Eat & Drink: Slice of Paradise

Delicious dishes & drinks and the perfect paradise to partake
by Rick Dakan

THE BAHI HUT
4675 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34234
941.355.5141
Open Daily 4:30 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.

The Bahi Hut, located on Tamiami Trail not far from the Ringling Museum in front of the Golden Host Resort, has many reputations. Depending on when you came to Sarasota, your impression of it can be very different. Back in the 1950s, it was on the front of the new wave of Tiki bars sweeping across the country. Pictures from that era show bar patrons in suits and furs. The past six decades have been up and down for the Hut’s rep, but with a fresh new refurbishment and some exciting new cocktails, it’s a brand new era for this Sarasota landmark. paradiseparadise

That’s in large part thanks to the efforts of Scott Spear. Using his museum restoration background and a passion for Tiki, Scott (a graduate of Ringling College of Art and Design) and his fellow Ringling grad Steve Patmagrian, have poured hundreds of hours of love and expertise into restoring the Bahi Hut to its original style and charm. “This is one of the oldest tiki bars in the country,” explains Scott. “The intersection of the Tiki Bar and mid-century modern, Sarasota School of Architecture from 1954.”

Scott and Steve have been very precise with their restoration, guided by the classic beauty of the original space. “Much of the decor has been here since the 70s or earlier,” Scott says. “We did as much subtractive work inside as restoration. We added a few things but took away some of the less authentic decorations.” They also cleaned the smoke-stained glass panels, refurbished the entire front of the bar, and installed two huge new tikis, carved by a local artist on site from palm trees cut down in their parking lot. paradise paradise paradise paradise  paradise paradise paradise 

A key part of reviving the bar has been introducing more traditional, intricate Tiki cocktails. The Bahi Hut still has its infamous Mai Tais (limit two per customer), but the new craft cocktails really are something special. The Bahi Welcome is inspired by the Caribe Welcome, which became the Piña Colada. “It was created in 1949 by Ramon ‘Monchito’ Marrero,” Scott says. “Our version is a creamy blend of coconut and spiced rums, lime juice, a hint of apricot brandy, a hit of Bacardi 151 and some house-made grenadine.” It’s a much more subtle and balanced drink than your typical Piña Colada. It’s still sweet and it still packs a punch, but isn’t cloying.

The cocktails use locally made Siesta Key Rum from Drum Circle Distilling. In addition to the Bahi Welcome, there’s the Cobra’s Fang, which is an authentic version of the classic Don the Beachcomber drink, created in 1937. “We plan to introduce more,” Scott says. “There’s a lot more prep, a lot of “touches” to make the drink and some special ingredients.” 

The new drinks are great, but it’s the atmosphere that makes the Bahi Hut such a pleasure. Art is a big part of the Tiki Bar appeal, and the Bahi Hut has an eclectic mix of wood carvings from all over the world and some wonderful work from local artists. Famed pin-up artist Gil Elvgren lived on Siesta Key and was a regular. Legend has it that the portrait of the woman who lived next door to him (who modeled for many of his paintings) was inscribed to the Hut to settle his bar tab. Renowned illustrator Thornton Utz created the wonderful image of the iconic Bahi Hut sign, that still adorns t-shirts and menus.

That atmosphere got a whole lot more inviting now that there’s no smoking inside. It’s a friendly, diverse crowd of area locals and tourists. “You can come in and breathe,” says Scott. “The crowd has mellowed since we ended smoking, and the whole area of north 41 is reviving.” If you haven’t been in years (like me) or never been at all, now is the time to revisit the Bahi Hut.

OLEARY’S TIKI BAR & GRILL
5 Bayfront Dr., Sarasota, FL 34236
941.953.7505
Hours: Mon – Thurs: 8am – 10pm
Fri – Sat: 8am – 11pm
Entertainment: Mon – Sun: 12pm – 3pm
Sun – Thurs: 5pm – 9pm
Fri – Sat: 6pm – 10pm

If you prefer the open air for your Tiki atmosphere, there’s Oleary’s Tiki Bar & Grill located on a prime waterfront location in Sarasota’s bayfront. There isn’t the history or the style at Oleary’s, but there is all that water. Along with live music and plenty of outdoor seating, this is a more family-friendly venue (with playgrounds in the adjacent park). In addition to the view, Oleary’s also has a large menu of casual fare: burgers, sandwiches, wraps, and some straightforward seafood offerings.

Want to get more taste-tempting ideas of where to dine next? Rick has his suggestions here.