September 19, 2025

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Quick Bites – Oysters, Football, and Groceries

A little mid-September news

🐢 You can just feel the slowness. It’s September, and I know it’s supposed to feel this way. But this year… 

Lots of area restaurants take the pace of September and use it to their advantage. Maybe for a little pre-season sprucing up. (Or in the case of Michael’s On East, some interior and menu reimagining). Some folks even shutter up for a bit and take a well-deserved break. 

But we’re not easing up at all. We’re in the process of assembling our 2026 Little Sarasota DINING Book. Next year’s edition (our 17^TH!) is really shaping up to be a great one. With a little luck, it’ll be available in mid-December! 📕 

🌭 We’re also working on a promo that will possibly involve you! Or at least some of you. Stay tuned for details…  

OK – That’s all of the prelims. Let’s get to the meat of why you’re here. Some tasty Quick Bites. So, without furthur adieu… 

🥧 Pie Me! I think we missed this one when we gave you some holidays to celebrate earlier this month. SEPT 26^TH is National Key Lime Pie Day! The folks at Beachside Hospitality are really running with the key lime theme! 

Each of their restaurants is offering a fun little key lime twist.

Here’s what you can expect: 

• Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub – A tropical twist with a refreshing kiwi glaze. 

• Sandbar Restaurant – A sweet-and-tart pairing with a raspberry drizzle. 

• Beach House Waterfront Restaurant – A creamy, tangy classic topped with pillowy, fresh, hand-whipped cream. 

I never realized there were so many ways to reinvent this classic Florida dessert. I guess that’s why they’re creating dishes and I’m writing about them. 😉 

🏈 Football ➡️ Food. It is a combo that goes together with ease. We don’t really get any crisp fall football Sundays down here like they do up north. So, we’ll just be forced to settle for a football specialty menu or two.  

Pie On Main (1507 Main St. | 941- 217-6370) is rolling out a special Kickoff Menu to celebrate the season. You can choose between both drink and food specials on any NFL gameday or NCAA Football Saturday. 

Here are some of my favs: Artichoke Spinach Dip ($13), Fried Pickle Chips ($9), Cheddar Cheese Jalapeño Poppers ($13), “16 One Topping Pizza ($16), and $4 Shock Top drafts! 🍻

Things are expensive right now, so any chance to save a few bucks and still catch your favorite team is a bonus! Interested in what else they have in store for you? – HERE’S THE KICKOFF MENU! 

🦪 Oysters with Benefits. Any food and beverage pairing event is fun. But it’s even better when that night supports a fantastic local cause. Our economy is largely driven by the fact that we are on the water. And Oyster Boys Conservation knows just how important it is to be responsible stewards of our local natural resources. 

FRI, OCT 18TH, Harry’s Continental Kitchens (525 St. Judes Dr. | 941- 383-0777) will be hosting The Saltwater Social: A Benefit for Oyster Boys Conservation. This will be a great opportunity to show some love for our aquaculture AND have a fantastic night! What could be a better combo, really? 

It will be an evening filled with “Coastal flavor, creativity, and community.” And it’s all for such a good cause. As Harry’s GM Hal Christensen says, “Good food starts with clean water. It’s that simple.” 

I know that this event is a few weeks away, but tickets will go fast. If you’d like to get in on the fun, we can help. – HERE’S A LINK TO MORE INFO! 

🛒 Shop till You Drop. One thing you can definitely say about the Sarasota area is that we have choices. When it comes to shopping for food, we pretty much have it all. 

Let’s run the list – Publix, Sprouts, Aldi, Detwiler’s, and The Fresh Market. Then mix in Morton’s Gourmet Market, HL Asian Market, plus so many other specialty shops and meat markets. We have SO much!  

The two big ones that we didn’t mention above are getting ready to expand their Sarasota footprint. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s will be opening brand new stores close to the old Sarasota Square Mall. 

Austin TX based Whole Foods is set to anchor part of the new mixed-use development that once was Sarasota Square. Folks were sad to see the old Sarasota shopping staple be torn down. But a new Whole Foods store eases the pain just a little bit. 

As far as Trader Joe’s goes, they are rumored to be converting the former Staples office supply store at Beneva and 41 into their third Sarasota area location. I’m not quite sure that the parking lot meets TJs specs. It might just be a little too spacious! 😁

🎉 Celebrate Good Times, Come On! We mentioned a couple of anniversaries earlier this month. It seems like September was a pretty popular time to open a Sarasota restaurant. 

We’ve got happy anniversary wishes for Indigenous (239 S. Links Ave. | 941- 706-4740). Over the past fourteen years, Chef Steve Phelps has molded his vision of sustainable seafood into one of our area’s top restaurants. PRO TIP: Start your Indigenous dining adventure with an order of Steve’s famous Beignets! 

Also on the birthday list, El Toro Bravo (3218 Clark Rd. | 941- 924-0006)! Twenty years of serving up some delicious Mexican cuisine earns them a hearty ¡Felicidades!

⚡ SOME QUICKIES 

• The Breakfast Company is set to open its sixth location early in 2026. Their newest restaurant will be located down in Venice. 

• Not food-related (directly) but still worth getting on your radar is the long-awaited grand opening of the new Mote Science and Education Aquarium (SEA). The public opening is set for OCT 8^TH, while Mote members can get a sneak peek on OCT 6^TH and 7^TH. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s inside that super unique building! 🐟 

• As I mentioned at the top, we’re working on our 2026 Sarasota dining book. Looking around the office, it’s hard not to notice that we have some extra 2025s that would love a new home. I guess this is going to be something like a book adoption!  These books deserve a new glovebox or coffee table to reside in/on. If you would like to welcome one in, we would be most grateful. We will draw 6-8 names at random. – HERE’S A LINK TO ENTER! 

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🗓️ SARASOTA FOOD INFO🗓️ 

Here is some local food information that we think you might find interesting. We’ve provided you with a link to more info. 

📖 BUY A COPY OF OUR 2025 SARASOTA DINING BOOK! – ORDER HERE 📖 

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🧑‍🌾 FARMER’S MARKET INFO ‍🌾 

EVERY SUNDAY – Siesta Key Farmer’s Market – DETAILS 

EVERY SUNDAY – Farmer’s Market at Lakewood Ranch – DETAILS 

EVERY SUNDAY – The Meadows Farmer’s Market – DETAILS 

EVERY WEDNESDAY – The Phillippi Farmhouse Market (Oct-Apr) – DETAILS 

EVERY THURSDAY – Englewood Farmer’s Market (Oct-May) – DETAILS 

EVERY SATURDAY – Sarasota Farmer’s Market – DETAILS  

EVERY SATURDAY – Downtown Bradenton Public Market – DETAILS 

EVERY SATURDAY – Venice Florida Farmer’s Market – DETAILS 

THIRD THURSDAY EVERY MONTH – UTC Night Market – DETAILS 

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Get information on 350+ Sarasota restaurants on the dineSarasota.com website 

Did you miss a story? Here are some of our past Bites – SB ARCHIVE 

Do you love our A Burger A Week pieces? – HERE’S THE FULL ARCHIVE 🍔 

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Oyster cover photo by Oskar Kadaksoo on Unsplash 

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JUST IN CASE YOU MISSED SOMETHING…