Celebrity Chef Announces Italian Restaurant for Downtown St. Pete

Celebrity Chef Announces Italian Restaurant for Downtown St. Pete

The First Block of Downtown St. Pete has always been a center for nightlife in the downtown core. It’s the epicenter of downtown’s wildly popular monthly First Friday event, providing a little something for everyone at bars such as Mandarin Hide, Five Bucks Drinkery, and Pelican Pub. But many people who visit the First Block often gaze across Central Avenue and see unactivated space.

On the south side of the First Block lies 200 Central, a 26-story, 295,000 square foot Class A office tower that is home to companies like iQor, Merrill Lynch, and Trenam Law, among others. The building is also the tallest office tower in St. Pete and Pinellas County.

While the ground floor was originally envisioned as retail or restaurant space, it has been used as office space for decades. Until recently, the majority of the office tower’s Central Avenue frontage was home to a Raymond James & Associates office.

However this will soon change with the introduction of a high-end Italian restaurant being developed by Nocturnal Hospitality Group and a celebrity chef from Bravo’s “Top Chef” TV show.

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Brothers from South St Pete to Introduce Wine Cocktails to EDGE District

Brothers from South St Pete to Introduce Wine Cocktails to EDGE District

There is no slowdown in sight for the EDGE District. As more residents move into the neighborhood, new businesses are sprouting up left and right. Today, we introduce you to Copa, a wine cocktail lounge coming soon to 1047 Central Avenue, formerly home to Genaro’s Cafe. 

The concept is being brought to life by two brothers from South Saint Petersburg, Maxim and Sébastien Thurière. Their goal is to offer a refreshing spin on wine and beer cocktails. Besides sangria, most people have a limited experience blending wine with other beverages, but Copa wants to change that.

Maxim and Sébastien also want to redefine your definition of a wine bar. “When you think of a wine bar, you typically think of a dark, cave-like space,” says Maxim. “We want to bring an upbeat ambient vibe to the wine bar — something to attract the younger crowd.” Both Maxim and Sébastien are pretty young themselves, both under 30 years old.

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EDGE District’s First Dedicated Wine Bar Opening Soon

EDGE District’s First Dedicated Wine Bar Opening Soon

Over the past few years, the EDGE District has become a hub for nightlife in Tampa Bay. The district boasts a myriad of hangouts for beer lovers and cocktail aficionados. But have you noticed what’s surprisingly missing? A wine bar! However that won’t be the case for much longer.

The neighborhood’s first dedicated wine bar, named CellarMasters, is planning to open inside of a 2,190 square foot free-standing building located at 1005 1st Avenue North, a few doors down from The Bends, a popular dive bar.

CellarMasters is the creation of local residents Ryan Rugg, a Certified Wine Specialist, and Kory Lynn, the resident Certified Sommelier. According to Rugg, “We want to provide a comfortable and eclectic experience that no other businesses are currently offering in the EDGE District.”

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Better Than Sex to Bring Naughty Desserts to St. Pete

Better Than Sex to Bring Naughty Desserts to St. Pete

It’s hard to believe that one of the most prominent restaurants in Key West doesn’t serve breakfast, lunch or dinner — just dessert. And in true Key West fashion, the restaurant is very risqué.

Len and Dani Johnson wanted to create an after-dinner dessert experience, an extension of an evening in a romantic, sophisticated, and sexy atmosphere. And so in 2008, they introduced Key West to Better Than Sex, a full-service dessert restaurant offering sexy sweets in an intimately themed setting.

After much success over the past 11 years, Better Than Sex’s fifth outpost is coming soon to Downtown St Pete’s EDGE District. The exact address hasn’t been revealed yet, but owner Joshua Brush revealed to St. Pete Rising that the EDGE District location will be about 2,500 square feet.

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Book + Bottle to Bring Bookstore-Bar Concept to 600 Block

Book + Bottle to Bring Bookstore-Bar Concept to 600 Block

When you consider all the retail in Downtown St. Pete, it’s amazing that we don’t have a small independent bookstore. Sure there’s Haslam’s, Florida’s largest new and used book store which opened in 1933, but you can’t really hang out there. They have no tables or chairs, no coffee or tea, no bookclubs or storytime. Haslam’s is living history, but it’s not a community gathering space.

Owner Terra Dunham has recently embarked on an adventure to bring St. Pete a new concept featuring two of her favorite activities – reading books and drinking wine. She calls it Book + Bottle. You can think of it as a bookstore with wine or a wine bar with books.

Earlier this week, Dunham signed a lease to bring Book + Bottle to the 600 block of Downtown St. Pete. Specifically, the new bookstore/wine bar will be located at 17 6th Street North, formerly Holmes Shoe Repair, right behind Wig Villa off Central Avenue.

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