Southside Village businesses hope new restaurants bring new energy

Roberto Bilancini has only been in Sarasota for a year-and-a-half, but the owner of the Hillview Grill says the Southside Village neighborhood isn’t what it used to be.

The area near Hillview Street and Osprey Avenue is one of the city’s major commercial hubs. Headlined by restaurants such as Libby’s Café & Bar and businesses including Morton’s Gourmet Market, Southside Village has been considered a destination in Sarasota. In Bilancini’s eyes, that reputation is outdated.

“This street was much better,” Bilancini says of the stretch along Hillview that includes Gecko’s Grill and Pub and the Five O’Clock Club. “Now, it’s almost empty — it’s completely changed.”

Bilancini is hopeful that things might turn around soon, though. There’s buzz throughout the neighborhood that activity could pick up, thanks largely to the arrival of two new restaurants: Veronica Fish and Oyster, located at 1830 S. Osprey Ave., and Mercato Pizzeria and Bar, located at 1936 Hillview St.

Two major factors fuel the excitement for Veronica Fish and Oyster: It will occupy the building of  former neighborhood anchor Sam Snead’s American Grill, and it’s a product of restaurateur Mark Caragiulo, co-owner of restaurants such as Owen’s Fish Camp, Caragiulo and Shore Diner. 

Caragiulo lives in the area, which made opening a restaurant a particularly appealing prospect.

“I enjoy stopping at Perq for coffee or going to Morton’s and some of the other places,” Caragiulo said. “Selfishly, I wanted another great destination kind of in my backyard.”

His concept for the space is a supper club-style oyster bar, one that emphasizes the local seafood scene. He wasn’t deterred by the departure of Sam Snead’s, which originally closed in June 2014 before reopening in October of that same year. At the time, businesses expressed a similar excitement about the return of that restaurant — which ended up closing for good just four months later.

"We plan on being there for 15 years, not 15 days." — Mark Caragiulo

Caragiulo sees the corner of Hillview and Osprey as a major destination. He chalked up the Sam Snead’s closure to the natural life cycle of restaurants, and he’s eager to get started on his own project.

“Any restaurant that’s there for 11, 12 years is successful in my book,” Caragiulo said. “So no, there were no reservations at all.”

Alessandro Settimi is the owner of Mercato Pizzeria and Bar, and he has heard the same concerns Bilancini did regarding the neighborhood’s declining popularity. The building at 1936 Hillview, formerly The Table, has seen two tenants come and go in two years.

Like Caragiulo, Settimi wasn’t discouraged by the history.

“I think this space never had the right concept, to be honest with you,” Settimi said. “Now, I think it’s the right thing to bring new people here.”

He acknowledges some early hesitation. Other businesses in the area encouraged him, telling him Southside Village was in need of an authentic Italian restaurant. Originally from Rome, Settimi’s restaurant experience includes  time as the owner of Matto Matto in Burns Court.

"I think it’s a great place to come and dine, but I think there is a lot of work to do." — Alessandro Settimi 

Eventually, he was convinced that Southside Village was a good fit. So far, the feedback has been positive. His impression of the neighborhood is that it’s trending in the right direction, though there’s still some skepticism.

“I think it’s a great place to come and dine, but I think there is a lot of work to do,” Settimi said. “I think it’s a winning situation if we can keep it up.”

Settimi said Veronica’s opening would be a major step toward establishing the neighborhood as a restaurant destination. Settimi, Bilancini and Caragiulo agreed more high-quality establishments was good news for Southside Village as whole.

Mercato celebrated its grand opening earlier this month, but Veronica’s is still a few months away. Caragiulo has gotten some questions on his April opening date, but he’s intent on taking his time and getting everything right.

“Everyone’s saying, ‘Season, season, season!,’” Caragiulo said. “But we plan on being there for 15 years, not 15 days. We’ll open when we’re ready.”

Update: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Alessandro Settimi served as the chef at Hillview Grill. The story has been updated to correct the error.