Healthy Bowls Are On the Rise
Variety and customization drive a boom in casual restaurants dedicated to trendy, Healthy Eating Bowls in Naples, Fort Myers and Sanibel.
The World of Oysters
Raw with accoutrements, Rockefeller or fried, local chefs get creative at Southwest Florida’s top 20 locales for oysters. Oysters!
SAD FAREWELL
With a profound sense of loss, the Southwest Florida dining community mourns the passing of consummate restaurateur Shannon Yates last week due to COVID-19 complications at age 49. Yates’ most recent enterprise, Nevermind Awesome Bar & Eatery in Cape Coral, followed on a string of successes including the late, great Cru in Fort Myers.
ICYMI
Following in the tire tracks of its food truck, The Food Rock Cafe opened in June at University Village in Estero. The full-service café features the same American-Caribbean cuisine that has made the truck a student favorite at Florida Gulf Coast University. TheFoodRock
RECENT OPENINGS
Live music and a from-scratch kitchen define Midnight Tavern, which has replaced Olympia Bar Restaurant in East Naples. The new bar and grill is locally owned and touts a sports bar menu and lively atmosphere.
ON THE HORIZON
Returning to its original location in the same North Naples building as Grappino, La Colmar Bakery & Bistro expects to make a comeback this fall. Third-generation master baker Yannick Brendel and his wife, Ana, named and decorated the space after Yannick’s French hometown in northeastern France.
Owners of the long-anticipated Hopsized Brewing Co. are now saying end of September for an opening in Bonita Springs. The taproom, wine bar and outdoor event space will be family- and pet-friendly.
From the folks who brought you Turco Taco comes Simit Fresh Mediterranean, specializing in Turkish street food. The restaurant will take over the former Two Guys Kitchen & Catering space in North Naples and is expected to open in September.
Brandon Schewe and Caitlin Emery-Schewe, owners of Downtown Coffee and Wine Company in Bonita Springs, plan to open The Bohemian by Oct. 1. The restaurant will bring eclectic fine-dining to a refurbished historic building in the heart of the city.
After relocating the North Naples location of Deep Lagoon this spring, Phelan Family Brands expects to open Two Filets Seafood-Steak-Market in the space. A restaurant and market specializing in seafood and steaks, it’s targeted to open in December or January.
TRANSITIONS
Closed since July 1, Harold’s in South Fort Myers is undergoing an expansion that will add seating to the tiny, in-demand dining room and a full bar with an emphasis on whiskey. Reopening is scheduled for October.
Crave Culinaire has promoted Chef Sam Sorenson to chef de cuisine. Sorenson, who joined the Crave Culinaire team in 2020, worked in big-name New York kitchens, including Buddakan, Ai Fiori and Terroir Tribeca, before moving to Southwest Florida.
KUDOS
The Minnesota Business Hall of Fame has inducted D’Amico & Partners co-owners Richard and Larry D’Amico. The restaurant group operates Naples’ properties Campiello, The Continental and Ziggy D’Amico’s Whiskey Bar & Diner, plus several properties in Minnesota.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Sep. 2-6: The Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce will launch SWFL Craft Beer Week in partnership with seven local breweries, the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau and other distributors and venues.
Sep. 9-29: Sizzle Restaurant Week Sizzle Dining Restaurant Week returns for three weeks this September with three-course, $29 and $39 prix-fixe menus at more than 30 restaurants in Collier and Lee Counties.
Sep. 16: The 18th annual Fort Myers Beach Annual Tapa Hop provides trolley transportation to eight restaurants for tapas and appetizers throughout the evening, with raffles and a poker run option.