The older I get, the less I feel giddy. It’s just not a common emotion for men like me on the wrong side of 40. I’m happy to report, however, that giddiness overcame me before, during, and after my first Kore experience.

The Korean barbecue restaurant in the new Waterside at Lakewood Ranch represents everything I love about dining out: inventive flavors, sizzling meats, and a bit of theater. My wife and I were at the Waterside Farmer’s Market when it first opened its doors. I was vegan at the time, and I distinctly remember standing across the street as a dance troupe performed and excitement swirled as I knew I wouldn’t be able to partake of the delicacies that lay within. I like to think that my eyes welled with soggy tears as joyous anticipation swirled around me.

Fast forward to September. I eat meat again, and “Korean barbecue” is one of my favorite word pairings. My first experience with it came when I lived in Los Angeles, where there are multiple Gyu-Kaku locations in the San Fernando Valley. My friends and I, living our best lives at the time, would starve ourselves for the better part of a day and show up there at 10 p.m. for happy hour, when everything in the joint was half price. That they trusted us with a piping hot grill in the center of our table remains a mystery. Thoughts of their marinades and tender cuts of meat cooked to perfection — paired with ice-cold, cheap beer — are seared into my memory.

This explains the giddiness I felt as my wife, Janet, and I decided on a whim to try it for the first time on a recent Friday night. There was a short wait — just enough time to walk across the street to Good Liquid and order to-go beers from the bar and walk around for a few minutes while we waited for that magic text message letting us know our table, our ticket to culinary ecstasy, was ready.

The first thing you notice when you’re seated at a grill table at Kore are the six tiny dishes of palate cleansers — or, banchan — at the edge of the table. There were pickled cucumbers with chili oil, Korean egg salad, fermented spicy radish, onion and jalapeños, fermented Napa cabbage and a perfectly potent kimchi. You can also use them, as I found out quickly, as little kickers to add to your tender bites of meat.

It’s also important to know that if you’re sitting at a table with a grill, you will be expected to cook your own food. But that’s more than half the fun. It makes you an active participant. You’re not just a spectator. Your hands have something to do, and the act of cooking together, talking about the differences and subtleties in each cut of meat fosters conviviality like no other meal experience I’ve had here.

We started with shishito peppers because my wife told me I had to eat at least one vegetable, despite my heavy protest. Once we got those out of the way (they were excellent, by the way), it was meat time. Meat time!

We then ordered a couple of kitchen-prepared appetizers, the bulgogi mandoo and the KFC (Korean fried chicken). Both set the tone for the evening’s flavor profiles, which tend to be a constant push and pull between sweet and spice — both vying for your approval like gladiators in a ring of umami.

Then came the meats, brought to us in a succession of small, shiny gold plates that held a heap of optimism. I delighted in grilling each cut separately, giving them their own space on the grill. We had thin-sliced beef bulgogi, ribeye, filet mignon, New York strip, pork bulgogi. Long after Janet tapped out, I kept ‘em coming with the beef navel (far more delicious than it sounds!) and the beautifully marbled galbi (short ribs).

Every option was distinct in its flavor. Every dish brought with it a new take on that sweet-n-spicy tango.

With every succulent bite, I did that thing that dads do where they lean back in their chair and make those guttural chirping noises when our tiny brains prevent us from saying the words, “This is delicious.”

And finally, it was over. I wasn’t sad that it had ended. I was elated that it had happened.

Kore touts itself as a tipless restaurant — another local rarity. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the service was phenomenal. Everyone who came to the table was genuinely friendly and happy to be there. As were we … giddy, in fact

Kore Steakhouse, 1561 Lakefront Drive, Sarasota, Florida 34240, 941-928-5673, Koresteakhouse.com. 

Pictured: At Kore Steakhouse, cooking your own food at the table is more than half the fun. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Representatives of the Sarasota-Manatee Originals (SMO) are pleased to announce the return of the Set The Bar Cocktail Competition, scheduled for Sunday, October 23, 2022 from 1:00 to 4:00PM at Ed Smith Stadium. Designed to showcase the creative beverage talents behind the area’s locally-owned, independent restaurants, Set The Bar’s 2022 cocktail contention will highlight 25 accomplished mixologists representing establishments from the northern tip of Anna Maria Island to the southern shores of Venice Beach. SMO has partnered with Children First to host the 2022 Set the Bar Cocktail Competition. A limited number of Early Bird Set The Bar tickets will be available on Tuesday August 23 at 9:00AM for $65 each. Once those are sold, regular price tickets will be offered at $75 per person. “Set the Bar was created as a playful platform to showcase the enormous talent of our local bar programs,” states SMO Executive Director Kim Davis. “Like the Chefs in the kitchen, our local bartenders are an integral part of today’s service industry, playing a vital role in creating an exciting atmosphere and enjoyable guest experience. We can’t wait to shine the well-deserved light on them.”

During the Set the Bar Cocktail Competition, “The Best” libations will be decided by a hand-picked expert panel as well as event attendees who will be tasked with sampling and savoring the creations before judging the competitors on Flavor, Appearance, Bartender Presentation and Imagination. The contenders will present innovative concoctions in five spirit categories. This year, SMO is proud to offer the winners in each category a display plaque, and gift basket valued at over $250, as well as enviable bragging rights. The restaurant awarded “Best Overall Cocktail” will also have the opportunity to demo their signature cocktail on ABC7 Sarasota’s Suncoast View television talk show. In addition to exclusive access to the most skilled beverage innovators in Sarasota and Manatee Counties, guests at the Set the Bar Cocktail Competition will enjoy raffles and delicious light bites presented by Sarasota-Manatee Originals’ Member restaurants. Tickets for Set the Bar Cocktail Competition are available on August 23 to purchase online at https://www.eatlikealocal.com/events/setthebar. Space is limited so there is no guarantee that tickets will be available “at the door.” Guests must be 21 years of age or older to attend this event. 

To learn more click here.

The Hermitage Artist Retreat, now celebrating its 20th Anniversary Season, announced today that Hermitage Fellow Adam Gwon, an acclaimed musical theater composer whose work has been described by The New York Times as “funny and urbane with a sweetness that doesn’t cloy,” will headline the Hermitage’s signature fall fundraising event, “The Artful Lobster: An Outdoor Celebration!” on Saturday, November 12th from 11:30am to 2pm at the Hermitage campus on Manasota Key (Sarasota County, Florida). Gwon is joined by Reggie Harris, a returning Hermitage alumnus, musician and storyteller, and pillar of the international folk music scene for more than 40 years. Harris will also be presenting a community program at Booker High School as part of the “Hermitage @ Booker” series on Friday, November 4th. 

Pictured: Artsy the Artful Lobster and Artistic Director & CEO Andy Sandberg. Photo courtesy of The Hermitage.

At their annual Sarasota-area fundraising gala, the Suncoast Celebration, Equality Florida is set to honor recent Pine View graduate Zander Moricz with the organization’s Voice for Equality Award. Moricz has been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ issues in Florida, particularly around the passage of its “Don’t Say LGBTQ” bill and subsequent signing into law.
When his school censored his valedictorian speech and threatened to cut his microphone if he mentioned LGBTQ issues, Moricz forged ahead, using a clever analogy to tell his coming-out story and deliver a message of resistance. Moricz’s speech was broadcast on national news, and he has given analyses on CNN and MSNBC as well as testimony to the Florida Senate. The 2022 Suncoast Celebration will take place on Sunday, October 30, at 7:00pm at Michael’s on East. Tickets and sponsorship information is available at eqfl.org/SuncoastCelebration. 

Following a blockbuster 12th concert season, Ring Sarasota is excited to announce the theme for its 13th season: I Wanna Be Like You. Handbells are often associated with the holidays, Christmas in particular. Ring Sarasota wants to challenge that stereotype, offering selections where handbells imitate other instruments, like the pipe organ or banjo, or musical styles, like pop, big band jazz, or patriotic music. While any music played on handbells can be enchanting, Ring Sarasota knows that this instrument truly shines when performing songs written especially for handbells. Audiences will be immersed in pop music, feel the excitement of the big band era, and experience the rhythm of Latin music. In addition to our regular performance season, Ring Sarasota is excited to share that they will be a part of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ holiday season. Ring Sarasota will perform during “Wintergreen Weekend” at Spanish Point in Osprey, FL and additionally, they are a special musical guest as part of the “Lights in Bloom” festivities on the main campus of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, FL. Ring Sarasota will perform Christmas and holiday favorites at both appearances. 

To learn more click here.

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is welcoming the first dedicated head and neck cancer and microvascular surgeon to First Physicians Group (FPG) network and the team of surgical oncologists at the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute. Peter Vosler, MD, PhD, FACS, joins FPG from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Hospital. Dr. Vosler treats patients with both benign and malignant tumors of the head and neck involving the mouth, oropharynx, larynx, skin, parotid, and thyroid. Board certified in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and fellowship trained in Advanced Head and Neck Cancer and Microvascular Reconstruction, Dr. Vosler also specializes in microvascular reconstructive surgery and transoral robotic suture. His extensive research focuses on complex head and neck cancer surgery. Dr. Vosler brings critical expertise in head and neck oncology to people living on the Suncoast and to the SMH team of surgical oncologists.  

Throughout the month of August, 236,799 passengers traveled through the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. This is a 2.9% decrease as compared to August 2021. Passengers traveling through the airport year- to date totaled 2,611,962, a 28.6% increase as compared to 2021 totals of 2,030,487 for the first 8 months.
“As summer comes to an end, we continue to see a slight reduction in monthly passenger levels compared to last year. We expect this to change starting in October when the number of seats scheduled by airlines servicing SRQ begin to exceed 2021 levels. Another trend we are seeing is aircraft passenger load factors are higher this year compared to 2021. We expect this trend to remain as our community continues to rapidly grow and demand to use SRQ increases,” stated Rick Piccolo, President, CEO of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.

Upcoming New Service Allegiant Air will start nonstop service to Minneapolis, MN (MSP) beginning October 6. Air Canada resumes seasonal nonstop service to Toronto, Canada (YYZ) beginning October 30. Breeze Airways will start nonstop service to White Plains, NY (HPN) beginning November 5. 

GRAND GILLESPIE | Gillespie Park, long an established neighborhood north of Fruitville Road, has seen some massive changes.

Read more about the neighborhood’s future through this link, on our social media, or in the September edition of SRQ Magazine! 

Read Here!

IT’S LOVE AT FIRST BITE | Austin DeGroot and Lucas Morris have been best friends since the 5th grade.

Get a scrumptious look into Vampire Penguin Sarasota’s sensational shaved snow through this link, on our social media, or in the September edition of SRQ Magazine! 

Read Here!