DINING
Owner hopes for success with new Italian eatery
Grille opens where many have failed
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It’s only 11:30 a.m. at the newly-opened Italian restaurant, Islamorada Grille & Bar, and the place is already beginning to fill up. A group of women gather for a birthday party with their brightly wrapped gifts decorating the table, as a family of four slides into a nearby booth. A friendly waitress efficiently gets them settled with menus and drinks, and then she seats another older couple who has come in the door.
Owner Devin Breithaupt keeps an eye on the activity and smiles confidently at the early success that his restaurant has achieved so far. While some may have been daunted by the 5,000-square-foot space that has seen a slew of restaurants come and go over the years, Breithaupt said that the 232-seat restaurant is just the right size. He believes that they have a winning combination of quality food, good service and value that will keep people coming back.
“We’re positive and excited,” he said. “We see a lot of potential here. We brought in a good crew to get this up and running. We’re catering to the locals, and we know how important they are to the business. Repeat customers, they love the food.”
The previous owners ran a Latin restaurant called El Meson de Celio, which stayed in business for about a year. Before that it was Gusto’s Grill and Bar.
The colorful interior décor reflects the ghosts-of-restaurants-past with its stacked lobster traps lining the ceiling and other sea-themed trim, a refurbished bar that was passed down from Whale Harbor years ago and a bright orange wall with a Spanish-style red faux brick. The exposed ceiling duct-work adds an incongruous industrial feel to the lofty space, softened by a tropical mural on the wall behind the bar.
Breithaupt said that they only added a few touches like linen table cloths and 10 televisions because he liked the fact that the interior represented a lot of history. Although, he lives in Homestead, Breithaupt felt that Islamorada was the perfect place to open a restaurant, since he has come to know the town well over the years that he has worked there in various businesses.
“I love Islamorada and the people, and I felt it was missing this type of restaurant. There’s a lot of good food in the area, but we brought in the Italian theme, which you don’t find too much here.”
He said that they focus on quality food using as many fresh ingredients as possible. They do four hours of prep every day, and the sauces are made from scratch. In addition to the Italian dishes, the chef has been known to whip up new specials whenever he becomes inspired.
Some of the most popular appetizers on the menu include the fried calamari served with their signature marinara sauce ($8.95) and the chicken Bianca pizza made with alfredo sauce on a crispy tortilla shell ($7.95). The finding Nemo salad with tuna and gorgonzola ($10.95), Italian hamburger ($9.95) and the lasagna made from an old family recipe ($13.95) have also become customer favorites.
“We’ve been told that our Italian hamburger is one of the best in the Keys,” Breithaupt said. “Our special blend of seasonings really makes it stand out. It’s one of those things that you’ve got to try.”
With their reasonable prices, two-for-one drinks all day and a 10-percent locals discount, Breithaupt said one of their goals has been to provide a great value for the customer.
“Even our $2.99 side dishes are huge,” he said. “If someone is looking for an inexpensive lunch, they could come in and just have a couple of sides.”
Islamorada Grille has a small stage area, where they have planned a variety of entertainment from bands to karaoke. Recently, they had the local group, Circus, playing, and instead of performing some of their usual high-energy rock, they played softer selections sans their drummer.
Breithaupt also regularly takes to the stage to perform some of his own favorites on guitar.
“We have to take into consideration the acoustics in here, which are pretty loud,” he said. “The wrong kind of music could be overwhelming to the customers.”
Business started out with walk-ins and quickly picked up through word-of-mouth. Once they got their sign up, they started seeing the tourists make their way in.
Breithaupt said that their late-night hours have also helped them draw people after the other restaurants in town close.
“We definitely get a late crowd with groups of 8-10 coming in at 10 p.m. at night,” he said. “We also get a lot of staff from other restaurants who are looking for a place to eat and hang out when they get off work. Some nights when we were supposed to close at midnight, we’ve been here until 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. We’re willing to stay later if people are still coming in. All of our staff is here to work.”
