Grant Phelan can hardly wait. And neither can we.
His waterfront Bimini Basin Seafood & Cocktails is so very close to opening behind the new Bimini Square development off Cape Coral Parkway in Cape Coral.
“We are pushing big time to get it open,” said the CEO of Phelan Family Brands. “We’re putting the finishing touches on everything.”
So how much longer?
“Late January or early February,” he said. “We’re hoping to open ASAP.”
We got a sneak peek in mid-January, and it was abuzz with activity.
High and low dark wood-topped tables were being assembled, while stacks of chairs — woven in white, blue, turquoise, yellow and orange — stood at the ready. Stone-cut tops for the two parallel bars were patiently waiting to be placed. A sea of fish — from dolphinfish to marlin, sharks to snook — grace the walls alongside paintings by Leoma Lovegrove (including an original!). The long, large kitchen and small seafood market to the left of the entry were coming along, potential staff were being interviewed and pretty much every other area was being tended to.
It was chaotic, organized and very promising.
“If you were here last week, you would have thought we wouldn’t open until March,” Beau Perry, who miraculously oversees it all, said.
When it does open, expect a 9,000-square-foot waterfront restaurant in a “unique setting with its own identity.”
“It’s so amazing,” Phelan said. “It’s so cool. Think of it as an infinity-edge restaurant. When sitting down, you won’t see the ground.”
It’s airy, polished casual and tropical through and through.
“When I think of Bimini, I think of the Bahamas,” Phelan said.
The best of the best on the menu
Phelan Family Brands, which Grant owns along with his father Tony, also includes Pinchers, Phuzzy’s Boat Shack, Texas Tony’s, Two Fillets, CJ’s on the Bay, Deep Lagoon Seafood, Chops (Bonita and Naples), Pazzo, Keewaydin’s, Hogfish Harry’s and The Bay House.
Their newest venture, in a way, is a combination of four of those.
“We took the best of Pinchers, Deep Lagoon, Hogfish Harry’s and Keewaydin’s,” Phelan said. “We put our favorite menu items from those and put them on this menu. It’s a combination of four coming into one.”
Think seafood towers, a rotating oyster selection, ahi tuna, conch fritters, crab and more signature favorites.
“It’s seafood,” Perry said, “but it’s also ribs, burgers, chicken and pasta dishes, salads, steaks. Every dish will have signature sauces. They’ll be bright, colorful, elevated dishes.”
That vibe continues with the cocktails.
“We have a great drink menu that we put a lot of effort into,” General Manager Marissa Goff said. “Lot of frozen drinks. Very tropical.”
Enjoy them with your meal or at the two parallel 32-seat, first-come, first-served bars.
Oh-so tropical vibes
For a moment, Phelan considered taking a different route in Bimini Basin instead of this new concept.
“We thought about another Deep Lagoon there,” he said. “But it would be close to the (McGregor Boulevard) one. We didn’t want them to compete.”
While Bimini Basin Seafood & Cocktails isn’t as big as some of the other Phelan venues, high ceilings and open air make the 225-seat restaurant feel quite spacious.
“There’s always a nice breeze in here,” Goff said. “With the wind off the water and dolphins jumping out (in Bimini Basin), you just can’t have a bad day here. We’re really excited to get open.”
It’s located at 458 Tudor Drive in South Cape.
“We are in the home stretch,” Phelan said.
And we can’t wait.
Robyn George is a food and dining reporter for The News-Press. Connect at rhgeorge@fortmyer.gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: First look: New waterfront restaurant about to open in Cape Coral
Reporting by Robyn George, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
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