Following the recent opening of the impressive Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa overlooking the Manatee River, we turn our focus about 20 miles southward to Sarasota County and the even more stunning St. Regis Longboat Key Resort hugging the Gulf of Mexico.
Part of Marriott’s prestigious St. Regis Hotels & Resorts luxury hotel chain, the Longboat Key destination boasts 18 acres of beachfront, including 168 guest rooms, 26 suites with terraces, spa, a 475-foot long winding river, and seven dining and drinking venues.
The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort, which occupies the prime Longboat Key property that formerly housed the famed Colony Beach and Tennis Resort, has been under construction since late 2021 . In May, the Herald-Tribune reported the new resort should open this summer. When I talked to St. Regis General Manager Winfred van Workum earlier this month, he said it should open to the public, along with the restaurants and bars, in “August or September.”
“The opening of The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort will not only introduce one of the country’s most beautiful destinations to luxury travelers, both domestic and international, but will also welcome the Longboat Key and Sarasota communities,” said van Workum via email. “With seven distinguished bars and restaurants, each offering an entirely different cuisine and atmosphere ranging from the iconic St. Regis Bar to a signature steakhouse and beachside tiki bar, we look forward to welcoming this amazing community for celebrations big and small, the moment our doors open this summer.”
Are restaurants at The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort open to the public or just hotel guests?
Most of the restaurants and bars at The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort are open to the public. However, the Oshen rooftop lounge is exclusively open to hotel guests. Continue reading for more information on Oshen.
What kind of food will be served at the restaurants at The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort?
The resort’s four main dining venues are the steakhouse, CW Prime; the Northern Italian restaurant, Riva; the Latin American spot, Aura; and the Asian fusion place, Oshen. There’s also The St. Regis Bar, The Monkey Bar, and the hotel’s cafe?, Caroline’s. Executive Chef Alberto Taboada, who oversees all seven dining venues, previously managed culinary operations at the JW Marriott Orlando, a 900-room luxury resort. When I asked him about sourcing local seafood, I was happy to hear him talk about already visiting the historic Cortez commercial fishing village on north Sarasota Bay and making contacts.
“At The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort, our team of international chefs and I have curated unique gastronomic experiences in our distinctive restaurants, all with locally sourced ingredients and seafood,” Taboada said via email. “From expertly prepared steakhouse classics, artistically crafted in our Josper charcoal grill at CW Prime, to house-made pasta at Riva, bringing authentic coastal Italian to the Gulf Coast, we will deliver an exceptional food and beverage journey to the Sarasota community and St. Regis guests alike.”
Information on all seven restaurants and bars opening at The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort
CW Prime : The hotel’s signature restaurant features steakhouse classics crafted on a Josper charcoal grill . It will also include an exclusive speakeasy-style spirits room, with on-demand service to CW Prime’s mixologist via a “secret” call button, available by reservation only. Signature dishes include Josper-grilled dry-aged prime steaks, seasonal seafood towers, and a dry-aged bluefin tuna experience with tuna bone dashi, charcoal tuna fat cre?me, and dehydrated tuna skin rayu.
Riva : Inspired by the culinary traditions of Northern Italy and the Adriatic Coast, Riva offers coastal Italian dining with an interactive pasta bar where the chef will prepare fresh pasta counter-side. Signature dishes include an Italian snacks station with 20-month San Daniele prosciutto, lemony borlotti hummus, house-made giardiniera, whipped ricotta, Castelvetrano olives, bresaola, stracciatella nduja, and caponata; local catch crudo with grapefruit, cucumber, pickled grapes, rose? wine & fennel pollen vinaigrette, and cherry pepper oil; and spinach cappellacci pasta with corn, taleggio, sage, guanciale, mizuna, and burnt fennel oil.
Aura : An upscale interpretation of an open-air pool grill featuring Latin American fare. Signature dishes include a smoked grouper dip with turmeric aioli, taro chips, pickled vegetables, and house-made hot sauce; local catch ceviche with Fresno chili, sweet potato, shaved onion, crispy Peruvian corn, and aji amarillo leche de tigre; grilled adobo chicken skewer with street corn salad, arepas, and avocado crema; and a Cuban sandwich with mojo pork, house pickles, Dijon mustard, Swiss cheese, and cotto ham.
Oshen : The rooftop lounge features views of the Gulf of Mexico and is exclusively open to hotel guests, serving elevated cocktails and seafood-focused small plates and dishes with Japanese and Peruvian influences. Signature dishes include yellowfin tuna tataki with ponzu vinaigrette, kombu aioli, heart of palm, Asian pear, and tobiko chalaca; Gulf shrimp yaki-cucho with cilantro rayu, crispy sweet potato, daikon, and togarashi; karaage chicken bao buns with sake-pickled cucumbers, toasted peanuts, garden cilantro, and mint; and a Maine lobster sushi roll with kimchi, asparagus, cucumbers, ponzu glaze, charred grapefruit, and green onions.
The St. Regis Bar : Billed as the resort’s “living room,” this space is where guests can gather for drinks and enjoy live piano music and other performances.
Monkey Bar : An ode to the beloved bar at Colony Beach and Tennis Resort, The St. Regis Longboat Key’s reimagined Monkey Bar will offer tiki cocktails and limited bar snacks, including the “Murph Dog,” named after longtime Colony owner Murray “Murf” Klauber. It will also serve the “Murf & Turf,” a Wagyu sausage and lobster sandwich inspired by the “Murf Dog.”Caroline’s : For breakfast or all-day refreshments, the hotel’s cafe? will offer a mix of health-forward specialty drinks and dishes, as well as coffee, espresso, tea, and homemade pastries.
If you go
The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort, which is expected to open in August of September, is at 1601 Gulf of Mexico Drive, on the Sarasota County side of Longboat Key. For more information, call 941-231-1000 or visit marriott.com .
