A new Peruvian restaurant continues what has become a culinary tradition for nearly 20 years at Naples Towne Centre South on U.S. 41 in East Naples.
Espíritu Nuevo Peruvian restaurant recently replaced La Cuisine, a Peruvian restaurant that used to be Machu Picchu Restaurant when it started a series of local eateries at 3861 Tamiami Trail E. in 2005. The small restaurant space is next to Towne Centre 6 cinema in the retail center on U.S. 41 East where Publix supermarket opened in December in the former space of Lucky’s Market.
Local restaurateur John Colón, known for creating Bodega Olé in Naples and El Basque Vin & Pintxo Bar in Bonita Springs, is putting his stamp on another Latin restaurant. He renamed his latest venture Espíritu – Spanish for spirit – and added Nuevo to the restaurant’s name to signal a “new” take on traditional Peruvian cuisine. Colón’s goal is to create a cooler, hipper dining destination.
“I don’t want to scare the old crowd. The cooks do a really good job,” he said. “I’m an old chef, so I’m going to put my spin on it and I’m going to change the menu, but slowly. I already changed a couple of items in the past few days. But they do a good job, so I’m just going to put my spin on it, redesign the place, make it more edgy and chic and sexy.”
Colón took over the new restaurant space on July 1, his birthday. He picked up the keys over the weekend and spent the recent holiday cleaning, painting and fixing up his new restaurant.
“Wait until you see it. It’s going to be amazing,” he said. “I’ve already had people tell me that they love the new vibe already. I changed things up. I opened up the window more, the door more. It’s more inviting.”
Colón plans to “chef it up” at Espíritu. He already has been fulfilling chef duties at El Basque in Bonita. “They’re such small places, that I can,” he said, noting that Espíritu and Basque have about 35 seats each.
Colón’s hospitality background includes kitchen experience, sharing that he previously worked both the front and back of the house at Four Seasons resorts in New York City and Beverly Hills.
Colón plans to retain about 70% of La Cuisine’s menu and rework the remaining 30%. “I want to keep the good stuff, the great hits and the classics and the big sellers and just replate it,” he said.
He plans to introduce some new dishes, too. “I’m doing a whole suckling pig that’s going to be marinated in soy sauce and ginger. It’s going to be an Asian-style whole pig,” he said. “That’s going to be a big hit.”
The menu includes Peruvian staples such as ceviche and lomo saltado, a stir-fry with tender strips of steak, tomatoes and onions served with french fries and steamed Jasmine rice.
“I used to have an old partner who was a Peruvian chef and he and I did a lot of catering together back in the ‘90s in New York,” Colón said. “I fell in love with the culture and the cuisine.”
Colón also loves the Asian influences on Peruvian cuisine, especially the South American country’s chifas restaurants, which offer a fusion of traditional Peruvian and Chinese foods. “They really put their mark on the cuisine there,” he said. “Peruvian is really a fusion of Japanese, Chinese, the indigenous Peruvian people and all the greens that they have. Those large choclo corns are amazing. The fish is fresh with lime juice just marinating in its own juices. It’s amazing cuisine. I’m going to have a lot of fun. I’m really excited about this.”
Espíritu is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday and lunch and dinner Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The restaurant is closed Mondays for the offseason. In season, Colón plans to open for lunch and dinner daily. “By season, we’re going to be a hit,” he said.
Earlier this year, Colón left Bodega Olé restaurant in Naples. After a few years, he and his business partner split because they had different visions about the Spanish-Cuban restaurant, Colón said.
Colón plans to expand the restaurant group he’s developing with the help of his daughter, Sophia, who he wants to succeed him eventually. “I’m going to set her up for success,” he said.
The goal is to make a local mark with Spanish cuisine from South America, Europe and the Caribbean. “I’m just excited about being an impresario of Latin cuisine to Southwest Florida,” Colón said. “I want to take it to another level. My next goal now is a hotel restaurant.”
