LYNQ is the new Yabo—or so we hope it will be.
If anything, there are vibrant signs of life in the suite on Summerlin Road in Fort Myers that had attracted legions of fans, both for its Italian food and for bands kicking things up a notch at night. On the heels of the success of nearby Blanc (one of this magazine’s picks for the Best New Restaurants of 2017), Chris Whitaker; his wife, Kaitlin; and their business partner, Jean Claude Roge, decided they were ready to resurrect a restaurant in the hallowed space. But Whitaker, who counted himself a Yabo reverent, treaded cautiously at first—with the group settling on a different direction for LYNQ but one that pays respect to its previous occupant.
“It’s all about linking cultures and cuisines and music together,” Whitaker says of LYNQ, which opened to the public on April 26 and has an eclectic menu touting different types of ramen, sushi, tacos, seafood and, yes, some pasta, too. In addition to chefs Todd Erling and Dennis Pogue in the kitchen, chef Aung Oo is presiding over a six-seater sushi bar. (The raw items will also be available to order throughout the restaurant.)
Freshly woven ramen will be a big focus, with some “wet” (in broth) and some “dry” (with sauce) and customizable options as well. Shrimp, short rib and shark tacos—plus a “shark bites” appetizer in which chunks of the fish are sautéed in a white wine garlic butter sauce—are just more examples of the breadth the chefs are undertaking.
As for the music, acts will take the stage on Friday and Saturday nights; stay tuned for other times.
“We’re extremely excited. We’ve put in a lot of effort and hard work,” says Amy Lawrence, LYNQ’s general manager. “We’ve stepped outside of the box a bit. There’s a nice industrial feel, a stellar cocktail menu that includes saketinis, and we’re focusing on local products as much as we can—we brought in a draft yesterday from the brewery that opened in Cape Coral two weeks ago, Scotty’s Bierwerks.”
To plan a visit:
LYNQ
16230 Summerlin Road, Suite 223
(239) 204-9345
Get the Hot Dish every Wednesday and Friday online and every month in Gulfshore Life.
