Sarasota restaurants snubbed by Southern Living magazine: Here's what we're going to do!
Southern Living has a long, rich history dating back to the 1960s, and in recent years, the magazine has been quite kind to many of the best restaurants and bars in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
In fact, just last month, Southern Living chose the Venice landmark Sharky’s on the Pier for its story "The 12 Best Beach Bars in Florida for Sun, Surf, and Stiff Drinks." Last summer, Southern Living selected three Sarasota-Manatee restaurants for its story "The 15 Best Seafood Dives in Florida."
However, Sarasota restaurants were snubbed by Southern Living in the magazine's latest article spotlighting the Sunshine State's top dining spots.
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No Sarasota-Manatee spots included in Southern Living list of Florida's '17 most legendary restaurants'
Southern Living published "Florida's 17 Most Legendary Restaurants" earlier this month, and I immediately clicked on it, hoping to find at least one place from Sarasota or Manatee counties. Nope. Nothing. Zero eateries from Sarasota, Bradenton, or Venice made the cut.
Famous restaurants from Naples, Panama City, Pensacola, and West Palm Beach were all featured, as well as dining destinations much closer to Sarasota and Bradenton, such as St. Petersburg and Tampa. In fact, Tampa culinary legend Columbia Restaurant is included, but there is no mention of its more beautiful Sarasota sister restaurant, which has been the gem of St. Armands Circle since 1959 and continues to elate guests today with its outstanding Cuban cuisine and service. That sounds pretty legendary to me.
What does Southern Living consider a 'legendary" restaurant?
Of course, I can appreciate Southern Living choosing Columbia's more historic Tampa location, billed as the oldest in Florida, for its list of the most legendary restaurants in the Sunshine State. The author of the article, Kelsey Glennon, notes, "These 17 iconic eateries serve as living landmarks of culture, history, and cuisine." Well, we have quite a few of those in Sarasota and Manatee counties, not including our Columbia on St. Armands Circle.
Legendary restaurants in Sarasota, Bradenton and all of Florida
Sarasota landmark Hob Nob Drive-In recently closed after 67 years in business, but I have plenty other local restaurants to recommend for those seeking a "legendary" dining experience. In fact, this summer I plan to revisit the historic restaurants in Sarasota and Manatee that I wrote about back in 2021.
From those lists and recent dining experiences, I should be able to craft a pretty good list of the most legendary restaurants in Sarasota-Manatee. Next, perhaps I can convince my colleagues on our USA TODAY Florida Dining & Entertainment Team — which recently featured a list of the best doughnut shops in the state — to collaborate on our own list of the most legendary restaurants in Florida.
One thing is for sure: Unlike Southern Living, our list will not include Dockside Seafood Restaurant in Jacksonville because, as my esteemed colleague Gary Mills of Florida Times-Union informed me: "Their pick for 'legendary' for our market isn't even five years old — and their description places it in the wrong location."
We will do better.
Wade Tatangelo is Ticket Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and Florida Regional Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota restaurants snubbed by Southern Living magazine
