Sailing into season: Sails Restaurant to launch at Fifth and Third in Naples

The owners of a new European-style coastal restaurant want to flip perceptions about Fifth Avenue South in downtown Naples.

Although the iconic avenue is commonly considered to begin at U.S. 41’s Four Corners and stretch west to the beach, the owners of Sails Restaurant say the local parade of upscale shops, dining spots and residences actually begins at the Gulf of Mexico.

“Worldwide, all the important streets start from the beach,” said Veljko Pavicevic, who with fiancée Corinne Ryan co-owns Sails, under construction in redeveloped space on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South.

“We love to travel and we travel a lot. Everywhere in the world, all the Fifth avenues start near the beach. Where there is a beach, it starts near the beach. So we feel we are the beginning of Fifth Avenue.”

Sails, delayed about four weeks because of Hurricane Irma, is targeted to open by Christmas in the former American Momentum Bank space at 301 Fifth Ave. S. It’s in one of more than a dozen buildings in Old Naples owned by Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate, the St. Louis-based real estate holding company that is a division of Osprey Capital. Hoffman also owns the neighboring building where The French brasserie opened to raves earlier this year.

“We’re happy that more good restaurants are coming here on Fifth Avenue. We feel that Fifth and Third, both of our streets, are the crown jewel of Naples and there should be more restaurants and more things happening and more hospitality,” Pavicevic said. “This is the heart of Naples.”

Pavicevic considers it a plus that Sails will be located near The French and across the street from Bice Ristorante because more area businesses translates to additional traffic and potential guests.

“I really feel that between the three of us here we can create a lot of synergy ,” he said.

Sails Restaurant will predominantly focus on seafood with a European seaside concept bringing together the finest flavors and dining experiences of France, Italy and Greece, Ryan said.

“We have a large fresh seafood display which will be just in front of the double doors (on Third) and will be tiered on ice where guests can walk in and visualize the seafood and, if they like, they can pick the seafood themselves right there and have it weighed on a scale beside the display,” she said. “Behind the seafood display will be a gentleman who is going to clean the fish and scale the fish in front of them and then it will go to the wood-fired grill which is literally next door so that can happen very quickly.”

The restaurant will have 180 seats with 1,500 square feet for outdoor dining under cover along Third Street, plus another 200 square feet for umbrella tables on Fifth Avenue.

“We will seek approval for another 200 square feet also on Fifth when we open because we have space,” Pavicevic said.

“The outdoor seating is definitely one of the good attractions of this location,” Ryan said.

The restaurant will feature an open, French-style kitchen concept with a central island where chefs can mix with guests, who will be able to see the food preparation and fish being grilled for a European coastal feel, Pavicevic said. Sails will include a large, triangular full bar near the entrance with 28 seats and handcrafted cocktails. The entire wall behind the bar will display bottles of wine.

“The interesting thing about the bar is that it’s in the shape of a sail, so it’s not going to be a circle. It’s not going to be divided by the walls. Everybody will see each other and will have that interaction between the bartenders and the guests,” he said. “We want to create a deep bar so everyone is comfortable sitting at the bar and dining. We love when we go into restaurants and they have comfortable bars so we can sit down and order the food but also to enjoy drinks and entertainment at the bar.”

Although Sails will be a high-end operation, its owners also want it to be approachable and not just a special occasion restaurant. They hope the restaurant’s inviting bar, unique oyster-shucking service and floor-to-ceiling bi-fold doors will be among the amenities attracting more than just an upscale crowd.

“You can stop in for just a drink or a beer if you’d like on the way back from the beach or you can stop in for a six-course meal. Everybody’s welcome,” Ryan said.

The goal is to recreate an open-air European coastal experience seen in French resort cities such as Nice, Monaco and St. Tropez, “where you walk in these restaurants and they’re good-looking, but not stuffy,” Pavicevic said.

Sails’ ambiance will include white linen tablecloths, European crystal, and chairs upholstered with Italian leather. Elegant, modern chandeliers will hang from drop ceilings above a Greek marble bar and French oak flooring. A private dining room will be encased in wine.

“We also have an artist who’s going to be doing some mosaics for the restaurant to give it that European feel,” Ryan said.

Sails plans to launch as a dinner-only venue seven days a week, but lunch eventually will be added.

“As soon as we’re comfortable, some time in February, we’ll open for lunch,” Pavicevic said.

Pavicevic, who formerly worked for many years at the Ritz-Carlton Naples Beach Resort and managed all of its outlets, will be general manager of Sails. He formerly managed the fast-paced Gumbo Limbo, the most successful restaurant in the company at its flagship resort.

“I bring the service excellence and Corrine is bringing the product excellence,” he said.

For the last 20 years, Ryan has traded meat and seafood around the world.

“Veljko and I knew we wanted to start a business here locally in Naples and with Veljko’s background and my experience in the product we would like to showcase, it’s perfect,” she said. “And we love to eat. We’re so passionate. Whenever we travel we’re always looking for restaurants. Our day is scheduled around what we are going to eat.”

Joining the couple on their local voyage is Executive Chef Jacob Jasinski, who relocated to Naples in May with his wife and their two young sons. Originally from Massachusetts, Jasinski most recently hails from the kitchen of the acclaimed Ocean House in Rhode Island.

“Coming from the Ritz-Carlton Naples, which is a 13-star property, I admire these individuals that work at triple five-star properties because there are only 11 of them in the world,” Pavicevic said. “So, he’s bringing a lot of excellence to Sails restaurant and he’ll be the only five-star chef on the west coast (of Florida).”

For the latest in local restaurants coming and going, see Tim Aten’s “In the Know” columns archived at naplesnews.com/intheknow, and on Facebook at facebook.com/timaten.intheknow.