Staff at Bernwood Tavern & Cucina are (from left) Tyler Matias, server; Chef Shelton Syldeas; and Executive Chef and owner Ron Casterline. Photos courtesy of Claritze Gonzalez and Ron. Photo courtesy Claritze Gonzalez and Ron Casterline Casterline.
Jody Frey of the Esplanade in North Naples visited the recently opened Bernwood Tavern & Cucina, located on the southwest corner of Pebblebrooke Center on Collier Boulevard, and is pleased with the new ownership and cuisine.
“The owner was so friendly; he came over to introduce himself,” she said. “We ordered takeout, and I had lasagna, my kids had the eggplant parm, my husband had a salad, and my friend had the chicken parm. The sauce is delicious, and everything was just scrumptious.”
Owned and operated by Executive Chef Ron Casterline, who also runs Bernwood Catering in Naples, the restaurant occupies the former Shabo’s Bistro space. It changed ownership and concept Dec. 1. After that date, new signage, logos and menus were introduced.
Casterline cautions that his business is not to be confused with Taverna Burntwood, formerly known as Burntwood Tavern in Mercato.
The time was right, he said, to open a brick-and-mortar extension of his catering business and bring his cuisine to a broader local audience. He describes the concept as “a casual tavern experience with fine Italian cuisine in a cozy atmosphere.”
The menu is classic continental, highlighting Italian specialties such as fresh seafood, steaks, chops and pasta.
A Naples resident for nearly 20 years, Casterline brings an established reputation as a personal and private chef, built over 15 years of running his catering business.
“I have been rated in the top 4% in the country for five years on one online site, and with our great five-star reviews, my reputation precedes me. We hope to keep our standing for offering authentic Italian and Mediterranean cuisine,” he said.
Frutti di mare, or fresh “fruit of the sea,” is a popular seafood dish featuring lobster tail, clams, mussels, calamari, shrimp and scallops in a lemon-butter wine sauce over angel hair pasta. Photo courtesy Claritze Gonzalez and Ron Casterline
The space
The restaurant seats 190, with about 64 outdoor seats under cover at eight tables, draped in red-and-white checkered tablecloths that hint at the Italian-style cuisine to come. As guests enter the restaurant on the left, they’ll find a small bistro area and a 10-seat bar with a television monitor. The main dining area features booth and table seating set against warm brown floor tiles, granite bar tops and beige walls, all lit by suspended lamp-style overhead lighting.
The venue, due to its large size, will do double duty and host catered events such as wedding receptions, bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, memorial gatherings and business meetings, while remaining open to bar and dining patrons.
The menus
At the bar and bistro, a menu from 3 to 5 p.m. offers weekly food and drink specials (the same menu will be available for lunch at a future date, starting at 11 a.m.). It includes: $3 beers daily; Meatball Mondays with $5 martinis and a meatball parm hoagie or spaghetti and meatballs marinara ($10); Tequila Tuesdays with $6 margaritas and tequila lime shrimp martini or tequila lime shrimp platter ($12);
Wing Wednesdays with $5 wines, boneless Buffalo wings or chicken wings Calabrese ($10); Pizza & Boli Thursdays with $5 wines (price TBA); Fish Fridays with drink specials and fried or broiled haddock (dish or sandwich, $19).
A chef’s dinner special menu was developed for early birds, 3 to 5 p.m. ($24.95 per person), or for later diners from 5 p.m. to close ($32.95 per person). For either, a complimentary glass of white or red wine, domestic beer, or a soft drink, iced tea or lemonade is included.
Choose one appetizer: house salad, Caesar salad, pasta fagioli or Italian wedding soup; and one entrée: eggplant parm, chicken parm, chicken scampi, spaghetti and meatballs or chicken brochette.
Lamb shank risotto Milanese. Photo courtesy Claritze Gonzalez and Ron Casterline.
The regular dinner menu starts with crowd-pleasers ($8.95-$24.95), from vegan moussaka to tenderloin bruschetta; soups ($4.95-$17.95, cup, bowl or quart); and salads ($13.95-$14.95), such as Caesar, Greek or caprese (add-ons $5-$9).
Pastas are served with a salad and soup ($19.95-$28.95) and include pasta primavera, chicken piccata or Francaise, and shrimp or chicken scampi. Chef specials ($27.95-$32.95) include braised lamb risotto, filet mignon, braised short ribs, surf and turf, twin lobster tails and more.
Handhelds ($15.95-$17.50) include sausage and peppers, burgers and Philly cheesesteak.
About the owner
Originally from the Pocono Mountains of northeast Pennsylvania, Casterline developed a lifelong passion for cooking. His family operated what he described as “the hottest restaurant in the tri-state area” — spanning New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey — for a decade.
His formal training includes restaurant management in Pennsylvania and a two-year culinary program through a community college affiliated with Cornell University, which provided hands-on experience working alongside top chefs.
In Naples, Bernwood Catering is a one-stop, full-service operation offering everything from rentals and staffing to entertainment and photography. As a personal and private chef, Casterline has prepared food for five-star resorts and area country clubs, aboard Learjets and yachts.
He has catered destination weddings in Turks and Caicos and offers everything from box lunches to custom spreads for beach events to high-end cocktail parties, political functions and business meetings.
Casterline plans to add lunch service soon. Renovations to enhance the bar and bistro area are slated for August and September, with a grand reopening planned for October.