With the opening of downtown St. Pete's modern American Stillwaters Tavern upon the region (the 2B Hospitality crew of Robert Sanderson, Dyce Craig, Lee Karlins and executive chef Jeffrey Jew is keeping quiet about the official premiere), CL stopped into the kinda-sorta maritime-themed concept at 224 Beach Drive NE Thursday afternoon for a little preview.
Each of the 260-seat restaurant's Florida cypress wood tables is branded with nautical coordinates, which align with the hand-painted compass adorning the floor near the front entrance, and Edison bulbs dangle from thick marine rope above the dining room, lighting up the space. Stillwaters' hogfish mascot, affectionately dubbed Swineburg Fin, is prominently displayed where diners will soon nosh as well.
"We've had a very smooth [run up to] opening," Karlins said, "and [the building's transformation has] been very fulfilling for us to see."
As executive chef Jeffrey Jew's said from the start, the food — divided into snazzy categories like "partakes" (appetizers) and "wiches" (sandwiches) — will be inspired by tastes from his travels, as well as experiences he's had while growing up. According to Jew, the restaurant's deep-fried "bourbon balls" speak to what he enjoyed eating as a kid at the mall: Cinnabons.
Other offerings, like Key West shrimp and Tallahassee grits, smoked potato salad, quinoa falafel with made-in-house hummus and baked black-eyed peas, will be featured alongside steak, trout, ribs and burgers hot off the open kitchen's wood-fired grill. Jew said the smoker, used for proteins like chicken and pork, "pretty much runs 24 hours a day."
With house-crafted bitters brewing in one corner of the bar, the restaurant will also have a huge focus on brown spirits, especially its cocktail menu, which lists beverages such as the on-tap No. 22 with Bulleit bourbon, cold-brew coffee and bourbon bitters. Karlins said patrons typically order cocktails based on their names, so Stillwaters' numbered concoctions force folks to "actually read what's in the drink." The No. 1 is a punch that incorporates Catdaddy Moonshine.
The draft beer selection currently highlights five Florida craft brews, and aside from a few bottles, most of the wine — domestic and French-based since they pair better with the eats, according to Karlins — will be offered by the glass.
Stillwaters' retro aspects include its rotating lineup of "lawnmower beers," or vintage domestics, served in brown paper bags and priced around $3, along with the "blue plate specials," a prime rib dish among them, showcased Thursday through Sunday.
In the not-so-distant future, the restaurant plans to help build a community around its chef's table, which features a blue houndstooth-upholstered booth and will also be used for larger parties dining in. Karlins said it'll be a place for chefs to talk, eat, share ideas and collaborate.
"We want to create more of a chefs family," he said.
This article appears in Jun 18-24, 2015.