What's on the menu at this new Grant-Valkaria restaurant? You'll have to visit to find out

Looking for quiet intimate place for a romantic date night? The Italian Fisherman, a new hot spot in Grant-Valkaria, probably isn't your vibe.

If, however, you're up for lots of food, music, laughter and a few card tricks, drive south and hope for a seat at the table.

Dinner at the Italian Fisherman, which opened in early January, always comes with a show, said Dave Murano, who owns the restaurant with partner Josh Weiss. It's more than a meal. It's an experience.

First, a little housekeeping.

The restaurant is open Thursday through Sunday with two seatings a night: 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 3 and 5 p.m. Sunday. Don't arrive late. Food starts coming out immediately, so sit down and get settled. Cold appetizers are on their way.

The restaurant is small, so it fills up. Reservations are taken by phone or text at 321-895-6283 for parties of six or more. Otherwise, it's first come, first seated. Lines form as early as 3:30 p.m.

There's no menu. Dinner with seafood is $28 per person, without seafood is $24. Before the first dishes come out, Murano asks about food allergies. Once that's out of the way, servers start circulating.

"Our goal is to give some items big, some items small," Murano said. "Everyone gets a minimum of 11 items."

Everyone doesn't always get the same thing, but no guest leaves hungry.

"Nobody knows what's coming out of the kitchen," he said. "Only the chef knows."

Some of the favorites created by chef Ricky Oscar include a softball-sized Sicilian rice ball, grilled eggplant, bruschetta, stuffed artichokes, lobster ravioli, shrimp parmesan, fried Oreos, ice box cake and cannelloni.

"Our goal here is to give you your money's worth, and you eat things you would not make yourself or would not usually order," Murano said. "It's a dining experience."

"It's like eating at Grandma's house," Weiss said.

The Italian Fisherman: In the beginning

"When I met Dave, he was a fish out of water," Weiss said.

Weiss was born in South Florida, but has strong ties to Brooklyn, New York.

"When I moved to Grant, I saw tiny little Italian flags flickering on a fence," he said. The fence surrounded a bait-and-tackle shop; Murano ran a one-man restaurant inside.

Murano is from New York, and the two bonded over their shared background.

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They talked about opening a restaurant together. Weiss is new to the business, but Murano has owned or worked in food service most of his life.

Finding the right place was a waiting game. Eventually, they were able to lease the former Slack Tide restaurant on U.S. 1 across from the Indian River. The blue building has a covered porch running the length of its north side, and has lots of nautical touches, including a boat-shaped bar and fish carved into the railings of the porch.

Those seafood touches are what inspired the name.

Murano said he's opened other restaurants with a similar concept. He was excited to introduce it to the South Brevard community.

"We wanted something that would put us on the map," he said.

The first weekend, they didn't accept reservations. Murano felt bad about turning people away.

The second weekend, they took reservations and had so many no-shows, they still turned guests away, but were left with a half-empty restaurant. They decided on a compromise, accepting reservations of parties of six or more. Because most of the tables in the dining room seat four, larger groups require pushing tables together. Most couples and singles are seated at the bar.

The Back Yard

While some guests still have to be turned away, they now have an option.

In addition to the restaurant, the business partners leased the property behind it. In late January, they celebrated the grand opening of the Back Yard in a space previously occupied by the Thirsty Clam.

The Back Yard features another ship-shape bar, a spacious outdoor area with games such as Giant Connect Four, foosball and Giant Jenga, as well as a stage for bands and karaoke.

The Back Yard has a menu of salads, boneless wings, fish tacos and coconut shrimp, along with beer, wine and wine-based cocktails.

Hours are 4-9 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with the kitchen opening at 5 p.m.; noon-9 p.m. Saturday and noon-8 p.m. Sunday.

If the Italian Fisherman is like Grandma's kitchen, the Back Yard is like your favorite uncle's, well, backyard.

What's next

The Italian Fisherman and the Back Yard are seasonal, Murano said. The plan is to have both open Dec. 1 through Memorial Day with an annual VIP party in November, but the dates may be extended, depending on demand.

Weiss and Murano do have a plan for year-round, though. An ice cream shop is set to open soon at the back of the restaurant, with picnic tables set up in the paved area between the two businesses.

"The front is a house, small and cozy," Weiss said. "Then there's the backyard."

And ice cream to tie it all together.

Details: The Italian Fisherman is at 5890 A U.S. 1, Grant-Valkaria, 321-895-6283, facebook.com/theitalianfishermangrantfl. The Back Yard is at 5900 B U.S. 1, Grant-Valkaria, 321-667-0795, facebook.com/thebackyardgrantfl

Suzy Fleming Leonard is a features journalist with more than three decades of experience. Reach her at sleonard@floridatoday.com. Find her on Facebook: @SuzyFlemingLeonard or on Instagram: @SuzyLeonard. 

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Italian Fisherman in Grant has no menu, but it does have great food