Hot Dish
Inside the Gulfshore's Dining Scene
06/06/12Authentic Indian DelightsOwner Kaushik Sanghvi has succcessfully maintained A-Z Beverage at the same spot on Bayshore Drive for 25 years. But last year he set aside a good portion of the store to open an Indian specialty shop. Thus Spice of India was added to the marquee. Business has only increased since then. He stocks hard to get fresh Indian produce, such as dosa kai (small melons) snake gourd and various gingers, plus lentils and local cilantro, mangoes, avocados, tomatoes and other produce. My favorite part of the store is the huge freezers filled with heat ’n’ eat authentic Indian frozen foods. How good are they? Well, Indian food lovers drive from Estero and Fort Myers to fill up their freezers. Try chicken curry, lamb kabobs, parathas, naan pizzas and delicious ice creams. 3863 Bayshore... Posted at 11:30 PM | Permalink |
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05/03/12Street Food Festival this Saturday at Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound TrackThe Mexiburger from the Nosh Truck Food trucks have been a wonderful magnet for picky eaters in major cities. Each truck offers unique carefully honed delicious culinary creations from appetizers to exotic foods and ice cream. Curious diners and foodies alike have driven to sample food trucks at the Seminole Immokalee Casino over the past few months. Now ten trucks are coming to Bonita Springs for you to sample on Saturday at the Ft. Myers Greyhound Track from noon. to 5 p.m. Come sample Cucina Al Mare (Italian Cuisine), Dog Eat Dog (gourmet hotdogs), The Germans Real German Food, Miami Spice Grill, Mobile Culinary Kitchen, NaNina’s, Ft. Myers own The Nosh Truck, Palate Party, and for dessert, it’s Zombie Ice and Dolce Gourmet Cupcakes. Beer and soft drinks are sold,... Posted at 10:49 PM | Permalink |
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03/21/12Barbatella Brings Delectable Italian DelightsBarbatella Spirited Italian Trattoria recently opened at the corner of Naples’ Third Street South and 13th Avenue South, offering a bounty of foods in a trio of welcome settings. Enjoy lunch or dinner in the sunlit open courtyard—perfect for people watching; have a pizza, salad, grilled steak or fish in the cozy brick-lined trattoria, or get comfy in the spacious new bar that also overlooks Third Street. Where else can you choose from three wonderful and quite different dining settings? The food is light, healthy and full of flavor— like its nearby big sister, Chef Fabrizio and Ingrid Aielli and Lily Montes’ highly regarded Sea Salt. I enjoyed orecchiette with sausage, roasted Berkshire pork, half Long Island duck, lamb chops, fried calamari and several... Posted at 11:00 PM | Permalink |
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03/14/12Trader Joe’s: Here’s what all the fuss is aboutNaples’ Trader Joe’s opened last month, and thousands of local patrons couldn’t be happier. After giving it a few days to weed out the monster crowds, we decided to take a peek and see what the fuss is about. Trader Joe’s (“TJ’s” to the faithful) enjoys a well-deserved, cult-like following for interesting, relatively inexpensive, good food. There’s a casual Caribbean look now at the former Borders bookstore with waterskiing cows, beaches and boats on the walls. The food is generally organic or wild-caught, with funky “shrimp corn dogs” tossed in for good measure. Most patrons I talked to flock to TJ’s for “healthy,” “unique” and “tasty” foods. I've had fun buying and tasting my way across the store. Their $2.99 “Two-Buck Chuck” Charles... Posted at 11:40 PM | Permalink |
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03/07/12Food trucks: A delicious bounty on wheelsHave you been to a food truck rally? It’s the best. Across the country, food trucks have been culinary magnets on wheels. The prices are inexpensive ($3to $9) for good-sized portions. Each truck’s chef specializes in unique dishes that have been honed to perfection. You get to sample perhaps 10 chefs’ top dishes, with the trucks within 20 feet or so of each other. Seminole Immokalee Casino will be hosting Paradise Food Truck Rally every Sunday in March from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. with a Live DJ. Each week, there’s a different set of trucks, coming from Miami to Tampa and Gainesville. I’ve been and can’t get enough of the variety. Treat the event as a tailgate party—bring chairs, perhaps a table, or grab a blanket for a picnic lunch feast. Best part for... Posted at 11:23 PM | Permalink |
