Though it has changed hands several times in the past few years, 9 S. Front St. has a long history as a beloved gathering space.
 
It began as Front Street News, a coffee shop and news stand popular with the downtown arts community in the early 1980s. Michael and Deborah Caliva, who owned the building at the time, transformed the space into Caffe Phoenix in 1989, and operated successfully at that location for 23 years. In recent years the building has housed Crow Hill and 9 Bakery and Lounge.
 
Now, with Platypus & Gnome, due to open later this month, Matt and Mary Danylec are bringing an eclectic mix of global flavors to diners who have long loved this space.
 
“We’re going to do everything we can to live up to the atmosphere this space warrants,” general manger Rian Peters said. “We have big shoes to fill but are excited to get off and running.”
 
Peters, who has worked in restaurants in Charleston, South Carolina, for the past several years, said he sees Wilmington’s culinary scene at the edge of echoing cities like Charleston and he wants to be part of taking the Port City to the next level.
 
The Danylecs, along with chef Steve Hodges, have a rotating menu planned that will reflect not only the changing of the seasons, but global flavors that complement the bounty of each season.
 
The spring/summer menu will focus on the bright, bold and lively flavors of South America, South Africa and Morocco, with dishes like Piri Piri chicken, chimichurri steak and Peruvian ceviche.
 
The lunch menu, composed mostly of burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads will offer similar flavors to the dinner entrees with lunch-appropriate portions and pricing.
 
As for the bar, beer and wine selections will be chosen to complement each season’s menu and craft cocktails, including beer cocktails, will follow suit.
 
“If you select a South African dish, we’ll be sure to have a South African beer or wine to suggest pairing it with,” Peters said.
 
Hodges will smoke all the restaurant's meats on-site, including the chicken wings and meats used for the Cubano and club sandwiches. Burgers are all hand pattied and chicken hand breaded.
 
So where does the name Platypus & Gnome come from, you might be asking.
 
“The name itself is intriguing, it has an element of mystery that defines who we are and what we do,” Matt Danylec said. “We don’t want to be stuck in any one genre.”
 
Have a tip for Restaurant Roundup? Email us at: [email protected]