Pieces fall into place

Four new restaurants, 100% occupancy for Punta Gorda’s Fishermen’s Village

SUE WADE

Sun Correspondent

PUNTA GORDA — “A new restaurant opening that hires 100 people is unusual,” the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce recently noted.

“It signifies new investment in the community, job creation, economic momentum, a vote of confidence in the local market.” How about four new local restaurants opening within months — and a few yards — of one another, creating upwards of 400 total jobs?

In Fishermen’s Village, the newly opened The Islands Kitchen & Cocktail House has brought more than 100 new employees aboard and still seeks more line cooks.

At the prow of the Village, Latitude 26° and Castaways will hire a total of 250 for April and May launches.

Leroy’s Fish Shack expects to hire 50 and be open by summer.

“The Village has had a complete change in the last two years,” said The Islands’ Managing Partner Kurt Brown. “There’s brand new stores, brand new restaurants.”

After hurricanes and closures that drained some of Fishermen’s Village’s appeal as a destination and sent business downtown, that appeal is back and burgeoning.

On the heels of a recent announcement that Fishermen’s Village had reached 100% retail and restaurant occupancy, it posted: “From new restaurants and shops to the suites upstairs, it’s an exciting time to be part of the Village. Most of all, we’re grateful for our community. Your continued support is what keeps this place thriving.”

More NEW | A6

The crew of The Islands is thrilled to fully open, one month after their New Year’s party.

PHOTO PROVIDED

from A1 THE ISLANDS

After popping the cork on New Year’s Eve, the much-anticipated The Islands fizzled to a halt, delayed by permitting issues surrounding its longstanding stateof- the-art food-trailer kitchen.

Nevertheless, the fully staffed, trained and tested, 2,100-square-foot restaurant reopened on Feb. 5 to lines out the door and hourlong waits for its expansive harborfront vista, open to breezes and outdoor seating when the weather permits.

Its well-known hometown team is made up of Amber and Dan DeCarlo of Punta Gorda, who also own Village Outfitters and Harborwalk Resort Wear in Fishermen’s Village; Dan McKay, corporate partner from Ohio; Brown; and Executive Chef Partner David McCleery of Port Charlotte.

The Islands’ menu, said McCleery, is an island approach to ultra-fresh seafood, swimming one or two days before it’s plated, along with high-quality beef and the Village’s only sushi.

For steaks, there’s a reserve Australian Wagyu filet surf and turf with char-grilled octopus, a short rib burger, and a jaw-dropping signature steak: 32-ounce dryaged Wagyu tomahawk, flamed up and carved tableside for four hungry carnivores.

Island themes brighten the menu with refreshing tropical fruits and enrich it with touches of plantain, avocado, Bahamian conch and Jamaican jerk seasoning.

LATITUDE FOR CASTAWAYS

The Islands will soon have new neighbors at the northwestern end of the Village.

Tidewater Hospitality Group, a locally based partnership of Lew Bennett and Michael Landsberg, is developing both Latitude 26° and Castaways.

Dave Beers, the group’s chief operating officer, spoke with The Daily Sun at The Islands this week.

“They’re doing a great job here,” he said of The Islands. “I love their menu, and we’re not trying to beat them. We’re different styles.

“We’re excited to bring our new venues to the iconic Fishermen’s Village. The site has such a strong history, and it’s an honor to be part of the community.”

Beers brings with him three decades of restaurant industry experience developing and operating nearly a dozen high-volume, full-service restaurants. Bennett and Landsberg brought him on board as COO to help oversee the development and launch of Tidewater Hospitality Group’s two new waterfront concepts.

The group expects to open the upstairs Latitude 26° first, in early April, with Castaways to follow downstairs in mid-May. Interviews are ongoing; each venue will hire 125 employees beginning in early March.

Menus without prices are posted on both websites, but Beers assures guests, “We want to give that feel of an elevated experience but not charge outrageous prices.”

At Latitude 26°, their upstairs seafood and steakhouse, said Beers, look for a slightly elevated, casual vibe, bright, modern and relaxed, with a front-row seat overlooking the harbor.

“We’ve completely redone the place to open it up, with the bar now halfway down the middle of the dining room,” he said. “We’re rebuilding the deck right now for outdoor seating. So, we’ll have 100 seats outside and 220 or so inside.”

There, coastal flavors are the stars: premium seafood, expertly cut steaks, craft cocktails and a curated wine list, served in a polished dining room wrapped 180 degrees in glass and sunset views.

The atmosphere is lively but not loud, and every plate is designed to feel special but unfussy.

Castaways promises the waterfront hangout that Punta Gorda has been missing since not only Harpoon Harry’s but also since Hurricane Charley’s rolled down their shutters: “the spot where you wander in for a drink and somehow end up staying until dark.”

Castaways is a dockside, open-air, 400-seat bar and grill — casual, loud in only the best way, and built for flip-flops, boat shoes and one more round at sunset.

It will offer cold beer and tropical drinks, big coastal platters, wings, tacos, smash and blackbean burgers, handhelds from seafood and pork to chicken and prime rib, and fried seafood baskets, all flying out of the kitchen while a harbor breeze wafts through the room.

Expect TVs for the game, live music on the right nights, locals at the rail and vacationers stretching out for happy hour.

Fishermen’s Village is at 200 W. Retta Esplanade, Punta Gorda.

Latitude 26° will open in early April, upstairs at the end of Fishermen’s Village.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JOYCE BEERS

Tidewater Hospitality Group’s downstairs Fishermen’s Village bar and grill, Castaways, will open in mid-May.

McCleery