It’s been a momentous birthday week for Stairway 2 Donnelly owner Nickole McIntyre, who just turned 40 on Sept. 23 while in the throes of operating a new restaurant.
Having come of age in the restaurant industry, McIntyre has faced loss and other personal challenges over the past decade, but now has a new life partner and two new leases on life in Mount Dora.
The daughter of Villages restaurateurs John and Maureen McIntyre has opened two new Mount Dora restaurants downtown this year: Little Something Different in April, and, just this past month, the new Stairway 2 Donnelly, both on the same block.
McIntyre and her family moved to Florida from Massachusetts when she was 10, and shortly after that, dining became a major part of her world.
“I’ve really been doing this since I was 12, McIntyre said. “So my mom worked for The Villages for a while and, you know, traveled restaurant to restaurant and she ran like 11 or 13 of ’em. It was a lot, but we just followed her and fell in love with it. It’s like, you gotta love what you do. You’ve got to love the high energy and the customers. I mean, they’re becoming family, too, you know?”
Dubbed “a social eatery,” Stairway 2 Donnelly seats around 75 people and is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and occupies the second-story space previously occupied by One Flight Up, a longtime favorite for coffee, pastries and sandwiches, which closed on March 31.
Breakfast and brunchy items are still a major focus at the new restaurant, but it’s also a place to hang out and enjoy lunch or dinner. Homemade crepes are featured during their Sunday brunch, and the menu changes week to week.
Portions are generous. You can share a prime rib nachos and have enough to take home. One sandwich with the same shaved rib meat that’s on the nachos features a blueberry remoulade, an inspiration that came to McIntyre because she pondered what would add a splash of color and flavor.
“It’s this Chinese star that you go off for your body of what colors you need to feed your soul, you know?” McIntyre added. “On the turkey and roast beef sandwich, I was missing a purple color. So I just said, ‘Hey, what two flavors can I blend together?’ To make something purple? And, it just so happened to be blueberries and horseradish for the prime rib. And there it was.”
A European sensibility with casual American twists is a recurring theme at Stairway 2 Donnelly. Espresso lovers can lounge at a classic coffee bar cafe inside next to a balcony, which also offers that romantic feeling of the old continent with a pretty-as-a-postcard view of the palm trees and colorful storefronts in downtown Mount Dora.
Speaking of Europe, a thoughtful wine list offers impressively selected imports from France and Italy. Servers are polished and professional, and friendly.
Pop culture ephemera and music memorabilia fill the inside. When asked about what inspires the mix of classical and funky elements in both of her restaurants, McIntyre didn’t want to take the credit.
“My mom reads my brain and then decorates,” she said.
Sweets are fun at both Little Something Different and Stairway 2 Donnelly. Folks who like a dessert-style coffee drink will love Stairway 2 Donnelly’s beverage concoctions, such as a tiramisu macchiato, a blueberry lavender mocha or a banana brulee brew. They have an enticing video on their Facebook page, facebook.com/Stairway2Donnelly, showing the indulgent concoctions.
Other fanciful and colorful touches include gold flatware and the banana split caprese salad, which brings the sweetness of bananas and strawberries with the crunch of walnuts and a zingy balsamic glaze, and, of course, the traditional tomato, basil and mozzarella.
There’s tons of history and personality at Stairway 2 Donnelly, in its food, drinks and from its owner.
Wearing cocktail-shaped earrings and a dreamcatcher tattoo, McIntyre isn’t a conventional culinary snob.
She greets customers like they’re old friends and might even offer a hug on your way out.
Her restaurant is housed in a more-than-century-old building, where Martha and Monroe Simpson once ran a pharmacy. McIntyre’s dad, John, retained the vintage look with reclaimed wood.
“We wanted the history that history to stay with the building,” daughter Nickole emphasized.
What’s to come at Stairway 2 Donnelly?
“I’m pretty much just listening to the community,” she said with matter-of-fact modesty.
“Our customers have been amazing, you know. It’s kind of happened so slow and then so fast. But, looking forward, we’re going to do events up here. We have the musicians from the mic drop night (at Little Something Different) that I want to get up here as soon as possible, and the breakfast buffet is turning into a brunch buffet because some people want to come here at lunch time too.”
Stairway 2 Donnelly is located at 440 N. Donnelly St., Mount Dora. For information, visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/Stairway2Donnelly or call 352-729-2154.
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Something old, something new at Stairway 2 Donnelly in Mount Dora
Reporting by Julie Garisto, Leesburg Daily Commercial / Daily Commercial
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
