A duet of new eateries are under construction off of Six Mile Cypress Parkway in south Fort Myers.
Marlins Brewhouse and Chronic Tacos are coming to the new Marlins Plaza, a 14,665-square-foot buildingscheduled to debut this fall just east of the Home Depot near the intersection of Six Mile and U.S. 41.
“The plaza is kind of multifaceted,” said Tim Frederic, a partner in the building and its two hospitality concepts. “We have nine units in total, three of which we’re taking for the brewhouse and Chronic Tacos.”
Frederic, whose family once owned several McDonald’s franchises throughout the area, has been in the restaurant business all of his life. The Bishop Verot High School alumnus and University of Central Florida graduate has teamed up with his childhood friend Jeff Burns, also a local, to make this new dining destination a reality.
The 110-seat Marlins Brewhouse will be a “hyperlocal” beer bar highlighting offerings from Southwest Florida’s craft breweries, as well as from craft producers from snowbird havens — Michigan, New England, Ohio — up north.
In addition to beer, Marlins will serve a limited menu (about 15 items) of pub fare, “big pretzels, bacon in a pint glass, things like that,” Frederic said.
To supplement that menu, customers can head to Chronic Tacos, located right across the shared beer garden.
“I came out of the restaurant field, but I’m in no way a chef, so I wanted something that would go well with beer,” Frederic said of choosing the Chronic Tacos concept.
“Jeff and I toured around looking for different franchises to bring something new to our area, and Chronic was a perfect fit.”
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Headquartered in Southern California, Chronic is a fast-casual concept based on its founders’ third-generation family recipes. Menu items include tacos, burritos, quesadillas and bowls. Fillings include carnitas, al pastor, chicken, steak, and fish or shrimp that can be sautéed or beer battered and fried, plus vegetarian options.
Chronic offers breakfast all day, including burritos and tacos filled with eggs, chorizo, bacon or machaca-style shredded beef.
“What I love about it, it’s just really authentic recipes, and everything is accounted for,” Frederic said. “Everything is no GMOs, eco-friendly, all natural, which is just the way the world’s moving.”
If things move as planned, then this will be the first Chronic Tacos to open in Florida. Another Chronic is under construction in Tampa. The south Fort Myers location will also have a food truck allowing it to travel and serve at local breweries, and offer catering.
“Jeff and I have drafted a million different business ideas on bar napkins that we’ll never find, but we’re finally at a point where we can bring one to fruition,” Frederic said.
“If this works out right, we want to continue the (Marlins) concept throughout the state or even the country. This could be just the beginning.”
Marlins Plaza will be at 5611 Six Mile Commercial Court, south Fort Myers. For more on the concepts, visitfacebook.com/marlinsbreworchronictacos.com.
Divieto coming to Coconut Point
Divieto Ristorante is preparing to open across from the former Blue Water Bistro space at Coconut Point in Estero. It will occupy the space vacated last June by Bice Grand Café.
The Italian-American fusion restaurant will feature the same menu as its original location that has operated for five years in Doral near Miami. The casual eatery offers more than 70 Italian signature dishes, salads, steaks and thin-crust pizzas, and includes a tableside experience where creamy fettuccine Alfredo is tossed inside a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Divieto’s menu includes pasta, beef, chicken, fish, pork and veal dishes. The restaurant will have a full bar and patio seating. Find more at divietoristorante.com.
Little Bites
EO Burgers has closed at Bell Tower Shops in south Fort Myers. The 150-seat restaurant, part of Mainstreet Ventures, the same owners behind Blue PointeOyster Bar, another Bell Tower tenant, opened in February 2016. The original EO Burgers in Beavercreek, Ohio remains open.
My Sweet Artopened May 4 in the former Nelly’s Taste of Greece space at 290 Nicholas Parkway NW, Cape Coral. The café offers French pastries, including macarons, as well as breakfast and lunch dishes such as quiche, crepes and more. Call 458-7646 or visitfacebook.com/mysweetartcapefor more.
Bonita Bean opened in April at 4171 Bonita Beach Road SW, Bonita Springs. The coffee shop offers a variety of espresso-based drinks along with Cuban-style coffees, teas, pastries and baked goods, and more. Call 949-0615 or visit mybonitabean.com for more.
Hooked Island Grill has taken over the former Island Cafe space on Matlacha. According to a May 4 post on Island Café’s Facebook page, “The restaurant ha(s) been sold to Barbara and Scott Koenig. They have changed the name to 'Hooked Island Grill.' We congratulate them and encourage you to continue to patronize them as they take our restaurant to the next level.” Find Hooked at 4200 Pine Island Road or call 540-3463.
Uncle Angelo’s Restaurant & Pizzeria opened Saturday in the former Blaze Bistro space at 2612 Santa Barbara Blvd., Cape Coral. The restaurant features salads, pastas, and an array of entrees including chicken and eggplant Parmesan, a veal chop, steaks, linguine with clam sauce and much more. Pizzas range from $8 for a small cheese to $22 for large specialty pies. The menu lists Joe Capobianco as the chef and owner. The restaurant is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday and is closed Monday; call 458-4567 or find it on Facebook for more.
Columbia Restaurant says no-go in Fort Myers
After taking second to a restaurant concept called Oxbow in a bid for the City Pier building in downtown Fort Myers, the Tampa-based Columbia Restaurant officially took itself out of the running for the space Saturday.
Oxbow, a concept backed by Mainsail Lodging and Development, the company bringing the Luminary Hotel to downtown Fort Myers, was unanimously picked over Columbia by a panel of city appointees last week. The Fort Myers City Council would have made the final decision, had Columbia not withdrawn. The 112-year-old Columbia restaurant is the oldest in Florida with seven locations throughout the state.
More: Columbia Restaurant withdraws downtown waterfront bid
Metro Diner expands to Bonita
Metro Diner, a Jacksonville-based restaurant chain, plans to open another regional location this month in Bonita Springs. The first area location opened at the end of January in North Naples.
The new eatery will be in an outparcel building in The Center of Bonita Springs on the northwest corner of U.S. 41 and Bonita Beach Road. The 4,067-square-foot eatery serves favorite diner classics and twists on traditional dishes made from scratch. Metro Diner features a menu of all-day breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Although the diner is not officially opening until May 16, it is celebrating Mother’s Day weekend with special previews Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday, all donations will benefit the Center for the Arts Bonita Springs. Customers who provide a donation will receive a sneak peek at the new eatery and enjoy Metro Diner favorites.
The next day, Mother’s Day, celebrate mom with a meal on Metro Diner. Parties must have no more than four patrons and reservations are required. Reservations can be made for either day, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. or 4-7:30 p.m. by calling the charity reservation line at 236-8102. The new Bonita restaurant is at 3250 Bonita Beach Road, suite 202; visit metrodiner.com for more.
Naples Daily News staff writer Tim Aten contributed reporting. A La Carte is a compilation of news and notes from the Southwest Florida food scene. Send ideas to taste@news-press.com. Connect with this reporter: @ATometich (Twitter)
