BRADENTON — Manatee County real estate prices have soared into the Sarasota and Pinellas realm in recent years. Anna Maria Island is no longer flying beneath the radar of national destinations like Siesta Key and Clearwater Beach. However, one metric that has lagged behind our neighbors to the north and south has been downtown Bradenton’s lack of true fine-dining experiences that are on par with the best of downtown SRQ and St. Pete. Until now, that is…
When I first began hearing rumors that celebrity chef Fabio Viviani would bring a high-end restaurant concept to downtown Bradenton, I’ll admit I was skeptical. Best known for his appearances on Bravo’s Top Chef seasons 5 and 8, Viviani went from a young rock star chef and restaurant/night club operator in Florence to a U.S.-based culinary entrepreneur. He amassed a hospitality empire in Los Angeles and Chicago that soon had tentacles reaching major markets from coast to coast, with particular success in the gaming space.
No stranger to Florida, Viviani had a restaurant in Tampa and brought Taverna Costale to downtown St. Pete, which is already crowded with popular and worthwhile Italian concepts such as BONU and Il Ritorna. Sarasota or Lakewood Ranch, maybe—but could downtown Bradenton support an ambitious dining concept that pushed the previous upper limits of local pricing? Enter Steve Herrig, founder and CEO of Sunz Insurance. Together, the two entrepreneurs have brought a high-end Tuscan steak house to Herrig’s sprawling Sunz building on 6th Ave West. The result is rather surprising.
On Monday night, the cavernous eatery was packed from wall to wall, and we were lucky to snag the last two seats at the bar for a glass of wine before being seated. Viviani is known for both his passion for and knowledge of wine, particularly Italian varietals, and the carefully curated list at Taverna Toscana reflects both.
The aesthetics do an admirable job of converting a space initially more suited to a bank than an eatery with warm colors, textured paints, and bold wallpapers, evoking an old-world feel in a somewhat corporate industrial space. Yes, the restaurant’s acoustics are not all that forgiving, especially when there’s a full house, but the noise and bustle lend themselves to the famiglia feel of proper Italian dining.
Taverna Toscana is a Tuscan steakhouse, not an Italian American restaurant, so don’t expect bread on the table and a menu heavy on red sauce standards. This Tuscan dining experience pays homage to tradition while ushering in modern takes on regional standards. As for the steak, the 35-day dry-aged bone-in ribeye was pure perfection and perhaps the star of the secondo menu. Viviani’s "rare" is textbook pink and cool in the center, with a slight char on the exterior edges. It soars past any cut I’ve had in Sarasota/Bradenton and rivals such standards as Roccoco in St. Pete.
Charred octopus and goat cheese and beet salads have been ubiquitous on the region’s fine dining menus this year, but in both cases, Viviani exceeds expectations. His octopus manages to remain impossibly buttery and soft despite a hardy char, and the bounty of beets, including some of the less frequently found goldens, also elevates his salad.
I’m not sure if I ever would have ordered a pork chop on a menu so crowded with more traditionally revered meat cuts, but the days these thick, double-cut chops spend soaking in brine render them as tender and juicy as most tenderloins you are likely to encounter. The chickpea ragu and roasted pepper romesco are inspired accouterments that help to render them on par with the other delicious meats on the menu.
Many of the primo menu items are heavy enough that those looking for lighter fare will view them as entrees. The Wagyu short rib bolognese is beyond substantial and the star of the pasta dishes, while the Wagyu meatballs are far beyond what one might expect and certainly worth a try if you are a fan. However, the most surprising dish was the impossibly buttery miso-glazed Mahi, a fish dish rivaling any in our seafood-rich landscape.
As is our tradition, we stuck with wine and had no problems finding excellent pairings from a list that ranges from the pedestrian to the sublime. We played it safe and went with a favorite we were surprised to see on the menu, Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) Les Légendes R Bordeaux, a solid rouge that was very reasonably priced. The craft cocktail menu is well-curated, with a number of modern takes on regional classics and enough variation for everyone to find a home.
With Taverna Toscana, downtown Bradenton is finally graced with the sort of inspired 5-star cuisine that previously would have required Friendly City dwellers to fight traffic to access. From date nights to special occasions, it is sure to elevate any occasion to one of epicurean delight.
Dennis "Mitch" Maley is a novelist, as well as an editor and opinion columnist for The Bradenton Times. In addition to his regular Sunday column, he hosts our weekly podcast and does occasional theater, restaurant, and wine reviews. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University and later served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. Click here for his bio. His 2016 short story collection, Casting Shadows, was recently reissued and is available here.
