Eat & Drink: A Tale of Two Main Streets

By Rick Dakan

A main street expresses its town’s character, offering visitors a sampling of the whole community, a walking tour of what makes it unique. Above a certain size, cities don’t have them – they have shopping districts or main drags or waterfronts. But Sarasota County has two exemplary versions of the Main Street: one in downtown that’s busier than ever, and the other in Lakewood Ranch, which offers a carefully curated version of the classic form.

Downtown Sarasota’s Main Street is booming, and only longtime locals will remember when it was a moribund collection of empty storefronts and plentiful free parking. With apartment buildings and hotels springing up on every corner, new restaurants and bars continue to crowd in with enticing offerings, while old favorites keep on doing what’s made them great for decades. Lakewood Ranch was once the epicenter of growth in the area, a place that didn’t even exist until the end of the last century. Its Main Street was built from whole cloth, a unified, manicured few blocks of wide sidewalks and piped-in background music. 

Both are anchored by movie theaters at one end, both get insanely crowded during big events, and both offer some great options for eating before, after, or during the show.

Breakfast

For kickstarting your day, Sarasota’s Main street has Pastry Art (1512 Main St) for a quick morning meal, which is several cuts above the chain cafe experience, and Lakewood Ranch has a Starbucks (8155 Lakewood Main St) for those on the go. But the real Lakewood treat is Station 400 (8215 Lakewood Main St). A sister location to the original restaurant in downtown (a third location is opening in the Landings Plaza on South Tamiami Trail), Station 400 is one of the best breakfasts in town, whichever one you choose. The truffle eggs benedict is the way to go, but there are plenty of pancake, egg, and other choices. For Sarasota, there are a lot of options, including the venerable First Watch, but when I have time for leisurely service and great food, I pick C’est la Vie (1553 Main St). The long-running patisserie’s crepes and omelettes are always great, but I’m a sucker for a good Croque Madame and an extra croissant on the side.

Lunch

Almost everything’s open for lunch on both Main Streets, so there’s maximum choice here. Each downtown has Nancy’s Bar-B-Q (8141 Lakewood Main St and 301 S Pineapple Ave) which is always a good choice, but I often go for Italian when I can’t choose between so many options. Sarasota’s Cafe Epicure (298 N Palm Ave, at the corner of Main Street) has been serving authentic, stylish Italian food since 2000, and has an impressive array of charcuterie options, but I always come back for the Spaghetti Carbonara, which few other places do right. Lakewood Ranch’s Italian offering is just as strong and stylish; Main Street Trattoria (8131 Lakewood Main St) makes a good carbonara too, but I like the pizza and sandwich offerings there for lunch.

Dinner

Lakewood Ranch’s restaurants offer about one of every basic cuisine for dinner: Italian, Japanese, Mexican, seafood, and classic Americana all have good options, but Paris Bistrot (8131 Lakewood Main St) captures the essence of this main street’s experience. It’s cozy, classy, and welcoming, with classic french fare that’s both familiar and special. The cassoulet and bouillabaisse are the ultimate fine dining comfort food for me. Sarasota, on the other hand, is rich in fine dining options from one end of Main Street to the other, with at least a dozen delicious options. One of my favorite local gems is Melange (1568 Main St), which features an inspired and creative menu. Treat yourselves to one of their monthly Crafted Dinners, 5-course dinners with paired wines and spirits to match the unique themes.