Grain owners taking over Aqua Sol in Bear

Owners of Newark's Grain Craft Bar + Kitchen have purchased the former Aqua Sol eatery and plan to reopen the Bear site by the late spring or early summer.

The restaurant at the Summit North Marina, on an inlet along the Chesapeake and Delaware canal, now will be called Grain H2O, say operators Lee Mikles and Jim O'Donoghue.

The pair plan to make renovations to the building that had once housed Aqua Sol. The former restaurant and bar at 3006 Summit Harbour Place served Miami/Latin infusion cuisine from 2009 until its closing last year.

O'Donoghue said it will take a few months "to redo the interior," which includes reconfiguring and expanding the indoor bar area.

"The bar is not situated well for taking advantage of the beautiful outdoor views," he said, adding that they will install a new outdoor bar as well as some fire pits. Mikles said there also will be a private room for about 40 to 50 people.

"We want to make it a neighborhood spot for people who like being on the water," Mikles said of the restaurant which will have seating, indoor and outside, for about 280 people. Acoustic acts will be booked to perform, just like Grain in Newark, he said. Steel drum and reggae bands might play on the outdoor stage.

Mikles and O'Donoghue were first-time restaurateurs when they opened Grain Craft Bar + Kitchen at 270 E. Main St. in Newark in July 2015. The eatery is not far from the University of Delaware's main campus.

The business partners and UD alumni took over the site perhaps once best known as The East End Cafe, and later Mojo Main. They entirely renovated and retooled the location into Grain, a craft beer-themed restaurant focused on serving unpretentious comfort foods. It's become a thriving eatery in downtown Newark.

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Mikles said at the new Grain H2O executive chef Bill Wallen will duplicate some of the popular menu items he currently serves at the Newark location including tuna nacho bites and bacon-wrapped shrimp. But Wallen also plans to add "a seafood slant" to the menu of the Bear restaurant with dishes like steamed shrimp and perhaps a tempura lobster sandwich. Saturday and Sunday brunch will be served from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The restaurant will close daily at 1 a.m.

O'Donoghue said he and Mikles were attracted to the site because of the water views - the marina is 7 miles from both the Chesapeake and Delaware bays - and work the state Department of Natural Resources and Environment Control is doing to improve the marina, including dredging. "It seemed like everything is on the upswing."

Mikles agreed. "When we started out, we had a goal to open one [restaurant] a year. This [site] seemed to check all the boxes," he said. "The marina itself is pretty impressive. The quality is first rate." He said it has about 300 slips.

"It's going will be a neat environment to watch the boats."

The restaurant also is located along the Michael N. Castle Trail, a 12.1-mile paved path that links the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River and is named for the longtime Delaware politician who served the state for nearly 40 years as state legislator, lieutenant governor, governor and U.S. congressman.

More than 100,000 hikers, runners, cyclists and equestrian enthusiasts annually have used the trail since it was partially opened in 2013, according to state officials.

"This will be a cool stop for anyone on the trail," Mikles said. "The trail goes right through our parking lot."

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico