Ticket Editor: One of the best Sarasota restaurants closed this week – and I already miss it!
Home to one of Sarasota's greatest burgers, fried chicken sandwiches and much more, this restaurant will be missed.
Wade Tatangelo
The Overton has been closed less than a week and I already miss it.
Opened in 2018, the restaurant and craft cocktail/coffee bar was the go-to spot for dining and drinking in the booming Rosemary District located just north of downtown Sarasota.
As I noted earlier this year, The Overton had one of the area's best build-outs. It was all exposed concrete with counter service in an open-air setting that flowed seamlessly into the courtyard dotted with metal and wood tables, hanging plants, dangling lights and palm trees.
The main reason for visiting The Overton, though, was for chef and owner Christian Hershman, who crafted some of the best comfort food in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Just take his burger, which has been one my annual best burger list for years.
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It was everything you could want from a diner-style burger, created by a first-class chef: superior beef used for a hand-formed patty, American cheese, house pickles, house red onions that were pickled, and a savory, mayo-based “secret sauce” on a toasted, fluffy white bun to seal the deal. Oh, yeah, and then you paired that burger with Hershman's thin, hand-cut fries that he cooked in tallow, a rendered form of beef fat.
Tallow, by the way, was also the secret ingredient in the fried poultry that filled his double stack fried chicken sandwich. The two gloriously crunchy fried chicken breasts then topped with some old-school iceberg lettuce and pickles with a smart smear of avocado spread for the win. Sound familiar? Included that one in my of best fried chicken sandwiches.
Or how about Hershman's turkey sandwich?
It's slices of turkey – slow roasted and hand-cut breast meat that has been brined in house – topped by crispy strips of bacon with iceberg lettuce and tomato and then a layer of house mayo on a sourdough that smartly complements rather than overpowers ($10). Yes, it's a timeless classic, one that dated back to when Hershman oversaw State Street Eating House + Cocktails.
I talked to Hershman recently and am confident he will again be making another triumphant return to the Sarasota-Manatee restaurant scene. For now, I sure do miss his inspired cooking at The Overton.
Fortunately, though, it appears another gifted chef will soon be taking over The Overton location at 1420 Boulevard of the Arts. Check back often with us here at ticketsarasota.com for that story and all of the other restaurant news and reviews, plus things to do articles, that we provide on pretty much a daily basis.
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Wade Tatangelo is the Herald-Tribune’s dining and entertainment editor overseeing the weekly Ticket publication. He's also co-leader of USA Today Network's Uniquely Florida team creating statewide content. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. He may be reached by email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.