ENTERTAINMENT

‘Watts for Dinner’: Stonewalls stands out from the pack

Will Watts
Correspondent
"The Riley" from Stonewalls, Marco Island.

Stonewalls on Marco Island is our next food destination. Unlike many eating establishments, Stonewalls feels a bit younger and perhaps more modern.

More:‘Watts for Dinner’: A healthy fix at Summer Day Market & Café

With an electronic menu board, an order at the register, then take your table; along with the self-service drinks; it’s a familiar feeling that you don’t find in many Marco eateries. And that’s perfectly ok.

The cream of onion soup from Stonewalls, Marco Island.

Things got off to an appetizing start with the soup de jour, the cream of onion soup. I’ve never had this particular soup before. Cream of mushroom, yes! But not onion. Never. And it was amazing. If you like onions, you’ll love this soup. And yes, it’s a thing, even Campbell’s carries it. I just somehow avoided it my whole life. And not on purpose. Yum!

More:Food Finds: Herbeque smokes the competition

For my main entrée, I order the meatloaf. It came covered in a mushroom gravy and with steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes. With the first bite, I could tell this meatloaf was made with quality ground beef. And the gravy was the perfect complement; although ketchup or barbeque sauce would have also been acceptable. The sides were great to begin with and made even better with just a touch of butter and salt by me.

The meatloaf from Stonewalls, Marco Island.

My partner in dine picked the “the Riley,” sautéed/breaded chicken breast topped with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and arugula. The chicken was much like a Mexican chicken Milanese, which is a flattened chicken steak, lightly breaded. The toppings were fresh and most appealing, and the dressing was light and bold.

More:Hey Marco Island, looking for a place to eat?

In a previous visit, I sampled the hare a pulled-pork flatbread and picked Cole slaw as the side – as it is an entrée. I was expecting square; I got round. It looked like a small pizza. But let’s face it, flatbreads and pizzas are cousins after all. The pulled pork was amazing and would make a fantastic sandwich. The crust was very crisp. I highly recommend Stonewalls’ flatbreads.

We’ve also sampled the chicken puttanesca. Winner! Winner! With big chunks of all-white meat chicken, loads of veggies and a very tasty, tomato-y sauce, this dish is incredible.

More:‘Watts for Dinner’: The Boulevard – rebirth of a restaurant

This newspaper pays for all meals related to dining reviews. We do not solicit or accept free food.

If you go

Stonewalls

  • 551 S Collier Blvd, Marco Island
  • 239-389-1995
  • marcostonewalls.com