Restaurants & Bars
Restaurant News: Snowbirds Grille, Peru 941, Blasé Café & Martini Bar, Grandpa’s Schnitzel
Check out the latest bar, restaurant news in the Sarasota and Bradenton areas: Snowbirds Grille, Peru 941, Blasé Café, Grandpa's Schnitzel.
SARASOTA-BRADENTON, FL — Here's the latest restaurant and bar news in Sarasota and Manatee counties:
Snowbirds Grille Hosts Belated Ribbon Cutting
Though Snowbirds Grille at 4167 S. Tamiami Trail in Venice opened in November 2019 — about two-and-a-half years ago — the restaurant is hosting a belated ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration Tuesday at 4 p.m.
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Since 2019, the restaurant has postponed its grand opening three times.
“We were so busy that we decided to wait until after season to have our grand opening and chamber ribbon cutting celebration. Before season could end, COVID changed plans and we again had to postpone,” Snowbirds wrote on its Facebook page. “Once we started getting back to normal, the Publix renovation was in full swing and the walls next to us were literally coming down! We made the decision at that time to wait to celebrate until the Publix remodel was complete and that time in FINALLY here!!”
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To prepare for the Tuesday afternoon event, the restaurant will close Tuesday at 2 p.m.
“To recognize all that we’ve overcome in the past couple of years and to celebrate our team, we will be closing early to finally give Snowbirds Grille the Grand Opening it deserves,” the restaurant wrote. “Thank you for all of your support over the past couple of years and we look forward to serving you delicious Northern Favorites and Local Flavors for many years to come!!”
Its menu caters to those who visit and move to the Venice area from other parts of the country.
“Just like Snowbirds flock from many different places to come to Venice, FL, we take dishes from all over and make them as authentically and deliciously as possible and bring them all to one place,” according to the restaurant’s website.
The ribbon cutting is organized by the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce.
Peruvian Restaurant Opens In Downtown Sarasota
Peru 941 has opened in downtown Sarasota at 1537 Main Street. The space was formerly occupied by Wild Ginger Sushi & Asian Cuisine and Humay Sushi & Japanese Cuisine.
The new restaurant was opened by the owners of Humay, which opened last year and closed earlier this year. They also own Peruvian Grill on Clark Road and Maemi Peruvian Cuisine on 17th Street.
When Humay opened, it included some Peruvian dishes as specials and received positive feedback from customers, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.
“We decided to add some meals, little by little, trying to see the opinion from customers, and we had very good feedback,” manager Kenji Nagahama said. “We had the lomo saltado, we had the ceviche on the weekends sometimes, and it was good feedback from that. That’s why we decided to switch it to Peruvian.”
Siesta Key Café, Sister Business Sold
Siesta Key staples Blasé Café & Martini Bar and its sister business, 3.14 Pi Craft Beer & Spirits, have been sold after its owner, Cynthia Breslin, died from cancer last year.
Its new owners, including co-founder of Gecko’s Hospitality Group, Mike Quillen, also own the cocktail bar Cask & Ale in downtown Sarasota, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Quillen said that eventually they’ll rebrand Blasé Café, which opened in 1997, though it will retain its late-night, casual vibe.
“The place has been there a long time, and it’s a really cool, funky place," he told the Herald-Tribune. "But it just needs a lot of tender love and care, and someone to pay attention to it, as Cindy did for years and years and years.”
German Restaurant Opening In Sarasota
A native of Germany is bringing his culture’s authentic cuisine to Sarasota.
Maik Bischoff is opening Grandpa’s Schnitzel later this month in the former Burritos Mexican Grill location on Stickney Point Road. The eatery offers a menu that includes 15 kinds of schnitzel.
“I vacationed here and came to love Sarasota — the friendly people, the city, the country — but I couldn’t find any genuine German food so I decided to open Grandpa’s Schnitzel,” he told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
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