TWIS Asks: Roast

Downtown Sarasota's newest eatery, Roast, opened its doors Friday, Nov. 1. Started by Andrew Thompson, the former executive chef at Polo Grill in Lakewood Ranch, the restaurant incorporates his years of experience as a chef and restauranteur in London and the United States. Roast features an outdoor patio, indoor dining area and upstairs bar and lounge, as well as a private party room. The restaurant is located at 1296 First Street, a building in which previous tenants have struggled to succeed, but Thompson sat down with us to discuss the new establishment and why he's determined to break the streak.

What first sparked your interest in the culinary world?

My grandmother inspired me when I was young — 12 or 13. Food has moved on so much since then. I just like to cook what people like to eat, and what I like to eat.

What made you want to open your own restaurant?

I owned two successful restaurants in London, and I'd always planned to eventually open my own restaurant after I moved to Sarasota. I wanted to work for someone else, first, to help get a feel for Sarasota and people's tastes, expectations and habits. I knew pretty early on that downtown Sarasota was where I wanted to be.

The people here are well versed in their knowledge of food and wine, and they recognize value, which is what I think I offer here. If you have a good product and service, people will pick up on that. We have good, innovative food and locally sourced ingredients.

You said you knew early on that downtown Sarasota was for you. Why downtown?

I like the feel of downtown — it has a very eclectic mix, and that's where I saw myself fitting in and having a following. And, this building is fantastic.

This location hasn't had a lot of success in the past. How will you succeed here?

I'm confident. It's a great location, especially with the new parking garage right around the corner, and we have a great product to offer with our level of cooking and food. We've made a few changes to the building, but it's all been cosmetic. We wanted to keep its historical feel — it was built in 1925, so we built on that. But we did something in each room, so you can have a few different atmospheres in one place.

What was your vision for Roast?

I wanted to have a little bit of everything for everyone. We have the lounge bar upstairs, the outdoor patio and a more formal dining space; it's almost like we have three restaurants in one.

How would you describe the restaurant and its atmosphere?

It's got great food, great service and a mix of young and hip people as well as business people getting afternoon beverages. It takes some time to develop an identity, but ultimately, I think it's a place where you can get fantastic food. The menu took a long time to develop and test out. We've got great steaks and chops, and a lot of light bites with an emphasis on sharing — we really encourage that. We hope to eventually host pig roasts out on the patio and make a whole social event out of it.

I'm very happy with it. We had a soft opening last Tuesday, and then we opened on Friday and had 80 covers. We haven't done any advertising, so it's all been word of mouth, which is great. We plan to do lunch and dinner seven days a week from here on out. I want people to come on down and see what we've created. This is a real chef's restaurant, and I feel like it's an extension of my home. I'm cooking meals I love to prepare and eat, and I'm thrilled with the building — it really feels like I'm hosting people at my house.