In the Know: Resurgence of restaurants planned at Bayfront Naples

Two mixed-use developments in the Naples area are planning a resurgence of restaurants.

While most people usually don’t know or use the names of many local retail centers, Mercato in North Naples and Bayfront in Naples are names most recognize and use. These upscale developments are each adding at least three restaurants to their lineups this season.

Bayfront

A restaurant rebirth has begun at Bayfront, the mixed-use development where Goodlette-Frank Road meets U.S. 41 East on the edge of the Gordon River.

Not since Bayfront was launched about 15 years ago by Stoneburner Companies, a Naples-based real estate development firm headed by Kevin Stoneburner, have more projects been in the works there.

Stoneburner recently reclaimed ownership of St. Germain Steakhouse, a local staple that previously was Stoney’s Steakhouse and owned by Stoneburner for more than a decade. Expect the longtime steakhouse to reflect the new ownership with an updated menu and cocktail list and a new name — K-Prime Steakhouse.

“We are going to rebrand it a little bit in October,” said Kenneth Knief, Bayfront’s new director of restaurant operations.

Diners also will notice changes to Stoney’s Stone Crabs when it reopens Oct. 15 after a seasonal hiatus. Stoneburner is adding a raw bar and extending the new restaurant’s hours so that it will be open for lunch and dinner during season.

“It’s going to have a higher energy to it with a lower price point,” Knief said.

Next to Stoney’s, an art gallery space will be converted into a wine and tapas bar with Mediterranean food and wine. The venue, as yet to be named, is scheduled to open in mid-January with tapas-style food from Italy, Spain and France, Knief said.

Stoneburner also is busy converting the former longtime Roy’s Restaurant in Bayfront to a Mexican restaurant targeted to open Nov. 15. K-Rico Mexican Grill will feature authentic Mexican and Southwestern cuisine for lunch and dinner with an approachable price point, Knief said.

A couple of craft beer lovers are behind another new restaurant, Southern Latitudes Brewpub & Grub, coming this month to a redeveloped end unit near the center of Bayfront that previously was not an eatery. Owner Tim Rogers and General Manager Mike Mettler are longtime friends teaming up to showcase their love for their southern Ohio roots and adopted Naples in a venue with about 75 seats inside and 50 outside at umbrella tables or under a covered walkway, plans show.

Southern Latitudes, promoted as “a warm, friendly place to gather,” will have about 70 Florida craft beers on tap, and wine on tap too. A brief, companion menu of pub food will offer appetizers, salads, sandwiches and flatbreads with a few nods to Cincinnati and the Deep South.

Straight from Ohio, the venue’s Queen City chili dip will feature Cincinnati-style chili, cheddar cheese and cream cheese, with corn chips for dipping. A Cincinnati chili dog will start with a Guinness-infused hot dog covered in chili, cheese and onions with yellow mustard.

“Between the Dough” entrees will include chicken and waffles, chicken and mango sliders, brisket sliders and barbacoa beef street tacos. Artisan flatbreads will feature varieties focused around prosciutto, grilled vegetables, Korean barbecue chicken, barbacoa beef barbecue, and bacon, caramelized onions and blue cheese.

Meanwhile, Stoneburner’s longtime plans to expand Shane’s Cabana Bar into a full-service waterfront dining spot are still in the works but just have been postponed another year. Blame the delay on Hurricane Irma, which caused a shortage of workers, a pinch in the permitting process and a doubling of construction costs for projects over water, Stoneburner said.

A major project is planned in a Bayfront common area, too. The area around the main fountain near Shane’s will be turned into a “grand piazza” with trellises, seating under umbrellas, and a coffee bar with gelato and pastries. The idea is to create an event space for art walks, concert series, movies on the lawn, weddings and other special events, Knief said.

“It’s going to be a pretty big undertaking,” he said. “So, there’s a lot going on. We’re trying to make the whole development more of a destination.”

Know more

► Many changes planned at Mercato in North Naples

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