Sortino's opens at Kalahari

HURON TWP. — A staple of the Sandusky community reopened in a new home. Sortino's Italian Kitchen opened Friday inside the Kalahari Resort and Center off Milan Road (U.S. 250). Kalahari spun the restaurant off from the Sicilian eatery, Sortino's Little Italy, founded by George and James Sortino in Sandusky in 1974. A statue of Sandusky native, George Sortino, at the Sortino's Italian Kitchen in the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center. Register photo/MICHAEL HARRINGTON The Sortino family's friendship with Kalahari Resorts owner Tedd Nelson resulted in Sortino's Italian Kitchen restaurants at resorts in Pennsylvania and Texas. "Guest responses to the restaurant have been wonderful," Kalahari spokeswoman Andrea Toccaceli said. "It's become one of our signature restaurants." When George decided to retire, he agreed to shut down the Sortino's Little Italy on Sycamore Line near Cleveland Road (U.S. 6) earlier this month and allow Kalahari to open its third Sortino's Italian Kitchen in Sandusky. "We're honored that George trusted us to keep the restaurant's legacy alive and continue to serve his family's recipes," Toccaceli said. The restaurant's menu offers a combination of Sortino's most popular dishes and some of Kalahari's own concoctions. "It was crucial for George and us to keep the dishes that made the restaurant popular," Toccaceli said. "Sortino's has been a favorite in Sandusky for decades, and we hope people locals will come to the restaurant." Kalahari spent the last several months turning the area near the bar inside its main lobby into Sortino's Italian Kitchen. "People will be very impressed when they come in and see the restaurant," Toccaceli said. "It got a major facelift." Many people may not feel comfortable eating indoors yet because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so Kalahari offers take-out orders and curbside pick-up. "We are aware we are in the middle of an unprecedented crisis that's made the hospitality industry change," Toccaceli said. "We want to make it easy for people to enjoy our food and still feel safe."