Eight floors above the Trail, you sip a craft cocktail and watch the golden hour settle over Sarasota Bay. Two-story glass wraps around the room, a fringed chandelier suspended over its turquoise bar.
At Bridges, the rooftop restaurant inside downtown’s Embassy Suites, the menu has embraced international fusion since Executive Chef German Huertas entered the kitchen last August. Born in Colombia, Huertas grew up in restaurants, traveled the world and trained in New York before Florida claimed him, most recently at the St. Regis on Longboat Key. His plates, never fussy or overworked, put bright acidity here, a little smoke there, a touch of richness to smooth the edges.
“We like to play with different flavors from everywhere around the world,” says Elizabeth Dimitrova, Director of Catering, Food and Beverage, who helped shape the concept. The street corn cobb salad unites “American love” with a Mexican-inspired mix of crunch, cool and color. Airline chicken exudes the warmth of Indian curry. A blackened mahi-mahi torta comes on ciabatta with heat and snap, the pickled onions and chipotle mayo providing a lively contrast. The Milano sandwich nods to Italy, mortadella shaved thin under gooey stracciatella, with pesto and pistachio landing sweet and grassy against the salt…