Samantha Munn is candid about her restaurant experience going into opening The Ponte Vedra Wine Bar and Restaurant. It is expected to open in mid to late May in Ponte Vedra Beach.
“I have, like, none,” she said.
The restaurant is at 262 Solana Road just west of Florida A1A.
It is in the former Two Dudes Seafood Restaurant and Red’s Steakhouse space.
It will feature “Nuevo Americana” cuisine in a relaxed and unhurried European-like atmosphere, Munn said.
Her initial restaurant plans, to open a wine bar and bakery in Green Cove Springs, were curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic.
But when she found the Solana Road space, it fit her new plans to open a wine bar and restaurant.
She has received complimentary professional advice.
“I am very fortunate that when we moved over here, I made a
fantastic group of friends over at Marsh Landing. They all have vast experience. Some of them have owned restaurants, some of them have worked in finance. You know, they’ve all got a lot of stuff. They tried to talk me out of it at first,” said Munn, who is 38.
She knows what she doesn’t know. Munn hired her younger sister, Alexandra Valverde as general manager. Valverde, 33, has spent much of her life working in restaurants. She started at 15, has held every front-of-the-house position, and has been managing restaurants since she was 20.
Chef Niko Delgado is the third part of the formula. He was recently the chef at the Magnolia Point Country Club. He has also help set up restaurants.
The budget to open is $200,000, Munn said.
Kurtz Construction is the general contractor.
Munn kept the kitchen, which the two previous restaurants shared. The interior has been gutted and redesigned.
The total space is 3,700 square feet. Seating inside and out is about 140.
Munn expects to hire about 25 employees.
Delgado is running a scratch kitchen with no freezer. Products will be purchased daily.
The business will be open daily. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Friday, closing from 3-4 p.m. to change from lunch to dinner service. It will open at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday for a brunch service.
Brunch will include specialty cocktails and bottomless mimosas. The brunch menu will have four or five choices.
“I feel that brunch needs to be celebrated more than just Sunday,” Munn said.
Lunch will range from $11 to $20.
Dinner will be served a la carte with proteins ranging from $30 to $60 with sharable sides going for $11 to $17.
The menu will include Cornish game hen, ahi tuna, lamb chops, a citrus bourbon salmon, steaks and short ribs.
Appetizers will be priced $14 to $18. Desserts will be prepared by Munn and cost $8 to $12.
Sundays will also feature a charcuterie board prepared that day from items purchased at farmers’ markets.
The sisters are first-generation Americans. Their family is
from Peru. They want the restaurant to reflect the dining customs of South America and Europe.
“You could spend three hours here. Nobody’s ever going to rush you out the door. I set all of this up with in mind, maybe doing one and a half turns for the dining room,” Munn said.
“It’s a very European style. I don’t like being rushed. If I’m going to spend my money somewhere I want to be able to really enjoy it.”
The wine bar will have about 60 wines with 45 being sold by the glass. By-the-glass wines will be poured using a Coravin system to enhance freshness.
“I want people to really appreciate it and have that ability to sample different things,” Valverde said.
“We’ll be doing wine flights as well. So they can get a two-ounce pour in a couple different glasses, so they can sample things.”
Munn also plans to have an upscale bourbon and cocktail program.
The wine list is global. If tariffs on wine and liquor become cost-prohibitive, Valverde said she will explore regions around the U.S. to provide quality at a more affordable price.
Munn is confident about her choice of location, and the belief that clientele sharing her culinary vision live in the area.
“I think this is definitely geared towards Ponte Vedra, and it is, you know, for the community that’s here, and the people I’ve met this kind of seems like it’s what they’re looking for.”