Visitors to the area are afforded a different view than residents in that they tend to begin exploration from their hotel lobby and go from there. Jack Dusty at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota has done a phenomenal job enticing locals to enjoy craft cocktails and coastal cuisine in a stunning, nautically-themed dining room and lounge filled with natural light and the convivial sounds of satisfied patrons. The bar at Jack Dusty is helmed by Ingi Sigurdsson, a passionate and knowledgeable chef-turned-bartender whose palette is enhanced by his palate. Go to the bar and order a Scotch on the rocks or the ubiquitious Cosmopolitan and you won’t be disappointed, but the experience of imbibing one of Sigurdsson’s cocktail creations is not to be missed. Sigurdsson is a born storyteller, but when you first meet him you could be forgiven for thinking him shy. Ask for an explanation regarding his choice to include an obscure classic such as “The Last Word” on the bar menu and watch him come alive as he describes his own discovery of this once forgotten gem. You’ll be fascinated by his words and mesmerized by his hands as he measures and pours and tastes as he speaks. “The Last Word” consists of Beefeater Gin, Luxardo Maraschino Cherry Liquor, Green Chartreuse, and fresh lime juice. Ask Sigurdsson about Green Chartreuse. He will regale you with tales of Carthusian Monks and ancient secret recipes. The first time I met Sigurdsson he was a guest behind the bar at another Sarasota restaurant favorite, Made, which is run by chef and owner Mark Woodruff. The two collaborated with Paulette Koch Callender of The Spice and Tea Exchange for an Iron Chef-style dinner presentation in which Koch provided spices for use in Woodruff’s cooking and Sigurdsson’s drink making. I watched in awe as Koch presented Sigurdsson with ingredients like rooibos tea and gingered sugar. With only a few minutes to consider, and a bar full of all eyes on him, Sigurdsson began to create a cocktail without missing a beat, chatting and answering questions in his focused easy manner as he worked. The Ritz-Carlton has a sterling reputation in the world of staid traditionalist hospitality, but Jack Dusty’s hip and trendy vibe and the inspired vision of people like Sigurdsson are shaking that perception up and serving up a new attitude.
Next door at The Hyatt Regency Sarasota, Executive Chef Kory Foltz has launched a new menu for the new year. He and his team are like a beautiful bevy of swans gliding along the top of the water, but paddling furiously beneath the surface. There’s a balletic grace to the movements of this kitchen that produce breakfast, lunch, dinner, poolside and room service, as well as catering multiple banquets on any given day. Chef Kory is quick to give credit to his colleagues and to deflect any direct praise–he is interested in a collaborative hands-on experience and like all good leaders he commands a quiet respect. Having transferred here from the Grand Hyatt in Tampa Bay, Chef Kory is a big fan of Sarasota. He speaks highly of the beauty of the area, the cool food scene, and the small town feel, all of which are nice for a family man with two children and one on the way. Chef Kory’s dad was a good cook and he has carried on the tradition of involving your children in the kitchen from a young age with his nine-year-old daughter who makes a mean omelet. The Hyatt’s new menu reflects a commitment to locally-sourced ingredients and rustic, homey comfort food with the requisite artistic upscale twist prevalent in fine dining eateries in larger cities. Not content to perform strictly within the confines of his hotel kitchen, Chef Kory has partnered with Sprout, All Faiths Food Bank’s mobile farm market that brings fresh fruit and produce to local communities and provides “tasting tables” and recipes demonstrated by local chefs who volunteer their time and expertise.
Across the street at the Hotel Indigo there’s magic afoot. Chef Solomon Shenker and his merry band of chef operators and induction burners are whipping up a culinary feat the likes of which legends are written. When Hotel Indigo opened over eight years ago, it was Sarasota’s first boutique hotel concept and we weren’t sure what to make of the 95-room property with its wading pools and sky blue interiors. Oversized Adirondack chairs lent the lobby an air of whimsy as did giant murals of sea glass and blueberries. General Manager Leslie Power quickly established the Hotel Indigo as a fixture in Sarasota’s community, partnering with various local charities and non-profit organizations and sponsoring local events and organizations from the Van Wezel to the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. The one element that seemed a tad underwhelming was the restaurant, which served salads, sandwiches and entrées designed more for sustenance than satisfaction. A couple of years ago Leslie and her team determined the restaurant needed to be more of a focal point and Chef Sol blew in like a hurricane.
The tiny kitchen has become a well-oiled machine. Chef Sol makes New York Cheesecake fresh every day and launched nightly specials like fresh gulf seafood cioppino and an 18-mushroom bisque, both of which are garnering attention from local foodies and hotel guests alike. Chef Sol hails from Kings Point, Long Island and studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. He’s quickly grown accustomed to the gentler pace of Florida life, at least when he’s on Lido Beach with his beautiful wife, Marta. Chef Sol and the restaurant team at Hotel Indigo have focused their attention on sourcing local ingredients whenever possible and sticking to seasonal influences–he is particularly enthusiastic about his herb garden. A recent buiding renovation gives him the ability to dim the lighting in the restaurant to enhance the ambience of the hotel’s Bistro which is now worthy of that moniker.
The next time you’re thinking of where to eat don’t forget that the restaurants at these three hotels are a firm part of our vibrant, braggable, dining scene. There aren’t many smaller cities that can boast hotels with such chef-driven, local, creative cuisine and downtown Sarasota has three within a one mile radius of each other. SRQ
PHOTOGRAPHY BY EVAN SIGMUND
