Sarasota Thanksgiving Dinner
 

Will be spending week of Thanksgiving on Siesta Key. Looking for a nice restaurant in the area for Thanksgiving dinner.. Any great hotels offer bufet/dinner? Also,I know weather varies, but how cool/warm can we expect? Thanks

Call Summerhouse on Siesta Key NOW!!!

Beautiful place and wonderful Thanksgivivg nenu!

It's cooler, but unless a cold front comes through expect high 70's to low 80's.

Welcome to our paradise and enjoy your stay! :-)


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I don't know how much you want to spend, but I'd suspect the greatest hotel offering buffet/dinner would be the Ritz Carlton, downtown by the bay.

Anybody who is going to predict Thanksgiving weather beyond saying anywhere from the 40s to the high 80s is just taking a wild shot. My first Thanksgiving ever to Ft. Myers after my parents moved down we had a frost killing much of their new landscaping! But more often than not it's in the 60's or 70's in Naples/Ft. Myers. Maybe 5 to 10 degrees cooler in Sarasota.

Booked Summerhouse for dinner.. RItz Carlton $95 per person and that's a bit high for 7 of us... Any more suggestions

If you want more suggestions for dinner on Siesta Key, try Maximo's in the Village.

It's a fusion of African/Italian cooking. The owner, a good friend of mine, was born in South Africa to Italian immigrants. There are some straight Italian and African dishes as well. Very nice place on a side street with an outdoor patio. He has few outdoor fireplaces and heat lamps (if needed) so it it very comfortable even on a cooler evening. Great wine selection.

Down the street from Maximo's in a corner of a little shopping strip mall in the village (across the street from Best Western) you'll find Blase Cafe. Very nice, mid priced menu, good food, nice jazzy atmosphere, indoor/outdoor, beautiful full service bar and a lounging area with comfortable couches for after dinner aperitifs.

And finally for fun dining there is always Daiquiry Deck, the usual fish/hamburger/chicken stuff. It's a big place right in the middle of the village. They serve dozen+ different (overpriced IMHO) daiquiries.

Nightlife in the village:

More mature clientele (30+ on the average) go to the NEW and IMPROVED Beach Club. Very nice and classy place that has live music ranging from Reggae to Jazz and everything in between, but no head banging.

By the time you will be here, my favotite hangout place, the Speakeasy should re-open after major renovations. It's also in the Village (almost across the street from Blase Cafe. On any given night the clientele ranges from 21 to 50. It's mostly locals but tourists like it too. Live music on many nights, a pool table. I was told I would not recognize the place once it opens again as the owner is spending BIG bucks. We'll see. It also has a beautiful, big fireplace right in the middle of the room. It really is inviting on the few chilly nights we get here during winter. Plus I worked out a deal with the owner to &quot;dip&quot; in on their firewood supply for my place. Each year they get a truckfull delivered, so it's really cheap. Nice little benefit for me.

Enjoy your stay!

$95 a head, huh? Wow. Well you did say a &quot;great hotel&quot;. LOL

The Colony resort on Long Boat Key has a big Thanksgiving dinner. I haven't been for several years.

I'll see if I can find my report on Michael's on East Thanksgiving some years ago. It was pretty hilarious as the crowd included many elderly with their nurses...cleavage abounding. :-))
LMF

Hmmm? Abounding from the elderly or from their nurses, LMF?

The Colony is a great idea. I'm not normally into buffets, but their buffet brunch is really wonderful, everything kept hot and fresh, and many special dishes. Not sure if the Thanksgiving one would be a buffet or ala carte.

Here is a link to my thoughts on Michael's on East on Thanksgiving a few years ago. Highly entertaining and good food
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http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34383616