Two cutting-edge dining spots launched this month a short distance from each other in North Naples.

Both full-service restaurants with full bars are operated by female chefs who have worked at some of the top spots in town and both new dining options opened on opposite corners of U.S. 41 North and Vanderbilt Beach Road. Both local women also are co-owners of their respective chef-driven businesses.

Old Vines debuted in the Mercato space that TooJay’s Deli vacated more than three years ago at 9105 Strada Place. Brooke Kravetz, who started Old Vines Supper Club earlier this year in East Naples and previously had culinary duties at Sea Salt, Baleen and The Cave Bistro & Wine Bar, is behind the Old Vines expansion in North Naples.

Directly across U.S. 41 at 819 Vanderbilt Beach Road in The Pavilion retail center, Bicyclette Cookshop recently replaced Fit & Fuel Cafe. Chef Kayla Pfeiffer, fresh off kitchen stints at PJK Neighborhood Chinese, Bar Tulia Mercato and The French, has introduced an edgy, New American menu for a more elevated dining experience.

Also notable is that Kravetz and Pfeiffer are influencing the local culinary scene at a young age—33 and 28, respectively. Both accomplished chefs already have had influential positions at Naples restaurants for more than seven years.

These well-traveled female chefs are boldly shaking things up in what often is a profession dominated by male chefs, said Guy Clarke, co-founder of Sizzle Dining in Southwest Florida. Clarke thinks this area needs young, ambitious chefs to change things up on the food scene as they do in major cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon.

“It’s the young chefs who are moving the meter in all these other big cities. We finally are starting to get our own here. That’s what’s exciting to me. It’s finally starting to happen here,” he said. “We’re getting the young chefs who are sticking their necks out, starting their own restaurants and starting to put bold flavors on the plate, and not just for tourists.”

Clarke said the new dining experiences at Old Vines and Bicyclette are energetic, exciting and vibrant.

“I went to Old Vines (Supper Club) during Sizzle (restaurant week) and it was just amazing. The food was freaking spectacular, just like the food I had the other night at Bicyclette,” Clarke said. “The food I had the other night was very bold, very fun and very flavorful and that was very refreshing to see.”

Old Vines Mercato

Old Vines Mercato offers a variety of small and large plates, ranging from reimagined classics to fresh interpretations of Florida-inspired cuisine with an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients. Kravetz has tapped Daniel Swofford as executive chef. He has held positions at Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park and The Modern in New York, The Painted Lady in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and The Cave Bistro in Naples.

Separate menus at Old Vines are available for lunch, dinner, after dinner, late night, happy hour, cocktails and wine. Lunch menu sections include Bites, Greens, Raw, Shareable, Handhelds and Small Plates. Dinner menu sections include those with the addition of soup, house-made pasta and larger plates.

Debut entrees feature peanut-crusted grouper, roasted salmon, seared scallops, potatoes bouillabaisse, grilled pork chop, a crispy stuffed chicken leg, a koji-rubbed New York strip steak and a duck duo with roasted breast, confit leg, duck sausage, bean ragout and carrot puree.

Despite the barricaded “coming soon” look on the front facade, Old Vines is open for business daily and adding more outdoor seating soon. Until construction on the restaurant’s façade and 30-seat front patio are completed, Mercato wants to keep a lid on promoting Old Vines.

“We’re waiting to have our grand opening announcement until the whole front and everything is pretty and done,” said Kravetz, noting that otherwise the new restaurant’s launch is going well.

A peek behind the wooden barriers reveals an elegant dining area adorned in red and black with hardwood tables, building on the décor of Old Vines Supper Club. After that initial taste of the innovative cuisine and concept, Old Vines Mercato takes the experience to the next level with a full bar and a dining space that’s three times as large.

Bicyclette Cookshop

Chef Pfeiffer is happy about how her new restaurant shaped up in the two months since Fit & Fuel closed ahead of the transition in a retail center anchored by LA Fitness. “It came out better than we expected,” she said.

Pfeiffer is pleased with her entire menu. “I’m really excited about it—a lot of great things, a lot of neat things, but also similar and familiar for a lot of people.

The local restaurant serves New American cuisine—basically, contemporary cooking with high-quality ingredients from around the world that fits Pfeiffer’s eclectic, global style. Introductory menu sections feature snacks, shareables and main courses.

Entrees include herb-seared tuna, a porchetta gyro, a smoked whitefish melt on sourdough, and a smash burger with raclette, gruyere and kimchi aioli. Shareables include roasted octopus, oysters on the half shell, snapper ceviche, beef tartare, charcuterie and harissa prawns with tzatziki and cucumber salad. Snack items include oyster po’ boy sliders, zucchini blossoms, braised leeks, tuna crudo, chorizo potatoes and caviar served with crème fraiche and Bugles cone-shaped corn snacks.

Pfeiffer feels fortunate to have the opportunity to introduce diners to her new restaurant this season. “Honestly, it’s to be surrounded by a great team, positive energy, to have the like-mindedness of everyone around us to create not just good service or food but great hospitality,” she said.

Bicyclette is open daily 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch with a midday period bridging the gap before dinner service, 5:30 to 10 p.m.

The “Tim Aten Knows” weekly column answers local questions from readers. Email Tim at tim.aten@naplespress.com.