Diesel’s Bar & Grill, through Google Maps
John Khalil, the Orlando dentist who a short while ago purchased the storied Enzo’s on the Lake in Longwood, has obtained an additional waterfront assets – the former Diesel’s Bar & Grill in Daytona Seaside – and has tapped celebrated local chef Michael Collantes to develop the menu.
Khalil, who goes by Johnny, said his first option for a identify was now taken so for now the restaurant will be identified as Riverside Johnny’s. He’s hoping to have it open up in time for Daytona’s Bike 7 days in March but said, “If it isn’t completely ready, we will not start.”
Collantes, whose omakase cafe Soseki was awarded a star in final year’s inaugural Florida Michelin Tutorial, explained in an interview Friday early morning that he did not want to describe the cuisine of the new restaurant as “beach food” but that it would be a lot more elevated. “It will be points you want to try to eat with a margarita in your hand.” He outlined things such as calamari and fish tacos, smash burgers and a Viet-design crawfish boil. Collantes, who also owned the now-shut Taglish Filipino-American restaurant, extra, “We want to carry some of the Pacific to the Atlantic.” (Kirk Mayer, the chef from Taglish, will move to the Daytona Beach kitchen area.)
Or at minimum to the Intracoastal Waterway. The freestanding developing sits on the water subsequent to the Main Avenue Bridge on the seashore side. Collantes reported the assets is in good shape (Diesel’s shut Nov. 1), and when he to start with walked in and observed the sunset check out by the bay doors he considered, “This could be anything distinctive.”
Khalil stated in an job interview at Enzo’s Thursday that he hadn’t supposed to buy yet another cafe so quickly. He experienced explained to his close friend and enterprise husband or wife, Logan Berkowitz, a genuine estate specialist, that he wished a restaurant on the water Berkowitz had heard that Enzo’s was for sale and introduced it to Khalil’s attention. On the working day they signed a letter of intent to market some downtown properties they owned, together with Treehouse Bar, Berkowitz called Khalil and informed him about Diesel’s. Following viewing it, Khalil said, “Let’s go for it.”
For Collantes, the place has an extra reward: it is a few blocks from his parents’ residence and he can fall his little ones off when he goes to operate.