In recent weeks, Mike Smith, owner of The Current Seafood Counter inside Henry’s Depot in Sanford and its fast-casual sister in Orlando’s College Park neighborhood, announced big news: he’d taken the reins at two other Sanford staples, purchasing both The Sullivan Public House and its neighboring craft-cocktail haven, The Imperial.

But wait, Orlando. There’s more. 

Just days after this bold move, a friend called Smith with an offer he couldn’t refuse. Look for yet another version of his growing New England seafood brand — The Current Seafood Station — to open in the next couple of months in an all-new area of town: Orlando’s Milk District neighborhood.

Located in a gas station at 3025. E Colonial Drive at the corner of Maguire Boulevard, the spot will soon boast a cute patio out back along with plenty of pre-order and go options, a smaller menu that brings some of the Henry’s Depot favorites (including that stellar blackened mahi sandwich) along with lots of fried-to-order goodies, to what Smith projects will be a whole, new audience.

But let’s get the whole story first.

Both The Imperial Sanford and The Sullivan Public House, staple bars in The Bokey since 2012 and 2018, are a part of Smith’s history.

He knows the quirky features of the circa-1910 building in which the neighboring watering holes are housed. He knows their nuances — the former a craft cocktail haven that business owner John Washburn built inside his beautiful imported furnishings store (and a second location for the still-kicking Imperial Orlando), the latter a tried-and-true Irish pub.

“I helped build both of them,” Smith said.

And so, when Washburn told him that he was looking to get out of the bar business in Sanford, Smith just couldn’t say no.

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“It wasn’t on my radar,” he said. “But the prospect of someone else buying them wasn’t something I could imagine. So, we made a deal, and here we are.”

Located at 116 E. 1st Street, The Sullivan — save what Smith says will be a bit of streamlining and updating — will remain as-is. The Imperial, however, will undergo a bit of rebranding, joining The Current Seafood family in a slightly different iteration: The Current Seafood Bar, a cold-food venue with a working raw bar as its central feature.

Smith says he’s always wanted to own an Irish pub.

“Like many people, I often gravitate toward them, especially while traveling,” he said. “You just kind of know it’s going to be a place where you can talk to the bartender, learn more about the block or the building. Make a friend for an hour.”

As for the bar next door, it’s quick morph to New England-style raw bar will begin shortly, a venue Smith says won’t at all compete with its sister location at the popular Sanford food hall.

“Oysters, clams, lobster tail, prawns, tartares, ceviches.” he projects. “Crab salad you can get in an avocado or on a bun. And the bar itself will be a working cold kitchen, right out in the open, where guests can see what’s going on.”

A minimalist drink program, similar to that of The Current’s College Park venue, will offset the pricing and offer value to the customer — a 180-degree pivot from the Imperial, he notes. $5 Narragansetts, a beer selection that spans from Maryland to Maine and $7 cocktails across the board.

“Pretty much highballs from the ’70s,” he chuckles. “Your Sea Breeze, your Bay Breeze, your Salty Dog, your Tequila Sunrise. All the things that are a 1-2-3 pour and a squirt with the Coke gun.”

Plastic cups not only keep costs down for customers, “but it keeps it simple, unpretentious, back to basics. And it does give you that coastal vibe. No one’s ordering a Negroni at a sea shack.”

And if you want one, you can just go next door to The Sullivan.

The seafood “bar” idea, says Smith, already had him thinking outside of the box when the gas station property presented itself. It will be yet another step in the Current brand’s evolution.

“In College Park, I was thinking I’d do a full, sit-down restaurant but there is an argument for smaller things,” he realized. “The food hall location does really well with the low overhead, whereas in College Park, I do more in sales, but the profits aren’t the same.”

The gas station location, he believes, will draw from nearby businesses like Target and L.A. Fitness, the families in both the Baldwin and Audubon Park neighborhoods, as well as from the fuel-driven pop-ins, wherein regulars can preorder food to pick up when they visit to hit the pump.

For those who want to dine in, a patio out back is planned to give it a cafe-like experience, “sort of like walking into a little seafood speakeasy.”

Smith will let the guests dictate how things develop as The Current brand introduces itself to a whole new audience. Whether it persists as a place where folks stop or simply grab-and-go is up to them.

“We’ll let it go a month or two and see how it develops,” says Smith, who’s shooting to have both new Current Seafood offerings open their doors in March.

“Either way, I’ve got a good feeling about it.”

Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.