Dining with Flair

Fleming’s, in north Naples, gets high marks from our panel for its perfectly prepared steaks and family-style side dishes, as does a newcomer, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, located in Coconut Point in Estero and at Coastland Center mall in Naples. "It’s the best steak house in the world," Gessler says. "You can cut the steaks with a fork."

Along with our Midwesterners, our residents are also jet setters who enjoy—and expect—culinary adventures they’ve experienced on their travels around the world. Some recent trends have found their way here: Asian-fusion cuisine is well represented (Roy’s in Naples and Bonita Springs tops the list), most restaurants offer a list of specialty martinis, and many are breaking from traditional fare and offering more healthful choices.

Brezina says the way the food looks is just as important as taste these days. "Chefs are adding more and more bling to the plate, so they put it in front of you and you say, ‘Wow,’" she says. "Sunshine Seafood Café and Keylime Bistro do a fantastic job with their presentation. I believe that puts us on par with the metropolitan areas that many of our visitors are familiar with."

Looking for Thai? We’ve got it. How about some authentic Mexican? Sure. Japanese, Italian and Greek? Yes, we have those, too. But it’s the French cuisine in the area that catches our experts’ eyes and pleases their palates most. Two French favorites are Bleu Provence and Marie-Michelle’s Restaurant. Côte d’Azur Restaurant, a small French restaurant located in a north Naples strip mall, is one of the area’s best-kept secrets, according to King, who plans exclusive fine-dining experiences with her organization and works with many local upscale restaurants. "It’s one of my favorite restaurants."

Located a mile-and-a-half south of Côte d’Azur, Bha! Bha! transports diners to the Middle East. "Bha! Bha! serves the most authentic foreign food I’ve stumbled on in Naples," says King. "They stick to original Persian recipes."

One of the best-represented ethnic options, Italian, is served in all price ranges and in varying degrees of authenticity. King says Giovanni’s on Pine Ridge Road is worth the 15-minute trip from downtown Naples. "You feel like you’re in an authentic Italian restaurant, and the dishes appear to be homemade," she says.

The tapas trend, a Spanish tradition of smaller portions, has found its way onto Gulfshore menus at restaurants such as CinCin Mediterranean Bar & Grille in Fort Myers, which offers more than 15 tapas dishes.

Handsome Harry’s opened in late summer with a lot of buzz, and it has delivered, says Haskell. "At first I thought the prices were too high," he says. "But after I ate there and saw the portion sizes, (which were enough for dinner and lunch the next day), I saw that they justify the prices."

Culinary Concepts, with Chops City Grill, Pazzo Italian Café and Yabba Island Grill on Fifth Avenue, offer consistency that diners rely on—making them also a favorite recommendation for newcomers. "[Owner] Skip Quillen does a great job, and I’m anxious to see his new restaurant," says Haskell, referring to Blue Water Bistro, which opened in Estero in November. "He’s a good trendsetter."

But Haskell says his favorite spot on Third Avenue South is Campiello Ristorante & Bar. "It has good food, the best atmosphere and good people-watching," Haskell says.

Another burgeoning hot spot for dining is the newly refurbished Waterside Shops in north Naples’ Pelican Bay. These high-end chains, including the most-recently opened Brio Tuscan Grille and BrickTop’s, generated the most excitement on the dining scene here within the past year. In the early evenings, the alfresco bar at Brio is teeming with the who’s-who of Naples.

"What’s interesting is, with a place like Patio 33 opening, that entire downtown has the promise and hope of becoming the same thing for Fort Myers," Brezina says. "With its pedestrian walk, it has a wonderful ambient experience.