Playful Décor, Serious Dining

Hurricane charley played

a seminal role in shaping RedFish BluFish on Captiva. Owners Gaye Levine and Bridgit Stone chose to stay on the island during the post-storm period back in 2004 when virtually everyone else evacuated. To pass the time, they combed the area, picking up storm debris and making art out of it to decorate their restaurant. The result takes found art to a new level. There are roof tiles, a street sign or two, a discarded screen door, a bicycle hand-painted by an artist and lots of remnants from before Charley-all creatively displayed.

Almost two years later, the hurricane memorabilia now share space on the peach-colored walls with the crayoned renderings of previous diners who felt inspired to scribble on the white butcher paper that covers the tables.

For the record, only the atmosphere and the name are playful at RedFish BluFish. The menu consists solely of small plates-tapas-and they are seriously good and often surprising, each morsel prepared and exactingly plated in the open kitchen.

The boutique wine list bears witness that wine is as important as the food here. Some of the rarely seen varieties are available in flights, and an array of Levine's carefully chosen vintages are available in half- and whole-glass portions, with a different wine recommended on the menu with each item.

We chose Hartwell's Mistique cabernet sauvignon 2000, a product of California's Stags Leap district that's aged in French oak. It had a vivid ruby hue, vanilla and herbal notes in the nose and a chewy consistency with a long, smooth finish.

Some of the tapas can be ordered in double portions. The tapas approach makes a lot of sense, making it possible to sample a variety of dishes without overeating. Each item runs $7 to $12.

Dinner begins with a tidbit to fire the appetite, an amuse bouché of

oranges bathed in amaretto and saffron. It's a cool, refreshing start and a soothing contrast to the nine-grain bread and piquant tapenade.

Efficient, knowledgeable servers are happy to help first-time customers craft a meal from the various tidbits, serving one or two at a time. Each item offers distinct flavors and textures.

The grilled caesar salad makes a satisfying start. The leaves are lightly grilled, then topped with crunchy breadcrumbs, truffle oil and Parmesan cheese. It's a simple but elegant dish.

Tender ahi tuna is oh-so-lightly seared then served atop fresh spinach sprinkled with balsamic vinegar. Fricassee of escargot mingles delicate snails with a parsley concasse, crisp fingerling potatoes, pancetta and morbier cheese, a semi-soft cow's milk variety from France that lends a nutty note to the dish. Gnocchi come stuffed with butternut squash and paired with miniature cauliflower florets and sultana raisins. A gigantic grilled scallop holds center stage on Swiss chard with truffle oil. Even a chicken thigh gets the royal treatment, cooked to falling-apart tenderness with green olives, honeycomb potatoes and pitted prunes. Then there was the grilled Angus steak with edamame purée, sweet corn and two-potato sauté with braised cipollini onions. A diminutive piece of mahi was encrusted in potato and horseradish, with glazed heirloom carrots, brown butter, beet reduction and carrot powder.

Dessert? There's no need to limit yourself to just one. On this evening there was frozen chocolate mousse, a light orange cake with pistachio glaze and a heavenly vanilla-bean crème brûlée.

There's no telling which celebrity you might run into at RedFish BluFish. Part-time island resident Ted Koppel frequents the restaurant, and Walter Mondale and his family ate five meals there during a week's stay on Captiva last winter. Try this one out on an evening when you have nothing pressing to do afterward. RedFish BluFish is a treasure that's evolved over time. That's the best way to experience it as well.

RedFish BluFish, 14970 Captiva Drive, Captiva; (239) 472-1956. Dinner 5-9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Reservations recommended. Credit cards. Free, but limited, parking. Wheelchair accessible.

Naturally, one expects a transcendent meal when dining at the Ritz-Carlton. But in the case of more modest lodgings, I usually count on the attached restaurant to be forgettable. I'm rarely wrong.

But the Doubletree folks appear an exception to the rule. I've had stylish and appetizing fare at restaurants affiliated with Doubletrees in various parts of the country.

The Naples collaboration proves true to form: Charlie Chiang's and the Doubletree Guest Suites strike a harmonious partnership, a yin and yang of hospitality.

The Washington, D.C.-based restaurant chain recently opened its first Gulfshore location in burgeoning north Naples. Chiang's has a menu much like that of P.F. Chang's, with offerings from Japan, Vietnam and Thailand, although most dishes hail from China.

Americanized dishes such as chow mein and lo mein are available, but most of the offerings are authentically Chinese. I'm talking about entrées that include Peking duck, a whole fish steamed and served with Szechuan sauce, crispy hot shredded chicken and Hunan pork.

Spicy dishes, heart-healthy items and those that can be steamed and served with sauce on the side are all labeled for easy identification.

From the entry way, which opens to the gleaming sushi bar and lounge, through the stark, minimalist dining room, to the long deck for alfresco dining overlooking the Cocohatchee River, Chiang's offers a variety of atmospheres from which to choose.

From the Chinese menu, we tried the crescent lettuce petals. From the sushi menu, we selected the ahi tuna nigiri and a dragon roll.

The lettuce petals were leaves of iceberg lettuce into which we spooned a warm mixture of diced shrimp and vegetables in a delicate brown sauce. The cool lettuce and warm stuffing made for a pleasurable combination, a good beginning to the meal.

The sushi was fresh and beautifully presented, the tuna a rich red color, the flavor sweet and fresh. The dragon roll contained tempura shrimp and avocado wrapped in sushi rice and crunchy little fish eggs. It all came arranged on a showy wooden tray along with a generous dollop of wasabi and an equally liberal serving of pickled ginger.

For our main course we ordered the Pearls of the Sea and Chiang's eggplant medallions, which came from the "Charlie Chiang's recommends" section of the menu. To round things out, we added the pan-fried noodles with meat, shrimp and vegetables.

The aptly named Pearls of the Sea contained lobster, shrimp, scallops and crabmeat mingled with broccoli, cauliflower and carrots in a mild white wine sauce. I'm not generally a fan of mild sauces, but this one worked without drowning out the taste of the shellfish.

The eggplant medallions were superb. I suspect this will be one of those dishes I'll find myself craving again and again. Eggplant slices were lightly battered and expertly fried for a satisfying crunch surrounding a creamy interior. To top it off, the disks were bathed in a subtle sweet-and-sour sauce mixed with dried orange zest.

The pan-fried noodles came as a crisp cake topped with vegetables, beef, pork, shrimp and chicken. This sauce was the darkest of the three and the most savory as well, balancing well against the tangy eggplant and mild seafood dish.

For a sweet finish, we shared a piece of tempura cheesecake. It may sound like an extra-rich, heavy dessert, but it wasn't. The outside was lightly battered and properly fried and the inside was smooth, not-too-rich cheesecake that had softened during the frying process. The raspberry sauce on which it was served was good enough to serve as a dessert all by itself.

Service was attentive and efficient throughout the meal. This is a restaurant that doesn't skimp on staff or the training that makes it all work. Whether it's sushi or expertly prepared Chinese fare you're after, this Naples newcomer is well equipped to satisfy a wide range of cravings.

Charlie Chiang's, Doubletree Guest Suites, 12200 Tamiami Trail N., Naples; (239) 593-6688. Open 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. every day. Reservations accepted. Credit cards. Wheelchair accessible. Free parking.

Off the Menu

. Fort Myers' hottest wine boutique, Vino 100, celebrated its one-year anniversary with an in-house party for more than 250 customers. Four distributors poured more than 20 types of wine throughout the day, along with hors d'oeuvres from Bonefish Grill and Cohen & Cohen Caterers. Owners Tom and Nancy Hart said they are planning another customer-appreciation party this month. Located at the Park Shops at Andrea Lane (in the same plaza as Bonefish Grill), Vino 100 offers themed wine tastings each Saturday. (239) 332-8466.

. Speaking of anniversaries, owner Shannon Yates and his team at Crü in Fort Myers celebrated two years in March by announcing plans for a major expansion. Yates plans to add 4,000 more square feet to the trendy after-work spot, more than doubling its current size. The restaurant will be split into a courtyard and three separate dining rooms: the current Crü lounge, a 35-seat dining room for couples (by reservation only) and a 75-seat private dining room available only to members of Crü's dining club for dinners, tastings and culinary events. Only 300 memberships will be available to the club, going on sale this month at a price yet to be determined. Yates expects an opening this fall.