Rather abruptly and with little fanfare, Blue Water Bistro sailed into the horizon after a decade of business on May 1.
But the bay in which it resided at Coconut Point (across from the also-somewhat-recently shuttered Bice Grand Café) won’t stay empty for too long—or at least that’s the plan.
The seafood-focused bistro was under Skip Quillen’s Culinary Concepts umbrella (that includes longtime Naples haunts like Chops and Pazzo), and Quillen has big plans for the space. He envisions a bouillabaisse-to-nuts renovation, with hopes to usher in an entirely different restaurant next season.
The neighboring spot could get its next breath of life as early as late May, with the second location of Divieto Ristorante. The original, an upscale-casual Italian spot with plush tufted leather banquettes and black-and-white-tiled floors, launched in the Miami area several years back. The new Divieto will, in fact, be owned and managed by the same people behind its Coconut Point predecessor as well. (The mall’s website gives a May 15 opening, but it has been pushed back to May 22.)
As for the yet-unnamed Quillen project, he has a concept in mind, but he’s staying mum on details to hook our attention—other than he wants to have it wrapped up and ready to roll by fall 2017.
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