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A new location for a longtime restaurateur

Malio Iavarone, who ran a popular steakhouse for 35 years, plans to open a new place in Rivergate Tower.

By JANET ZINK
Published May 4, 2006

TAMPA - Two city icons will come together this fall.

Malio Iavarone, who ran a legendary steakhouse for 35 years, said he'll open a restaurant in Rivergate Tower, the landmark cylinder-shaped office tower at Kennedy Boulevard and Ashley Drive.

Malio's Prime Steak House is scheduled to open in October.

Iavarone said his 37-year-old son, Derek, who has been studying to get a real estate license, encouraged him to consider the location.

"He said, "Hey, Dad, I really believe downtown's going to take off,' " Iavarone said.

The elder Iavarone briefly owned a building in downtown Tampa 28 years ago.

"That was way too early, right? Time's passed, and you see what's going on here - all the condos and construction," he said. "I think it's time."

Derek Iavarone and longtime friend Jason Fernandez, co-owner of the Ybor City restaurant Bernini, will be major players at the new Malio's.

"Eventually, they'll own everything," said Malio Iavarone, 62. "This is for their future."

Derek Iavarone and Fernandez sat Wednesday at a table by a Rivergate Tower window with a view of the Hillsborough River, poring over plans for a first-floor renovation.

"We've been talking about doing a restaurant together forever," Derek said.

The 8,000-square-foot restaurant overlooking the water and the University of Tampa minarets will be about half the size of the Malio's restaurant that closed in January 2005.

Iavarone sold that property to Masonite International Corp., a door manufacturer that had planned to build administrative headquarters on the S Dale Mabry Highway site. But an investment firm completed a buyout of Masonite in April 2005. The land, now cleared, is for sale.

The old Malio's Steak House was an institution. For decades, movie stars, sports heroes and local power brokers visited its dining rooms and night club. A monumental picture gallery boasted images of Rudolph Giuliani, Muhammad Ali, Roger Clemens and George Steinbrenner, to name a few. Steinbrenner had his own booth, equipped with a phone. Most of the memorabilia was auctioned off when the restaurant closed.

"We're going to start over. This is a different place," Malio Iavarone said.

It will be upscale, he said, but open for lunch so that it can be a destination for business meetings and celebrations. In the late afternoon and early evening, the restaurant will feature a cocktail hour during which patrons can get, perhaps, "a crab cake and a nice glass of wine for less than $12," he said.

A bar and restaurant will seat 150. Riverfront patios will accommodate 75 diners.

Iavarone said he's been happy since the restaurant closed last year. The Rivergate Tower leasing agents had phoned him about opening a restaurant, but he ignored the calls.

"I was retired. I was doing a little bit of fishing, a little bit of golf. My son said, "Dad, let's just listen to these folks.' "

America's Capital Partners, the company that owns the building, made him an offer that "got me off the couch," he said.

At least three other restaurants have opened and closed in Rivergate Tower since 1989. Michael Lerner, vice president of America's Capital Partners, said he wasn't familiar with those efforts. His company bought the building in January 2005. But he was confident this time would be different.

"Having one of Tampa's premier restaurateurs call Rivergate Tower home is a significant benefit for our tenants and downtown Tampa as a whole," he said.

The corner is emerging as a linchpin in downtown's rebirth. City officials are working out a deal to buy the cube-shaped buildings next to Rivergate Tower for conversion into a new Tampa Museum of Art. Developers last month announced plans to build a 50-story condominium tower across Kennedy Boulevard from Rivergate Tower.

And the Malio's restaurant, with its riverside dining, could provide an upscale stop along the 2.4-mile Riverwalk planned to link Tampa Heights to the Channel District.

"Malio's has such a great history and reputation in our community," said Mayor Pam Iorio. "This site will complement both the Riverwalk as well as the new art museum."

[Last modified May 4, 2006, 00:59:16]