Coast
Karen R. Tolchin and Tom DeMarchi
Far from the hustle and bustle, we found the excellent Coast restaurant located at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Naples. Actually, it took us a few minutes to realize we had, in fact, reached our destination. We entered from the pool area and looked past a few tables to the hotel lobby. A few couples and families in casual attire were scattered about, and a woman in a sarong strolled through on her way to the water. A small sign next to the bar read Coast.

"Are we in the restaurant?" I asked.

"You certainly are!" said manager Jay Brand, who led us right to our table.

Let’s establish a few basic facts about Coast.

The restaurant’s chic, retro décor, full of lime greens, dark browns and burnt oranges, reminded us of Greg Brady’s bedroom. If the Brady Bunch had millions of dollars for interior design (and 21st century designers), the result would be Coast. As children of the 1970s, we found this oddly comforting.

The fluorescent green of Jay’s shirt perfectly matched the gourd-shaped lamp on our table. This is particularly impressive since it’s not a Coast uniform.

There was a chessboard set up two tables over, just begging for our attention, but Karen kept us on task.

We could see both the Edgewater’s pool and the Gulf of Mexico from our table.

Small pewter salt-and-pepper shakers adorned the tables and kept my mind on chess.

Coast’s chic, spartan menu is reminiscent of that of its sister restaurant, the small jewel that is Aura, located at another LXR hotel, the Naples Grande Resort & Club. Small wonder: The restaurants now share executive chef Jeffrey Vigilla. We may choose from just one soup, three salads, five appetizers, five entrées and five grilled selections, and honestly, we find it a welcome contrast to the episodic, footnote-ridden tomes we encounter at most restaurants these days.

While we peruse the menu, Jay brought us a large basket of warm focaccia, with a side of capinade—not tapidade but capinade, mind you—made of eggplant, onion and roasted red pepper dip. Jay’s knowledge of wine seems practically doctoral. He helped us order a glass of ’01 Ca’bolani pinot grigio ($12/$45), which complemented the outstanding Coast seafood chowder ($13) perfectly. Karen says it’s the most full-bodied pinot grigio she’s ever had, while I favor the ’03 Chalone pinot noir ($9/$35).

We had a split decision on our contest for Appetizer of the Night, as well. My vote went to the tataki/taretare/nicoise ahi tuna "trilogy" ($12), while Karen swooned over the warm goat cheese tart ($12).

My favorite entrée was the simple penne pasta rigato ($12) tossed in a light pomodoro tomato, basil and parmesan sauce, whereas Karen enthused about the 14-ounce pork porterhouse ($22) served with a cloud of buttery mashed potatoes and a smoky vegetable medley.

No visit to Coast would be complete without at least sampling one of their delectable desserts. We recommend the Key lime vanilla mousse with citrus passion fruit sauce and the chocolate marquise with hazelnuts and seasonal berries ($8 each). When they arrived, we took bites simultaneously, made happy masticatory sounds, and traded plates. I polished off the Key lime mousse in three bites. When I looked up, my wife—usually the arbiter of decorum in our relationship—was surreptitiously licking residual chocolate sauce off her wrist.

"We’re on vacation," she said sheepishly, her eyes twinkling.

We strolled back to our car as the sun made its final curtain call over the Gulf. We felt well-fed without being overstuffed, as if we had gone away on a refreshing mini-holiday. At Coast, you’ll feel the same way.

Coast, Edgewater Beach Hotel, 1901 Gulf Shore Blvd. N., Naples. (239) 403-2000. www.edgewaternaples.com. Reservations recommended for dinner. Free parking in lot. Credit cards accepted. Handicapped accessible.

Reviewed: July 2007