Front Porch Social is downtown Cape Coral's newest restaurant

Aug. 4 was a special day for Jeremy Vincent. He’s opened two Cape Coral restaurants on that date ― first with Jungle Bird Tiki in 2020, and then last Friday, Front Porch Social made its debut.

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Vincent said. “After Jungle Bird, we wanted to create another small plate, shareable style place. It’s been a lot of work.”

Front Porch is on Vincennes Boulevard in the same spot previously occupied by Duval Street.

“It was a complete rebuild for us,” said Vincent, who co-owns the completely transformed space with chef Nick Hartmann. “We worked 13 weeks, seven days a week from sunup to sundown. We did the work ourselves. I’m proud of what we built, the coves inside we created, the intimate dining areas. It has a speakeasy feel inside.”

While the light, bright and breezy outdoor patio has seating for 80 or 90 at the bar and well-spaced tables, the elegant dining room accommodates between 50 and 60. Sit at the bar or at built-from-scratch high and low top tables and half booths surrounded by a soothing palate of black, white and dark and myrtle greens. Plants are scattered about, adding to the lush feel.

“Even the planter boxes and the ceiling itself were done by us,” Vincent said.

It’s stylish and chic as is the indoor bar which serves as the source of an “elevated bar program.”

Unlike Jungle Bird that honors its tiki theme with rum-based creations, Front Porch is different.

“Here there are no restrictions,” Vincent said. “It’s no-holds barred. We have 20-plus bourbons, scotches, good tequila. Everything is scratch made. Nicholas Forbes is our bar manager.”

If that name isn’t familiar to you, it should be.

Forbes, a well-known mixologist around town and at Jungle Bird, was a finalist in the national “A Taste of Home” Cocktail Competition.

“We do it all here,” said Forbes. “We gather from local sources to bring the best flavors.”

He singled out The Jam Bramble ― Rittenhouse rye with roasted red pepper jelly, a touch of fresh squeezed lemon and raspberry cordial ― as one of his favorites on the craft cocktail menu.

“The rye and spice with the red pepper make this something beautiful,” he said.

The cocktails can be shareable, coming in elegant pitchers or in a cocktail “tree.”

“It’s all high-end ingredients,” Vincent said. “All from scratch. The syrup is from scratch. Everything. And it’s built around being social. It’s a new style of service. It’s all shareable.”

This reflects well with the food, created by Hartmann who did Jungle Bird’s menu.

“Only with an American spin,” Vincent said. “And a bit more extravagant.”

While you’ll find chicken tenders, sliders and spring and Caesar salads on the limited opening menu, the expanded menu is twice the size and more extravagant with prime N.Y. strip, burnt end rigatoni, pesto gnocchi and much more.

“And it’s from scratch,” Vincent said. “All the sauces, the pesto, the salad dressings. It’s our own buttermilk breading on the tenders. The pasta is from scratch. There’s lots of stuff on the new menu. I’m super excited to offer an elegant dining experience.”

For now, Front Porch is open 4-10 p.m. seven days a week. Live music is expected to begin in September.

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Lunch will be offered in the next week or two, closing time will change to midnight and brunch should be coming in the next month.

Vincent won’t stop there.

“We want to build an all-around good vibe,” he said. “This is something original. I’d love to elevate the walkable downtown scene. Nice Guys paved the way. Sage (on 47th) did a great job of bringing a little higher end. I’m all for opening up more.

“I wouldn’t open anywhere else but the Cape. I have my eyes on a couple of spots. But I just need a mental break. I can only do so much, but I would love to open more spots.”

Might I suggest Aug. 4, 2024?

Front Porch Social, 4721 Vincennes Blvd., Cape Coral; follow on Instagram and Facebook

Robyn George is a food and dining writer for The Fort Myers News-Press. Send news to [email protected].