Good American food place - Sully also owns Manhattan Bar & Grill

It's been over a year since my husband and I ate at Patricks with another couple. We all had cheeseburgers of one kind or another.

Out of each couple, one got violently sick. The wife of one couple (me) was sick for twenty-four hours, the husband of the other couple was in bed for several days.

The day after I became ill, I called Patricks, asked to speak to the manager, told him of our illnesses and exactly what each of us had eaten. He was extraordinarily rude, saying, "We served hundreds of cheeseburgers last night, and only TWO of you got sick?" Not a word of apology, but rather open disbelief that we were telling the truth. Although we reported Patricks to the local health department, nothing to our knowledge was done. The restaurant is a tradition in Sarasota, which I presume puts it above the kinds of disciplinary action another restaurant might have gotten.

Any restaurant can have a bad night or serve food which makes patrons ill. However, the manner in which such an incident is handled makes all the difference between an establishment to which you'd return and one which you warn all your acquaintances to stay away from. We put Patricks in the latter category.

The food here is mediocre; I know I had a salad but I can't even remember what else I had, so obviously it wasn't worth remembering. My biggest complaint was with the service. One special highlight: When my boyfriend asked our waitress what the difference was between this burger and that burger, she just stared at him and shrugged her shoulders indifferently. No "I'm not sure" or "Let me find out".....not a single word. I have have had better service at Taco Bell.

Without belaboring the matter, go somewhere else, unless you wish to be seated in a restaurant with mediocre ambiance, at best, and like to beg the host to send a server, who shows up, ice cold, and barely thaws, for the duration of your stay. The server won't bother asking how you wish you steak to be prepared -- it comes out rock hard, tough, rubbery, etc..... the mashed potatoes sit stiffly in the shape of the server scoop, sort of warm, and the meatloaf was soft and uniform, and it's flavors melded since cooked days before. Finally, the pizza crust was very hard and difficult to chew through, along the outer edge, yet the inner crust transitioned to mush.

Save your money, but more importantly, save your time and palate.