There's something fishy going on at University Grill

University Grill, which has made a name for itself dishing up fresh fish and punny sayings on its sign at the corner of Summerlin Road and Cypress Lake Drive, remains as beautiful and refreshing a place to escape a hot summer day as it always has been.

The high ceilings and all that polished wood give it the feel of a northern men's club - are there any of those left? - and the service remains hospitable and efficient.

So when a friend visiting from Texas expressed a craving for fresh seafood, it seemed a good choice. After all, it's part of a small chain of restaurants with their own fish markets (operated out of The Timbers and The Prawnbroker). I've had pleasant, if not ground breaking, meals there on numerous occasions.

But something was sorely amiss on this evening as two fish entrees arrived woefully overcooked and a nightly special of prime rib was just as disappointing.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning.

The cool, tranquil environs of University Grill begin to soothe the minute you step inside. A smartly appointed bar occupies one wall that's visible from the entrance but is subtly separated from the dining room with a dividing wall. A number of these structures, which don't go all the way to the ceiling, serve to segment the large dining room into cozier areas.

PHOTO KAREN FELDMAN University Grill's dining room has the feel of a swanky men's club up north. It's a cool and soothing spot at the blazing height of summer. The smiling host - who appeared to be the manager - led us to a table that was precariously close to a large party with three small lively children. I have nothing against children, but I find that keeping a safe distance makes the experience less stressful and more enjoyable for both those parties with children and those without.

Our server arrived in short order, reviewed the nightly specials and went off

to get the bottle of Bridgeview "Blue

Moon" pinot noir we ordered.

This is a good, moderately

priced wine with lots of

raspberry and black

cherry notes and a

long, smooth finish.

However, it was

served at Florida

room temperature. What's

wrong with serving

red at room

temperature?

Nothing, if the

room is a wine cellar

with an ambient

temperature in the 50s

or low 60s.

The meal began well with

appetizers of coconut shrimp, Thai style fried shrimp and a Captiva crab cake. The coconut shrimp were large and moist with a crisp coating that contained unsweetened coconut - hurray! - so that the coconut flavored the breading without making it cloyingly sweet.

The Thai style shrimp were smaller but there were a whole lot of them lightly tossed in a sweet-spicy chile sauce that was quite tasty. A bed of rice beneath helped cut the heat.

And then there was the large crab cake that was loaded with crab and contained just enough breading to hold it together. A Thai sweet chile and mango peach salsa served as a nice counterpoint to the mild shellfish.

We tried both the house and Caesar salads. The former were fine but the latter was primarily lettuce, with little cheese or garlic to enliven it.

Then came the entrees.

My companions each tried one of the fresh fish - the snapper with mango peach salsa and the grouper with lemon butter basil sauce. (Other sauce options are tomato basil relish and creamy pesto.) Both fish were dry and overcooked. The salsa added flavor and moisture to the snapper but the poor grouper got little help from the bland lemon butter basil sauce. My prime rib, one of the nightly specials, had plenty of fat, which is vital to creating that characteristically rich flavor, but the flavor just wasn't there. Then there was the jus - which is supposed to be the natural juices of the meat - was so salty as to be inedible.

Mounds of roasted garlic smashed potatoes had little garlic flavor but were otherwise fine. The three stalks of asparagus on each plate were properly tender-crisp.

We weren't all that inclined to eat dessert but decided to share a bowl of pistachio ice cream. The predominant flavor was of extract that could have been almond or pistachio, but the nuts themselves were barely detectable.

It was, as you've probably gathered by now, a disappointing meal. I might excuse it if this was some newcomer who hadn't had time to perfect the menu and make sure the food was consistently good. But at a restaurant that's been around for years and is related to other restaurants that have done business in town for far longer, I expect better.

The ambience at University Grill is lovely. Our server was terrific - well-spoken, efficient, friendly and observant. Someone obviously has put time and money into making the front of the house look good and run well. Now it's time to step into the kitchen and put things right there, too. ¦

If you go University Grill

7790 Cypress Lake Drive, Fort Myers; 437-4377

Ratings: Food: . . ½ Service: . . . ½ Atmosphere: . . . ½

>>Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday and 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday. >>Reservations: Accepted >>Credit cards: Major cards accepted. >>Price range: appetizers, $3.95-$9.95; entrees, $14.95-$29.95

>>Beverages: Full bar, which includes a sparse wine list.

>>Seating: Tall chairs at the bar, booths and conventional tables in the dining room, and more casual tables on the enclosed patio (weather permitting). >>House specialties: Fresh fish >>Volume: Moderate >>Parking: Free lot

. . . . . Superb

. . . . Noteworthy

. . . Good

. . Fair

. Poor