Marco Island: The Dolphin Tiki Bar and Cafe

This wonderful spot was originally discovered a couple of years ago on a bike ride with Mike and Bob.  (Unfortunately, Jess wasn't with us during this find because her vacation schedule didn't coincide with week 52.)  The Dolphin Tiki Bar and Café is the quintessential Marco Island joint.  It is right on the water, super casual, has great food and entertainment.  This place is a good choice for lunch or dinner.  There is always a crowd here, primarily locals, it seems.  Because of its "off the beaten path" location, the newbie tourists wouldn't even know about it.  Of course, the menu always includes various presentations of Grouper, from a Grouper sandwich to a Grouper Platter to a Grouper Picatta, if you feel like going fancy.  One can always get some delicious shrimp meal, as an alternative.  For the carnivores in the crowd, a good burger or chicken sandwich or wrap is available, and, I am sure would be delish.  Personally, if Grouper is on the menu, then I always have the compulsion to order it.  They have an adequate selection of beer, without the typical Hoppy IPAs they we have grown to love.  The wait staff is very fun and friendly.  Dolphin Tiki is a must do for wonderful Marco Island fare.

Naples: Alberto's

Our wonderful week in Marco Island (and I do mean wonderful on many fronts, including the perfect weather) was very slightly curtailed by Mike’s travel schedule, which required him to leave Friday night vs. the usual Saturday afternoon.  That being the case, we decided to dine in Naples before dropping him off at the airport. 

Dining in Naples is a real treat.  There are loads of top notch restaurants, many of which are Italian (Naples attracts a European crowd).  Due in large part to the competitive nature of the market and to the older clientele, most downtown Naples restaurants offer “too good to be true” early bird specials.  Although we almost always opt for late vs early dinners, we decided to take advantage of the numerous great options available to us.

After checking out a few places, all of which looked excellent, we opted for Alberto's on Fifth, a classy place with lovely outdoor seating. We were able to get one of the last outdoor tables, and, believe it or not, enjoyed a first class meal and excellent service for $20 per person.  Too good to be true, as the dinner included two courses and a glass of wine.

Mike, Jess and I each had burrata as our appetizer, and wow, was it good.  Instead of seafood, I opted for homemade pasta (when in Rome, I guess); the others had shrimp and scallops skewers.  Everyone raved about their meal.  We'll definitely go back, and check out other Naples early bird specials next year.

After dinner, Jess treated us to ice cream at Marble Slab (using one of her gift cards).  It was en route to the airport.  

 

(*photo taken from Trip Advisor)

Marco Island, FL: Verdi's

 

 

After another two year blogging break (and returning from a recent trip to Florida) , we are back! Our first real dinner out in Marco was at Verdi's. This is a family owned restaurant near the bagel store and Italian deli. It was Jess' first time there but the others had been before. The food was absolutely outstanding. Unfortunately, we came on an "off" night and we waited forever to get our food. (Side note: every other table seemed to get their food in a timely manner. Maybe we have bad luck?) Jess mentioned our really long wait to our waitress and she did end up giving us free desserts and a glass of wine. She should have compensated us without needing to be told to do so. Oh well.

 

As far as our meals, we hit the jackpot! Mike had the chipotle scallops with bacon. Bob enjoyed swordfish which was prepared perfectly he said. Nan has the Chilean Sea Bass which had an Asian glaze (hoisin sauce). Jess decided to go "all out" and get crab-topped flounder over a big portion of melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi. The meals all came with a standard house salad. For dessert, we had a decedent flourless chocolate cake and crème brulee. At this point, we were all full but had a hard time resisting free dessert.

 

Luckily, we left happy campers since the  food quality and taste made up for the lackluster service. We will most definitely return!

 

NYC: Becco

Restaurant Row!

After a two year hiatus, the blog is back. A recent trip to NYC with the entire family prompted its return! Our first night together we walked down Restaurant Row (W. 46th) and ate at Becco (a Lidia Bastianich classic). It was a fabulous night filled with outstanding food, two bottles of rose and great company. The best part: they have an extensive wine list and all of the bottles on there are $25. To start, we shared burrata cheese--a true treat. All of our entrees came with a Caesar salad. Jess and Bob had the swordfish which was fantastic (and a huge portion). Mike had "Peperoni Ripieni" which was peppers stuffed with veal, pork, and veal with a side of spinach spaetzle. Nan had tuna cooked perfectly. We were too stuffed for dessert but everything looked tasty. Oh, and let's not forget: a Costa Rican family was sitting near us and leaned over to ask if Mike was a TV star!  Overall: great good, great prices, great company.

Nan and Bob in stripes!

Naples, Florida: Sea Salt

Sea Salt

We rented a car for the day to drive to Naples. Although we usu
ally like to eat at Nemos, we decided to stay in Old Naples for lunch since we were already having such a wonderful time walking around in the sun. We spotted Sea Salt and decided to try it. The inside had a lot of seating (very open and airy), but we decided to sit outside because the patio looked like a lovely place to enjoy the nice weather (especially under the toasty heat lamps).

They brought us some warm bread with three different salts to try with olive oil. One was very sulfuric (tasted like eggs) that Jess and Nan liked but the men didn't care for. Olive oil+warm bread+sea salt=very interesting concept that most restaurants don't serve.

For lunch, Nan, Jess, and Mike ordered delicious Grouper sandwiches that were served with sweet potato fries. I would say the best sweet potato fries you can get anywhere! Bob ordered Swordfish soft tacos which he said were also very tasty. The food was very fresh and plentiful.

We would definitely return to this spot. Eating outside for lunch was perfect way to kill a few hours in Naples.

Marco Island, FL: The Italian Deli

The Italian Deli

The strong winds and cool temperatures did not allow for poolside
sunbathing. Instead, father and I decided to walk to the Italian Deli
for some exercise and to procure the evening's meal. During lazy
Florida vacations, planning the next meal is the the only mandatory
activity.

As we arrived at the small deli, a crowd of older Italian men,
characters rather, dined on chicken parmiganos and chatted in the
small seating area. The proprietor of this establishment, a New York
City ex-patriate with sausage fingers, recommended a large feast for
the evening's family dinner. We ordered lasagna with meatballs and
pasta fagioli soup. Minutes later, we were heading back to the
apartment with a heavy tray and full bag. Our arms were quite
exhausted after a long trek carrying literally kilos of food.

At dinnertime, mother and sister prepared, or re-heated, the food and
we dined around the table. The lasagna was rich and meaty layered with
ribbons of ricotta and a sweet and vibrant San Marzano tomato sauce. A
crusty bread loaf was the ideal vehicle to soak up the piquant gravy.
The pasta fagioli soup was a nice addition as well, speckled with
beans, bacon, and pasta in a rich broth.

This deli is a great place to pick up a delicious Italian meal to eat
in the peace and quiet of your home (and avoid Marco Islands abundance
of geriatrics) Run by a charming and possibly mafia-affiliated
gentleman, this deli is a unforgettable destination on Marco Island.

(Nan, Bob, and Jess returned a few nights later for a pizza. Very thin crust and right out of the oven. We ate there and it was delish!)




Eating it all in our condo....

(It tasted 100 times better than it looks!)

Naples, Florida: The Blue Heron

An annual tradition

For the past six or seven years, we’ve spent New Year/s Eve at Blue Heron.

Blue Heron is a quaint white tablecloth restaurant on the Isles of Capri, which are about a 10 – 15 minute drive from Charter Club. The restaurant is on the water, but we get there too late to enjoy the view. The owner, Alex (a very fit and friendly woman) knows us and saves our table for us at our “usual” time – 9 p.m.

Blue Heron has a fairly broad menu. At first blush, list prices are very high - $55 – 70. However, when you consider that the entrees come with soup, salad, rolls, dessert and coffee, all of which are superb and very plentiful, it is actually a good deal.

This year, our friends Alan and Eve Hyatt drove in from Boca Raton to join us. Eve is a picky eater, to say the least, but the waiter was able to honor her many requests and keep a good sense of humor about it. Alan said it was one of the best meals he’s ever had (and was kind enough to treat us).

As usual, Jess ordered cioppino (I can’t blame her). Nan and I had the special – sea bass. Alan went for veal and Eve for lobster. We had a few bottles of wine to accompany the meal. Despite being full to the brim, we all made room for the desserts – homemade key lime and peanut butter pie (and nonfat sorbet for Eve – ugh).

We’ve started the countdown for next year!

(On our way over to the Blue Heron is Allan's convertible!)