SARASOTA-BRADENTON, FL — Here’s the latest bar and restaurant news in Sarasota and Manatee counties:
Siesta Key Seafood Restaurant Expands with New Location
A Siesta Key seafood restaurant has expanded with a second location further inland.
Happy Clams and Hams, a restaurant, seafood market, and deli, opened June 8 at 4110 Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune said.
Scott Dolan, who’s also owned Big Water Fish Market on Midnight Pass Road Siesta Key for the past 15 years, partnered with Carlyle Veale and Brian Paetsch on the expanded business, that offers deli sandwiches in addition to seafood, the report said.
"(Carlyle) has an Italian background and her kind of a dream is to do an Italian-style deli, so we combined the two concepts," Dolan said.
Restaurants in Sarasota and Manatee recognized by Wine Spectator
Sixteen restaurants in Sarasota and Manatee counties were honored by Wine Spectator’s 2026 Restaurant Awards, which recognizes the world’s best restaurants for wine.
The following local restaurants were among the 4,012 from around the world that landed on this year’s list:
Savor Sarasota Generated $1.02 Million in Revenue
This year’s Savor Sarasota two-week restaurant prix-fixe dining promotion coordinated by Visit Sarasota County earlier in June generated more than $1 million in revenue, the agency said.
In its 21st year, the initiative saw diners sit down for 6,532 lunches and 18,934 dinners at 68 participating restaurants, totaling 25,466 meals and $1,015,330 in combined revenue, Visit Sarasota County said.
Across Sarasota County from UTC to downtown to South County including Englewood and North Port, guests enjoyed two-course lunches for $25 and three-course dinners for $45 per person.
"Savor Sarasota started as a smart solution for the summer slowdown, and twenty-one years later, it has become one of our community's most exciting culinary events,” Erin Duggan, the agency’s president and CEO, said. “What impresses me every year is how our chefs and restaurateurs keep raising the bar. The attention to every detail: creative menus, the thoughtful wine pairings, and creating special cocktails, all designed to give guests a truly special dining experience. I am just so proud of this incredible group of hospitality professionals!"
Fifty-six restaurants are continuing their promotions through at least the end of June:
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