Pictured: The luxury dining experience at The Whitman. Photo Courtesy of Bal Harbour Shops Access Pop-Up.

Throughout April, don’t miss the opportunity to dine at The Whitman, the restaurant concept inside the Bal Harbour Shops Access Pop-Up, which has set up camp at University Town Center. The Pop-Up is like a miniature version of the famous Bal Harbour luxury shops in Miami, inviting Sarasotans to shop, relax and enjoy some tasty fare.

The Whitman is the Pop-Up’s restaurant concept, which is headed up by Executive Chef Mark Levy. The restaurant takes its name from The Whitman by The Sea, which was a luxury Miami hotel owned by one of Bal Harbour’s current proprietors. “The idea was to create an all-day menu. We’re open from 11am to 8pm, so we have to have a large balance of items. Constellation Culinary Group, the people who are running the food element of this whole pop-up, identified the need for Latin flair and Miami flavor within the menu,” Levy says. “For example, in the salads, there’s quite a few occurrences of spices and chile and South American flavor.” He recommends the ceviche, with shrimp, octopus, scallops, avocado, Serrano chiles and leche de tigre, which has celery root, elderflower and lime juice, as a unique appetizer. The lobster fritters are also divine and are perfect for dipping in the accompanying Calabrian chili aioli. For an entree, the Whitman burger, consisting of an 8oz. beef patty, lettuce, tomato, onion, aged cheddar cheese and the special Whitman sauce on a brioche bun is a classic. It’s served with a generous portion of French fries that’s ideal for sharing. Chef Levy also suggests sampling the octopus or the fettucini with spiny lobster, one of the more high-end options. Save room for dessert and enjoy the blood orange panna cotta with pistachio crumble, orange and rose water, which is a light yet flavorful way to end a meal.

You can dine at The Whitman for lunch, brunch, happy hour, dinner and even afternoon tea. Check their website for a full schedule of these services. Indoor and outdoor seating is available, but wherever you choose to enjoy your meal, you’ll feel as though you’ve been whisked away to the tropics of Miami. “Come, sit down,” Levy adds, “and have a little taste of Miami.”

The Whitman at the Bal Harbour Shops Access Pop-Up, 297 N. Cattlemen Rd., Sarasota, balharbourshopspopup.com.

Pictured: The luxury dining experience at The Whitman. Photo Courtesy of Bal Harbour Shops Access Pop-Up.

The Whitman