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USA Today 10Best.com has ranked three 5th Avenue South restaurants – Sails Restaurant, Osteria Tulia and Bha! Bha! Persian Bistro -- top 10 dining destinations in Naples reports Bruce Barone, Jr., executive director of the 5th Avenue South Business Improvement District. Number one in the national ranking, Sails Restaurant (led by Executive Chef Jacob Jasinksi) focuses on seafood with a European seaside concept, bringing together the finest flavors and dining experiences of France, Italy and Greece. Anchored at the start of 5th Avenue South nearby the Gulf of Mexico, the restaurant features imaginative “Jewels of the Sea” seafood towers, fine wines and handcrafted cocktails in elegant environs with an open, French-style kitchen with a central island allowing guests to see the food preparation and fish being grilled. Osteria Tulia, serving classic Italian cuisine and fine wines in a rustic-chic farmhouse ambiance, was rated number two, thanks in part, to the menu and décor inspired by Executive Chef and Owner Vincenzo Betulia’s authentic cooking of his childhood in the centuries-old tradition of Italian osterie, informal village taverns serving simple, homemade local specialties and regional wines. The robust menu of cucina rustica with an artisanal touch features a choice of piattini (small plates), antipasti, pizzas, salads, hand-made pastas, piatti principali (entrees) and contorni (sides). The third 5th Avenue South restaurant ranked in the Best10.com is the elegant, white tablecloth Bha! Bha! Persian Bistro, the brainchild of Executive Chef and Owner Michael Mir, offering a blend of the best of Indian, Middle Eastern, Thai and Mediterranean influences emphasizing freshness and quality with comfortable indoor and outdoor seating in a stylish setting in the heart of Naples. “Physical brick-and mortar venues matter even in today’s world of virtual reality, but it’s the activity along 5th Avenue South -- Naples’ historic Main Street -- that sets these businesses up for success,” says Barone. “Where a restaurant is located matters just as much (if not more) as the food served,” he continues. “5th Avenue South continues to attract and retain some of the country’s finest dining and shopping venues thanks to walkable high foot and vehicle traffic combined with unique restaurant concepts and ideal customers,” he adds. Barone cites USA Today travel writer Chelle Koster Walton’s review observing, “downtown Naples restaurants in particular are breaking the seafood and steak mold with global touches and skilled daring” and “impress with fine techniques and cutting-edge daring.” “Putting your business in the proper location is the single most important thing you do at startup and 5th Avenue South offers strong traffic patterns, ideal demographics and luxury lifestyle,” he says. “It is well known as a premier dining destination with a cluster of more than 40 restaurants and that gets people thinking about dining out when they are in the area,” he believes. In fact, most successful restaurants often choose to be located next to their fiercest competitors, establishing choice and acting a magnet to draw more diners in as the restaurant options increase. Restaurant owners also benefit from overflow traffic at busy times like weekend nights or lunchtimes when people have a limited time to wait.