Fresh Catch Inland, Franco Russo’s sixth restaurant in Southwest Florida, opened at Coconut Point in Estero, and it has him reminiscing about childhood trips to his father’s restaurant not too far away.
But it also has Russo answering questions about whether a sixth restaurant means he’s hitting his stride as a restaurateur.
“It’s been 10 years now,” Russo said of when he struck out on his own and purchased Two Meatballs in the Kitchen in Fort Myers.
Russo, whose father owned the since-gone Ship restaurant off U.S. 41, now also owns or co-owns Two Meatballs in The Kitchen and Stones Throw in Cape Coral and Junkanoo Below Deck and Fresh Catch Bistro on Fort Myers Beach. The new Fresh Catch Inland is at 7991 Plaza del Lago Drive in Estero.
“And my dad did it prior for, you know, the better part of 40 years,” Russo, a Canterbury School graduate, said of running restaurants. “Hitting our stride? I guess you could say that. It’s just a matter of having the right people and I think the right concepts. Obviously, you want to have the right decor and the right location and the right food.
“It’s impossible to do without great partners and great managers and great chefs. And I’m really lucky to have all of that in place in all of the other locations.”
Russo said he spent about $1 million in renovating the space that originally had been a TGI Fridays and more recently had been an Italian restaurant called T42.
Russo hired KDL Interior Design of Fort Myers to redesign the entire space. He bought all new kitchen equipment, and he filled the interior with artwork, including a hand-painted ceiling above the bar.
Most of the artwork hanging throughout the restaurant was painted by Sanibel Island artist Lacy McClary. If diners like the paintings, they can buy them directly from her, Russo said.
But Russo’s forte is serving food. Most entrees fall in the $30 to $40 range.
“The miso sea bass,” he said. “The shrimp Mediterranean. The day boat scallops. The groupers. It’s my first time kind of utilizing another restaurant and building out a sister restaurant, if you will.” Fresh Catch Inland and Fresh Catch Bistro carry some, but not all of the same menu items.
“The original Two Meatballs on Daniels Parkway in Fort Myers, we really cut and pasted that to Cape Coral,” Russo said, “but with this, this was taking Fresh Catch and kind of rebranding a little bit.
“We wanted to add a little bit more variety to this menu. Over at Fresh Catch Bistro, it is mainly seafood. And we’re on the water there, so it does make sense. Here, being inland, being in Estero, we wanted to add a little more variety than just seafood.”
Fresh Catch Inland serves filet mignon, ribeye and prime rib, as well as beef dishes like beef bourguignon.
Eventually, Russo plans to serve lunch. For now, there’s happy hour between 3 and 5 p.m. at the bar, and the dining room opens at 5 p.m.
“I would say it’s upscale casual,” Russo said. “You can certainly come in for a date night and have a very nice meal. Or if you want to come in with a group of friends and sit at our bar and watch a sporting event on one of our TVs, you can do that, too.”
