CORTEZ – Owned and operated by Bob Slicker, Slicker’s Eatery is now open.
Located at 12012 Cortez Road W., Slicker’s latest culinary adventure set sail on Tuesday, Feb. 9 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by members of the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce and others. The ceremony kicked off a two-day soft opening that doubled as a fundraiser and raised more than $10,000 for Slicker’s favorite charity, The Blessing Bags Project.
Slicker, who previously enjoyed a long and successful run as the general manager of the nearby Swordfish Grill, now finds himself doing business in a recently renovated building whose legacy includes Pig Out BBQ and O’Shucks.
Offering “crafts and drafts” in the form of specialty food served as small plates or large plates, specialty cocktails, draft beers, desserts and more, Slicker’s Eatery represents the culmination of the bar, restaurant, team building, fundraising and community service experience Slicker has gained during his first five decades of life.
On Monday, Slicker shared his thoughts on his first week at the helm of Cortez’s newest restaurant.
“It went even better than I expected. The support of the community and the performance of my new team were better than I could have ever hoped – especially for a guy who took ownership of a restaurant seven weeks ago,” he said.
Out of respect for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, seating is currently limited. Masks are required while entering the restaurant and moving about, but not while seated and eating and drinking.
“We’re trying to keep a third of our tables empty until this pandemic is over. When we’re at full speed, our seating capacity will be 160 people,” Slicker said.
He recommends making reservations in advance, but there is limited seating for walk-in patrons as well: “During our first five days, three were sold out.”
As he’s done in the past, Slicker views the eatery as an extension of the community it serves, with fundraising and assisting others as a key component of the business model.
“We are building this business to make a difference. A lot of people asked me how and why I opened a restaurant during a pandemic. It’s truly because of the kindness of the community and the friends and family that support me and my endeavors and the things we do to give back to the community,” he said.
The staff
“Our food menu is eclectic and it’s a chef-driven menu. My nephew, Kurt Clennan, is a California-based chef. He developed the menu and trained the staff. Our menu offers healthier choices and we have no fryers, which we are very proud of,” Slicker said.
“Barry Smith is our operations manager/kitchen manager and Brandon Rolland is our general manager. I’ve known Brandon for 20 years and we have a rum-based drink on the menu called “Rolland with the Foamies,” Slicker said.
“Max Schumacher is our bar manager. We call our bartenders ‘spirit guides’ and Max is our shaman, the leader of the spirit guides. I’ve known Max for 29 years, because he turned 29 yesterday.
“And my daughter, Molly Slicker, is our creative director. She designed the restaurant, the layout of the menu and worked with Sande Caplin & Associates on our logo. Sande is doing our website and Molly is handling our promotion, public relations and social media,” Slicker said.
“The support from the community has been so strong that we are already adding to our staff and looking for people who not only want to make a difference in their own lives, but for others also. During the interview process, we ask our applicants what cause is important to them,” Slicker said.
Menus and décor
When discussing the menus, Molly Slicker said, “It’s hard to pick a highlight of our food menu because the menu is so eclectic and features so much fusion from so many different flavors. I’m a big Cuban sandwich connoisseur, so my favorite is our Cubano. It’s truly the best I’ve had in the area. A lot of our guests are enjoying the Seared Ahi Tuna Crostini, the Petite Filet and the Spicy Octopus that might be the most exciting dish we have on our menu.
“Our most popular, and maybe our most exciting, signature cocktail is our Santa Teresa Smoked Old Fashioned. It’s an experience in that the bartender brings it to your table. After wood chips are fired under the glass, the drink is poured into it, which produces a really nice smoky flavor. My favorite drink is the Tanqueray-based Fizzie Maguire. I love the light, refreshing flavor and the Lizzie McGuire reference, and it comes with Pop Rocks as a garnish that makes a fizzing, popping sound,” she said.
“With the décor, I really wanted to go with a sustainable theme and a lot of the décor you see is from our team’s personal collection or something I got from a local thrift store. And the photographs are of our management team, our families, our favorite places and things like that. I wanted it to feel like you were going somewhere nice, but somewhere that was also comfortable – like you’re walking into our home. Color-wise, I wanted to go with a modern and fresh feel, so anything black, white and grayscale, with tops of fresh greenery. The plants and greenery are from Mackenzie Fortenberry’s AMI Roots houseplant pop-up shop,” she said.
With the exception of certain holidays, Slicker’s Eatery is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and there are plans to soon serve brunch on Saturdays and Sundays as well.
For reservations, call 941-251-9428. You can also make online reservations and view the menus at the Slicker’s Eatery website.
