‘Get Your Clam On’ at Cortez Clam Factory

To simply refer to this bar’s food as “bar food” isn’t doing it justice.

John Medico, David Sadler and Randy Ellis, co-owners of , 10104 Cortez Rd., and former restaurateurs, seek to give patrons something more than wings, fries and burgers to stifle those post-boozing hunger pains.

But anything less than quality seafood won’t cut it for these guys. After all, the Clam Factory isn’t far from the historic , where locals know the difference between super and subpar seafood.

That’s why Clam Factory doesn’t mess around with the cheap stuff. It serves Joe Island clams, a locally raised product and one of the best. The stone crabs, like other seafood selections, are direct from Cortez itself. They buy local seafood, and rarely is any of it frozen.

Even the land food is made with care; the pulled pork is smoked on site for 14 hours.

But the Clam Factory is, in fact, a bar.

“We’re a bar first a foremost,” Ellis said. “But we have good prices, fair prices. And we have restaurant backgrounds, so there’s no manufactured food here. Anybody can do that. We make it from scratch.”

Clam Factory opens at 8 a.m. everyday. That’s when its 11-hour happy hour begins. Sixteen-ounce drafts are $1.50, domestic bottles $2.25 and wells $2.50. The beer selection is moderate; domestics, Stella Artois, AmberBock, Corona and Heineken, among others.

“It’s a working man’s bar,” Ellis said, noting its close ties with the old fishing village. But the Clam Factory does attract its share of tourists from the island in search of a slice of long departed old Florida.

Clam Factory occupies the equivalent of two storefronts in Bantam Plaza off Cortez Road. The interior is uniquely laid out with a rectangular-shaped bar that seats about 15 to the right of the entrance. Another smaller bar in the back center of the building, the “raw bar,” has bartenders and drinks along with a display of chilled clams, oysters and crab.

Wood paneled walls make up most of the interior. Maritime relics adorn the wall behind the main bar. Opposite the main bar is a dance floor and stage where live music abounds nightly. In the center are several tables and chairs.

The bar also includes a popcorn machine jukebox, pool table and seven flat-screen televisions. A closed-circuit TV advertises selections from the menu, future live gigs and other bar happenings mixed with photos of patrons.

Tuesday nights are prime time at the Clam Factory when local musicians join blues artist Buster Coles on stage for the weekly “Clam Jam.” The jams have become quite popular with musicians from here and beyond, thanks to Coles’ name in the music scene, Medico said.

“We’ll have whole bands come in. We’ve had 13 musicians up there and playing,” he said, rattling off a litany of instruments from the guitar to harmonica to Congo drums that have graced the stage of the Clam Factory.

There has been a bar at this location for several years, although Cortez Clam Factory came into existence about a year ago when the three stumbled upon this location, Ellis said.

IF YOU GO:

The Cortez Clam Factory is open from 8 a.m. until 2 a.m. seven days a week. It is smoking friendly and has live music every night. Visit www.clamfactory.com for more information.

AROUND BRADENTON THIS WEEKEND:

• Live music Friday night at the new Irish pub in downtown Bradenton. , 302 Old Main St., open from noon-2 a.m. seven days a week, has live music from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Friday from Scottish folk singer J.J. Smith. Smith specializes in Irish folk songs, many of which involve participation from the patrons. No cover.
• More live music Friday night from the Vin Lamar Band from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at , 425 Old Main St. The band plays some of Vin’s originals (he fronted the Sarasota band Stryker from 1992-2000) and covers. Check out www.vinlamar.com for more information. No cover charge.
• The first-ever Mac Fest, a music fest featuring several different bands, comes to Old Main Street this Saturday from 2-11 p.m. Music from Dangerous Dan Toler, Kettle of Fish, Michael Mac Band and more. Plenty to drink at Old Main Street’s bars during and after the event.
• Tequila Beach Sport Grille is hosting a party/fundraiser from 4-9 p.m. Saturday to benefit the Pink Ribbon Pirates, a participating team in this year's Relay For Life of Anna Maria Island (May 21-22). It will feature music from AMI's own Half Dub. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. You can also participate in their Best Bar in Bradenton Contest by voting for Tequila Beach or any of your favorite bars for just $1. The proceeds are going toward Relay for Life, put on by the American Cancer Society. View the attached PDF flyer for more details, or contact Crystal Evans at 941-465-0646 for more info.
• Enjoy a Sunday at , 1200 1^st Ave. W. Enjoy $4 Mimosas and Bloody Marys with brunch from 11-3 p.m. and stick around for live music from RPM from 5-8 p.m.
• If you’re a college student and you have your ID, , 6218 Cortez Rd. W., is the place to be on Tuesdays for $2 shots (bartender’s choice) and free pool from 8 p.m. until close. Happy Hour (4-7 p.m.) drink specials are for everyone: $2 wells, $2 domestic bottles and $1.50 16-oz. domestic drafts.