New Café Cibo packs them in - literally

Many area restaurateurs have told me recently that business has been slow and they hadn't yet seen the uptick in customers that the winter season traditionally brings.

One establishment that doesn't seem be suffering any such slump is the Café Cibo, which recently opened just few doors away from its old location McGregor Boulevard across from Landings in Fort Myers.

The new incarnation is a stylish upgrade from the smaller, more modest original. It's an astonishing transformation for storefront itself, which has changed hands and ho-hum concepts more times than I can count, growing increasingly down at the heels during its last years.

Cibo owners Marc and Mary Pat Marotta did an outstanding job in creating a lovely setting that fits the creative Italian cuisine chef Marc creates.

The room is divided by a half wall, with the bar on one side along with the several booths and many tables. On other side of the wall, the setup is the same me mirlam minus the bar. Thick-framed square mirrors line both walls, interspersed with gold and brown glass sconces that match the pendant lights strategically hung over the tables, illuminating without glare. There's even a well-appointed private dining rooms for larger parties and special occasions.

A filet mignon topped with crab was a nightly special at the new Café Cibo. PHOTOS KAREN FELDMAN There is but one flaw in the final product: there are too many tables. They are packed so closely that not only do customers have to slither around those seated at adjoining tables, but even our svelte little waitress had to turn sideways to make it through the so-called aisles. She also had difficulty getting dishes to everyone because of the limited - space. Removing a couple of fourtops from each side would improve the dining experience and the service immeasurably.

The wine list has grown as well, with a praiseworthy collection of vintages from throughout the world and a larger-thanaverage number of half bottles, which are nice for those who only want a little wine or might want to change midway through the meal.

One thing that hasn't changed is the caliber of the food, which remains high. Marotta takes classic dishes and gives them a little creative twist.

Cappesante incarto pasta sfoglia (crabmeat-stuffed sea scallop, crispy puff pastry, lemon butter and chive emulsion) is an excellent start to a meal at Café Cibo. Littleneck clams are steeped in a natural clam broth sparked with toasted garlic, white wine and fresh basil. Fried calamari is accompanied by baby arugula, black olive vinaigrette and a duo of dipping sauces. Ravioli gets the royal treatment with mushrooms, grilled chicken, artichokes and pine nuts. We began with the clams, which were fragrant and tender, along with the crabmeat-stuffed sea scallop encased in golden pastry and accompanied by a delicate lemon-butter chive emulsion.

The buttery scallops layered with crabmeat were delicious with the pastry and light, bright sauce.

A spinach salad on the menu looked appealing, listing gorgonzola as the second ingredient. While the spinach was fresh and dressed with apples, toasted walnuts and glazed red onions, and the aged sherry walnut vinaigrette was delicious, there were only a few chunks of aromatic cheese, which were buried in the middle of the nest of green. To be fair, we ordered it sans bacon (for a vegetarian member of the party), with which it normally comes, so that robbed it of flavor through no fault of the kitchen, but the person who ordered it had done so because of the cheese and was disappointed.

The aforementioned ravioli consisted of tender and flavorful pillows of pasta mixed with tender chicken, mushrooms, pine nuts, roasted garlic, sundried tomatoes and an elegant rosemary cream sauce that had substance without being heavy. (How does he do that?)

The paccheri pomodoro fresco (artisan tubular pasta) with fresh cherry tomatoes, garlic, white wine, basil and pecorino was heavenly, the pasta done to a perfect al dente, the sauce possessing lovely layers of flavors.

A nightly special - a filet topped with crabmeat - was too rich for my taste, but then I didn't order it. The party who did pronounced it delicious and finished almost every bit. I loved the tender-crisp broccolini that came with it.

The gnocchi, housemade potato dumplings, lin were tender but, despite the tomatoes, to garlic, wine, basil and mozzarella with which they were dressed, the dish was on the bland side. Some asiago or other assertive cheese would have served the gnocchi be better than the mozzarella.

For dessert, we shared a piece of ultrarich cappuccino cheesecake that possessed th the requisite coffee flavor but was overwhelmed by a sharp cinnamon taste.

Service was friendly but spotty. Our server clearly had too many tables and, as a result, wasn't at hand to fill our wine glasses when we were ready, replenish water, or clear dishes in a timely manner. Courses came out in a sporadic fashion, indicating the kitchen may well have been overtaxed, too.

I can't help but think that reducing the nu number of tables in the place would serve everyone better.