When every diner walks through the doors of Comida,  the intimate Latin American restaurant on State Street, owner Monte Silva wants them to feel seen, heard, valued and appreciated. “We live in a high-tech, low-touch world,” says Silva, who opened Comida in June 2025, the first venture of his company Ten Tables Hospitality. “It’s harder to get people to care for one another. The best thing that a restaurant can do is make people feel important.” Silva, a long-time veteran of the hospitality industry, created Ten Tables Hospitality with business partner Mark Bodenstein with the intention of opening smaller, more customer-oriented restaurants. That intention led to Comida—and Silva’s first time as an owner—a restaurant that prioritizes the diner’s experience with every meal. “We want to come up with concepts that mean something to the community. We saw in Sarasota the opportunity for healthier, high-quality Latin American cuisine,” says Silva. “We created a 100% gluten free menu, we don’t use seed oils and we have vegan-vegetarian options as well.” Silva’s decision to prioritize his diners’ well-being is what makes Comida unique. The menu, which includes a raw bar, is elevated Latin American cuisine, with an emphasis on steakhouse proteins such as the cowboy crusted picanha, the prime espresso and chili crusted beef tenderloin and the succulent pork tenderloin. As is the case with many Latin American restaurants, however, the meal begins with a serving of guacamole.

Guacamole is, generally speaking, a solid litmus test for any diner at a Latin-inspired restaurant. In Comida’s case, the guacamole passes with flying colors. Chunky, cubed avocados are piled into a mound, adorned with micro radish and pico de gallo. A dusting of queso blanco adds a salty creaminess to the fresh, bright guacamole that pairs well with the bite of the red onion. Nestled throughout the mound are roasted tomatoes that bring an unctuous pop of flavor. No chips? No problem as the heirloom corn tortillas fill the void just fine while leaving you light on your feet as you continue on with the feast.

Comida’s raw bar comes to life with the chili and lime tuna crudo. Thin slices of fresh, fatty tuna line the plate, dressed with a hosh-posh of micro greens, jicama, cucumber and extra virgin olive oil. The tuna, as tasty as it is, however, is merely a vessel—the fish sits atop a viscous bath of mango and jalapeno juice, the sauce dotted with flecks of salsa matcha—each bite a symphony of sweet heat. The jicama, or Mexican turnip, combines with the lime juice to bring the acidity, balancing out the fattiness of the fish and the sweetness of the mango, while the jalapeno juice carries the dish home. 

The chicken tamale, with a citrusy salsa verde, cotija cheese, and red onion, is a newer creation, courtesy of one of the kitchen’s line cooks. “It has house-made masa with shredded chicken inside and sits on a bed of salsa verde,” says Silva. “Everything is made from scratch; there are no outside sauces or anything like that in our dishes.” The tamale itself is sturdy, yet comes apart easily with a fork, but the star of the show is the salsa verde. Vibrant and tangy, with a touch of heat, it’s a sauce that you’ll be happy to eat with the tamale—but would probably be alright with eating it on its own. The milanesa fried chicken, for example, is a dish that shows fried food does not have to feel heavy. Crispy, tender and well-seasoned chicken breast is pounded thin and fried golden brown, before it’s anointed with a tropical pineapple and mango salsa, pickled red onion and Comida mole. The slaw and pickled red onion give a floral ying and yang to the dish and the mole—more fruit-forward than chocolate—grounds the plate with a homey feel. 

Comida’s wild Farro Island king salmon operates like a three-tiered garage of flavor. In the middle level, is the salmon, seared for a crispy exterior, with an incredibly rich and buttery taste. On the bottom level is that salsa verde, the citrus-bomb that cuts through the flaky, almost indulgent tasting salmon. And on the top floor are slices of grapefruit, bringing a certain bite that balances out of the fattiness of the fish and the tangy kick of the salsa verde. 

If desserts are meant to be fun, then the passion fruit and coconut masa pudding felt like a playground on a plate. Vanilla and masala marinated fruits such as strawberries, mango and blueberries populate the dish. Nestled amongst the decorative flowers are mounds of the masa pudding—each dollop of pudding packs a zesty, piquant punch, the overtones of passionfruit coalescing with the smoothness of the coconut. The pudding is solid enough to stand on its own, with crumbly mounds and a velvety texture that melts in your mouth upon first bite.

In lieu of a full liquor license, Silva and the team at Comida had to get creative when designing their drink menu. As befitting of any steakhouse worth its salt, there is a formidable list of wines sourced primarily from South America, the United States and Spain. The cocktail—and ensuing mocktail—lists are where Silva really found room to play. Dale’s Campfire Old Fashioned, with madeira, Lyre’s malt, chocolate, walnut, angostura bitters and a smoked rosemary sprig, gives a similar whiskey taste of its hard liquor variant, but with notes of cocoa and an enriched sweetness. The Crimson Paloma brings the same profile of tequila, but substitutes it with Lyre’s agave and cava for a pungent cocktail. 

As for the mocktails, the “Not So” painkiller with Lyre’s spice cane, coconut, orange and pineapple juice offers a refreshing take on the classic dark rum cocktail from the Caribbean. “We have a lot of these mocktails for people who are trying to live a little healthier or have stopped drinking,” says Silva. “When I was younger, I got tired of seeing the only non-alcoholic option being a cranberry soda with a lime. That’s boring, that’s unimaginative, so we wanted to create non-alcoholic drinks that people would be glad to order and not feel like they’re sitting at the kids table.”