Naples is known for having an abundance of great restaurants. So many in fact that it can sometimes get a bit overwhelming. To help, the editors of US News recently came up with a list of their top dining venues. Among their favorites:
Blue Provence * Bar Tulia * The Bay House * EJ’s Bayfront Café * Caffe dell’Amore * T-Michael’s Steak & Lobster * Campiello * Osteria Tulia * USS Nemo * Bha! Bha! Persian Bistro * Gumbo Limbo at The Ritz-Carlton * Sea Salt * The Turtle Club * The Rooster * Naples Brunch * Lima Restaurant and Pisco Bar * Noodles Italian Café & Sushi Bar * La Trattoria * The Oyster Society * Island Gypsy Café * Mediterrano * Brooks Burgers
All twenty-two of these restaurants are outstanding and worthy of your patronage but there is another list of Naples’ restaurants not widely known to the general public that is worth investigating. These SWFL restaurants are so exclusive that they require membership.
Tucked within the upscale community of Moorings Park Grande Lake are three extraordinary restaurants only accessible to members of Moorings Park Community’s three communities. These three new restaurants provide a unique dining experience that can’t be found anywhere else in Naples.
“Residents of our three communities, Moorings Park, Moorings Park at Grey Oaks, and Moorings Park Grande Lake have access to nine private restaurants … three at each of our communities. These restaurants are as fine as any of the restaurants on 5th Avenue South, plus, they have one big advantage. These restaurants are only available to our members,” points out Tom Mann, a Vice President of Moorings Park Communities.” Mann continues, “That being said, from time to time, we do sometimes invite baby boomers who are interested in learning more about Moorings Park Grande Lake to our delicious and informative lunch and learns. It’s a great way to get a sense of the quality of the food and the beauty of the community.”
“Part of the reason we were drawn to Moorings Park Grande Lake was the Clubhouse. It really feels like you are at a resort. The three restaurants, the swimming pool, the fitness center, the salon and spa, the theatre… just everything. It’s spectacular!” says Marvin Easton who recently sold his house in Port Royal.
The secret ingredient to opening three of Naples’ hottest new restaurants? Just add a dash of Moorings Park Grande Lake’s Executive Chef, Julien Bernard and General Manager of Dining Services, Alexander Dimas.
“Alexander and Chef Julien know what it takes to deliver memorable dining moments,” adds Mann. “These two gentlemen are a demonstration of our commitment to making our communities and restaurants truly special. Part of the joy of this job is the striving for excellence. We’ll never feel like we have ‘arrived’, but that pursuit drives us. ”
With an expansive culinary background, the young Parisian Chef Julien delivers a worldly dining experience, while Dimas, who also has long-running experience in highly rated resort restaurants, plays a key role in keeping the operations side of the business running smooth. Both come to Moorings Park Grande Lake with Michelin Star Rated experience.
As for Moorings Park Grande Lake, the community is home to three new restaurants to choose from: Zest, the poolside café and bistro; Savor 26, an upscale, yet casual “go-to” with a playful menu; and BlueStone, the fine dining restaurant with an emphasis on prime meats, seafood, and overall cuisine. The team of two note that members have the treat of having access to 5-star dining right in their home.
Some items members can find on the menus include smoked lentil and beet tartare with avocado crema and Maldon Sea Salt; wild mushroom risotto complete with mascarpone cheese, exotic mushrooms and flavorful truffle foam; and Chilean seabass with eggplant puree, charred truffled broccolini, saffron beurre blanc and squid ink tuile. Additionally, all pasta is freshly crafted in-house with an imported Italian bronze-cut pasta extruder, and each pizza is baked to order in a custom Marra Forni brick pizza oven.
“I just want to have the best ingredients on the plate,” Chef Julien notes, “If you have good ingredients, you can make any dish - the best dish; the quality will be there.”
Dimas notes that the two serve an experience that engages all five senses, with sights of world-class architecture from London Bay, sweet sounds of music and live entertainment, the feeling of fine, hand-selected glassware, linens, and tableware, and of course, the food that tickles your taste and smell.
“The extensive and diverse background of [Chef Julien] allows us to offer a variety of food options to our members,” said Dimas. “We are most excited to be able to exceed their expectations and requests while also [providing] a unique flair to inspired dishes for something as simple as a ceviche, to the efforts that go into making a 48-hour sous vide wagyu short-rib.”
As for Chef Julien’s take on the meaning of serving cuisine to some of the most cultured and well-traveled individuals that call Moorings Park Grande Lake home, “Food is happiness. When people sit down in a restaurant, they know they’re going to enjoy the moment. So, I want to have the feedback from guests to make sure they’re happy and [know] they’re very impressed. I want to see their smile from the plate and see that they’re enjoying their meal,” Chef Julien explains, noting that food does in fact “bring people together.”
Curious about what makes Grande Lake so… grand? Moorings Park Grande Lake will host a Lunch and Learn event on September 8th to showcase all the factors that make life at this new Life Plan Community so inviting, with Vice President and Senior Living Specialist Tom Mann leading the conversation. During the presentation Mann will:
This Lunch and Learn event will take place in the BlueStone Restaurant’s private event room located within Moorings Park Grande Lake’s stunning Clubhouse at 7410 Little Lane, Naples. The event starts at 11:30 a.m. with lunch served after the presentation.
Reservations are limited to the first 25 people, so RSVP as quickly as possible to reserve your accommodations by calling 239-778-9574 or visit MooringsPark.org/Events or scan the QR code below.
Unable to attend, Join the webinar on Monday, September 12th at 10:30 AM. To register, visit MooringsPark.org/Webinar-MPGL.