by Carrie Resch
Staff Writer
After many delays and three months of hurried construction, the newest attraction at the Landing, Twisted Martini, finally opens this week with a VIP party tonight and the public opening Thursday.
“There will be all sorts of live music,” Steve Anderson, the bistro’s marketing director said. “We will be celebrating the opening all weekend.”
Blues singer Kai Alece will be performing Thursday night, jazz musicians The Fusion Band perform Friday night, and Saturday night it will be Fusebox Funk.
The VIP night will include a ribbon cutting, open bar, hors d’oeuvres and a performance by the band Aerial Tribe.
The Twisted Martini is located in the Landing courtyard in the space that used to house a New Orleans style restaurant. It’s open Wednesday through Sunday 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. with live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and a deejay everyday.
The Twisted Martini includes five bars, a stage, dance floor, and patio area.
One bar is dubbed the “Ultra Lounge,” a VIP type area where private parties can receive personalized bottle service from a personal cocktail server in a secluded area away from the main bar.
There is an outside bar and an outside-indoor bar, a main bar and a pub bar that specialized in single malt scotch, cognacs, bourbon and cigars. The owners boast hundreds of different martinis and 20 plus vodkas.
There is a full bar with a drink menu that includes infusion drinks like the “creamsicle” or “prickly pear,” specialty martinis like the “ultimate cosmo” or the “twisted martini,” and vintage and international cocktails like the “old fashioned” or the “Americano.”
Benny DeGuzman, operating partner and general manager of the Twisted Martini, described the aim of the operation to “revitalize retro, elegant and vintage cocktails in a progressive manner with a twist.”
He added, “We will always be looking for new and exciting libations to offer our guests.”
The Twisted Martini offers fairly extensive menu options including a variety of ethnic foods like Thai chicken, pesto pizzas, Norwegian smoked salmon, and oriental marinated steak skewer, to name a few.
Appetizers include crab cakes, fried calamari, mozzarella stuffed roasted red peppers, fire roasted salsa and chips, and a Thai shrimp lettuce wrap.
One of the interior designers from Designhouse, Danielle Hazlett, described the area as a traditional martini lounge atmosphere that is a little retro with an homage to the Deco movement.
“It’s innovative, edgy and fresh at the same time,” Hazlett said.
Stacy L. Smith, also of Designhouse, added: “We’ve utilized rich color and the finest surface materials including mahogany, brushed aluminum, fine stone, glass mosaic tile, stained concrete and custom furniture to achieve this one-of-a-kind atmosphere.”
There was a preview opening during the Super Bowl after which the venue was closed down to prepare it for the grand opening.
“We received positive feedback from everyone,” Anderson said of the preview opening. “It was packed even on Wednesday and Thursday night when it was cold.”
Victor Jones, one of the owners of the Twisted Martini and vice president and operating partner of Miami’s Venture Quest Management, said that he wants to put “not only The Landing in a new light, but perhaps the entire city of Jacksonville well beyond Super Bowl XXXIX.”
The opening delays, according to Anderson, were due to negotiation setbacks that arose when the Landing went up for sale during the original negotiations. Work finally commenced on November 1.
Darrin Kurtz, another owner in the venture and president and operating partner of Venture Quest Management, described the goals of the venture. He said “We want to see The Landing come alive in the evening after work, instead of witnessing the flight to the suburbs when offices close for the day.”
Three of the four owners are Jacksonville natives, except for Barry Kates who works for the Innovative Marketing Group in Miami.