months are being extended throughout the season (Harry’s, Lido Beach Grille and Fleming’s Steakhouse to name a few).

There is always comfort in less expensive drinks and the return of the Happy Hour (Barnacle Bill’s Seafood again with his “Economic Stimulus Plan”) is helping to ease the day’s worries with many restaurants featuring $5 martinis and after 9pm drink specials (Bonefish Grill).

Look for portions to be reduced (as should the prices) and a cut back on the expensive items. That second bottle of wine over a meal could be a forlorn memory as wine prices to me, have gone the way of the ridiculous. Priced too high? Let the owners know. A mark up is one thing but some restaurants are getting way too greedy. Let’s be fair people.

Okay, I stray from our meaning of this particular article. What’s new? We will bring you a few of the new spots to visit if you haven’t been with us since last year or are just out of “the loop.” We invite you to get out and enjoy the new dining establishments and the ones that have been opened for a while. Many of them have been advertising with Taste Dining & Travel for every issue over our 17 years of publishing. Thanks Lynches Pub & Grub, Saga, Duffy’s Tavern, Hemingway's, Barnacle Bill’s Seafood, Harry’s Continental Kitchens Euphemia Haye, Capalbo’s Pizza, Cosimo’s, Galileo, Hilton on Longboat Key, Ophelia’s, Mr. Bones, Sandbar, Mar Vista and the BeachHouse. We invite you to read on and support some new restaurants that will hopefully be around for the next 17 years.

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