A popular Siesta Key seafood restaurant and market has expanded into Sarasota, with a similar concept but a different name and some new offerings.
Happy Clams and Hams opened June 8 at 4110 Bee Ridge Road, said Scott Dolan, who owns the restaurant, seafood market and deli along with Carlyle Veale and Brian Paetsch. Dolan also owns Big Water Fish Market, which has operated on Siesta Key at Midnight Pass Road for about 15 years.
Dolan said he had been looking to open a second location inland for a while before settling on the Bee Ridge Road space, where part of the appeal was being in the same plaza as Southern Steer Butcher, so customers could shop for their fish and other meats in one stop.
What type of food does Happy Clams and Hams serve?
Like Big Water, Happy Clams and Hams features both a seafood market and restaurant menu with fish sandwiches, raw bar offerings and more. Yet as the new business’ name suggests, it also offers a wider selection of non-seafood, deli-style sandwiches than Big Water.
“(Carlyle) has an Italian background and her kind of a dream is to do an Italian-style deli, so we combined the two concepts,” Dolan said.
Sandwiches include seafood options such as the Big Water Grouper Sandwich or the Fenway Park Lobster Roll; Italian subs such as the Carlito’s Way with ham, prosciutto, salami, fresh mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, onion and sweet and hot peppers with oil and vinegar on a roll; and other sandwich staples such as a Reuben, Cuban or muffuletta.
The menu also features appetizers and raw bar offerings including oysters or ceviche, as well as salads and soups. The business currently doesn’t plan on getting a beer and wine license, Dolan said, but does allow customers to bring their own beer. For those who want to dine in, there is seating for about 26.
Happy Clams and Hams’ current hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and closed Sunday. For more information, call 941-271-4546 or visit happyclamsandhams.com.
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Popular Siesta Key seafood restaurant expands into Sarasota
Reporting by Jimmy Geurts, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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By Jimmy Geurts, Sarasota Herald-Tribune | USA TODAY Network
