Rosemary & Thyme
A short distance away from the melange of restaurants punctuating Main Street is Rosemary & Thyme—a restaurant that sits unassumingly at 511 N. Orange Avenue (in The Rosemary District) and boasts a perfect Goldilocks menu—not too small, not too large, but just right. On said menu, you’ll find an array of swimmers like fresh fish, shrimp, mussels, calamari, and scallops as well as familiar land-dwellers such as steak, chicken, and pork. And those with a strong predilection for vegetables aren’t left out, with a Guinness Black and Tan Battered Mushroom appetizer as well as a Cauliflower Steak entree served with crushed pistachios, peach salsa, and white rice.
To get a better idea of the food, influences, and future of Rosemary & Thyme, I talked to the man behind the menu: owner George Armstrong. Armstrong—born in Bermuda—attributes the eclectic menu to his upbringing as an Air Force brat.
“My mother ended up marrying an officer, and so he could kind of pick his tours. We went to Charleston, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, and then the final part of his military career was spent in Austin, Texas, where I kind of grew up. I also worked with Chinese food for a number of years, so we do like a pepper steak.”
And those influences flourish in dishes like the Shrimp Tostada (with shrimp, guac, and pico on a crispy tortada), the Pork Osso Buco (slow-braised pork drizzled in a porcini–pinot noir demiglace), and the Watermelon Radish Halibut (pan-seared halibut filet topped with shaved watermelon radishes, arugula, roasted pineapple and shallot). To say there would be something for everyone is an exaggeration—but Armstrong and his team have gotten pretty damn close.
Speaking of the team, Armstrong credits much of the restaurant’s success to a sedulous chef and a culture that keeps the staff happy and having fun. “We believe in keeping everybody fully employed, so that way we’re not behind the eight ball come season, looking for people and retraining. The customers also know they’re going to see the same waiter, and people like that, being recognized. Me, my son, and my wife are very hands-on as well, and my managers have almost zero turnover,” Armstrong says.
The chef, Sebastian Salazar, has been with Armstrong since 2015 and has never missed a day of work, even when dealing with a major medical condition. “He works with me on every menu item, and we change the menu weekly in the summertime. He’s one of the only chefs that I’ve ever worked with who doesn’t have an ego. His first priority is always that the guests are happy. He is a master at cooking everything,” Armstrong says. And this includes Rosemary & Thyme’s famous meatloaf, an item Armstrong’s wife, well, strong armed onto the menu.
“My wife basically said to me, ‘You’re putting meatloaf on the menu.’ I said, ‘Honey, I am not. It’s going to be a white tablecloth. When I saw that I was losing that battle, I had to figure out how to make it our own. So we used the chef’s recipe, and then instead of ketchup, used my homemade barbecue sauce to cover it and carmelize it.” Armstrong says.
As for the tipples situation, you’ll find a hearty menu of specialty cocktails, wines, liqueurs, beers, and even mocktails. A personal favorite of mine is the Hole Fashioned, created simply with Rabbit Hole Rye, bitters, and sugar. The bar itself is somewhat bijou with an aviation aesthetic—an homage to Armstrong’s grandfather, who flew 39 missions over Germany in World War II—and feels like it could easily be a bar you’d find in Downtown New York City or 1950s Paris. Seating at the bar is first come, first served with only nine chairs at the bar itself and two small tables. Bartenders will sometimes create specials or concoct a custom drink for you based on your flavor preferences.
“It’s a roll of the dice, but the customer likes it 90 percent of the time,” Armstrong says. “If they don’t, we’ll make them something else.” You’ll also be able to order the entire menu at the bar, as well as the custom bar menu that features the Rosemary Burger, Calamari, and Beef Tenderloin Tacos.
If the bar is busy, or perhaps not your scene, you’ll find two dining rooms to the right and left of it, which seat about 30 people each. The property also boasts a spacious and cheerful patio with occasional live music and the oh-so-necessary heat lamps for the two or three weekends when jackets are needed. As for the upcoming months, Armstrong says the restaurant will be adding a smoker and a wok station this summer to tinker with some new Asian items. I don’t know about you, but I’ll be making my reservations far in advance.
Rosemary & Thyme: 511 N Orange Ave, Sarasota, 941-955-7600; therosemarysarasota.com
