- November 27, 2024
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When I think of potential restaurant locations, a commercial condo office park is not the first spot that comes to mind. However, this primarily professional location at 3900 Clark Road is home to the new Italian restaurant, Chianti. Located in the middle of this office park, the space was formerly known as J Ryan's on Clark and is just a few doors down from Millie's Café. So, a restaurant in this space is not a total anomaly.
Although the overall space is large, the restaurant is nicely divided, providing a small-scale dining experience. The outside is bright and light, and the inside reveals dark rich wood, warmly colored walls, murals, large windows, a good-sized bar area and white clothed tables. The atmosphere is casual, comfortable, and inviting.
The menu at Chianti is large, offering a selection of appetizers, soups, salads, pasta, fish, meat, desserts and daily specials. All of the items are prepared fresh daily by Chefs Al Massa (Michael's on East and Eat Here) and Edward Pizzuti (chef/owner). For our meals we chose the following:
A tangy, sweet combination with a bit of crunch'¦very nice finish.
There are two pieces of bread of each selection. Beautiful presentation. Great for sharing before a meal.Chianti offers a full bar service with daily happy hours from 4:00-6:30pm. There is a good selection of Italian wines supplemented with options from California. We found the pricing to be reasonable. The waiters were attentive, but at times overly so, which came across as a bit pushy. We place this behavior in the 'trying too hard' category and believe it will smooth out over time. In general, we found the wait staffs to be responsive and sincerely interested in making sure all was well with the dining experience. With its large selection of classic Italian cuisine, warm and inviting atmosphere, and its slightly unusual location, Chianti is a restaurant you need to try. My hunch is once you go there, you will find yourself returning again and again. Buon appetito!
Chianti
3900 Clark Road
Sarasota, FL 34233
941-952-3186
Hours: 4:00pm-10:00pm Daily
http://www.chiantisarasota.com/#!home/mainPage
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chianti-Ristorante-Italiano/370694733049473