Rare Delights

The menu reflects the owner's European roots and includes stroganoff, veal cordon bleu, escargot, Wiener schnitzel, shrimp fettuccine and Madeira pork among more familiar American selections such as broiled salmon, twin lobster tails or rack of lamb. But most people come to this big, pumpkin-colored building for the beef, and they aren't disappointed.

You enter via a bar area, which is flanked by two comfortable dining rooms. Pink walls contrast with the dark woods of the booths, tables and banquettes. The dining rooms have a slightly retro feel, like a semi-fancy restaurant of the '60s or '70s. Once seated in a plaid-upholstered booth, you're served ice water with a lemon slice and warm Portuguese bread with a lightly salted crust. Really delicious.

Order your cocktail or bottle of wine while you browse the extensive menu-and if you're in a steak mood, you can spend a while with this menu because the choices are numerous: ribeye, sirloin, filet mignon, New York strip, cowboy steaks, chateaubriand. But you'll also have the option of a gentleman's platter, a combination of filet mignon, strip steak and veal filet (each one four ounces) with four different vegetables and au gratin potatoes for $17.95. And since all entrées come with soup or house salad, I can't imagine how ambitious a gentleman you'd have to be to finish such an embarrassment of riches. The house steak specialty is a 12-ounce New York stuffed with ham and cheese and served with sides, again for $17.95.

As substantial as these platters are, Del Prado is actually a fine place to remain faithful to your diet while still enjoying an evening out, if you're on the Atkins plan or a variation of one of those low-carbohydrate diets-and who isn't these days?. You can safely order a thick steak, Caesar salad (tell your server to hold the croutons and dressing and bring oil and vinegar on the side), and a nice mound of fresh vegetables. Too bad you'll have to disregard the delicious bread and creamy, flavorful potatoes. The Del Prado Steak House makes a good option if you want to splurge on a huge, rich, continental meal with a nice assortment of wines; or you can assert your will power and still eat in princely fashion. Your server will probably even put bottled water and a lime wedge into one of those lovely French glasses if you ask, because the service at Del Prado is far above what you'd expect from a restaurant so reasonably priced.

Del Prado Steak House

3724 Del Prado Blvd., Cape Coral. 549-1300. Dinner: daily from 4:30-10 p.m. Credit cards. Reservations accepted. Parking in restaurant lot.

Just over a year old and newly doubled in size, Cilantro Tamales is a culinary hit with devotees of authentic Mexican food. The north Naples restaurant operates on an ingenious premise devised by owner Chris Cassel (Ritz-trained chef recently from Grey Oaks Country Club).

When he and girlfriend Tarra Mata decided to open a Mexican eatery, Cassel assumed he could quickly and easily learn to cook Mexican. After frustrating months of practice, he admitted he wasn't going to get the hang of it, at least not to suit his high standards. So he advertised; and then he interviewed some 30 local Mexican housewives, asking each to bring a personal-best dish with them. He tasted and appraised. Then Cassel assembled best-of-the-best recipes and hired five of the. He taught the ladies his professional chef tricks for assembling and plating each entrée for maximum eye appeal. Bingo, he and the señoras were in business.

The original homemakers are still in Cassel's kitchen, turning out hearty platters of burritos, chimichangas, tostadas, quesadillas, enchiladas, combination platters and, of course, signature tamales with cilantro. Portions are generous, and Styrofoam containers go home with about half the patrons. Entrées average $7.50. Have a margarita with your meal or any one of 12 Mexican beers. Meals are served on handsome handcrafted pottery plates, bowls and platters made by local artisan Kay Mills (and the pottery is sold in the restaurant). There are nice décor details to discover. The silverware is wrapped in a paper napkin but tied with a strip of raffia. The restaurant walls are bright yellow and the artwork is far from routine. Your clever place mat on the bare wood table is actually a large piece of Mexican tile.

Desserts number just two, but they are stunners and probably underpriced at $3. One is a warm, crispy sopapilla topped with cinnamon and brown sugar and drizzled with orange-blossom honey. The other is Cassel's version of a Mexican vanilla-bean flan. The custard is crowned with fresh fruit, a light rain of powdered sugar and then a little mound of Heath-bar shards. The confluence of sweet and tart, creamy and crunchy is enormously satisfying. And it looks so pretty on the plate! This could be the perfect finish to a party meal you serve at home. You might pass off this flan as your own except that so many people have discovered Cilantro Tamales that your secret would soon be exposed.

Cilantro Tamales

10823 Tamiami Trail, Naples. 597-5855. Credit cards; no checks. Lunch and dinner: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily (until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday). Take-out and delivery service ($10 minimum). Strip mall parking.

The place where you go to buy the freshest seafood to serve your family and guests is probably the same place you should go to dine out on the freshest seafood available. In Bonita Beach (and surrounding areas) that would be Rodes, a fish market and a fine (or fin) place for lunch or dinner. The homey setting of wooden tables and polished wooden floors, high ceilings with plenty of paddle fans and an open kitchen complements the unfussy, pared-down menu that gets right to the essentials of what Southwest Florida residents and visitors mean when they ask for fresh local catch..

The owner, Charley Bohley, who is a devoted fisherman himself, has earned a reputation for selling and preparing seafood ever since he bought the original Rodes some 16 years ago. Two years ago, he moved down the road a bit and built a brand-new establishment that includes a full-service lounge, restaurant and seafood market.

The Caesar salad, topped with a slab of fresh salmon, is nearly enough for two people and is probably twice as good as any salmon Caesar salad you've had so far in this part of Florida. It's $10.99 and worth every bite. But, I wouldn't want to neglect the grouper sandwich ($8.99), which you can have fried, grilled or blackened. It's the biggest seller on the menu. Close behind is the pasta Provençal, which showcases a mélange of seafood in a light but flavorful broth over pasta.

All seafood is cut on the premises. Luncheon entrées are served with house-made coleslaw and choice of potato salad or French fries. At dinner, the entrées come with a vegetable and choice of potato. Lunch and dinner feature similar seafoods that are presented and proportioned differently. At lunch you could enjoy a fried oyster sandwich ($8.99). At night, you'd be ordering the fried oyster platter ($15.99). But in the evening you can order from the dinner menu as well as from a sandwich board featuring six choices all at around $9. And if you spy something in the fish market case that you'd like for lunch or dinner, the chefs will take it out and cook it to your specifications.

The wine list is mostly California and mostly familiar of Hess, Clos du Bois, Stonestreet or Brancott, with bottles ranging from $20 to $30, and wine by the glass at $5. The restaurant has a full bar if you want something stronger or different.

A decidedly family-friendly establishment, Rodes offers a children's menu with all items $5.99, including fries and soft drink. There are the usual crowd pleasers such as hot dogs, chicken fingers, fish and chips, hamburgers and grilled chicken sandwiches. If your tot has a more sophisticated seafood palate, fried shrimp is available in a junior portion for $7.99.

There's only one dessert at Rodes, and that is key lime pie for $2.99 a slice. This no-bake pie, made from a recipe that's 15 years old, is a favorite with folks all over town because Rodes sells whole pies ($9.95) from its own market. It's tasty, authentic and just about the only thing you'll require to call a meal at Rodes an honest, fully satisfying Florida seafood experience.

Rodes Restaurant and Fish Market

3756 Bonita Beach Road, Bonita Springs. 992-4040. Lunch: Daily 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Dinner: Daily 4:30-10 p.m.. Credit cards. Easy parking.

ASK MARSHA:

Q. My Italian mother-in-law is coming to town and wants to cook family recipes for us. Where shall I take this exacting woman to shop for food? My husband is already nervous about the visit.