Food

Paul’s Landing at the Vinoy combines upscale charm, family-friendly vibe, picturesque setting

A grilled whole fish is served at Paul’s Landing in downtown St. Petersburg. [Tampa Bay Times photo]

By Laura Reiley,
Former Food Critic Reporter
Tampa Bay Times

published March 19, 2018

This Website is used solely for my personal, non-commercial use! To preserve the original article, any additional info and pictures (with captions) that were added by me, are shown in blue type.

ST. PETERSBURG — Huh, here’s something new. Don’t go in the front door of the Vinoy, don’t climb the gracious front steps and pass the swirly blue carpets, gilded sconces and solicitous concierges. Keep walking east on Fifth Avenue NE, by the boats bobbing in their slips, until you see the little sign on the gate at the foot of the stairs.

It says Paul’s Landing. Walk up the steps into the Vinoy’s pool area with its regimented rows of fuchsia beach recliners. And then you will see what amounts to a big white glassed-in box. It is the 93-year-old Vinoy Renaissance Resort and Golf Club’s newest restaurant, opened Feb. 19, which brings dining-with-a-view to a seriously view-impoverished downtown. (Remember when the Canopy Bar opened at the Birchwood and we collectively lost our minds? Why don’t more of our restaurants take advantage of a pretty or waterside setting?)

Paul’s Landing is not fancy like Marchand’s, with 220 seats that mostly overlook the picturesque hubbub of the Vinoy Marina. It is the latest component of a $50 million renovation of the resort. I spoke with director of restaurant operations Mark Heimann months ago about what this new restaurant was all about. It was a complicated story, a sustained conceit nearly like Disney Imagineering, of a carpenter named William Paul who helped build a U.S. Navy depot on the site in the 1800’s. It would pay homage to his Florida, old Florida, with a focus on citrus and citrus-wood-grilled and smoked items.

A brief history: In 1854, U.S. Navy surveyors were tasked with finding the best site for a seaside railroad depot, accessible to sailing vessels. After searching far and wide, they selected a beautiful spot along the southeastern shore of the Pinellas Peninsula. Here, the survey expedition’s carpenter, William Paul, quickly constructed a small settlement with barracks, a short pier and a smokehouse. This small settlement eventually became known as Paul’s Landing, which would be the future location of the St. Petersburg Downtown Waterfront.

After being discharged from the Navy, Paul returned with his family. Here they enjoyed the beauty of the waterfront for fishing, planted an orchard to grow fragrant Florida oranges, and continued smoking and curing meats. These three things, Citrus – Seafood – Smoke, are the essence of Paul’s Landing restaurant.

You don’t really need to pay attention to William Paul, nor do you need to be hung up on whether you like citrus or citrus wood. What you need to know is this is a solid, welcoming, largely casual restaurant with fair-minded prices and a setting that is just lovely.

They have their own house beer — this actually predated the debut of the restaurant, the Paul’s Landing Orange Wheat made by 3 Daughters Brewing an approachable quencher on a nice day ($7 small, $9 large) — and the rest of the beer and wine list is familiar and pleasant (but with a pretty steep markup; many wines hover around $14 for a 6-ounce pour). After a short list of signature cocktails, there are a couple of appealing tap versions (the cucumber cooler will be a hit with the poolside crowd — need to stay hydrated) as well as some frozen slushy boozy drinks.

Paul’s Landing bar overlooks the relaxing resort pool deck.

Aymers Promenade Punch

Blueberry Fizz cocktail

Paul’s Landing Orange Wheat beer

Paul’s Landing on the front terrace with marina view.

The Vinoy’s signature drink, Aymer’s Promenade Punch, is a tasty delight available in the Promenade Lobby Bar. It contains cranberry, orange and pineapple juices; peach nectar; coconut rum; and sparkling water.

The Blueberry Fizz cocktail at Paul’s Landing is made of house-infused hibiscus rum, Ron Abuelo Anejo Rum, Cherry Heering, Demerara syrup and fresh lime juice.

Paul’s Landing Orange Wheat beer, made by 3 Daughters Brewing, is a nod to William Paul, the original settler of the land on which the restaurant sits. Paul planted the first 50 seedlings of his orange grove in the fall of 1854.

Paul’s Landing (bar on the left), Resort pool and marina view.

And the menu, a single page that allows for a grazing approach as well as a hold-your-own sandwich or larger entree strategy. We scattershot it on two visits, a chilled seafood tower ($28 for two people, $56 for four) bringing Jonah crab claws (the country cousin of stone crab), a bowl of tuna tartare, fat chilled shrimp and a handful of Blue Point oysters, all fresh tasting but a little marred by a tray of regular cube ice that melted swiftly into a shifting sea.

Smoked wings ($14) with house ranch are excellent, as is the smoked fish spread ($14) served with toasts and a big handful of tangy housemade veggie pickles (zucchini and cauliflower were crisp and a wonderful foil for the deeply unctuous smoky spread). So, see, that citrus wood smoke is front and center. Gulf fish tacos ($18) were a crowd pleaser, arriving in their own holder and crowded with a crunchy jicama slaw, a watermelon corn relish and a bit of avocado salsa, all of it elegantly heightening the flavor of the fish.

A handful of sides can be eaten as such or cobbled together for a share plate of nibbles: simple grilled asparagus with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of salt ($5); a passel of crisp-edged, tender-centered hush puppies ($5) with a slow-burn chipotle sauce; and a bowl of roasted Brussels sprouts halves ($5), their soy and key lime glaze a bit sweet for my tastes, but other folks liked them. For dessert, it’s easy pleasers like a cupcake sampler ($9) or ice cream sandwiches ($6).

So who is going to avail themselves of the Landing that honors Paul the Carpenter and Surveyor? I can see it being appealing to folks staying at the Vinoy, obviously, but also those keen on a moderately priced meal that makes dreamy use of an indoor-outdoor setting. It has enough upscale charm to draw business folks and affluent snowbirds, but is casual enough to be resoundingly family-friendly. In a sense, it achieves the hotel restaurant axiom of being all things to all people but without really feeling like a hotel restaurant. Plus, there’s that outside entrance I told you about — you can hang out at Paul’s without ever having traipsed through St. Petersburg’s most famous hotel lobby.

Paul’s Landing on the front terrace with marina view.

Paul’s Landing Beer

The Vinoy® Renaissance Resort & Golf Club is staying true to its historic roots, celebrating all things hops with the recent debut of their own craft brew, "Paul’s Landing".

The inspiration started with Miss Hallie Fedowich, who worked at "The Vinoy Park Hotel" in 1959 as a server in Marchand’s. In May 2013, she joined us for lunch and spent some time listening to her stories of The Vinoy, and how guests and hotel employees spent their days. During our conversation, she shared that it was always said that an orange grove was once where The Vinoy Park Hotel stood, and that when Vinoy Laughner signed the contract for the property to build the hotel, he stood in the orange grove with the farmer and penned the contract on the back of the developer.

Fast forward to today, we started exploring a chef-crafted beer with 3 Daughters Brewing and called it Paul’s Landing Orange Wheat. We wanted to create something that told a story and fit the history of The Vinoy. Our local historian worked with the Museum of History in St. Petersburg to go on a fact-finding mission. We uncovered the story of William Paul and "Paul’s Landing." It was William Paul who helped pioneer not only the location where The Vinoy now sits, but also planted the first 50 seedlings in the fall of 1854.

Paul’s Landing beer: citrus wheat flavors
– Courtesy of the Vinoy Renaissance Resort

Much like Paul, The Vinoy worked to create something new, and the history of the resort seemed like the perfect
inspiration to get started. The Vinoy invites guests to discover the refreshing and indigenous citrus wheat flavors
while sipping on St. Petersburg history.

See also:

What’s in a name Aymer Vinoy Laughner: Built downtown palace ....(10/1990)

From ritzy to ratty and back again, The Vinoy has come full circle ......(7/1992)

The story continues: See 'Vinoy verdict: exceptionally elegant' story ...(8/1992)

The Vinoy celebrates the 10-year anniversary of its grand reopening ..(8/2002)

Been 20 years since The Vinoy had its grand reopening, renaissance ...(7/2012)

Vinoy House was once Aymer Vinoy Laughner’s winter home ..............(5/2014)

The Vinoy Legacy: The $93 million restoration and (more history) ....(11/2014)

The Vinoy originally opened 90 years ago, a step back (retrospect) ......(7/2015)

The Vinoy will be getting a facelift: breaks ground on renovations .......(5/2016)

Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club - new owner ....(7/2017)

The old Vinoy, the battle to save it and the power of legacy ...................(6/2018)

More stories and chronological timeline of Vinoy (more history 2) .......(9/2019)

St. Petersburg’s Vinoy hotel planning remodel for 2022 .........................(9/2021)

More pictures of The Vinoy

Go Back to The Vinoy history timeline