In the Know: How many Chrissy’s restaurants are still open in Naples?

Q: Does Chrissy still own the Wildside Cafe on Airport-Pulling Road? I noticed that her name is no longer part of the restaurant name. Also, how many restaurants does she operate and where are they located?

Chrissy Bianchi-Rabil and her husband, Fadi Rabil. (Naples Daily News file)

A: Chrissy Bianchi-Rabil no longer owns the popular Chrissy’s Wildside Cafe in Carillon Place, so the new owners simply have renamed it Wildside Cafe.

Keeping track of the comings and goings of Chrissy’s restaurants is not an easy task, but I’ll try. Bianchi-Rabil still owns three area restaurants that bear her name.

■ Chrissy’s at 4910 U.S. 41 N., Suite 312, in the Tanglewood Marketplace, anchored by Outback, is the North Naples location of a restaurant previously owned by Chrissy’s husband, Fadi Rabil. This Chrissy’s location opened in 2008, but was formerly home to a string of restaurants, including C’est Bon, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, and Dolce & Banana, A Tropical Bistro.

■ Chrissy’s Cafe at 3400 Radio Road, Suite 110, near Airport-Pulling Road in East Naples, was the original Chrissy’s which Bianchi-Rabil opened in 1991, sold in 2005, and reopened in 2008. In between, it was Tastebuds of Naples and the Baker’s Bistro.

“I call it my baby,” Bianchi-Rabil said. “It’s where my children were born. We had a lot of history there.”

■ Chrissy’s Bianchi’s at 3340 U.S. 41 E. in East Naples’ Courthouse Shadows shopping center opened last year in an outparcel that sat vacant for many years. The former Arby’s drive-through restaurant was completely renovated to eventually become Chrissy’s by day, Bianchi’s by night.

“It’s a wonderful location. I love East Naples. I love the diversity of it,” Bianchi-Rabil said. “Courthouse just has a wonderful, warm feeling to it. It’s smaller, more neighborly.”

The Rabils closed their Chrissy’s location in Pebblebrooke Center on Collier Boulevard about six weeks ago. That location had been open only since last March.

“It just was a struggle,” Bianchi-Rabil said. “It would have taken years to break even.”

Both Chrissy’s and Bianchi’s restaurants in Bayfront Place were closed in 2008, as well. Moving from the more formal Bianchi’s to Chrissy's Bianchi's, Chrissy jokes that she has traded her little black dress for black cooking pants.

“There’s an open kitchen, so I cook and can see my customers,” she said.

And she’s counting on this restaurant to be her last.

“No more, please,” Bianchi-Rabil said. “Less is more these days.”

More area restaurant news:

■ Toast is now open for breakfast and lunch at 15215 Collier Blvd., replacing Chrissy’s at Pebblebrooke.

■ Table 82 recently closed in Village Walk in Bonita Springs and reopened a few weeks ago in the former Gabriello’s of New York location at 13800 U.S. 41 N., on the corner of Old 41 Road in North Naples.

■ Sushi One has opened at 1410 Pine Ridge Road, on the corner of Goodlette-Frank Road, in the former Goodlette Corners location of PJ’s Coffee Of New Orleans.

■ Pure Urban Oasis restaurant and cocktail lounge is preparing to open soon in Mercato at Vanderbilt Beach Road and U.S. 41 North. Pure’s oval-shaped bar was delivered on Friday.

■ Thanks for the tip in the comments beneath last week’s column online that the old Pewter Mug restaurant on U.S. 41 in North Naples will reopen soon as Pewter Mug 41. Hope you saw the story on it we published this week.

___

Connect with Tim Aten at naplesnews.com/staff/tim_aten. E-mail questions with your name and city of residence to intheknow@naplesnews.com.

Find a complete archive of “In the Know” at naplesnews.com/intheknow. Interactive In the Know, or iKnow, is at blogs.naplesnews.com/in_the_know/

© 2010 gonaples.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.