![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/palm-cay1.jpg\" "\\"palm-cay\\"")
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For years, thousands of residents of New Providence\u2019s eastern district piled into cars and trucks to trek west as more and more restaurants opened miles away from the oldest established residential district in New Providence, That\u2019s about to change. During the first quarter of this year, two experienced restaurateurs are opening Billfish Grill at Palm Cay, bringing a convenient feast in the east to the area\u2019s close-to-home, dine out-deprived populations.<\/p>\n
For chef Lise Watson-Russell (think Chives) and Peter Rounce, of Graycliff Bahamas, Billfish Grill is an opportunity to do what they both label as novel \u2013 create a casual dining experience with exceptional food inside a residential community known for its active social calendar, lifestyle and marina.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are creating a restaurant inside a residential enclave with a large (194-slip) marina. It\u2019s a far cry from designing a restaurant that caters to corporate clients, business lunches or dinner meetings,\u201d says Rounce. \u201cThis has to be family-oriented, light-hearted and casual, a place with a lot of familiar faces, but the food has to stand out. Overall, our vision is to deliver a high-end out island experience for guests without their ever leaving the island.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell and Rounce agree all the elements are in place. Taking a break to talk about their vision, menu and plans this week as construction crews behind them worked to complete the makeover of Palm Cay\u2019s three-story clubhouse into a full-fledged restaurant, they started with location. Both are excited about being the creators of the first new high-end restaurant east of the Paradise Island Bridge in recent history and what they believe to be the first ever on the southeast coast. They are not worried about going where gourmet never dared to go before. They have a vision inspired by the near-perfect setting \u2013 endless waterfront views.<\/p>\n
With a degree in Hospitality, Rounce\u2019s specialties are finance and marketing. He points to the 280 degree view –\u2013 1,200 feet of white, soft sandy beach on one side, the swimming pool and kiddy pool straight ahead, the long pier and Atlantic Ocean beyond. Off to the other side, the marina, harbourmaster\u2019s office and eventually cottages and more.<\/p>\n
For Watson-Russell, who earned her Culinary Arts degree from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and gained her reputation at Goodfellow Farms before opening Chives at the New Providence Community Centre on Blake Road, it\u2019s all about the food.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really comes down to the freshness and healthiness of ingredients, the blending of flavours and the presentation, but of all three components, it\u2019s the freshness that creates the finest taste,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
While a beachfront bistro and caf\u00e9 to be called Chives Dockside at Palm Cay will satisfy the quick grab and go appetite for a light breakfast and coffee or salads and sandwiches for residents driving kids to school or boaters heading out for the day, the more upscale Billfish Grill will feature a menu that ranges from freshly caught fish cooked to order to thick rib eye steaks, from a new twist on pulled pork prepared in a wood-fired grill that\u2019s great for pizza, too, to a variety of conch and crawfish dishes in season.<\/p>\n
The restaurant will seat 126 between inside dining and al fresco on several patios.
\nBillfish Grill is expected to open in the first quarter of 2014. Russell\u2019s eyes widen as she contemplates seasonings that enhance but don\u2019t overwhelm a fresh catch of the day or one of her specialty side dishes. Those are decisions she\u2019ll make along with the executive chef and that\u2019s a name she\u2019s not yet willing to reveal. \u201cSoon,\u201d she smiles. \u201cVery soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane Phillips and Associates<\/em><\/span> During the first quarter of this year, two experienced restaurateurs are opening Billfish Grill at Palm Cay, bringing a convenient feast in the east to the area\u2019s close-to-home, dine out-deprived populations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":47284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_10223285771444175_51037792744":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[23,28],"class_list":["post-47278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-food","tag-real-estate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47278\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nCaption: Ready, Set the Table, Go\u00a0 — Enthusiasm exudes from restaurateurs Lise Watson-Russell and Peter Rounce as they anticipate the opening of the fine dining restaurant, Billfish Grill at Palm Cay, set to open during the first quarter of 2014. The eatery is the first new dining option in far eastern New Providence in years.<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"