Good Liquid Brewing Co. now open at Waterside Place in Lakewood Ranch

When Good Liquid Brewing Co. opens on the lake tonight (Dec. 10) at Waterside Place in Lakewood Ranch, co-owner Joe Guli wanted to serve his grandmother's meatballs to what should be a big crowd.

But Guli had a problem, he could only find half of Grandma Gloria's recipe.

Grandma Gloria Guli has passed, go Chef Joe Guli had to practice the recipe, while listening to some good advice, "When you smell it, you will know."

Eventually, he discovered he was using just a tad more flour than grandma, and when he adjusted, that beautiful smell was just right.

A career chef, Guli began his career working for Wolfgang Puck in Calabasas, Calif. He eventually became the CEO of Tableseide, which is familiar to East County residents for its restaurants, Oak & Stone and Libby's.

Guli decided to talk to Mike and Sandra Krail, the owners of Good Liquid Brewing Co. in Bradenton, about opening a second Good Liquid location, this time at Waterside Place, which was recruiting tenants. They struck a deal and have been planning the menu for the Waterside opening ever since. Mike Krail is the brewmaster behind the operation.

Guli. meanwhile, had extra time to work on food items as the restaurant's anticipated opening was delayed from October to Friday's opening by the supply chain shortages that have plagued the construction industry.

Even so, the waitresses and bartenders were literally running around two hours before the 4 p.m. opening to get everything just right. Good Liquid will use about 65 employees to run the restaurant/pub.

Guli said the location is amazing.

"It's the accessibility and what it has to offer," he said. "There will be a lot of activities here."

He said Good Liquid Brewing will be a great option for those who want a sandwich or fries after they play volleyball in the park, or those looking for a fine dining experience.

"We will cater to everybody," he said. "We will have a full, extensive menu, and we will have healthy options."

Although there was a tremendous hustle/bustle on Friday, Guli said the staff is ready. Good Liquid has been serving food and beer at Lakewood Ranch's Ranch Wednesdays at Waterside and he said the feedback has been terrific with many of those people saying they couldn't wait until he restaurant opened.

Unlike the Good Liquid in Bradenton, this pub will serve spirits and hand-crafted cocktails. It will have 18 taps of beers and two rotating ciders. The beers range from "fun" selections such as Fruity Pebble and Creamsicle IPAs to stouts and lagers. 

The menu will include classic recipes "with a twist," burgers, salads, sandwiches and a full main entree list including a New York Strip.

Inside and lakeside dinning will be available.

Good Liquid will add a distillery in May in Waterside Place (as well as another in Bradenton). Guli said they are looking at expansion to downtown Sarasota.