PESCA VILANO BY CHEF MICHAEL LUGO WILL OPEN TUESDAY, OCT. 17
Celebrated chef and restauranteur brings new flavors to the shores of Vilano Beach
Chef Michael Lugo has a lot of notches in his belt. He is a celebrated local chef with his flagship restaurant, Michael’s, he’s cooked for some of the biggest names in food television, and he’s a fierce supporter of contributing to local charities. Never one to rest on his laurels, Chef Lugo is opening what is sure to be another iconic restaurant in the St. Augustine food scene. Pesca Vilano announces their opening on Tuesday, October 17th in the Hyatt Place hotel at 117 Vilano Road in Vilano Beach.
“This new concept is inspired by the Latin and Caribbean flavors that I seek out when I travel south to my native Puerto Rico,” Chef Lugo explains. “It’s the food you want to eat when the weather is warm and sultry. It’s decadent but refreshing and makes you want to linger at the table with a drink in your hand. The whole vibe of the restaurant is very vintage Miami, pulling from the Art Deco period. It really fits in with the beachy, laid-back atmosphere of Vilano.”
Pesca Vilano has a main indoor dining area, featuring a bar, a meticulously curated wine library, a private dining room, and a chef’s experience table. Guests can venture upstairs to the rooftop bar and grill, where they can take in the panoramic coastal views and enjoy a special menu of select small plates, daily seafood specials, beer, wine, and fresh cocktails. Pesca Vilano will also serve as the in-house caterer for the Hyatt Place’s banquet room, designed for upscale events.
The menu features predominantly Latin flavors, but with a global twist, delivered by Chef Lugo and Chef Natasha Olivera’s deft hands and discerning palates. Tom Yum Clams showcase fresh Florida little necks tucked into a hot and sour broth with coconut milk and fresh herbs. The Lobster Paella is an elevated version of the soulful fisherman’s classic, with clams, a whole lobster, bomba rice, and pimentón. Enjoy tender hanger steak in Pesca’s Peruvian Steak Bowl, served with peppers, tomatoes, onions, black rice, and crispy sweet potato fries. With celebrated pastry chef Rebecca Reed on the Pesca Vilano team, desserts and bread have never been so tempting. Her freshly baked breads are the perfect vessel for the array of unique sandwiches. Strawberry and yuzu push-pops celebrate the bounty of Florida’s strawberry harvest and come with a hefty dose of childish enthusiasm.
“I’ve spent so long perfecting this menu in painstaking detail because this launch is so special to me,” Chef Lugo explained. “I chose the name as a tribute to my father. When we would go back to Puerto Rico to visit, we always had to visit his favorite restaurant, El Pescador. That’s the feeling I want to invoke. I want our diners to experience new flavors in an atmosphere that is exciting and comfortable.”