A new Mediterranean restaurant is coming to downtown St. Petersburg

A new concept is coming from Benson Hospitality Group, the team behind St. Petersburg pan Asian steakhouse Fortu, owned by Shan Bakrac.

Eve, a contemporary Mediterranean restaurant, is planned to open at the forthcoming Galaxy Hotel in downtown St. Pete.

Cory Saffran, vice president of operations for Benson Hospitality Group, said the team toyed with the concept before settling on Mediterranean.

They worked with designer Mark Alan Diaz, who created the renderings of the restaurant, which will feature an inside/outside floor plan, a patio with screens, fans and heaters for the occasional time it’s cold outside. The 5,600-square-foot space will seat 174 people.

Saffran said the decor — which he described as subterranean for its natural rock and wood — was inspired by restaurants in New York and Los Angeles.

Benson Hospitality Group is handling the food and beverage program for the Galaxy Hotel, which is owned by Shan Bakrac’s father, Savni Bakrac, who also owns the Ponce de Leon Hotel. There will be a coffee shop in the lobby and a rooftop bar with views of downtown and the St. Pete Pier.

Saffran said the hotel, which will be located at 110 Third Ave. N., just got its temporary certificate of occupancy, and the coffee shop and bar could open in six weeks. They are still installing equipment and hiring staff for those spaces.

Eve could open this winter or early next year, Saffran said, but it depends on how construction goes. He said the space is already built out, so it’s just a matter of renovating to match the renderings.

The group will also manage the hotel’s banquets. Saffran has an extensive background as director of banquets and director of food and beverage for the Four Seasons hotel in Chicago and Orlando.

Rather than using an executive chef, the two other partners of the hospitality group will fill that role. Corey Rose and Nathan Howey are both chefs by trade. Rose is in charge of culinary operations like logistics and kitchen layout, while Howey develops the menu.

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This is the same model they use at Fortu — which has been open for seven months — where two executive sous chefs implement the menu.

“We can control labor costs while managing the project ourselves and having the managing partners kind of be the executive chefs to get it to where we want it to be,” Saffran said.

As for the menu — which hasn’t been finalized yet — expect dishes like wagyu shawarma, pistachio-crusted feta, charred octopus and roasted pork belly. There will be a raw bar element with crudo and ceviche as well as cuts of protein and fresh seafood.