Biddle's towers over competition at 25th Taste of the Town

The Junior League's 25th anniversary Taste of the Town Festival took place in Centennial Park on Sunday, attracting some two dozen local restaurants serving their specialties at the popular event.

A panel of judges named the following for "Best of Taste" awards:

• Appetizer: Biddle's tuna tower, first place; Joe's Crab Shack crab dip, runner up

• Entrée: Channel Mark's fried hogfish, winner; Famous Dave's St. Louis style ribs, runner up

• Dessert: Funky Flamingo's pineapple orange cake, winner; Leapin' Lizards' bread pudding, runner up

• Winner's Circle: Coming in with the most points overall was Biddle's for its tuna tower.

The annual food fest is staged by the Junior League of Fort Myers as a fundraiser for the organization's many community projects. Among the organizations that have benefited in the past are the Calusa Nature Center, the Imaginarium Hands-On Museum, the Women's Resource Center, Our Mother's Home and the TLC Center.

The Junior League is a women's organization that promotes voluntarism, leadership and community improvement. For details, call 277-1197 or visit www.jlfm.org.

Tuna Tower by Biddle's Restaurant Winner, Best Appetizer, 2007 Best of Taste Cin Cin introduces prix fixe menu

Refreshed and inspired from his recent trip to France's Provence region, Cin Cin Mediterranean Bar & Grill Executive Chef Scott Sopher has conjured up some new dishes that customers may sample on this month's prix fixe menu.

The menu, priced at $40, includes an amuse bouche, choice of one of two appetizers, one of two entrees, salad and dessert. Wine is not included, but Sopher can offer suggestions as to which ones might best complement the meal.

The Provencal prix fixe menu is available through November. In December, it will change to reflect Sopher's experiences in Spain and Tuscany.

The restaurant's regular menu and extensive selection of tapas are also available.

Cin Cin is at the corner of McGregor Boulevard and Cypress Lake Drive in Fort Myers. For details call 415-2005 or visit www.cincingrille.com.

Pineapple-Orangle Cake by Funky Flamingo Winner, Dessert Category Shoeless Joe's gets an update

With the $750,000 remodeling of Shoeless Joe's Sports Café and adjacent meeting rooms, the $6 million transformation of the Holiday Inn into a gleaming new Crowne Plaza Hotel is complete.

Shoeless Joe's is now outfitted with 20 new 50-inch HD plasma televisions and 10 27-inch HD LCD televisions along with a variety of one-of-a-kind sports memorabilia. The hotel sits behind Bell Tower Shops in south Fort Myers.

Indian fare arrives in North Fort Myers

It's been a tough time for restaurants in North Fort Myers this year. Foxfire (formerly Woody's) Barbecue, Hurricane Harry's, O'Sullivan's, Romano's and now T.P. Hoolihan's have shut their doors.

But a few brave souls continue to venture into food and beverage. New on the NoFo scene is Indian Dining and Aladeens Sweet in the Wal-Mart Plaza at Pine Island Road and U.S. 41.

I stopped in there last week for a test run and was rewarded with goodies such as crisp, hot samosas filled with potatoes and peas, light and delicious roti bread and a fresh and fragrant vegetable korma. The highlight of the meal was the raita, which had a bright, slightly sweet flavor that complemented the korma nicely. The only flaw was the golda curry - the lobster turned out to be langostinos.

Blu Sushi opening soon in the Gulf Coast Town Center Beyond that, there's plenty to sample on the menu, prices are moderate, the atmosphere is casual and our server was very nice.

The restaurant hasn't yet gotten its beer and wine license and there were some menu items that weren't available due to technical difficulties, but Indian Dining and Aladeens Sweet shows promise.

It's at 535 Pine Island Road, North Fort Myers. Call 543-0800.

New chain comes to town

A national chain, Bear Rock Café, now has a franchise operating in south Fort Myers in the Shops at Jamaica Bay.

Customers order at a counter from a menu that features soups, sandwiches on gourmet breads, pizzetas, loaded baked potatoes, salads and, in the evenings, such comfort fare as pot roast, crab cakes and chicken pot pie.

The décor provides a refreshing feeling of a mountain lodge, complete with woodsy graphics and a stone fireplace. An added bonus: free wireless high-speed Internet access.

The café, at 15245 S. Tamiami Trail, opens at 10 a.m. daily, closing at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Call 433-0109.

Coming attractions:

• Pearl Lounge, an 8,000-square-foot lounge, restaurant and sushi bar, opens Friday, Nov. 16, and Saturday, Nov. 17, at 1403 Cape Coral Parkway, Cape Coral. The dining room will feature an Asian fusion menu, and the sushi bar boasts high definition equipment. There's a full bar plus multiple lounges, including a VIP lounge featuring exotic crystals and shimmering fabrics. Call 549-2800 for details.

• Calistoga Bakery Café began in Naples in 2004. Now it's going national and the second location, at Gulf Coast Town Center, opened this week. Additional locations include the Coastland Center mall in Naples, scheduled to open in December, with still others planned for 2008 in Bonita Springs, Estero, Louisville and Lexington, Ky. The café combines upscale sandwiches with gourmet coffee and espresso, soups, fresh baked goods, free high-speed wireless Internet access and free coffee refills. It's owned by partners Mark Bates, of Naples, and John Schnatter, former CEO of Papa John's International, who lives in Kentucky and Naples.

• Also expected to open in the coming weeks in Gulf Coast Town Center are Bar Louie and the third location of Fort Myers' own Blu Sushi.

• Look for the new, larger and just slightly relocated Café Cibo to open soon, too. Chef/owner Marc Marotta has taken over the former Kennedy's Cove a few storefronts down from the original Cibo in the shopping center at McGregor Boulevard and College Parkway. In the old spot, Marotta plans to open a Southwestern themed restaurant called Cabo.