131 MAIN Restaurant — Restaurant in Sarasota

I wish I would have had time to bring my gimbal in and give this place a more detailed review but alas I did not.

So let’s begin, I am a fan of the location; seeing as Lakewood ranch is an up and coming area of wealth within Sarasota. Lots of new infrastructure has been tagging along with this rise of investment. This part of town has seen a lot of development in recent years. From UTC mall, Mote Marine, and other instillations, but I digress.

The 131 Main restaurant was interesting but perhaps more than a tad overhyped.

The music choices were a bit hit or miss for me but that only begins my mixed review of 131.

Its architecture is slick, beautiful, and ripe with exquisite paintings plastered in color. Much of what I enjoyed in this restaurant was the bar area. Seeing as the bar came stocked with a plethora of different liquors complemented with mirror backsplash it possessed flair. Beautiful.

The bathrooms on the other hand had a sickly/gloomy vibe which was a strange transition from the vibrant bar area.

Moving on to the dining hall, the low lighting while an interesting choice, it made the ability to read the menu quite difficult as the light was refracting into my eyes because of the overhead pinpoint style lights. Not a fan of having to hold the menu in a very strange angle to get a proper view.

The dining room floors between the kitchen and seating were quite slippery, as well as the flooring on the walk from the host stand to the back corner was slippery as well. Very difficult to keep my footing on. A bit of a hazard if you ask me.

Something interesting about this fine dining experience was the ability to look at the grill while the chefs were cooking. A nice touch. Another nice aesthetic touch was the candles throughout the inside. The building designer deserves high praise.

The staff was nice, good attire. They were very informed and attentive. They were well spoken and aware. They were a bit loud when cleaning other tables, the slams were abrupt at times while they tidied up. But small complaints overall, I recognize that some of my own overstimulation plays a part, seeing as there was a lot of noise in this restaurant.

Now, let’s get to the main course if you would. The food. Now, I’ve been to a plethora of different high end restaurants in Prague, Berlin, and San Juan Costa Rica. As well as many different luxury kitchens in the West coast of Florida.

For this restaurant to be charging the prices they are for the caliber of food, I personally feel is a great disservice to anyone who eats here. The “tortilla chips” were highly processed and lacking any spunk, the salsa was bland, the guac was weak, and the queso was confusing at best. The consistency of the queso was that of a chicken salad, that’s not queso.

The cornbread was bland and airy, its consistency got stuck in my throat and it did not have and distinctive qualities or flavors that enticed me. I’m thankful they allowed me to try different appetizers but they were both unsatisfactory.

In terms of silverware they have great choices for knives but the forks were simplistic. I disliked the size of the appetizer plates, they are petrie dishes smaller than your palm that cannot fit any food. Meh.

I had the grouper as my main entrée and it was dissatisfying. It tasted like chicken. It was seasoned with salt and pepper and that’s all I could really taste. The quinoa and kale was nothing to ride home about and I didn’t want to bother with the other side which I believe was prepackaged coleslaw.

Overall there is not much that could summon me back to this location. Perhaps as a bar to sip a drink at for a brief moment, once that moment is past I won’t find myself purchasing any of the food but I would be highly disappointed. If you have a well versed pallet such as myself, you will not...

First time here and very impressed with food, service and ambiance.

We were meeting up here with another couple who had been here before. The restaurant is standalone and there’s plenty of parking.

When we arrived we were greeted at the door and confirmed our reservations (they do that with everyone). We were early so retreated to the bar which is separate from the main dining area. There’s also a porch area with tables and some couches that’s got lots of windows and under air that can be opened up if the weather is nice. There’s seating for about twenty at the bar and also some booths. Bar staff were attentive and drinks were good. Bar was a little cold temperature wise but ok.

The restaurant itself seats about 300. The main dining room is probably 80% booths. There’s only a few tables that seat six in the entire restaurant. The kitchen is in the back of the main dining room and is open air so you can see the food coming out. The interior the restaurant is very nice and well laid out. The booth we were seated in was very comfortable and spacious. The noise level is also manageable so it was easy to have a conversation. Nice linens and tableware. We were seated adjacent to the kitchen, so it was nice to see the action, but it did not distract from the meal at all.

The staff here acts as a team and over the course evening we’ve probably saw five different people. We did have a main server. Regardless of who showed up any request that we had were immediately taken care of. One server even tracked down some “happy rocks” for us from the left over shake from a vodka martini.

One of their signature appetizers is the cast iron cornbread with green chilis jack and cheddar. It comes out in a little cast iron skillet. It’s nice piping hot with a side of honey. Very good with honey.

For entrées we ordered the Cedar Plank Salmon, the double cut pork chop, Grouper special, and the Danish Baby back ribs. The food came out in a timely manner and was well presented. Both fish dishes were cooked perfectly. A double cut pork chop could’ve fed at least two people was also cooked perfectly. The danish baby back ribs were mouthwatering. Overall, I thought the portions were large and I think two of us took leftovers home. During the meal staff checked on his regularly, and the general manager also stopped by our table.

I regret it now but we should have split the banana cream pie. One in our party wanted one for herself. It can easily serve four people. Needless to say it was very good and we took part of it home.

Overall, a five star experience. Staff was attentive, but not overbearing. Food was great. I can’t wait to try...

Had the pleasure of stopping by the new location in LWR - while they happened to be hosting a private friends and family soft opening this past weekend. What a pleasant surprise to be welcomed inside by the super nice manager, Dale, when he advised they had some available space, and were happy to get us a booth at the bar! We were then introduced to our servers who were all locals - Marjorie, Brian, and Hunter - after one of the management trainers from NC, named Mary, greeted us at our table. Every server assigned to us did a fantastic job answering all our questions, and explaining what dishes were their favorites. We enjoyed both of our starters, the CA style grilled artichokes and the double dip cold queso/guacamole with chips (although next time, I definitely want to try the famous cornbread skillet - saw one at a nearby table and it looked incredible!). We all ordered something different for dinner, so we could sample each dish. We split Caesar side style salads to begin, since we knew we were ordering four full entrees. Salad was tasty - homemade dressing and croutons with crisp romaine, perfect amount to share as well - outstanding. The four of us loved the hickory grilled baby back ribs and the 8 oz filet the most, both having that smoky grill flavor with just the right amount of char - but the rainbow trout and blackened chicken pasta were tasty too, just in different ways. The stand out favorite side was definitely the crispy, shoestring French fries, yum! And to finish, we over indulged big time, and shared the homemade key lime pie, the banana chocolate cream pie, and the warm brownie with nuts and ice cream. The favorite was surprisingly the key lime pie...something about that thick graham cracker crust with whole and crushed pecans - being local Floridians we wondered how a NC based restaurant could perfect what we've always loved about actually going to Key West where it's known to be famous - WOW!! You can definitely tell the ingredients are all fresh. 131 Main is a terrific addition to the restaurant choices that have been opening up here in Lakewood Ranch lately. We honestly can't wait...