Old Florida cuisine just around the corner at Linger Lodge Restaurant

BRADENTON -- Down an old dirt road, just a few minutes west of I-75 and State Road 70 is an ”Old Florida“ cuisine destination on the Braden River that opened in 1945.

Linger Lodge Restaurant has folks arriving by boat, kayak and car, while they sit back and enjoy "Old Florida" cuisine.

Folks stopping in usually stay a bit longer, not because it’s in the name of the restaurant, but because the entire place just has people slowing down for a while and enjoying the unusual food, eccentric dŽcor and happy-go-lucky spirit at Linger Lodge Restaurant.

Pull into the unpaved parking lot of the Linger Lodge campground and notice that the premiere Tara Preserve neighborhood, developed right up the road, has been passed, while a few white and colored pet peacocks and peahens, and two pigeons, wait outside the unassuming restaurant's entrance.

But once inside, an entire wild world of stuffed poisonous snakes, alligators, bobcats, fish and spiders emerges, all preserved from when the original owner opened the restaurant in the 1940s and hung his most prized catches for all to enjoy, or at least look at in bewilderment.   

”People almost get lost in the Old Florida feeling of this place,“ David LaRusso said while shaking his head at the size of the stuffed alligator roped up to the wall.

He is the restaurant’s newest employee, hired about a month ago as the general manger to run the restaurant and focus on food and service. The ambiance, he said, speaks for itself and need not be bothered, since the Food Network and Forbes Magazine list it as a "weird" destination not to miss.

A room with a view, as the back of the restaurant sits on the Braden River surrounded by wildlife.

”Until Rita (Rita Lewis, the head chef) and I got here, I think this was more of a lodge and tourist destination,“ LaRusso said. ”They wanted that flavor of Old Florida. But both my goal, as well of Rita’s, is to make it a dining destination, too.“

Lewis and LaRusso are sitting at an old-fashioned wooden table, right next to the aquarium faade. He looks over at Lewis and said that a lot of the restaurant’s recipes are created by her ”golden hands.“

Lewis nods her head, knowing that her talented palette and culinary preparation draws a crowd in for a meal or two, and said, ”People can come here for the food and for the eccentric ambiance. When you look at the river, what can be better than to linger at the lodge?“

She said the trees and the water that cascades over the river is one of the best views in Florida while you're eating on their screened waterfront decks.

”It’s hard to imagine we are just two turns off of (State Road) 70,“ she said. ”Both boaters and kayakers dock and come up, eat and enjoy on their way. These people come by car and by boat.“

Lewis and LaRusso are both trained chefs and the menu is as unusual as the restaurant itself.

Sure, there’s southern barbecue chips and hush puppies, fried green tomatoes and coconut shrimp. But there’s also fried alligator and chicken fried frog legs.

David LaRusso's goal is to bring the best food and service to the local area of Bradenton and Sarasota.

Appetizers range in price from $4.99 to $8.99.

A bowl of Linger Lodge Gumbo or Alligator Chowder will cost you $5.99.

There are also sandwiches, burgers and baskets of fried food or fancy down-home entrŽes like the River Platter, serving up frog legs, gator, slaw and hush puppies.

”My favorite dish that we serve here is the barbecue pork ribs,“ LaRusso said. ”The way that Rita cooks them is a secret.“

The alligator is farm raised and purchased locally, but the tail is the only edible part, he said. The rest of the alligator is too tough and too muscular to eat.

Lewis has a bit of a sweet tooth and reminds her boss that folks love her homemade River Bottom Pie, made with Oreo cookie crumbs, peanut butter ice cream, fudge topping, whipped cream and cherries.

The menu stays the same all day long from open to close. Live music starts in February and will feature the ”Boss Hawg“ band.

It’s a show-stoppin, jaw-dropping local taste of the South and they don’t discourage people from asking for items not on the menu.

Rita Lewis cooks up her own family recipes and those preserved by the restaurant over the years.

”If we have it, we will make it,“ LaRusso said. ”We have people in the kitchen who know how to cook.“

So bring out the kids and the grandkids with the whole family, and plan to stay a while.

”It’s funny, when I sat down here, it just felt like home,“ he said. ”It’s a very uplifting place and just looks like a place people can come, have a great time and not feel rushed.“

Erica Newport is a daily reporter for The Bradenton Times. She covers art, culture and community. If you have a story that might interest Erica, please e-mail her using erica.newport@thebradentontimes.com address.  She also takes your questions related to our weekly theme days and provides advice and opinions for our readers. Please use this e-mail address for Ask Erica: ask.erica@thebradentontimes.com.