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The decadent soufflé is like a chocolate volcano, with homemade vanilla ice cream melting on top.
Chef-Owned Restaurants
Treat yourself to the extraordinary experience of dining at one of The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel’s chef-owned restaurants and sample such original fare as truffle fries, escargot, goat cheese on Portobello mushrooms and rich blue crab and corn chowder. While you’re enjoying your meal, take a moment to notice the unique surroundings (such as waterfalls and roses and an Alice-in-Wonderland theme) that further showcase the creative flair.
By Kara Chalmers
Treat yourself to the extraordinary experience of dining at one of The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel’s chef-owned restaurants and sample such original fare as truffle fries, escargot, goat cheese on Portobello mushrooms and rich blue crab and corn chowder. While you’re enjoying your meal, take a moment to notice the unique surroundings (such as waterfalls and roses and an Alice-in-Wonderland theme) that further showcase the creative flair.
By Kara Chalmers
  Cru |
Crü
Crü is a hip hot spot in Fort Myers that’s busy even in the off-season. It’s well-known for its wines, many of which are from New Zealand and Australia, as well as for its food, much of which is organic. In fact, the restaurant plans to go 100 percent organic as of October 2005, said owner and chef Shannon Yates, who designed and built the restaurant.
The menu contains unique dishes such as ostrich hand rolls, the popular Crü paella, New Zealand elk and Colorado buffalo. The “truffle fries," topped with drizzled white truffle oil and reggiano cheese, are worth the caloric splurge. For dessert, the decadent soufflé is like a chocolate volcano, with homemade vanilla ice cream melting on top.
You definitely won’t find the wines – lesser-known brands from small distributors – in your local grocery store. Also, the service is over-the-top – first-timers are walked through the menu, item-by item. Colorful modern art hangs on deep red and yellow walls that are lined with high-backed leather booths. Dine at the “chef’s table" to watch your food being prepared in an open kitchen.
French Roast Café
The French Roast Café is a peaceful oasis – complete with trickling waterfalls and fresh red roses – tucked away behind the Outback SteakHouse on U.S. 41 in Fort Myers. Owned by chef Hoang Le, originally from Vietnam, the restaurant serves French and Vietnamese cuisine, and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The breakfast menu offers a large selection that includes crepes and crab Benedict as well as the more traditional omelettes and waffles. The French Toast Supreme is thick-sliced, batter-dipped bread stuffed with sweet cream cheese and pecans. The lunch and dinner menus include pho, a traditional Vietnamese beef noodle soup, other Vietnamese delicacies and French dishes such as “escargots café" and steak au poivre prepared tableside.
 The Sanibel Steakhouse |
Alice-in-Wonderland theme and décor aside, The Mad Hatter restaurant on Sanibel Island is extraordinary. Here, inventive dishes are prepared beautifully by chef and owner Daniel Riedener, from Switzerland originally, who says he incorporates all types of cooking including European, American and Asian, into his dishes. The sunset views over the Gulf of Mexico alone are worth the trip.
The menu changes all the time, but generally offers a wide array of seafood dishes, as well as items such as beef tenderloin and a pork “lollipop" (chop). There’s also an extensive wine list. For an appetizer, a novel choice might be the Tuna Poke Yuzu Style which includes diced tuna over an avocado mash with ginger tea marinade and seaweed-ginger salad. Dinner entrées include rack of lamb with a sundried tomato thai basil crust which comes with vegetables, saffron risotto and caramelized red onion soubisse. Among the dessert offerings are a “melting" chocolate tart with passion fruit foam, shortbread with chocolate mousse, and mango sorbet with fruit salsa.
La Brasserie
Chef John Feagans took over La Brasserie in recent years. While the name and much of the modern-style décor – including stone walls and detailed ironwork that incorporates wine bottles throughout – haven’t changed in this Fort Myers restaurant, the menu has. Eclectic options include goat cheese baked on a spinach-stuffed portabella mushroom, and homemade potato chips served warm with gorgonzola cheese sour cream. The creamy and rich blue crab and corn chowder is popular, as is the roasted duckling breast served with orange rum sauce, and the homemade warm apple crisp with raspberry whipped cream for dessert. There is a small, private room in the back that resembles a dug-out cave. The room features a high table with chairs and a bench – also dug out of the wall – covered with leopard-print pillows.
The Greenhouse Grill
Chef Carlo DiSomma, together with partner Diane Badalich, owns The Greenhouse Grill – a Sanibel Island restaurant that grows its own fresh herbs for seasoning. Dine outside, near the herb garden, and inhale the sweet scent of fresh rosemary. The focus is on Mediterranean cuisine and signature dishes include a grilled lamb chop with fresh mint leaves and rosemary sauce, bouillabaisse made with seasonal fresh fish, an escargot recipe dating to 16th century Tuscany and desserts imported from Italy. The partners also own Bella Rosa, a larger Italian grill in Fort Myers. DiSomma is the chef at both.
Café Cibo
Chef Marc Marotta and his wife, Mary Pat, own Fort Myers’ Café Cibo, a casually elegant Mediterranean-style café that features both modern and traditional Italian dishes including spaghetti and meat balls. The menu contains everything from seafood and meat dishes to pastas, and Marotta changes it to take advantage of seasonal ingredients. There are also many out-of-the-ordinary wines from which to choose.
Bonita Bistro
The Bonita Bistro & Bar in Bonita Springs, owned by Chef Danny Mellman, is known for its great Mediterranean and Floribbean food and service as well as for its surprisingly affordable prices. It’s a casual restaurant with a fun, modern style, and it offers indoor and outdoor dining. The creative menu includes a brown sugar and lime roasted snapper, which comes with baby bok choy, jasmine rice, caramelized bananas and a coconut curry sauce. The menu also features such hard-to-find items like calf’s liver and osso buco.
If you go...
Bella Rosa, 239-561-6969
Bonita Bistro, 239-948-9150
Cafe Cibo, 239-454-3700
Cru, 239-466-FOOD (3663), www.crufoodandwine.com
French Roast Café, 239-936-2233
The Greenhouse Grill, 239-472-6882
La Brasserie, 239-415-4375
The Mad Hatter, 239-472-0033
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