One of Sarasota's most celebrated restaurants opening a new location on St. Armands Circle
About once a month this year, we've had to report on a restaurant permanently closing in Sarasota and Manatee counties. None in 2023 has saddened me more than the closure of St. Armands Oyster Bar on St. Armands Circle.
I loved the New Orlean-style eatery that opened last summer and closed about a year later. I loved the food, loved the drinks, and loved the building it occupied at 15 S. Boulevard of the Presidents.
For those unfamiliar with the two-story structure with its own elevator and stylish staircase leading to the space above, it has quite the history. St. Armands Oyster Bar replaced The Whiskey Barrel, opened in early 2021, preceded by another short-lived restaurant called The Venue.
However, the space is most famous for housing an Italian restaurant and upstairs nightclub called 15 South Ristorante Enoteca, which remained a popular destination among diners, drinkers and dancers for about two decades. I was a big fan of the place, especially its pizza cooked in the wood-burning oven, and am excited to report it will be revived by the owner of one of Sarasota's most celebrated restaurants.
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15 South by Napulé restaurant to open on St. Armands Circle in Sarasota
Restaurateur Alessandro Di Ferdinando, one of the owners of Napulé, the acclaimed Italian restaurant on South Tamiami Trail in Sarasota that earned a coveted Golden Spoon award from Florida Trend magazine, has announced plans to revive "the spirit and name" of 15 South Ristorante.
The new restaurant will be called15 South by Napulé. Di Ferdinando said in a statement that he aims to pay homage to the original 15 South, which was "a beloved mainstay of Sarasota’s dining and nightlife for almost 20 years."
15 South by Napule's first-floor dining room and bar will offer a more traditional dining experience, "with the warm glow of the imported wood fired oven offering a visual centerpiece." The upstairs will feature another full bar and dance floor with a street-style menu of small, shareable dishes.
15 South by Napulé will feature an 'authentic, gold-tiled Neapolitan pizza oven'
Di Ferdinando will manage the front of the house, while the food operations will be overseen by two of his longtime friends and collaborators. Antonio Mancini, a former Napulé pizzaiolo, will man what Di Ferdinando described as an "authentic, gold-tiled Neapolitan pizza oven" located near the first-floor bar. Chef Giancarlo Di Cosmo, who Di Ferdinando said worked alongside him at a Soho House concept in London, will helm the kitchen.
“And of course, we’ll have a lively atmosphere with a good martini and cocktail list and a dance floor upstairs,” Di Ferdinando said in a statement. “You’ve heard of eat, pray, love. We’re going for eat, dance, love. And then maybe we eat again.”
15 South by Napulé is expected to open in early 2024, with an authentic Italian menu that includes scratch-made pasta dishes, Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizza, and a full-liquor bar on both floors. 15 South by Napulé plans to eventually offer its own delivery service to St. Armands Circle as well as Lido Key and Longboat Key.
"Fueled by a commitment to Old World cooking techniques and family-style hospitality, 15 South by Napule combines all the charm of a trattoria with a dash of fine dining," reads the press release issued Nov. 29.
High hopes for 15 South by Napulé
Di Ferdinando and Giuseppe Del Sole, the former owners of Venice’s Made In Italy, founded Napulé at 7129 S Tamiami Trail in 2017. Di Ferdinando, who said he is currently the sole owner of Napulé, also informed me via email that Del Sole sold his "share" several months ago and is no longer involved at Napulé or in its future projects. They wish him "all the best" in his ventures.
It was also several months ago that Del Sole opened Osteria 500 at 1580 Lakefront Drive in Waterside Place, the upscale new Lakewood Ranch development. Following lunch and dinner visits marked by exquisite cuisine and attentive service while seated on the patio overlooking Kingfisher Lake, I wrote a column about Osteria 500 being Sarasota County's best new waterfront restaurant.
I have equally high hopes for 15 South by Napulé. Di Ferdinando has an impressive record with restaurants, and I can still vividly recall the charms of the original 15 South Ristorante.
"We stroll along the sidewalks of St. Armands Circle and talk of returning to 15 South in the near future," I wrote in 2013. "We want to return for the drinks, for the pizza, for the excellent service, for the photos on the wall of Portofino, and for the wonderful, escapist experience that made us forget, at least temporarily, about our deadlines and commitments in Bradenton and Sarasota."
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Wade Tatangelo is Ticket Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and Florida Regional Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. Support local journalism by subscribing.??????
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Celebrated Sarasota restaurant Napule opening St. Armands location
