Florida Trend once again gives short shrift to Southwest Florida

Florida Trend Magazine has released its 2008 Great Florida Restaurant Guide. As in past years, Southwest Florida gets little recognition for its wealth of fine dining. Of the 500 restaurants listed in this year's guide, a mere 23 are from Lee and Collier counties. Among those, five are chains. I'm not sure how the restaurant editor, Robert Tolf, manages to cover an entire state, but it's clear he doesn't get to this region very often. In fact, it doesn't look to me as if he's been here in the past couple of years because there are some very fine establishments that have escaped his notice.

That said, here are the ones that did make it:

• The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, made its perennial appearance in the Golden Spoon Hall of Fame, one of only 34 restaurants statewide to get the top honor.

• Listed among the top 500 restaurants are:

Bonita Springs: Bonefish Grill and Roy's

Cape Coral: Ariani

Fort Myers: Prawnbroker and the Veranda

Marco Island: Marek's Collier House Restaurant, Olde Marco Restaurant, and Sale e Pepe at the Marco Beach Ocean Resort

Naples: Bayside Seafood Bar & Grill, Bistro 821, Brio Tuscan Grille, Café & Bar Lurcat, Campiello Ristorante, Chops City Grill, Il Bellagio, Ridgway Bar & Grill, Roy's, Shula's, St. George & the Dragon and USS Nemo

Sanibel: Mad Hatter and Timbers Restaurant & Sanibel Grill

Twenty top restaurants gather for Boys and Girls Club fund raiser

 

Lovers of fine food and beverages will find both in abundance served under the stars at the second annual It's Twilight Time fund raiser for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lee County, set for 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, March 30, at Gulf Coast Town Center in Estero.

This year's lineup includes: Bar Louie, Bistro 41, Blue Pointe Oyster Bar, Blu Sushi, Café Cibo, Calistoga Bakery Café, Cantina Laredo, Cold Stone Creamery, Cru, Dwyers, Harold's on Bay, H2, Islamorada Seafood Company, Lions Choice, the KitchenAid Culinary Center at Robb & Stucky Living Outdoor, Mamma Pasta, Morgan House, Prawnbroker, The Sandy Butler, Tarpon Bay Restaurant at Hyatt Regency Coconut Point and 55 Degrees Cool Wine and Cheese.

Participating beverage purveyors include Stacole Fine Wines, Patron Specialty Cocktails, J.J. Taylor Distributors, Cocoa Cola Bottling, Starbucks Coffee, Seattle's Best Coffee and Smart Water by Glaceau.

Proceeds benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs, which are open to youngsters ages six to 18 regardless of race, religion, creed, social or economic status. The five area clubs provide after-school and summer programs in a safe, supervised setting for some 1,700 kids.

Advance tickets to the event are $125 per person or $200 per couple. VIP tickets, which entitle guests to additional perks, are $500 for two, $1,600 for eight.

For details, contact Lynn Dorler at Boys and Girls Clubs at 334-1886 or committee chair Greg Brock at 822-3748 or online at www.ItsTwilightTime.com.

What's old is new again

 

Toro has reopened for lunch, serving 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. (There's still brunch on Saturdays and Sunday and dinner Monday through Saturday.)

The menu includes smoked tomato gazpacho, white asparagus salad, Harris Ranch cheeseburger with black coffee steak sauce and beef ragout, among other items.

While it's obvious there have been some changes there - note the new paint job inside, the cushy white couches outdoors and the throngs of diners - since restaurateur Shannon Yates and his culinary team came back on the scene a couple of months ago, the transformation will be complete in the coming two weeks when the restaurant's name changes to Bacchus. Those of you who have been around since 2000 may remember when this particular space at Bell Tower Shops first became a restaurant. It was named Bacchus and Yates was the force behind it.

For details or dinner reservations, call 437-TORO.

Happy birthday Cru

 

It's hard to believe it's here already, but Cru at the Bell Tower Shops turns four at the end of March.

To celebrate, there's a birthday bash planned for Saturday, March 29.

Executive chef Brian Roland and his staff will create a festive dinner for the auspicious occasion. There will be live music on the patio and additional goodies supplied by Ketel One, CRUSH magazine, The Reserve Liquor Store, Cigar and Wine Bar, Remy Martin and winemaker Matt Blankenheim.

Check back for more details or call Cru at 466-3663.

Thistle Lodge toasts the season

 

Casa Ybel's Thistle Lodge on Sanibel is in the midst of a month-long celebration of food and beverage.

An Australian wine dinner takes place Thursday, March 13, with five wines from Grateful Palate imports. The cost is $125 per person.

On Wednesday, March 19, there's a rum-tasting reception from 6:30 to 8 p.m., featuring five Brinley Gold flavored rums, including lime, vanilla, coffee, mango and coconut, as well as four from El Dorado. Appetizers and munchies will be served along with the libations. It's $35 per person.

Every Friday, beginning this week, it's Sushi and Jazz. Danny Morgan and Friends will perform.

For more information and news of future events, call Suzanne Watral at 579-1029 or register with e-list@thistlelodge.com. Contact the restaurant, which is at 2255 West Gulf Drive, at 472-9200.

It's libations only at Bar Association

 

The Bar Association in downtown Fort Myers has closed its dining room but the bar remains open Tuesday through Saturday. Owners Mark Solomon and Ronald Kopko also run an interior design business during the day so juggling that, the restaurant and bar just got to be too much, Solomon says.

Nonetheless, those looking for liquid refreshments and camaraderie can continue to find both at the bar at 1611 Hendry St., Fort Myers. It's open 3 p.m. to midnight Tuesday through Thursday and 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. There's live piano entertainment on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. For more information, call 334-8080.

In limbo

 

Jayne's Victorian Garden in south Fort Myers has closed temporarily, according to the message on the café/ shop's answering machine. There was no indication of how long it will be closed or why and a message left for the owners, Brian and Jayne Baker, hasn't yet been returned. Stay tuned.