Cicero, N.Y. – A new restaurant is now open in the renovated clubhouse at Lakeshore Yacht & Country Club in Cicero.
Two of the partners behind Inka’s and Margarita Mexican Cantina’s restaurants in Syracuse are behind the new Azura restaurant. Partnering with them are Andrew McDermott and Sebastian Ramirez, who manage day-to-day operations.
The restaurant, which is open to the public, has two bars and seating for nearly 200 people in the main room and 300 in the overall space. It overlooks Oneida Lake.
Jose Avalos-Rios is partnering with Alejandro Gonzalez in the restaurant. They are two of the four partners behind Inka’s and Margarita’s.
Guy Hart, who owns the building, said renovations cost about $500,000.
The name Azura refers to the sky-blue look of Oneida Lake, Gonzalez said.
The restaurant specializes in Italian-Mediterranean dishes. Their chef from Rome, Italy creates a variety of dishes. Some signature items include rigatoni with vodka sauce, handmade ravioli and sea bass.
One of the salmon dishes featured on the menu at the new restaurant.Benjamin Bosak Black Stag Industries
For several months, Gonzalez said, they have been open to country club members who have been testing the dishes and giving feedback. They opened to the public on Tuesday.
“It’s all very exciting,” Gonzalez said. “We have tested our menu, and we feel like we have what the community wants.”
The new restaurant is open noon to 9 p.m. weekdays and noon to 10 p.m. weekends.
The restaurant is to be part of the overall Lakeshore development, where Hart plans to put in shops and apartments down the road.
He said he’s working with two multi-family housing groups to construct the apartments.
Dining and Cooking