Char Grillhouse sizzles with fun food and far-out décor

To anglers, a char is a small-scaled trout. Firefighters are apt to picture the ashen remains of a blaze. But for food lovers, particularly those of a carnivorous nature, Char now means "seariously grilled" food (sorry - that's the restaurant's pun not mine, but it seemed apropos).

Char Grillhouse, with its unusual name, decor and location, has shown great promise in its first few weeks of operation. Created by the team that reinvigorated The Lighthouse on south Summerlin Road (Steve Hyde, Brad Kilburn and Ed Cusick), Char introduces a new concept that aims to inject fun, lots of flavors and options into dining downtown.

Char sits just yards off U.S. 41 in front of the newly remodeled Holiday Inn and is but a few blocks south of downtown. There's parking next to the restaurant and security guards patrolling the grounds.

Be forewarned that the décor may cause some initial disorientation. This is not your typical restaurant-attached-tochain hotel establishment. It's not even a typical Fort Myers restaurant. To the right is the bar, a long, sleek expanse that's handsomely outfitted with well-stocked shelves, comfy bar stools, and lots of plushly upholstered couches that beg to be reclined upon. Small red lights shine down from metal rib work overhead, shifting to a soothing blue toward the back of the room.

PHOTO JIM MCCRACKEN Servers are cheerful and accommodating at Char. To the left is the dining room, also bathed in a red hue that resembles the color of flames as they mellow on a grill. Coincidence? I think not.

There are four roomy booths - one built for a party of 10 - separated by curtains made of strings of beads.

While there are lots of red lights, every table has a small white spotlight strategically aimed so that it provides sufficient light to read the menu.

I have never been a fan of restaurants that aim to be all things to all people, but Char's approach appears to accomplish that without a 12-page menu that numbs rather than titillates.

It starts out with a mix of tapas (aka small plates) that includes basil pesto hummus, shrimp fritters, smoked salmon and wings. You can order a grilled burger (bacon and cheese optional). Vegetarians and those with gluten intolerance have specially marked choices, too, including Italian broccolini pasta and a Vietnamese veggie roll. There are seven vegetables available a la carte, such as red bliss potatoes with rosemary, grilled portabella mushroom with thyme butter and Char seasoning, grilled scallions or asparagus. Traditionalists will appreciate the hand-cut fries.

The meatiest piece of the menu is a mix-and-match section that allows diners to select 4-ounce portions of two dozen proteins, including venison bratwurst, rack of lamb, beef or venison filet, quail, Gulf shrimp and kangaroo. They are divided into three price ranges: $6.78, $7.98 or $9.98 per item (order one from each group, for example, and pay $24.94). Entrees come with choice of potatoes or rice.

To jazz up all that protein, there are about 30 dipping sauces from which to choose. Each costs 50 cents and every table gets three free ones to start. Those come with baskets of crisp shrimp toasts and savory papadam. Small cups of mandarin orange chili sauce, Char be que sauce and a creamy Asian vinaigrette all went well with the toasts and thin Indian crackers.

We began eating in earnest by ordering the chicken and cashew sate and Char shrimp fritters. The sate consisted of a flat expanse of chicken on a skewer, as sate is wont to do. Then it was coated in nuts and cooked. Then the whole thing is fried, leaving it crunchy but not a bit greasy. The result is tasty in its own right and better still when paired with lively peanut dipping sauce that accompanied it.

I probably wouldn't have ordered shrimp fritters, having suffered through so many conch(less) faux fritters over the years. But it was my companion's selection and it turned out to be a good one. The crisp little fritters were a perfect golden brown outside, chewy within with chunks of shrimp throughout. The biryani aioli dipping sauce with which they came was somewhat less distinctive than others we tried and, in fact, we enjoyed the fritters more with the peanut sauce and Asian vinaigrette.

We skipped salads this time (although I can vouch for both the roquet - pronounced ROCK it, another name for arugula - and Caesar I tried on an earlier visit).

I selected one protein from each price group, creating a dish that contained duck and port wine sausage, baby back ribs and bison strip loin. The meats came arranged around a mound of fries with just the right crunch and salt. My sauce of choice was something called Brinjal relish, which oozes the curried soul of India.

The sausage was cooked well without getting dried out, and had a slightly sweet flavor that offset the salt and seasonings. It was tasty alone, but also matched well with the sweet Asian vinaigrette. The bison had a rich flavor and texture that needed no sauce to improve it. The cluster of ribs was dry but had a good flavor and was quite tender. The ribs were well enhanced by the Char be cue and mandarin chili sauces.

My companion created a trio of seafood - tuna, grouper and shrimp - with the red potatoes and a chipotle puree on the side.

The tuna came out medium rare, instead of rare, as ordered, but was still cool in the middle and moist throughout. The grouper was firm and artfully seasoned, as were the shrimp. We dipped the seafood into the spicy-smoky chipotle puree and liked the zesty note it contributed. The potatoes were great with just a little rosemary on them.

We split a piece of Key lime pie for dessert. With a chocolate graham cracker crust and real whipped cream, we had high hopes, but it was a lackluster version with a soggy crust that was not worth the $7 it cost.

The pie was the only disappointing part of our meal.

On the service side, Char has assembled an energetic and knowledgeable team. There's no flagging down a server for beverages or silverware. Everything shows up when it's supposed to. Our server couldn't answer a question we asked about one of the sauces, but quickly went to the kitchen, got the answer and came back with it.

I understand the menu is still being tweaked, which is understandable considering it's just a month old. But Char is off to a fine start. I predict that it will quickly spark a loyal following.

If you go

Char Grillhouse
2431 Cleveland Ave.,
Fort Myers; 337-2427
Ratings:
Food: Three and a half stars
Service: Three and a half stars
Atmosphere: Three and a half stars

>>Hours: Breakfast is served from 6:30-10:30 a.m. daily, lunch is served from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, dinner is served from 4- 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. On Sunday, drinks and a limited menu are served at the pool bar starting at 3 p.m. with DJ Slinky handling the music.

>>Reservations: Accepted for parties of eight or more >>Credit cards: Major cards accepted. >>Price range: Appetizers, $5.95-$9.95; entrees, $7-$17 >>Beverages: Full bar. >>Seating: Conventional tables, a few booths, various options at bar, outdoor tables.

>>Specialties of the house: Grilled meats, including elk, bison and kangaroo. >>Volume: Moderate >>Parking: Free parking in lot. >>Web site: www.chargrillhouse.com