DINING

Ticket Editor: 5 new restaurants to try in Sarasota area, from hot chicken to Indian food

New restaurants in Sarasota, Bradenton and Venice to eat burgers and wings, hot chicken sandwiches, Indian food, N.Y. Jewish deli favorites and more.

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Hot Chikn Kitchn, which specializes in Nashville-style hot chicken sandwiches, recently opened its first Sarasota location.

You gotta love fall in Florida, especially here in Sarasota and Manatee counties where we celebrate the start of cooler weather by feasting on one of the Sunshine State's most famous foods. Yes, stone crab season started Oct. 15 and I was in the historic commercial fishing village of Cortez dining on delicious claws that very afternoon for my recent story on the "best local seafood restaurants serving fresh Florida stone crab."

In fact, many of the places you'll want to visit for claws and other tasty seafood plucked straight from the Gulf of Mexico are among the best waterfront restaurants in Sarasota, on Anna Maria Island and, yes, in Cortez overlooking north Sarasota Bay.

12 best local seafood restaurants serving fresh Florida stone crab

Best waterfront restaurants in Sarasota: and what to eat and drink there!

Best waterfront restaurants on Anna Maria Island:and what to eat and drink there!

In addition to visiting the many excellent seafood restaurants in Sarasota and Manatee, fall is also an ideal time to dine at one of the newly opened places in the area. Because we all know how traffic will increase after the holidays when all the snowbirds and tourists come here to escape their dreadful winters up north!

So let's take a look back at five of the most exciting restaurant openings of the past month or so. You'll find new places to try in Sarasota as well as Bradenton and Venice. These restaurants, which were initially reported on by my colleagues Jimmy Geurts and Lee McCall, serve everything from New York-style deli food to Indian cuisine.

Best waterfront restaurants in Cortez Village: and what to eat, drink there!

Best waterfront restaurants in Venice area:and what to eat, drink and there!

Best waterfront restaurants in Bradenton:and what to eat and drink there!

Ticket Newsletter:Sign up to receive restaurant news and reviews plus info on things to do every Friday

Meshugana now serving New York-style Jewish deli food in Sarasota

For those of us who crave genuine New York-style Jewish deli cuisine, there is now Meshugana Deli. Open since Oct. 25, the to-go deli at 6609 Superior Ave. in Sarasota invites folks to try some authentic Jewish deli sandwiches by placing your order at meshuganafla.com for pickup or stop by to place an order. Meanwhile, Sarasota's Jewish soul food maven Sol Shenker likely won't be opening his deli, in the former Overton spot in the Rosemary District, until early next year. He originally hoped to open this fall.

Continue reading: New to-go restaurant serving Jewish deli food opening in Sarasota

Turmeric Indian restaurant opens in downtown Sarasota

Turmeric Indian Bar & Grill is at 1001 Cocoanut Ave. in Sarasota. The location has housed numerous restaurants and bars over the years, with Broadway Bar remaining perhaps the best known.

For years, Broadway Bar at 1001 Cocoanut Ave., near downtown Sarasota and the Rosemary District by the Broadway Promenade anchored by Publix, ranked as one of my favorite watering holes. In 2014, it reopened as the equally appealing Starlite Room, then was briefly a couple of Mexican restaurants before going vacant. Now, though, the handsome, brick, multi-story building appears primed for a comeback with the recent opening of Turmeric Indian Bar & Grill. Led by Chef Sarabjit Singh, the restaurant notes that its food is "cooked with traditional methods and passion" and "the regional specialties are the same that are served at the best tables in India." For more information, visit turmericsarasota.com.

Continue reading:A new Indian food restaurant opening in landmark downtown Sarasota building

Blue Surf American Grill opens in Bradenton

Blue Surf American Grill is at 5820 Ranch Lake Blvd., Bradenton.

Located at 5820 Ranch Lake Blvd. in east Bradenton near Lakewood Ranch, Blue Surf American Grill serves an enticing mix of seafood and pasta dishes, as well as salads and sandwiches. Plus, you can build your own pizza or opt for an artisan flatbread. They also serve craft cocktails, such as the Pumpkin Spice Moscow Mule that they posted to social media on Oct. 21. For more information, visit facebook.com/BlueSurfAmericanGrill.

Continue reading:American grill with seafood and craft cocktails opens between Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch

Nashville-style Hot Chikn Kitchn
restaurant opens in Sarasota

Hot Chikn Kitchn's menu offers chicken sandwiches, tenders, wings and more, with sides such as crinkle-cut fries, fried pickles and mac-and-cheese.

Fans of Nashville-style hot chicken sandwiches will want to try this fast-casual joint dubbed Hot Chikn Kitchn. Founded in Virginia, the first Florida location recently opened at 2045 Bahia Vista St. in Sarasota. In addition to the hot chicken sandwich, popular items include the loaded fries and chicken & waffles. For more information, visit hotchiknkitchn.com.

Continue reading:Nashville-style hot chicken restaurant opens first Florida location in Sarasota

Sarasota-based Food + Beer opens first Venice location

Left to right: Kona Blue, Double Cheeseburger and the Down the Hatch burgers at Food + Beer, which has two locations in Sarasota, one in Bradenton, and now a new one in Venice.

One of my favorite restaurants, the locally owned Food + Beer recently opened its first Venice location (at 301 S. Tamiami Trail), following two in Sarasota and one in Bradenton. I'm a big fan of their burgers, wings, and chicken sandwiches — and just about everything else on their menu, teeming with cleverly produced comfort foods including their hand-cut fries showered with Old Bay and blackening seasoning. For more information, visit eatfooddrinkbeer.com.

Continue reading:One of the best restaurants in Sarasota, Bradenton opening new location

Who lives here? 21 celebrities with homes in Sarasota and Manatee

More recent columns by Wade Tatangelo about restaurants in Sarasota, Bradenton and Venice

Wade Tatangelo is Ticket Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and Florida-Georgia Regional Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. He can be reached by email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.