Ranch gains first lakefront restaurant

LAKEWOOD RANCH — If you could slather Texas-sized taste into an idyllic view of Lake Uihlein, what would you get?

Lakewood Ranch’s first lakefront restaurant — The Black Walnut Cafe.

Texas-based Black Forest Ventures, which owns and operates the Black Walnut Cafe, has pur-chased the 1.5-acre property at 8165 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., immediately north of Lakewood Ranch Town Hall. The deal for an undisclosed sum closed Monday.

“It’s kind of a unique menu, and they have a little different twist on how they are going to do things,” Lakewood Ranch Commercial Realty President Kirk Boylston said. “It looks like a good new venue for here that’s a little different from what’s existing.”

The property, which formerly housed a trailer used by homebuilder Homes by Towne, has always been designated for a future restaurant.

There are 10 Black Walnut Cafe locations in Texas with two more opening there soon — one in Flower Mound and the other in Frisco.

“We look forward to joining the Lakewood Ranch community,” said Sean Quinn, senior vice president of Black Forest Ventures. “We currently have this site slated for (opening) in 2016/2017.”

Black Walnut Ventures does not plan to immediately break ground on the project because it is busy working on deals to open stores in Atlanta as well, Quinn said.

Boylston said the Lakewood Ranch location will be the company’s first venture in Florida and will be Lakewood Ranch’s first waterfront eatery. A groundbreaking on the site is expected in 2016, Boylston said.

The cafe offers breakfast, lunch and dinner, with menu items such as build-your-own omelets, pot roast, North of the Border beef fajita tacos, artichoke, Chipotle chicken pepper pasta, and lobster alfredo, among other options.

The company’s website states the restaurant offers more than 100 unique items in a casual dining setting, complete with high-back chairs, a sweeping outdoor patio and high-definition televisions.

Boylston said he is focusing on trying to bring in more restaurants that offer unique or up-and-coming concepts, such as Black Walnut Cafe, as a complement to larger national chains in the area.

At Lakewood Ranch Community Development District meetings held Dec. 18 at Town Hall, CDD 2 and the Inter-District Authority Board unanimously approved an easement needed by SMR to allow for the closing on the restaurant site to occur Monday.

The easement allows the future restaurant site to utilize 15 of the 105 parking/bike rack spaces available at Town Hall for use as future overflow parking.

“We‘re legally provided to give them access to 15 parking spaces,” said Lakewood Ranch Town Hall Executive Director Eva Rey. “We will be a good neighbor.”

As part of its plat, Town Hall also gives Lakewood Ranch Main Street access to 35 parking spaces for overflow parking during events.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].