New restaurant: Waterfront wine bar opens, replaces former 121 Tapas
Editor's note: This story has been updated since the restaurant has opened.
What's the name of the new restaurant in Fort Pierce?
Downtown Cellars
Where is Downtown Cellars?
121 Melody Lane, Fort Pierce; former location of 121 Tapas on the Water
Downtown Fort Pierce in the Renaissance building on Melody Lane facing the Indian River Lagoon
Who owns Downtown Cellars?
Recently married couple Trina Angelone and Kenneth Gibson own the new wine bar and restaurant. “Wine is a passion,” Angelone said. “This is not work. This is our retirement passion.”
Angelone was born in Belfast in Northern Ireland, and her parents and grandparents owned restaurants in Ireland. When she was in college, her family moved to the U.S. after their restaurant was bombed. She worked in the school system and retired to travel for work in international technology and training. She tried the best wines across the world, going to restaurants and visiting over 100 vineyards.
“Wine is an experience for me,” she said. “It’s about savoring flavors.”
Gibson, who's from Maryland, had a career in the Coast Guard before he went into the megayacht industry and owned his own yachts. After 45 years on the water, he understands fishing and feeding people. “We both have always been involved with food,” Angelone said.
The couple was shopping at the Downtown Fort Pierce Farmers’ Market one Saturday morning when Gibson noted the area didn’t have a wine bar. Angelone pointed out the former 121 Tapas and jokingly asked Gibson if he wanted to look at it. He did, and decided to buy it. “We felt this is what was missing,” Angelone said. “There’s nowhere around that has just a specialty in wine — really good wine — and that does not mean expensive.”
What kind of restaurant is Downtown Cellars?
The new owners redid the look and feel inside, making it more upscale with a black granite bar and real brick walls, as well as TVs. “We wanted it to look like you’re sitting on the water in Fort Pierce,” Angelone said, “but you could just as easily be in London, Chicago or New York with the quality of the bar and the amenities.”
What kind of food does Downtown Cellars serve?
The new restaurant will serve small plates and fresh food, focusing on farm to table — and ocean to table — and keeping everything as local as possible. It will carry wines from across the world, including South Africa, Spain, France, Italy, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Oregon and California. It will offer a wide selection of wines by the glass, not just a few, as well as a variety of draft beer on tap. A wine club will help people expand their taste and knowledge.
What's on Downtown Cellars' menu?
The new restaurant’s menu will have standards, such as a Caprese tower, sliders, chips and dips and shrimp cocktail, but it also will feature Gibson’s own creations, such as Capt. Ken’s Favorite Fresh Seaward Stacks. It also will have charcuterie boards, a lump blue crab stack with avocado and herbs, grilled veggie sandwiches, fresh catch sandwiches, shrimp salad, chowders, lobsters and scallops when in season, cauliflower mash, green beans with garlic and Chesapeake Bay crab cakes to pay homage to his native Maryland.
When did Downtown Cellars open?
June 8, 2024
What are Downtown Cellars' hours?
11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily
What are Downtown Cellars' phone number and social media?
772-828-3408, Facebook
Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Email her at [email protected]. Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at profile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: New restaurant Downtown Cellars wine bar at 121 Tapas in Fort Pierce
