What’s better than a new restaurant? How about one offering $5 wine, martini and small-plate specials? Or a prix-fixe dinner for two for under $25?

Carmel Café & Wine Bar, which opened this summer in Sarasota’s University Park, is enticing newcomers and its already loyal following to sample their way through the restaurant’s modern Mediterranean menu. Its recently introduced “After 5 at Carmel” promotion, offered weeknights from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., features five $5 wines, five $5 signature martinis and five $5 small-plate specials in addition to two-for-one well drinks.