Following the debut of Boca Bay Grille last year and Backfin Blue Cafe’s recent reopening, two food and drink landmarks in downtown Gulfport are undergoing big transformations in 2016.
The city’s Beach Haus restaurant, originally a German-themed affair that opened in 2013 at 3128 Beach Blvd. S., has completed its transition into Spinnakers, with a new menu, management, staff, and a remodel on the way. A launch party featuring the fresh bill of fare is set for 5 to 8 p.m. Friday (the event runs concurrently with a meet-and-greet with Gulfport City Council member Dan Liedtke).
In keeping with the restaurant’s name, a nautical term for a three-cornered sail, the menu centers around seafood, showcasing offerings such as catfish from New Orleans, bacon-wrapped sea scallops, salmon, mahi mahi and grouper. Spinnakers will also offer two cuts of steak, soups and salads, and a wide gamut of pub grub — nachos, wings, burgers and flatbread pizzas included.
According to operations manager Corey Cane, the Spinnakers team made a real effort to find out what people wanted out of the restaurant while crafting the menu over a three-month period. Some crowd favorites were carried over from Beach Haus’s old lineup, while others, like the award-winning super-stuffed mushrooms, came along with the new cooking staff.
The building that houses Spinnakers is Gulfport’s only two-story restaurant, known for its glorious view of the ocean. It will now feature three distinct bars: “The Afterdeck” on the second floor, “Sails” on the first and a tiki bar on the patio. Cane is particularly excited for one of the event offerings, a "booze cruise" Sunday brunch featuring breakfast, seafood and flights of “mini-mini mimosas and bloody mary’s.”
Regionites should keep an eye out for remodels in the coming year that will add space and style to the restaurant, including an expanded front room and an open kitchen that allows guests to witness Spinnakers’ work in the kitchen.
Groundwork for a second new eatery is underway at the former location of Peg’s Cantina & Brew Pub, the well-known pizza and Mexican restaurant and birthplace of Cycle Brewing that closed its doors in December. Owners Mike and Cathy Burke are prepared to fill that void with the opening of their Fish Bar and Grille, planned for mid-February at 3038 Beach Blvd. S.
Like its name, the concept is simple — fresh fish from Florida. The restaurant will cook up seasonally available and staple dishes, but always with locally sourced, hand-cut and freshly prepared seafood. Patrons can look forward to grouper, snapper, amberjack, cobia and other state favorites, as well as a raw shellfish bar.
Another of the Burkes’ goals for the restaurant is atmosphere. Cindy hails from Hawaii, while Mike has lived in the Tampa Bay area for most of his life, a combination which they hope will play into a kind of “Flor-Asian” taste. Aesthetically, they envision an old Key West bungalow setting, the kind of only-in-Florida place that isn’t so easy to find anymore. An authentic tiki bar with ample high-top seating is being constructed on the south end of the property, and Fish will also be family-friendly, with games for kids and something on the menu that appeals to everyone.
“We want it to be not just a restaurant, but an environment, like stepping into another world,” Mike said.
Most of all, though, he said “no” is not an option when it comes to service, and that the restaurant will try to cater to customer requests and suggestions. Whether the request is for a $150 bottle of wine, a PB&J sandwich or anything in between, Mike said, “It may not be on the menu, but if I’m capable of making it happen, I will.”
