Best of August: 6 top tastes in Naples, Fort Myers, Bonita, Sanibel restaurants
From porchetta to corn chowder, our writers share their best August eats.
Andrew Atkins
Before getting to the best of what we ate this month, we have something we think you should know.
Krispy Kreme is giving away free doughnuts.
To mark the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the chain will give two free doughnuts to every American who has received at least one vaccination shot and brings in a valid vaccination card as proof, according to USA TODAY.
We love food, and we especially love doughnuts, so we just wanted you all to know.
Without any more sweet fanfare, here are the best things we tasted in Southwest Florida in August.
Porchetta sub, Cafe Italia
There are sandwiches and then there are sandwiches. This beauty is neither. Cafe Italia's porchetta sub exists on a different plane of reality, one where Chef Michael Romano is in charge, and where time stands deliciously still. I'll start with the porchetta, which Romano stuffs with pancetta and fresh herbs, then roasts low and slow till it's all but melting. He takes thin, dripping slices of said porchetta and layers them onto his bread with tomatoes he slow roasts in olive oil turning them jammy and sweet. He adds caramelized onions, his basil pesto and lemon peels he's preserved. Then (then!) he showers the whole lot in wisps of Parmigiano-Reggiano, the good stuff from his native Italy. The result is something breathtaking, something that transports you far from this world and into Romano's for a few blissful bites.
(20351 Summerlin Road, south Fort Myers; 239-245-8496; cafeitaliafortmyers.com)
— Annabelle Tometich
Mango chicken curry, Aroma Indian Cuisine
Curry has been on my mind.
Washington Post columnist Gene Weingarten recently wrote about the foods he won’t eat. In the original version, he said he won’t eat Indian food because it's “the only ethnic cuisine in the world insanely based entirely on one spice.”
The piece forced the Post to issue a correction: “India’s vastly diverse cuisines use many spice blends and include many other types of dishes.”
Still, it's dismaying one could not only so grossly misunderstand Indian fare but write off an entire subcontinent of cooking.
It makes me grateful that such mud-slinging didn't happen here — Southwest Florida has an array of Indian restaurants that offer a huge diversity of food.
Our review:At three new Bonita Springs and North Naples restaurants, Indian flavors abound — JLB
In particular, I’m here to tell you about a dish I ate in August: mango chicken curry from Aroma Indian Cuisine in North Naples.
There’s a beautiful nuance here: the bright sunshine of the mango dazzles from the bowl. It’s fragrant, sweet and comforting. Nearby, a bowl of aromatic basmati rice waits for a dollop of the curry to be ladled over top.
When I take a bite, I’m greeted with the sweetness I expected and a spicy heat I didn’t. The warmth travels down my gullet and blooms in my belly. It’s emblematic of a lot of what I've tried at Aroma: balanced, robust flavors that are as fun to look at as they are to eat.
It’s a shame when others can’t see it.
(14700 Tamiami Trail North, Naples; 239-596-0509; aromafornaples.com)
— Andrew Atkins
Shawarma chicken platter, Kabab Village
Don't let the name of this dish fool you. Yes, the chicken — slow roasted on a vertical spit; dusted in paprika, garlic, turmeric — is delicious. But really, it's all about the rice. Kabab Village's rice is otherworldly. Threads of saffron tint the basmati a beautiful shade of yellow. Slivers of almonds and caramelized onions add crunch and sweetness to every couple bites. The result is so fluffy but also hearty and full of life. As someone who loves rice, who lives for rice, who grew up with a pot of rice always at the ready on the counter, this is some of the best rice — ever.
(4805 S. Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers; 239-335-2222; mykababvillage.com)
— Annabelle Tometich
Corn chowder, 400 Rabbits
Sanibel has been upping its restaurant game, and 400 Rabbits is a perfect example.
This hip spot sits just a couple miles from the entrance to J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. In fact, begin your morning at the refuge and hike or canoe there to work up an appetite.
After a few hours, head out and turn left, then go to 400 Rabbits to quench your thirst with one of the margaritas with names like "Blurred Limes" or "Jalapeño Business." (My favorite, though, was the heavenly Pinalita, the perfect union of a pina colada and margarita).
Dining review:Sanibel restaurants: 400 Rabbits is something special — JLB review
Order grub (you're on an island, and that's how pirates talk) next and I'd suggest the "corn chowder," which is in quotes like that on the menu. It tastes better than any "corn chowder" I've ever tried. It's made with sweet corn, hominy, corn tortillas, cilantro, green chiles and topped with ancho popcorn ($5 cup, $9 bowl; add shrimp or crab for $4).
(975 Rabbit Road, Sanibel; 239-588-8756; 400rabbitssanibel.com)
— Dave Osborn
Veggie club, Downtown Coffee and Wine Co.
We want something lighter for lunch. Something fresh. Tasty without screaming at us. A blend of tender and crispy. Oh, and fork-free, please.
Coming right up, says Downtown Coffee and Wine Co. in Bonita Springs. This little corner place at the Old 41-Abernathy Street roundabout specializes in coffee drinks — someone please stop me from ordering that s'mores macchiato with chocolate and Graham flavorings and burnt marshmallow — but has a selective menu of sandwiches, too. Its veggie club ($11) slathers on freshly mashed avocado and hummus with sprouts, greens, cucumber and a just-right 3/8-inch slice of beefsteak tomato. On top: a discreet sprinkling of sweet-spicy relish and pickles.
The server wisely asks whether you want to abstain from the cheese slice and slightly citrusy mayo, which would make it a good vegan choice. It would still be tasty without them, but I couldn't resist.
The only possible mistake you can make by ordering the veggie club is to not pick up two napkins with your order. This is a tall stack, built for Popeye's mouth, so you'll be squeezing out some of that avocado and tomato — all the more fun to scrape up with the last little triangle of toast. And it's all just-picked fresh, easily my favorite sandwich here. At least so far. I haven't tried the smoked salmon BLT — yet.
(27546 Old 41 Road, Bonita Springs; 239-272-6068;downtowncoffeeandwinecompany.com)
— Harriet Howard Heithaus
Pork adobo, Eat Sarap
Ordering from Eat Sarap feels like discovering a secret.
The small restaurant is only open when Flamingo Flea Market in Bonita Springs is open. That’s three days — Friday to Sunday — that you can swing by for a few hours and order hot dogs, burgers, or, if you know what you’re doing, any of their delicious Filipino food.
On a hot Friday afternoon, that’s exactly what I do: I duck into the flea market and back out, grocery bag stuffed full. My time is limited. This food, not so much.
My meal unfolds from the driver’s seat of my car. There’s white rice in the back seat. Mango boba in my cupholder. Pancit in the passenger seat. A piping hot container of pork adobo in my lap. And I’m ready to dig in.
Tears of joy well in the corners of my eyes as a vinegar astringency undercuts the tender pork melting in my mouth. I ladle a little of that precious sauce over the rice and spear another hunk of meat. It’s hot. It’s bracing. It’s over too soon.
My Filipina colleague, Annabelle Tometich, has shared the secret of Eat Sarap before. I’m doing it again. Some secrets are too delicious to keep.
(11902 Bonita Beach Road SE, Bonita Springs; 860-510-1427; facebook.com/eatsarapbonitasprings)
— Andrew Atkins
Andrew Atkins writes about food and features for the Naples Daily News. Contact him via email at andrew.atkins@naplesnews.com. To support work like Andrew's, please consider subscribing: https://cm.naplesnews.com/specialoffer/