Sandy Butler’s style, substance stand out among Beach restaurants

Rich, fruity olive oil. Locally grown vegetables. Wild salmon. Fresh Florida seafood. Tableside preparation.

These are not what one traditionally associates with dining on Fort Myers Beach. But The Sandy Butler has redefined what it means to dine well in the family friendly, shorts-and-sandals beach town.

You need not dress up to visit The Sandy Butler, but the staff treats you as if it’s a special occasion and, in so doing, makes a meal here something out of the ordinary. The dining room wears a chic black and white ensemble of linens, each table adorned with a single fresh rose. Even dripping with spider webs, skulls and other Halloweenery as it was last week, there was a classy feel to the place.

It’s been about three years since I visited the restaurant and, while that meal was a pleasant one, my recent dinner was better still. Chef Michael Ragusa’s menu is well thought out and equally well-executed with superb ingredients.

KAREN FELDMAN / FLORIDA WEEKLY The natural flavor of wild salmon combines nicely with beurre blanc and boursin cheese. A recent survey by Trip- Advisor, which allows consumers to rate restaurants, hotels and the like, ranked the restaurant as tops in the region. And while I don’t take sites such as this one, Yelp.com and Chowhound. com as gospel, there’s plenty to praise here.

In recent months, The Sandy Butler has partnered with Rabbit Run Farm, Denise Muir’s hydroponic farm in Buckingham. That means that the restaurant can offer fresh, local, sustainably produced vegetables, which is a plus for customers, the economy and the environment. Not only that, Rabbit Run’s veggies are downright delicious.

Also indicative of its effort to stand out from the crowd is the line of olive oil and balsamic vinegar it uses. A bottle of Fernando Pensato olive oil stands on

One of the region’s most succulent products, stone crab claws, make a great appetizer served with remolded sauce. each table and is mixed with balsamic from the same producer along with allnatural seasonings by Fort Myers-based Back to the Basiks. Those who think all olive oil tastes the same — or has no flavor at all — are in for a surprise when they dip a thin slice of hot, crusty bread into this rich, fruity oil laced with sweet balsamic. I contemplated ordering a cheese plate, more bread and calling that dinner but will save such indulgence for another time.

By-the-glass wine selections are somewhat limited here but the bottle list has good depth and is reasonably priced. We enjoyed a properly chilled Bouchard Finlayson Chardonnay, a delicate unoaked variety, that paired equally well with the bread and oil and the fresh stone crab claws with remoulade that served as our appetizer.

The bone-in ribeye is a hearty and satisfying meat entree, complete with garlic mashed potatoes and cipollini onions. The claws ($28 per pound) were massive, with just three tipping the scales at a pound. They were well cracked, leaving us to simply pluck the sweet meat from each claw.

My companion and I also shared a pear and gorgonzola salad ($8), which the kitchen thoughtfully split into two dishes, providing each of us with a nice-sized salad of field and micro greens, thinly sliced pears, red onion, chunks of cheese and candied walnuts in Pensato white balsamic vinaigrette.

Entrees of grilled wild salmon ($23) and bone-in ribeye ($28) followed, with our server presenting each for inspection as you would a rare wine before setting the beautifully composed plates in front of us.

The salmon had a rich flavor of its own that was enhanced by a thin layer of boursin cheese and a classic beurre blanc sauce, set atop stalks of grilled asparagus.

The ribeye was properly cooked, resting on a mound of buttery garlic mashed potatoes and topped with four sweet cipollini onions.

Desserts here include tableside preparations of cherries jubilee, bananas Foster and an intriguing sounding mixed berry concoction. Sampling these decadent treats will have to wait for a time when I haven’t had such a substantial meal first. Instead, we shared a small pumpkin cheesecake. That might not seem like a lighter choice but it was, the cheesecake fluffier than the traditional New York variety, redolent of pumpkin spices and finished with a drizzle of chocolate and caramel sauces.

As previously mentioned, the service was exemplary from start to finish. Our server attended to our every need, making sure our wine glasses were properly filled, providing crackers (the type you use on claws) just in case we needed them, crumbing the table and checking to make sure that each course was to our liking. He knew the menu well and offered a couple of suggestions without being pushy.

Even the server attendant was polished and professional, efficiently clearing plates and inquiring about our meals as he did so.

I’d have liked to have wandered through the adjoining market after dinner, picking up some of that great olive oil for starters, but it had closed by the time we finished. From the restaurant side of the glass wall, it looked like a foodie’s paradise, filled with gourmet

condiments, produce, cheeses, deli items and wine.

The Sandy Butler is a place in which fine food and service combine to create a first-class dining experience. I won’t wait so long to return for another try. 