Captain Brian's Seafood Market & Restaurant Joins Nosh

The man. The legend. Our first official SRQ Nosh partner. As this is our first foray into the world of content marketing, we found it only reasonable to drive to his place on North Tamiami Trail to celebrate in an appropriate fashion (read: ask him as many questions as he would allow). What he told us made us love him even more. Captain Brian's Seafood Market & Restaurant started 32 years ago this September, a milestone that his restaurant will be celebrating. Considering the amount of change our region has faced since 1983, we immediately acknowledge that he must be doing something right. For 11 of those years, he's been in his current location just north of the airport. Being so close to planes has its benefits, namely, flying in the freshest seafood you can imagine. Especially lobsters.

Walking into the restaurant, guests are greeted by a tank full of feisty Maine lobsters, each with gargantuan claws. "We run a special everyday on a lobster dinner," said Brian, pulling an enormous lobster from the tank. "Guests seated before 5:30 can order a whole steamed lobster and a side for $17.95. You don't see deals like that around town every day." Nope. You sure don't. We immediately scribbled "GO TO CAPTAIN BRIAN'S NEXT WEEK BEFORE 5:30PM" in our day planners. 

Rounding the corner to check out his impressive display of fish, oysters, clams and shelves full of gourmet and specialty ingredients, it's clear that all you need to do is walk through the door for inspiration to cook your own seafood feast at home. If you'd rather relax and have your meal prepared for you, he's got that covered, too. "Everything on the salad bar is homemade. We do our own dressings and you'd be surprised how much of a difference that makes for flavor." The salad bar is a new addition to the restaurant and is a point of pride for the good captain.

As we sat at the bar Brian told us about his most recent change to the restaurant. "In December, we added in a full bar. We now serve cocktails in addition to beer and wine," he said. Nodding to an automated system behind the bar he told us about his decision to invest in a computerized system to serve as his bar back. With thousands of drink recipes programmed and ready at the touch of a button, every pour is consistent and keeps his staff's focus on preparing great meals.

A large saltwater fish tank serves as the dining room's focal point. "Large" might be a misrepresentation. Brian tells us the exact size--16 feet long by four feet wide by three feet tall. His idea was to have the tank serve as a room divider between tables. Holding 1,500 gallons of water, this is not an ordinary pet store fish tank. "I clean it myself," says Brian, proving that he is more than the owner of the market and restaurant. He is clearly the Captain.

The SRQ Nosh team looks forward to bringing you more information on Captain Brian's Seafood Market and Restaurant throughout the year. Look for his Kitchen Confidential profile in the September 2015 issue of SRQ Magazine and other bites of information on SRQ Daily and on our website.

Get a Table
Captain Brian's Seafood Market & Restaurant
8412 North Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL  34243
941-351-4492
captainbriansseafood.com