'Something modern and different': New Mexican restaurant opens in Fort Myers
Pedro Aguirre saw something missing in the local dining scene.
“There was a big void in modern Mexican restaurants in Southwest Florida,” said the owner of La Santa Tacos & Tequilas in Naples. “They’re all the same cookie cutters.”
That’s why he opened Casa Blanca Modern Mexican Tequila Bar on Aug. 7, near the juncture of Interstate 75 and Daniels Parkway in Fort Myers.
“This is different,” he said. “People come in thinking it’s an ordinary Mexican restaurant, but it’s not. We want to do something modern and different with good music and more traditional food.”
Aguirre says it has the vibe of Tulum, Mexico, and Miami.
“Nothing in Southwest Florida was delivering in that market,” he said. “Everything is Tex-Mex. Except here it’s Mex-Tex.”
A menu with family tradition
“These are the original recipes mom cooked at home. All the sauces came down from my mother and grandmother.”
The traditional menu features a strong seafood presence — with traditional salmon, shrimp and fish selections — plus steak and chicken options.
“You know what to expect when you order those dishes,” Aguirre said. “We also cater to those who want less?traditional dishes.”
A variety of chimichangas, tacos, burritos, enchiladas and fajitas are also served.
The 20-plus handcrafted cocktail menu includes the millionaire margarita (garnished with edible 24K gold) and the creatively presented Flight to Tulum with four flavored margaritas.
Wine, Champagne, dessert shot flights, beer and tequila (blanco, reposado, anejo) are also offered.
A $1.2 million remodel
All of the above is served seven days a week in a spectacular setting.
It took about a year and $1.2 million for Aguirre to completely transform the space once occupied by Stevie Tomato’s Sports Page and Pizzeria Uno.
“Everything was gutted,” Aguirre said. “I designed it myself. Every single detail you see. I like to design.”
The large dining room is split in two with one side featuring a ceiling of greenery and the other with three large chandeliers with more greenery, lanterns and cherubs. They loom over synthetic marble tables and cowhide booths.
“The floor tiles were bought in Vietnam,” Aguirre said. “They are custom-designed floor patterns I never saw anywhere before.”
The unique pattern switches up in the bar area — the busiest part of the restaurant at any given time, according to Aguirre.
Perhaps the most eye-catching elements of Casa Blanca are the stunningly colorful murals adorning the walls.
“Ariana Oziel came up from Mexico City for a month to do them,” Aguirre said. “She did all the drawings. She hand-painted it all with no projector, no stencils.”
Those drawings come to life on the white-painted brick the restaurant is named for.
“When I looked at the building, I saw all this brick,” Aguirre said. “I had seen brick houses painted white and it gave it a nice, brighter look so I went with that outlined in black. The name just followed.”
A lifetime in restaurants
Aguirre, who was born in California and raised in Winston?Salem, North Carolina, started working in his family’s restaurants at an early age.
“I was 14 or 15 and washing dishes in the back of the kitchen,” said Aguirre, whose parents are from Jalisco, Mexico, which is known for mariachi music and tequila. “Everyone in the family was working there. From there, I learned the kitchen and front of house. When I was 16, I dropped out. I decided to go all out in the restaurant business. Ever since then, I haven’t done anything else.”
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Aguirre, who owns a second La Santa in Massachusetts, opened La Santa Tacos & Tequilas in Naples in November 2021 after moving to Florida. And while those two restaurants are alike, Casa Blanca is different.
“It’s been good so far,” he said. “We had a soft opening and didn’t expect it to be so busy. We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from customers and are working hard to get the staff trained. It will be nice and tight in two or three weeks.”
That’s about when Casa Blanca will hold its grand opening.
“We have the food, the music and the Tulum and Miami vibe,” Aguirre said. “We will be ready.”
Casa Blanca Modern Mexican Tequila Bar, 9510 Marketplace Road, Fort Myers; open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; lunch specials ($12) run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday; (239) 362-0729; casablancamex.com or follow on Facebook and Instagram.
Robyn George is a food and dining writer for The Fort Myers News-Press. Send news to [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Casa Blanca opens in Fort Myers with modern twist and traditional food
