Allswell

Out at Waterside Place in Lakewood Ranch, there is a new addition worth a Friday night. Allswell is relatively new on the scene and already feels like the kind of room you want to settle into for a couple hours. The setup splits between an inside dining room and an outdoor patio, both done with enough care that you will probably just pick based on the breeze.

The drink program tells you what a place is about, and Allswell takes its Old Fashioned seriously. There is a whole little lineup of them, from a clean classic build to a smoked version to one infused with banana that is genuinely good and not a gimmick. Worth ordering one of each across two visits.

I liked the the smash burger. The two-patty smash is the move here — crispy edges, the right kind of messy, exactly what you want a kitchen to nail. It comes with a small side salad and tallow fries, all cooked perfectly. The filet is on the menu and it is a perfectly nice plate, just not at the same level as the burger.

One small heads-up: skip dessert. Nothing in that section is worth the calories. Order another Old Fashioned instead.