While there are a lot of choices, here are four that not only provide pleasurable surroundings in which to enjoy a meal, they also do a great job when it comes to food and service.
NAPLES
Mediterrano
336 13th Ave. S.
239-261-7498
mediterrano-naples.com
Even if you’ve never heard of this little gem, the stunning garden setting in front of the restaurant is likely to draw you to it like a firefly to a flame. A profusion of potted flowering plants adorned with twinkling white lights frame the outdoor dining area, making it an irresistible and romantic place to have dinner. An added bonus: It is overseen by its charming owner, Milos Ljubenovic, who is likely to greet you at the entrance, seat you and visit while you dine, as if you were an old friend or favorite relative.
Create a dinner tour of favorite Mediterranean locales with grilled Spanish octopus; a salad filled with strawberries, watermelon and figs; any of four paella variations (including a vegan offering); orange-glazed Moroccan salmon; braised lamb seasoned with Greek-style spices; cioppino; beef tagine and baklava.
The wine list takes a similarly wideranging approach and features four varieties of sangria, including the classic Spanish red and a refreshing mojito style as well.
Sunday through Thursday, twilight diners (those arriving between 5 and 6 p.m.) can opt for a $36 three-course dinner that includes soup or salad, entrée and dessert.
BONITA SPRINGS
DeRomo’s
Promenade at Bonita Bay
267811 S. Bay Drive
239-325-3583; deromos.com
Anyone who has been to Italy understands the joy of grabbing an outdoor table, kicking back in a comfortable chair and partaking of a hearty meal and a wine to match. That’s one of the options available at DeRomo’s Market & Restaurant, where the lush ambience is matched by equally opulent Italian food and drink.
The DeRomo’s enterprise encompasses a number of departments, all of which benefit those who dine in as well as those who want to pick up wellcrafted goodies to go.
From the breads baked fresh on site to the housemade pastas and mozzarella as well as meats carved by on-site butchers, the meals produced by the extensive culinary team are authentic, bountiful, fresh and delicious.
Rain or shine you can dine outdoors beneath covered areas draped with curtains that are usually pulled back to allow for natural light, a gentle breeze and a view of the well-landscaped courtyards of Promenade at Bonita Bay.
Start with the classic zuppa di fagioli, a Caesar salad or Nona’s meatballs swathed in Sunday gravy and topped with fresh ricotta and Parmigiano Reggiano. A pasta course might consist of shrimp or clams and linguine, lasagna or fettuccine Bolognese. Gluten-free versions are available, too.
Move on to the veal Marsala, grilled salmon, eggplant Parmigiana, veal osso buco or salmon fantasia (sauteed with mushrooms in a light Calvados brandy cream sauce).
Too full for dessert? Head to the bakery and select something to take home for later. Options include cream puffs, cannoli, Napoleons, tarts, eclairs, butter cookies and tiramisu.
While you’re there, check out the market, deli and butcher shop for items you might want to stock up on to make your own meals at home.
FORT MYERS
The Veranda
122 Second St., Fort Myers
239-332-2065
verandarestaurant.com
Hundreds — or maybe thousands — of restaurants have come and gone in the more than 40 years that The Veranda has operated in Fort Myers, but there has been nothing like this oasis of Southern hospitality that continues to thrive in the heart of the downtown district.
Consisting of two turn-of-the-century homes, the Veranda boasts a classic piano bar as well as dining rooms that are decked out with nicely upholstered chairs and tables dressed in white linens. My favorite place to savor the restaurant’s Southern regional cuisine is in the brick-paved Garden Courtyard between the two houses where stately palms and fern-filled gardens surround the white tables and chairs.
Servers in immaculate tuxedoes tend to your every need, including preparing your Caesar salad tableside. Among the restaurant’s specialties are Southern grit cakes, escargot in puff pastry, fried green tomato salad (one of my favorites), the Southern sampler (fresh fish, Gulf shrimp and sea scallops on prosciutto cream fettuccine) and the Broadway Street filet (tournedos of beef tenderloin with Burgundy demi-glace or bernaise sauce). If you are partial to prime rib, it’s served here on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Finish the meal with a house-made dessert such as warm Southern pecan praline tart with vanilla ice cream or peanut butter fudge pie.
And, as you’d expect at a restaurant of this caliber, the bar is well stocked and the wine list is extensive.
If you’re looking for a romantic spot for an evening out, it’s hard to beat dinner at The Veranda.
PUNTA GORDA
Laishley Crab House
150 Laishley Court
941-205-5566
laishleycrabhouse.com
Situated on the banks of Charlotte Harbor, this second-story crab joint and sushi bar offers a spectacular view of the water, especially from its sprawling deck.
The idea of combining a crab house with a sushi bar might seem odd at first, but considering that sushi requires scrupulously fresh seafood, it turns out to benefit those who choose to eat from the Western menu as well.
As you’d expect, the menu offers such fare as blue crab cakes, soft shell crabs, crab trio, lobster and crab mac and cheese, she crab soup, crab Louie salad and half-pound add-ons of snow crab or king crab to entrée orders, among other crab items.
Other options on the extensive menu include blackened catfish, mahi, shrimp and scallop pasta primavera and grouper Laishley (topped with blue crab and smoked gouda bechamel).
The sushi menu features a wealth of nigiri, cooked and raw rolls, salads, sushi bowls and full dinners. The sushi chef handles preparation of this menu while the kitchen team concentrates on the American fare.
I’ve dined inside and outside here and I am fairly certain that choosing an outside table enhances the flavor of the food and the overall experience. Charlotte Harbor nourishes the soul in much the same way that Laishley’s feeds the body.
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