Ringside Restaurant — Restaurant in Sarasota

We went to check out the new hotel and restaurant on Lido Beach, what used to be the Holiday Inn. We took the free Bay Runner bus from downtown Sarasota to right in front of the  hotel overlooking the beach. The hotel looks nice and modern. The room prices are $400 to $1,200 a night. Ouch. The restaurant, Ringside, has very big black and white circus photos from the days of the Ringling winter quarters. The menu is limited but interesting. Prices are not cheap but in line with a restaurant of this style and location. We had the baked Brussel sprouts as appetizer.   A delicious large portion, enough for 4, baked crispy with some nuts and pomegranate seeds. Did not really notice the described smoked bacon. My wife then had the Gulf grouper with baby potatoes and a nice salad. Beautifully presented.   She found the grouper too salty for her taste. I had the scallops. Three big ones perfectly cooked with risotto and a very few  green beans pieces. The plate was decorated with a saffron beurre blanc. The color was beautiful, over the top, orange yellow. Not the color you get from just saffron. Probably added anatto color extract. Our friends had some fluffy bread rolls and dipping sauces for the table. Then a seafood cocktail of crab and lobster, some mango and caviar. Beautifully presented. Also a beautiful Ahi tuna decorated with various baby peppers. Overall conclusion. A pleasant surprise. Easy to get to with the free bus. Follow it up with a walk on the beautiful beach, across the street, to...

Ringside looks the part — clean, stylish, cool furniture, good cocktails, and a really thoughtful design vibe. Our waitress was fantastic — friendly, attentive, and honestly the highlight of the night.

Unfortunately, everything else kind of fell flat. We were barely greeted by the hostess, who told in passing that someone would be there in a moment. A little eye contact and a smile would have been a better first impression.

Looking forward to some quality steaks only to find out there were no strips or ribeyes available — apparently some “vendor issue.” Okay, things happen. But the charcuterie board told the real story: cheese with zero flavor (even the blue), and martini olives that claimed to be stuffed with blue cheese but tasted like… olives.

The special — a 6oz strip with a lobster cake — sounded promising. What arrived was a super thin steak (pretty sure it was just one steak sliced in half), overcooked, and fatty / strongly from the first bite. The “lobster cake” tasted like 100% cake, 0% lobster, and 200% seasoning. I stopped eating.

In the end, it felt like a hotel restaurant trying hard to look fancy while quietly cutting corners on ingredients. Pretty space, great waitress, but flavor-wise — the lights were on and nobody was home. A bit of a pooper to end what had been a great day visiting our son at college. Not sure tonight matched...

What a beautiful restaurant and hotel! Opened only a few months ago. Themed with Barnum and Bailey Circus in mind, since they are historically tied to Sarasota. The hallway mimics the interior of a railroad car, replicas of historic photos of the circus performers, striped awnings, Great Gatsby details in the decor and fabrics. Brilliant. The Midway bar in the lobby was a mandatory first stop for some inventive custom cocktails. The food and service were also both just as extraordinary. The cauliflower appetizer was flavorful and exotic at the same time…charred, pomegranate seeds, and wonderful. For entrees, the scallops were immaculate with a farro side and tasty sauce. I was in the mood for a steak, but not their enormous ribeye. I went for the 14oz NY strip with a crust and creamy mashed potatoes, pickled onions and charred Brussel sprouts. That was the right choice! Cooked to perfection. No room for dessert but that did not stop us! The Pot de Crème… insane! Macerated cherries, whipped cream and the richest, thickest chocolate mousse ever!! Ooof!...