Glass & Vine to Open January 2016 in Peacock Park

Grove Bay Hospitality Group and star chef Giorgio Rapicavoli will unveil their hotly-anticipated Glass & Vine restaurant in Coconut Grove’s iconic Peacock Park in January 2016. Helmed by Rapicavoli, an acclaimed culinary talent who is doing double-duty at the restaurant, designing both the menu and cocktail program, Glass & Vine will be a garden oasis by the bay and the first step in what Grove Bay Hospitality sees as a culinary and retail revolution in the Grove.

When plans for Glass & Vine were underway, the men behind Grove Bay, industry pros Francesco Balli and Ignacio Garcia-Menocal, knew Rapicavoli was the man to head up the kitchen in their new culinary endeavor in the heart of Coconut Grove. “We are big fans of Giorgio’s food and have followed him for some time. We knew we wanted to work with him on what we think will be an important restaurant for the Grove and a trend-setter in South Florida,” says Balli. “To us, he’s one of a handful of young chefs in the area leading us forward into exciting new territory and we’re lucky to have him as a partner.”

Glass & Vine is the freshman project that will spearhead Grove Bay Hospitality Group’s larger vision for Coconut Grove. In 2013, Grove Bay was awarded a 50-year lease with the City of Miami, for a 7-acre property along the water’s edge, to be named The Harbour. The ambitious neighborhood project will include two upscale chef driven restaurants and a casual outdoor restaurant featuring an entertainment area; an expansive and elevated indoor/outdoor event space overlooking the bay; a marina with 400 boat slips; an inviting bay walk with new floating docks and finger piers; numerous retail shops geared to serve the marine community and local neighborhood needs and a public mini-park. “Glass & Vine is just the beginning of what we have in store. Peacock Park is a gorgeous setting for a restaurant and we want to bring something unique to the area, an eatery that is a must-try destination,” adds Garcia-Menocal. “Foodies who don’t call the Grove home will want to experience it and locals will call it their new neighborhood hangout.

With a name inspired by both the physical and the abstract, Glass & Vine will be a place where nature and food meet, physically and conceptually. Located in the old Coconut Grove Library space in the middle of Peacock Park, the menu will mirror the restaurant’s physical simplicity, clarity and alignment with nature. Crafted by Rapicavoli, a Food Network Chopped champion, FORBES 30 Under 30 list-maker and a James Beard Award semi-finalist, the menu will be a marriage of simple and crisp flavors infused with his creative techniques. “I was definitely inspired by the environment. No other restaurant is located in a park so I wanted to capture the atmosphere with vibrant, fresh dishes. Our menu will showcase flavorful as well as lighter fare that families can enjoy while their kids play in the park.” In addition to Glass & Vine, Rapicavoli will continue to operate his much-lauded Coral Gables eatery, Eating House.

Glass & Vine will re-affirm the spirit of shareable dining with a menu that offers a plethora of small and large plates, rich with local flora and fauna. Inspired by the restaurant’s garden  and Bayfront surroundings, dishes will be divided into three categories – Garden, Sea and Land – and will work as shared communal plates or as the basis of a meal. Garden offerings will include a decadent Florida Stracciatella with charred cabbage, black truffle, egg vinaigrette and potato; Fried Cauliflower with chickpea, black sesame, dehydrated olives; and Whole Roasted Broccoli with red miso, togarashi and soy.

Sea and Land options range from the fresh Local Fish Tartare with frozen Leche de Tigre, jalapeño and radish and Raw Scallop “Waldorf” with green apple, frozen grapes and walnut to the House Pasta with sea urchin butter, citrus, rock shrimp; Grilled Sweetbreads with celery root and celery chimichurri and a generous 28oz. Bone-In Ribeye Marrow with truffle butter and Jacobson smoked sea salt.

Glass & Vine will offer a custom bar program, still being tweaked, designed by Rapicavoli himself. “A smart, delicious and progressive bar program was a must for the restaurant and we looked at a number of people to design it,” says Balli. “But as we talked with Giorgio we saw what passion he had for the mixology process. We know he has an amazing palate and a firm grasp on flavors and balance, so we thought it would be exciting to let him jump behind the bar as well.

Complementing the food & beverage elements will be the restaurant’s simple yet sophisticated décor. True to its name, the restaurant will feature a luscious, vine-covered roof with ceiling windows, while grey and black steel accents will add an edgy feel to the open space. The restaurant’s outdoor and indoor areas are will seat a total of 200. The 24-seat bar will be the center of attention, surrounded by sliding accordion and garage-style glass walls adding a sense of fluidity to the space, allowing guests to enjoy views of the open kitchen and outdoors. The waterfront outdoor dining patio will feature crisp white quartz tabletops paired with white and orange chairs. Modern and rustic light fixtures, including pendant lights, will impart a sense of warmth to the indoor and outdoor areas with a soft, romantic glow.

Founded in 2010, Grove Bay Hospitality Group owns and operates restaurants, in addition to being a boutique consulting firm. Based in Miami, Florida, Grove Bay aspires to enhance the lives of its guests, employees, communities and investors as a restaurant industry leader by developing innovative, memorable and highly successful restaurant concepts. Glass & Vine will be the first of many Coconut Grove restaurants and retail projects the dynamic hospitality group has in store as part of its neighborhood revival. The homegrown restaurant company is planning an ambitious multi-restaurant and retail project, The Harbour, in Coconut Grove, slated to begin fall 2016. For more information, visit http://grovebaygroup.com/project/glass-vine/.


Connect To Your Customers & Grow Your Business

Click Here