Michelin-Starred Chef Michael White Opens New Italian Concept In The Bahamas

"Paranza" may be Italian for "small fishing boat," but there's nothing small about this new Italian dining concept in the Bahamas. The "love letter to Italy" from Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning chef Michael White has officially arrived at Atlantis Paradise Island resort's all-suite retreat, The Cove, per a press release. Paranza's opening comes just in time for Atlantis' 25th anniversary and makes the resort the only place in the Caribbean to boast three standalone dining concepts by Michelin-starred chefs. The new restaurant joins Nobu by chef Nobu Matsuhisa and Fish by chef José Andrés. 

White is the culinary brain behind such prestigious culinary ventures as Ai Fiori, Osteria Morini, and Marea in New York City. The self-proclaimed olive oil snob recently served as the executive chef of The Lambs Club in NYC and opened the Lido Restaurant at The Four Seasons in Miami. Now, he's calling Paranza "the most important opening in my culinary career since Marea," via the press release.

The 9,000-square foot space was created by Jeffrey Beers International, the design studio behind such world-renowned restaurants as Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen and Dune by Jean Georges Vongerichten, among countless others. As they enter Paranza, guests are greeted with a patio beneath a pergola, an appreciation of the natural landscape that lets the ocean and white sand beaches speak for themselves. Inside, a classy yet tranquil blue-brown color palette features hand-blown glass, oversized antique mirrors, oak wood, and seashell-shaped brass light fixtures.

From crudo (meaning raw in Italian) to dessert, White has created elevated re-imaginings of classic regional Italian dishes with a focus on house-made pasta and seafood. The dining experience at Paranza is something of a trip backward through time. Modern openers like amberjack with citrus Fresno chilis and red snapper with Lingurian olives and finger lime grace the crudo menu. For the antipasti course, it's truffled beef tartare with bottarga and grilled octopus with pancetta borlotti beans and rosemary vinaigrette.

Plates start to lean more classic as the main course draws nearer, with squid ink linguine or red wine braised octopus with bone marrow. On to the entrees: brioche-crusted strawberry grouper or grilled swordfish with Sicilian caponata and zucchini, among others. No meal is complete without dessert, and at Paranza foodies can dig into dark chocolate mousse cake with vanilla gelato, or strawberry semifreddo with nougat and caramel.

Paranza enforces an "evening attire" dress code and isn't seating parties with children past 6:30 p.m. Service runs from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, with reservations recommended. If you order a crudo, first course, entrée, and dessert, you're looking at around $150 per person before beverages and tip. Surely, it's a proper dining-out affair, but the pomp is fitting for all it's taken chef White and Atlantis to finally arrive in the Paranza scene.