- March 14, 2025
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Cirque St. Armands Beachside is a new luxury resort and restaurant opening next month, with its eye-catching aesthetic offering an ode to the area’s storied history with the circus. But community members can get a teaser of the restaurant’s cuisine at the upcoming Taste and Tunes of the Keys on Feb. 27.
The event, hosted by the Longboat Key Garden Club, is showcasing the cuisine of 11 area restaurants and the musical talents of The Klick Band, which specializes in upbeat hits from the 60s and beyond. The local group is a favorite at the Sarasota Yacht Club and knows how to get people up and dancing.
Club Vice President Lyn Haycock said this year, the proceeds that generally support the club’s activities and beautification projects will specifically go toward helping the community’s continued recovery from the recent hurricanes.
Members are focusing primarily on damage to the town parks, rights-of-way, facility landscaping, grants for non-profits seeking to rebuild and other related initiatives.
“Everyone loves our island and feels like it looks devastated, which it does,” she said. “The Garden Club would like to give back, not only in money, but also by actually planting things when the town asks us. We love to do it.”
For anyone who can’t make it to the festival but wants to support the recovery, the garden club has added the option to donate directly through its website.
Also new this year is an online silent auction, for which new items will be added daily, starting at 3 p.m. Feb. 10, that continues until the event. Visit lbkgc.betterworld.org/auctions/ttotk2025.
Last year was the first time organizers decided to shift away from the former fashion-show theme and toward the food, music and social draws.
She said the event focuses on fresh, in-season fare, with something for everyone.
“It’s going to be another fun evening of people getting together with their friends and enjoying the food of our local restaurants,” she added.
Tickets are $90 for general admission or $100 for admission with guaranteed seating. Admission covers all food samples and includes two free drink vouchers. Tickets are available for purchase online.
From sweet treats to Gulf-centric seafood, the following restaurants will be offering bites at the Taste and Tunes.
Type of cuisine: Revitalized Mediterranean with a focus on seafood
Address: 431 St. Armands Circle
Hours: Soleil: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Café on St. Armands 10 a.m. to last call
Price: $$
Website: CafeOnStArmands.com
Phone: 388-4415
What are you excited for patrons to try at the Taste and Tunes of the Keys? "We're excited for people to experience the new café, so we'll be bringing something inspired by the new menu. It'll be a nice surprise." —Eleni Sokos, executive vice president and managing partner
Type of cuisine: Specializing in seafood and featuring beef cuts including prime rib
Address: 201 Gulf of Mexico Drive
Hours: 4-9 p.m. Sundays; 4-9:30 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays; 4-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Price: $$$
Website: Chart-House.com
Phone: 383-5593
What are you excited for patrons to try at the Taste and Tunes of the Keys? "What we like about the event is that everyone gets to try little bits of everything. That's the fun part." —Peter Van Beuren, general manager
Type of cuisine: Fresh Florida seafood is our biggest draw, especially grouper and snapper
Address: 412 Gulf of Mexico Drive
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Price: $$$
Website: DryDockWaterfrontGrill.com
Phone: 383-0102
What are you excited for patrons to try at the Taste and Tunes of the Keys? "It's the fresh seafood. That's what a lot of people who come from the Midwest are most excited to try. I wouldn't be surprised to see our Sunset Snapper, a panko-breaded fish with honey mustard sauce." —Scott Nuss, floor manager
Type of cuisine: Sweet treats, including cheesecakes in more than 200 flavors, cinnamon rolls, muffins, quiche and donuts with gluten-free options
Address: 6842 Gulf of Mexico Drive
Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays and Mondays; 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays
Website: ElegantLadyCheesecake.com
Phone: 312-4932
What are you excited for patrons to try at the Taste and Tunes of the Keys? "This is our second year, and we're excited to bring our donuts and other treats in addition to our cheesecakes. We may not have it at the festival, but I like the maple "California cream," a riff on the popular Bostom cream donut." —Gary Hagen, owner
Type of cuisine: Coastal cuisine, with a focus on the namesake lobster
Address: 5350 Gulf of Mexico Drive
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 3:30-9 p.m. daily; closed on Sundays
Price: $$$
Website: LazyLobsterOfLongboat.com
Phone: 383-0440
What are you excited for patrons to try at the Taste and Tunes of the Keys? "We are probably going to do our famous crab cakes, with our cajun remoulade sauce — consider it a nice zesty mayonnaise. It's bite-sized, easy to eat and delicious." —Michael Garey, owner
Type of cuisine: Italian American dishes featuring seafood and oven-fired flatbreads
Address: 700 Benjamin Franklin Drive
Hours: 5-10 p.m. daily; breakfast 7-11 a.m. Mondays to Fridays and 7 a.m. to noon Saturdays and Sundays
Price: $$$
Website: OpalCollection.com/lido-beach/restaurants/drift
Phone: 388-2161
What are you excited for patrons to try at the Taste and Tunes of the Keys? "Our seafood is what we specialize in, and our sourdough-crust pizza is always a hit." —Sebastian Lopez, restaurant supervisor
Type of cuisine: Elegant, fresh, local, hand-crafted dishes centered around seafood
Address: 760 Broadway Street
Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Price: $$
Website: MarVistaDining.com
Phone: 383-2391
What are you excited for patrons to try at the Taste and Tunes of the Keys? "I don't eat much fish, and even I love the jalapeño-glazed grouper, and I know everyone else will too. It also has quinoa, sweet potato, almonds, cranberries and a beurre blanc sauce." —Michael Zarrill, assistant general manager
Type of cuisine: Premier fine dining
Address: 220 Sands Point Road
Hours: Exclusively open to resort guests
Website: OpalCollection.com/longboat-key-club/eat-and-drink
Phone: Latitudes 383-8821; Portofino 383-1900
What are you excited for patrons to try at the Taste and Tunes of the Keys? "We plan to serve our tuna niçoise. The Club looks forward to supporting this event each year, not only because we get to reach out to our Longboat Key neighbors, but more importantly, we are continuing to support a community organization that does so much for the island." —Bob Weil, director of food and beverage
Type of cuisine: Casual Italian, specializing in pizza and pasta
Address: 6814 Gulf of Mexico Drive
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily
Website: VenturasItalianKitchen.com
Phone: 312-4975
What are you excited for patrons to try at the Taste and Tunes of the Keys? "Our Grandma Pizza. It's a Sicilian-style pizza that originated in Brooklyn, with a crushed San Marzano tomato sauce rather than a smooth one. It has two types of mozzarella cheese, the kind fresh in a ball and the one we prep in-house. Then it's topped with house-made basil pesto and garlic-roasted olive oil. It's really good." —Debra Murphy, owner
Type of cuisine: American Italian, with great seafood and prime strip steaks, as well as more casual fare including fish tacos and charcuterie
Address: 4711 Gulf of Mexico Drive
Hours: Breakfast 7-11 a.m. daily; dinner 5-10 p.m. daily
Price: $$
Website: OpalCollection.com/zota/restaurants/viento-kitchen-bar
Phone: 248-1211
What are you excited for patrons to try at the Taste and Tunes of the Keys? "Recently, we featured some of our homemade ravioli with pork jowl and cheese. While we are finalizing the selection, we will be excited to highlight what is new on our menu with a twist. We've had a similar menu for two years, and we're excited for a change that hopefully locals and guests will enjoy." —Daniel Thompson, food and beverage director
