The boutiques and eateries on Main Street in Lakewood Ranch are getting a
new neighbor in July: Main Street Trattoria.
According
to Craig Campbell of
Holland Construction,
the new restaurant includes a bar that straddles the inside of the
building and its sidewalk patio. "People strolling past the restaurant
can get a drink at the bar, and have dinner bistro-style," says
Campbell.
The restaurant is owned by Gary
Semnessy, who owned and operated a trattoria in New Jersey before coming
to Sarasota. That restaurant received accolades from New Jersey
Magazine, and allowed Semnessy to cater backstage green room fare in the
New York theater district, where he met such celebrities as Tony
Bennett. His business model was so successful, two investors bought him
out and he moved to Sarasota.
"I used to come
here with my kids," says Semnessy. When I first got here I called to
order a pizza around 9 p.m. And the place was closed. Being from New
York, I found that disturbing. But I love the area; the community. I
really like it."
So Semnessy decided to open a
place where people could order pizza past 9 p.m. The
Main
Street Trattoria offers an eclectic menu that includes pasta and
other entrees as well as 13 different types of pizza. Four of the pizzas
are named after each of his four children. "Ian's pizza is ricotta,
meatball and onion," Semnessy says.
Semnessy
says the trattoria concept is patterned from an Italian tradition in
which backyard gardens are opened to passersby, offering food and
hospitality. "The food is fresh, nothing frozen. Our trattoria has a
contemporary feel to it, but with the high ceilings and outside patio
and bar, we hope to offer the same flavor."
Writer:
Missy Kavanaugh
Source: Gary Semnessy, Main Street Trattoria
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.