Restaurant Opening: New upscale steakhouse opens in Ormond Beach

Alexander’s Prime officially opened for business on Granada Boulevard last week, after teasing the restaurant’s opening on social media in March.

The Ormond Beach eatery, which offers steak, seafood and a full bar in a newly renovated, upscale setting, was home to the previous Alexander’s nearly four decades ago, before later opening as Frappes Italian Grille.

Now, with the creative mind of local developer Bill Jones and the industry expertise of New York City restaurateur Joe Oliva, the near century-old building is returning to its fine-dining roots.

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What to expect at Alexander’s Prime

The art deco-inspired restaurant is recognizable by its timeless sophistication and distinguished charm, featuring tiled ceilings, deep wood details, white clothed tables and George Rodrigue Blue Dog artwork.

According to Oliva, the restaurant will bring something more classic to the area.

“A lot of the steakhouses now are very modern," he said. "They all kind of have that same sleek ambiance to them. This is more old school … I like that homey feeling as opposed to the sleek, modern kind.”

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In terms of cuisine, Alexander’s boasts an expertly crafted menu with a touch of Italian influence, serving “the top 3% of meat in the country,” including prime and prime dry-aged meats. The menu features a 34-ounce prime dry-aged porter house for two ($149), prime dry-aged bone-in ribeye ($68), prime Denver cut steak frites ($38) and classic hamburger ($18), as well as local mahi ($33), fried calamari ($16), fresh oysters (MP), baked clams ($16) and tuna tartar ($19).

“The prime is the top 1% of beef in the country, and all our meat is going to be aged for about 28 days before we get it,” Oliva said.

“We have a special steakhouse broiler, a Southbend broiler, and it cooks at 1,600 degrees. The whole idea of cooking it at that temperature is that it chars the meat on the outside, but it keeps the juices on the inside.”

The restaurant will also offer locally sourced seafood and fresh greens, as well as an “Alexander’s hour” early bird special, craft cocktails and live entertainment on weekends.

“That’s really half the battle of preparing good food,” Oliva said. “If you start with good ingredients, and you have good people preparing it, it usually leads to a successful restaurant.”

How Alexander's began

Bill Jones, owner of Metra Electronics, moved his manufacturing business from Brooklyn to Volusia County in 1986, after having regularly visited the area.

Following the move, he and his wife began frequenting one of the few downtown eatery’s in Ormond at the time, the original Alexander’s. When the then owner was preparing to lose his lease, Jones knew he had to step in, ultimately purchasing the building in ’87.

After renovations and remodeling, the space became a cozy, instant dinner hit on Granada Boulevard, where it remained until 1997.

According to Jones, as his manufacturing business continued to flourish, he decided it would be best to rent out the space.

Meryl and Bobby Frappier, owners of Frappes Italian Grille, happened to be looking to relocate from Beach Street to Ormond Beach when they came across the building.

Frappe’s soon became a trademark of Ormond’s bustling downtown and maintained its success for over two decades until Meryl ultimately retired in 2022, four years after her husband died.

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Following the restaurant’s closing, Jones once again took creative control, renovating and preparing the up-for-grabs space for what we now know to be Alexander’s Prime.

When Oliva then expressed interest, Jones says it was a perfect fit, as if they had known each other their entire lives.

Oliva, a seasoned restaurateur with a history managing and owning restaurants across Manhattan, tells me he began looking for buildings in St. Augustine and its surrounding areas last year. However, the opportunity to take over the Ormond space happened rather organically, when Oliva’s son, a Palm Coast resident, stumbled into a coincidental conversation while at the local courthouse.

“My son met a gentleman, and they were just having a conversation about restaurants for lease or for sale. Well, it turned out to be Bill Partington, the mayor of Ormond Beach,” Oliva said.

“He knew about this location that would be up for rent soon and put me in touch with Mr. Jones’ people … I flew down the very next week and saw it.”

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Though originally planning for a smaller-scale venture, Oliva says the space simply felt right, and after years of experience in iconic steakhouses like Delmonico’s, opening Alexander's seemed like a no-brainer.

“I wasn’t looking to do anything this big, but when I saw it, I almost couldn’t say no," he said. "The space didn’t lend itself to anything else, whether it was fine-dining Italian, American, steak, you know? It’s not set up to be a pub-style operation.”

Oliva says the deal was finalized by early 2024, prompting his move to the area just about a month ago.

Jones: Bringing spaces to life

Simply put, Bill Jones has an eye for art — a talent for bringing spaces to life, finding and restoring their charm.

The New York native tells me his passion for design is a creative gift, one deeply rooted in nostalgia, determined to see things for what they once were, what they still could be.

“I love art; I collect all kinds of art,” Jones said. “When we talk about the downtown arts district, it’s really every place, not just the art galleries or the museums. I try to make it the restaurants as well.”

Jones is credited with some of Granada Boulevards most eye-catching, meticulously designed eateries, from 31 Supper Club, Pumphouse BBQ and Rose Villa, to Neighborhood Scoop, Grind Gastropub and Kona Tiki Bar.

Jones' latest project, the late 1930s-built home we now know as Alexander’s, was redesigned with an art deco-rooted inspiration, creating a space that embraces the building's age and is both lavish yet cozy, upscale yet inviting.

“It just gives you that warm fuzzy feeling that something’s still here from the past and it’s still useable and serviceable, and it makes people happy," Jones said. "That’s what it’s all about.”

Alexander's Prime is located at 123 W Granada Blvd. in Ormond Beach and is open 4 - 11 p.m. daily with plans to open for lunch in the future. For information, visit Facebook.com/alexandersprime.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Alexander's Prime upscale steakhouse opens in Ormond Beach