From the Editor

Best Homemade Pasta Fresh pasta is only a phone call away when you ring Naples Pasta Company. They’ll deliver any of a dozen varieties, including roasted garlic, spicy Thai and cilantro lime.

Best Place to Beat the Heat with the Kids Kid Zoo, an air-conditioned indoor playground in Bonita Springs, includes a playscape, ball pit, climbing wall, rock-star stage with instruments, dress-up center and infant play area.

Best Road Change The opening of Imperial Street, creating a traffic-free straight shot from Alico Road (via Three Oaks Parkway), through Bonita Springs (Imperial Street), and on to East Naples (via Livingston Road).

Best French Bread The baguettes and brioche at La Maison du Pain, Naples, are as light and crusty as you’d find in Paris, and the pastries are spectacular as well.

Best Place to See Manatees You’ll have to wait until winter to see them, but one place manatees always go to find warmer water is the Lee County Manatee Park
(I-75, exit 141).

Best Yoga Studio Bala Vinyassa Yoga. Tucked away in a shopping center across the street from Waterside Shops, Kiersten Mooney and her team fill you with fresh energy, new growth and radiant light.

Best Shot to Order on a Girls’ Night Out Pudge at Jack’s Bait Shack in north Naples, created by bartender Mike Richards. With Malibu Rum, peach schnapps, Strawberry Puckers and more, we just can’t resist this fruity concoction.

Best Help for Pet Emergencies Emergency Pet Hospital of Collier County. You can’t beat the competency and kindness there, and the facility is spotless.

Best Seafood with a Kick The fish is all fresh, but it’s the zesty pepper and curry sauces and salsas that make the seafood at Tropical Reef so special.

Best-kept Local Live Music Secret Modulation plays Tuesday nights in the courtyard between Pagelli’s and Hemingway’s at Coconut Point. It’s the Heather Brooks Band meets Ray Nesbit and David Johnson, and they let loose and give an amazing performance every Tuesday night.

Best New Everything-You-Need Spot Gulf Coast Town Center. It’s got great shopping and dining—and there’s always a great late-night party at the bars. It’s halfway to everything in Southwest Florida, and what can beat that?

Best Homemade Jam In Jacquie’s colorful kitchen at Jacquie’s Jamming, Naples, she makes the tastiest marmalades, chutneys and preserves from locally grown mangoes, Key limes and passion fruit.

Best Ice Cream Deal Wednesdays and Sundays are Kids Days at PJ Skinny’s Homemade Ice Cream in Naples. Get an adult-sized kid’s scoop of ice cream for just $1. Highly recommended: Cookies N’ Cream.

Best Scenic View From the Caloosahatchee Bridge in Fort Myers. You never seem to get the same look twice with breathtaking sunrises, sunsets and colors from bright blue to hazy pinks and purples.

Best Blend of Tasty Food and Welcoming Attitude Evoo Market and Bistro in Naples. The staffers in the market go out of their way to be helpful and the bistro will serve you the greatest entrees and desserts and call you the next day to see how you liked them.

Salute to Dan

It’s hail and farewell to the chief, as our president Dan Denton moves on from Gulfshore Media, the company he built into a regional publishing power. He leaves his mark as a brilliant entrepreneur with elegant taste and gentlemanly ways. We also treasure his sly humor and commitment to the very finest standards of art and writing. As he takes ownership of the Homebuyer publications in Jacksonville, Tampa and Orlando, we wish him all the best … and just know he’ll build something special once again.