The latest food and dining news in Southwest Florida 🍴
Tue, Oct 12, 2021 1:19 pm
Gulfshore Life (newsletters@gulfshorelife.com)
All That Jazz
Spectacular food is the opening act for marquee live entertainment at these restaurants.
Gettin’ Ziggy With It
Try a complex, spirit-forward spin on a classic New Orleans cocktail at Ziggy D’Amico’s Whiskey Bar & Diner.
Chops City Grill reopened its Bonita Springs location last weekend after a $1 million renovation. The four-month, floor-to-ceiling redesign upgraded the look with luxury touches, while the new menu offers 25 cuts of USDA Prime beef and domestic Wagyu. The remake coincides with the restaurant’s 20th anniversary in December.
At the new Twisted Cheesery, which opened in East Naples on Oct. 4, order from a dozen varieties of elevated grilled cheese sandwiches, plus soups and salads, brought to you by the team behind Twisted Sheep Pizza and Brew.
Clean Juice opened last week in North Naples, the first of 10 planned regional outlets from North Fort Myers to Marco Island. The national juice bar chain’s extensive menu appeals to healthy diners with cold-pressed juices, protein smoothies, açai bowls, wraps and toasts made with 100% certified organic ingredients.
La Colmar Bakery & Bistro set its reopening date for Oct. 18. Third-generation master baker Yannick Brendel and his wife, Ana, closed their original Naples location in 2018. After pursuing other enterprises, the couple returns to their original home this fall, specializing in French pastries made with non-GMO flour and other imported ingredients. La Colmar will also offer local delivery and nationwide shipping.
Food & Thought 2 pushed back its opening date to November or December. A spinoff of the longstanding organic market and cafeteria-style restaurant in midtown Naples, the new North Naples location will have sit-down dining. Joining the team are general manager Dan Kniola, previously executive chef at The Players Club & Spa in Lely Resort, and executive sous chef Raena Hobson, who was in the kitchen at Three60 Market in East Naples.
ICYMI
A 12-tap, self-serve beer wall and 10 ax-throwing lanes headline new The Axe Lodge, which opened in North Naples on Aug. 11. Wine is also available, and guests can bring their own food or order from area businesses.
KUDOS
Wine Spectator named Naples’ Bleu Provence to its “8 Fabulous French Wine Restaurants in the U.S.” list. The restaurant has earned the magazine’s prestigious Grand Award every year since 2015.
Bonita Springs’ Crave Culinaire recently appointed James Ortiaga as executive chef. A graduate of the New York Restaurant School, he learned under Michelin-starred chefs Alain Ducasse and Joël Robuchon before working as executive chef at The St. Regis hotel in New York and, most recently, at Fiddler's Creek in Naples.
LOVE THIS
Oct. 13-17: To celebrate three decades of supporting community education, The Immokalee Foundation created Dine for a Cause: 30 Restaurants for 30 Years, during which participating restaurants donate a portion of their receipts to the foundation.
Oct. 14: Bonita Springs’ Seaside Bar & Grill hosts Real Men Wear Pink to benefit the American Cancer Society’s breast cancer research. Guests are encouraged to add pink accents to their business casual attire for the event, which features live entertainment, a raffle, dancing and other festivities.
Oct. 20: Moonlight and Mezcal at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples, pairs a special menu with handpicked selections of mezcal, served alfresco under the harvest moon at Ría.
Oct. 21: Modern Italian steakhouse Dorona, part of the Aielli Group in Naples, hosts another edition of its Celebrity Startender Series to benefit the Cancer Alliance of Naples.
Oct. 23: Luminary Hotel & Co. in downtown Fort Myers hosts Craft Beer Flights & Bites with Fort Myers Brewing Co., pairing four seasonal brews with fall-themed noshes.
Oct. 23: South Cape Hospitality & Entertainment Association presents the eighth annual Spooktacular Drink & Treat Trolley event, a pub crawl through Cape Coral’s downtown entertainment district.
GulfshoreLife.com