Truluck's, a popular restaurant chain in Texas, has clawed its way into downtown Naples. Not really-it's just that the menu features crab. And not just any crab, but many different kinds from all over the globe served in the shell (cracked) on a bed of ice with lemon wedges. For crab connoisseurs, eating at Truluck's is your best daydream come true.

Truluck's is serious about this crab thing, but management and servers have fun with it, too. The claws are used as display décor, and servers present a heaping tray of arranged claws at the beginning of the meal and explain the origins and characteristics of each variety. Crab class for beginners.

But Truluck's is meant to be a fine dining experience; you can tell by the prices, the candlelight, the extensive wine list, the servers in crisp white designer jackets with a black crab appliquéd to the sleeve, the piano music in the background and the casually sophisticated ambience that hasn't changed too dramatically from when this place was McCabe's Steakhouse and then El Pampa Argentinean Grill. Now there are big faux taxidermy fish mounted on the walls. The servers are friendly, not formal, and the attitude of the place is relaxed.

The highly polished dark wood tables are bare for reasons that become obvious the minute you tuck into those crab legs. You cannot help but create a big mess. Every so often a server appears to clear the bowl of shells, discreetly wipe the table and present you with warm, wet rolled towels and fresh lemon so you can refresh yourself before diving into the next course.

Although Truluck's serves high-quality steak, pork-rib chops, goat-cheese grilled chicken and a half-dozen fine fish and shellfish dishes, crab stars on the menu. There are plenty of varieties to select from: North Atlantic Jonah, Alaskan bairdi, Pacific Northwest Dungeness, Alaskan red king, Australian spanner and Florida stone crab harvested by Truluck's Capri Fisheries just 17 miles from Naples.

To efficiently sample as many crab varieties as possible, you might order the chilled crab extravaganza for $39.95, which is generous enough to share as an appetizer. As an alternative, or addition, to tackling a pile of luscious crab claws as your entrée, you could choose a sautéed lump crabcake ($14.95), crab fingers ($12.50), crab fried rice ($8.95) or a special chef's topping (to be added to anything you like for $7.95) that is a béarnaise sauce made with lump crab meat and sautéed shrimp. At Truluck's you can have crab for an appetizer, main course, side dish and topping.

No crab dessert. But plenty of high-carb desserts. Your server will bring around a tray loaded with monster sweets. Non-crab entrées average $23 and come with rice, Parmesan mashed potato or seasoned French fries and a vegetable. The Szechuan-style green beans are notable for flavor and texture. They are cooked just enough to retain their crunch and bright color.

Truluck's serves 100 wines by the glass and also offers selected flights of wine, three to a flight. There's a separate lounge with a full bar of fancy drinks and live music in that room. The dining room is noisy when full, but you can elect to eat on the comfortable and posh porch and observe the colorful people-scape around the Sugden Theatre.

Truluck's Seafood, Steak and Crab House 698 Fourth Ave. S., Naples. 530-3131. Dinner: nightly from 5 p.m. Credit cards. Reservations accepted. Complimentary valet parking. Wheelchair accessible.

The menu at crü is sophisticated and tantalizing and includes dishes such as ostrich and venison along with rotisserie lamb, a very fine paella and ahi barely cooked to perfection. Entreés top out at $36, although most are in the $25 range. The roasted organically grown vegetables are particularly flavorful and surprisingly diverse. And the portions are sensible, not grand. No one leaves with doggy bags. Everyone has room for a sweet treat for a satisfying finish.

But for now the admirable cuisine is the sideshow, not the main attraction. Center stage is reserved for the hip theatricality of this modern bistro and is enhanced by the high black ceiling, agitated red walls, big artwork, tables so close together it's good the servers are young and agile, and a noise level that can be crushing at peak hours. A wall of glass opens onto the Bell Tower mall area and there are a few tables out there under burgundy umbrellas.

The open kitchen with athletic-looking young cooks behind a curvy counter features ringside seats to the heated action and is part of the interactive theater of the place. All those stools were occupied by women the night we observed the frenetic fun at Crü. I guess it's true that cute young guys don't get such a big kick out of watching other sexy young males sauté like crazy.

The waitstaff is a clutch of young Rocco DeSpirito types in either all black or all white. They are trained to inquire (repeatedly), "How are you doing?" and "Everything OK?" or some other variation. We were solicited at least a half-dozen times during the meal. These servers surely can move at a rapid pace while interacting with the crowd and occasionally putting the wrong plates in front of the wrong eaters, which is why at the end of our meal we received fabulous-looking salads instead of the dessert we ordered.

No matter, our server adroitly zoomed it away with a grin and sailed on. Another came gliding along in his wake with our chocolate fondue, the liquid milk chocolate warm and silky in a white crock surrounded by chunks of fruit and two kinds of cake for dipping. If chef would toss a few fat marshmallows on the platter, I'd be inclined to think of the Crü fondue as my new favorite dessert. Cuban flan, molten cake, Norman Love chocolates and a crème brûlée made with goat cheese and served cold are other perfectly fine choices, although I had to be told about the goat cheese. I couldn't discern its flavor. The dessert portion of the menu includes after-dinner wines and cordials such as a 10-year-old tawny port. Coffee is served in clear glass mugs.

As you'd expect, the bar at Crü is primo; designer martinis ($8.50) and other up-market cocktails, 18 beers, sake, 25 wines by the glass (average price, $8), flights of wine and vintage bottles galore from budget priced to extravagant. We were well pleased with a Meeker zin from the Russian River Valley for $25. Here's a nice touch: When you're seated at your table (cloaked in an impeccable white cloth with black napkins), you're served a complimentary glass of champagne along with an amuse-bouche of bread and three dipping preparations.

The French word cru, depending upon context, means vineyard or vintage. The owner of the Crü restaurant has added two dots above the u, an umlaut symbol (usually used in German) that helps with pronunciation but is incorrect for this word. The dots have been attached to create a smiley-face logo out of the name. That aside, Crü serves up stylish drinks, a hyper-congenial crowd and intriguing menu items that are expertly prepared.

Crü 13499 S. Tamiami Trail (Bell Tower Shops), Fort Myers. 466-3663. Dinner: Monday-Thursday and Sunday, 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, until 11 p.m. Happy hour: nightly, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Credit cards. Reservations accepted. Parking in mall lots. Wheelchair accessible.

Ask Marsha

Q. Where does one stop for a snack and a little quiet time in downtown Naples between three and five in the afternoon? Lunch is over, dinner hasn't begun and I'm usually out of luck.

A. It does seem to be a problem, but I've found a lovely spot. It's the long, welcoming porch at Café Lurçat on Fifth Avenue. Sit under the fans and watch the shoppers saunter by while you enjoy a small plate of artisan cheeses ($12), fried calamari with dipping sauces ($11) or tuna tartare ($13). For something sweet you cannot do better than a pile of tiny warm cinnamon-sugar doughnuts ($5) and maybe a tall glass of iced coffee. Feel that relaxing attitude adjustment washing over you?

Café Lurçat 495 Fifth Ave. S., Naples. 213-3357.Truluck's, a popular restaurant chain in Texas, has clawed its way into downtown Naples. Not really-it's just that the menu features crab. And not just any crab, but many different kinds from all over the globe served in the shell (cracked) on a bed of ice with lemon wedges. For crab connoisseurs, eating at Truluck's is your best daydream come true.

Truluck's is serious about this crab thing, but management and servers have fun with it, too. The claws are used as display décor, and servers present a heaping tray of arranged claws at the beginning of the meal and explain the origins and characteristics of each variety. Crab class for beginners.

But Truluck's is meant to be a fine dining experience; you can tell by the prices, the candlelight, the extensive wine list, the servers in crisp white designer jackets with a black crab appliquéd to the sleeve, the piano music in the background and the casually sophisticated ambience that hasn't changed too dramatically from when this place was McCabe's Steakhouse and then El Pampa Argentinean Grill. Now there are big faux taxidermy fish mounted on the walls. The servers are friendly, not formal, and the attitude of the place is relaxed.

The highly polished dark wood tables are bare for reasons that become obvious the minute you tuck into those crab legs. You cannot help but create a big mess. Every so often a server appears to clear the bowl of shells, discreetly wipe the table and present you with warm, wet rolled towels and fresh lemon so you can refresh yourself before diving into the next course.

Although Truluck's serves high-quality steak, pork-rib chops, goat-cheese grilled chicken and a half-dozen fine fish and shellfish dishes, crab stars on the menu. There are plenty of varieties to select from: North Atlantic Jonah, Alaskan bairdi, Pacific Northwest Dungeness, Alaskan red king, Australian spanner and Florida stone crab harvested by Truluck's Capri Fisheries just 17 miles from Naples.

To efficiently sample as many crab varieties as possible, you might order the chilled crab extravaganza for $39.95, which is generous enough to share as an appetizer. As an alternative, or addition, to tackling a pile of luscious crab claws as your entrée, you could choose a sautéed lump crabcake ($14.95), crab fingers ($12.50), crab fried rice ($8.95) or a special chef's topping (to be added to anything you like for $7.95) that is a béarnaise sauce made with lump crab meat and sautéed shrimp. At Truluck's you can have crab for an appetizer, main course, side dish and topping.

No crab dessert. But plenty of high-carb desserts. Your server will bring around a tray loaded with monster sweets. Non-crab entrées average $23 and come with rice, Parmesan mashed potato or seasoned French fries and a vegetable. The Szechuan-style green beans are notable for flavor and texture. They are cooked just enough to retain their crunch and bright color.

Truluck's serves 100 wines by the glass and also offers selected flights of wine, three to a flight. There's a separate lounge with a full bar of fancy drinks and live music in that room. The dining room is noisy when full, but you can elect to eat on the comfortable and posh porch and observe the colorful people-scape around the Sugden Theatre.

Truluck's Seafood, Steak and Crab House 698 Fourth Ave. S., Naples. 530-3131. Dinner: nightly from 5 p.m. Credit cards. Reservations accepted. Complimentary valet parking. Wheelchair accessible.

The menu at crü is sophisticated and tantalizing and includes dishes such as ostrich and venison along with rotisserie lamb, a very fine paella and ahi barely cooked to perfection. Entreés top out at $36, although most are in the $25 range. The roasted organically grown vegetables are particularly flavorful and surprisingly diverse. And the portions are sensible, not grand. No one leaves with doggy bags. Everyone has room for a sweet treat for a satisfying finish.

But for now the admirable cuisine is the sideshow, not the main attraction. Center stage is reserved for the hip theatricality of this modern bistro and is enhanced by the high black ceiling, agitated red walls, big artwork, tables so close together it's good the servers are young and agile, and a noise level that can be crushing at peak hours. A wall of glass opens onto the Bell Tower mall area and there are a few tables out there under burgundy umbrellas.

The open kitchen with athletic-looking young cooks behind a curvy counter features ringside seats to the heated action and is part of the interactive theater of the place. All those stools were occupied by women the night we observed the frenetic fun at Crü. I guess it's true that cute young guys don't get such a big kick out of watching other sexy young males sauté like crazy.

The waitstaff is a clutch of young Rocco DeSpirito types in either all black or all white. They are trained to inquire (repeatedly), "How are you doing?" and "Everything OK?" or some other variation. We were solicited at least a half-dozen times during the meal. These servers surely can move at a rapid pace while interacting with the crowd and occasionally putting the wrong plates in front of the wrong eaters, which is why at the end of our meal we received fabulous-looking salads instead of the dessert we ordered.

No matter, our server adroitly zoomed it away with a grin and sailed on. Another came gliding along in his wake with our chocolate fondue, the liquid milk chocolate warm and silky in a white crock surrounded by chunks of fruit and two kinds of cake for dipping. If chef would toss a few fat marshmallows on the platter, I'd be inclined to think of the Crü fondue as my new favorite dessert. Cuban flan, molten cake, Norman Love chocolates and a crème brûlée made with goat cheese and served cold are other perfectly fine choices, although I had to be told about the goat cheese. I couldn't discern its flavor. The dessert portion of the menu includes after-dinner wines and cordials such as a 10-year-old tawny port. Coffee is served in clear glass mugs.

As you'd expect, the bar at Crü is primo; designer martinis ($8.50) and other up-market cocktails, 18 beers, sake, 25 wines by the glass (average price, $8), flights of wine and vintage bottles galore from budget priced to extravagant. We were well pleased with a Meeker zin from the Russian River Valley for $25. Here's a nice touch: When you're seated at your table (cloaked in an impeccable white cloth with black napkins), you're served a complimentary glass of champagne along with an amuse-bouche of bread and three dipping preparations.

The French word cru, depending upon context, means vineyard or vintage. The owner of the Crü restaurant has added two dots above the u, an umlaut symbol (usually used in German) that helps with pronunciation but is incorrect for this word. The dots have been attached to create a smiley-face logo out of the name. That aside, Crü serves up stylish drinks, a hyper-congenial crowd and intriguing menu items that are expertly prepared.

Crü 13499 S. Tamiami Trail (Bell Tower Shops), Fort Myers. 466-3663. Dinner: Monday-Thursday and Sunday, 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, until 11 p.m. Happy hour: nightly, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Credit cards. Reservations accepted. Parking in mall lots. Wheelchair accessible.

Ask Marsha

Q. Where does one stop for a snack and a little quiet time in downtown Naples between three and five in the afternoon? Lunch is over, dinner hasn't begun and I'm usually out of luck.

A. It does seem to be a problem, but I've found a lovely spot. It's the long, welcoming porch at Café Lurçat on Fifth Avenue. Sit under the fans and watch the shoppers saunter by while you enjoy a small plate of artisan cheeses ($12), fried calamari with dipping sauces ($11) or tuna tartare ($13). For something sweet you cannot do better than a pile of tiny warm cinnamon-sugar doughnuts ($5) and maybe a tall glass of iced coffee. Feel that relaxing attitude adjustment washing over you?

Café Lurçat 495 Fifth Ave. S., Naples. 213-3357.