Inspired Dining Near Siesta Key at Baker & Wife

By: Andrew Fabian

Inspired dining near Siesta Key at Baker & Wife restaurant in Sarasota, Florida. Must Do Visitor Guides
Photo credit Baker & Wife

You just drove or flew from some place far away to be near Siesta Key Beach, to stick your toes in the powdered-sugar sand, listen to Jimmy Buffet and down a Corona or a piña colada. We get it: you want to maximize your time soaking up the salty breeze and live inside the tropical bubble as long as possible. But the good news is that you don’t have to venture too far into the mainland to enjoy inspired cuisine and get away, if just for a moment, from the ubiquitous (and delicious) fried fish and daquiris that populate the menus of every restaurant on the Key.

Located a whopping 1.3 miles from Siesta Key’s North bridge, Baker & Wife restaurant offers visitors and locals the kind of creative, top-notch dishes and drinks that are too often absent from beachside villages. That flair comes courtesy of the restaurant’s star chef, Isaac Correa, who worked in some of the biggest restaurants in NYC before making a splash for 20 years in Moscow, Russia, of all places. At Baker & Wife, he brings that international inspiration to a restaurant that still focuses heavily on local, seasonal ingredients.

Dining and bar area at Baker & Wife restaurant in Sarasota, Florida.
Photo credit Andrew Fabian

What’s on the Menu at Baker & Wife?

For appetizers, the restaurant leans heavily on seafood with a spicy tuna tartare, crispy spicy shrimp and a cucumber shrimp salad. Each of them has a flair of the exotic, with Asian-inspired ingredients like sriracha or ginger making appearances. But the fried Brussels and sausage takes top prize. Fried Brussels sprouts leaves sit atop a bed of sweet sausage with pickled veggies topping it all off. This is a great plate to share, though it would be hard not to eat it all by yourself.

Fried Brussel sprouts sit atop a bed of sweet sausage with pickled veggies on top at Baker & Wife restaurant Sarasota, Florida. Photo credit Andrew Fabian
Photo credit Andrew Fabian

The dinner dishes are similarly all over the place in terms of cuisine. A beef short rib pappardelle is just as savory and beefy as the Baker’s burger, which comes with applewood smoked bacon, balsamic onions, Gruyere, lettuce, tomato and pickle along with skinny fries. Some more Asian influence makes its way into the dinner offerings with the jumbo black tiger shrimp and peanut noodles, which comes topped with Thai mint and basil. 

Spicy tuna tartare Baker & Wife restaurant Sarasota
Photo credit Andrew Fabian
Scallops with caviar Baker & Wife restaurant Sarasota, Florida.
Photo credit Baker & Wife

Even though there’s plenty to love for picky eaters, Baker & Wife still put brick oven artisanal pizzas on the menu because, frankly, why not? The crust is somewhere between a crispy NY-style and the doughy texture of an authentic Neapolitan pizza. But the magic is in the preparation, which the restaurant has perfected with its made-to-order baking process. 

The Craft Cocktail Drink Menu at Baker & Wife

Of course, no meal is complete without some delicious cocktails to wash it down.

Craft cocktails at Baker & Wife restaurant Sarasota, Florida. Photo credit Andrew Fabian.
Photo credit Andrew Fabian
Paloma cocktail Baker & Wife restaurant Sarasota, Florida. Photo credit Andrew Fabian.
Photo credit Andrew Fabian

The drink menu offers a good survey of classics—Moscow mule, espresso martini, old fashioned—but always with a twist. The tajin paloma would look and taste like every other paloma if it weren’t for the unique tajin spices that rim the glass. Similarly, the B & W old fashioned takes the traditional preparation but adds black walnut bitters to complement the Angostura bitters, giving the drink a touch of creativity while maintaining the drink’s traditional flavor profile.

The prices are reasonable, especially considering the amount of skill and flavor that goes into each dish and cocktail, as well as the top-shelf service and ambiance. And since it’s right across the bridge, you’ll never know you left the beach.

Bring Your Appetite! Dining at Baker & Wife restaurant in Sarasota, FL Must Do Visitor Guides
Photo credits Andrew Fabian, Baker & Wife
Creative, Top-Notch Dishes & Cocktails Baker & Wife restaurant Sarasota, Florida. Must Do Visitor Guides
Photo credits Andrew Fabian, Baker & Wife

Written by: Andrew Fabian | Author Website

Andrew Fabian covers arts and food for various publications in Sarasota, where he has lived since 2005. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a BA in English - Creative Writing. When he's not running around town to various restaurants and arts institutions, he enjoys a nice woodworking project or an evening on the couch with his wife arguing the merits of a television show or movie.