Fort Myers Beach restaurants: Coste Island Cuisine is a rare waterfront gem — JLB review
Coste Island Cuisine at DiamondHead Beach Resort on Fort Myers Beach is everything our critic hopes for but so rarely gets from a waterfront restaurant.
Fort Myers Beach doesn't inspire much culinary confidence.
Sunset confidence, sure. Spring break confidence, definitely. Fruity cocktail confidence, 100%. But for an elegant meal, other parts of town are more likely to spring to mind.
Until Coste.
Coste Island Cuisine opened in November 2018 at DiamondHead Beach Resort. The hotel's lobby wends into this open, airy restaurant; sleek tables backed by floor-to-ceiling windows framing breathtaking views of the Gulf of Mexico.
Those views grab you first: waves crashing into sand; sea oats swaying in the breeze; sun-burnt tourists playing paddle ball. At most beach restaurants, such views are the main draw. At Coste, they're just the beginning.
There are cocktails, too, bracing ones built from rum and vermouth, and from tequila shaken into limey margaritas cooled by leaves of mint. There are shockingly great happy hour deals, not to mention stunning plates at almost every turn.
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Coste's happy hour runs 4-6 p.m. It might be the island's best-kept secret. I recently paired a $5 gin martini with a $5 plate of pork belly poutine made with hand-cut fries, gravy and a sunny egg. My neighbor sipped a $4 sangria while picking through a heap of confit chicken wings glazed with honey and sriracha for 7 bucks.
I looked around and saw empty bar stools, barren tables and those enchanting Gulf views. I wanted to scream at the sun-burnt tourists to get in here, to put down their paddles and grab a martini with me.
Coste steps things up in its main dining room, where service is still casual and flip flops are still welcome. You can still grab a burger and wings from this side of Coste, if you like, or level up to exquisite plates of grilled snapper, Gulf shrimp and thick-cut Duroc pork chops.
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This kitchen has a way with purees, be it a silken cauliflower one cushioning a meaty fillet of grouper, or a butternut-squash puree of enchanting depth that added sweetness to perfectly seared scallops.
Coste pairs its wobbly, slow-braised short ribs with a risotto cake fried to a snappy crunch, like a hash brown on holiday in Milan. Chewy bits of pork play well against the soft lobster in Coste's pasta carbonara; they add texture and bite to a side of crisply fried Brussels sprouts, as well.
Was the carbonara a tad dry? Sure. Were those Brussels drowned in too much rubbery Parmesan? Perhaps. But with so much else so right at Coste, such missteps felt minor.
Beachfront dining in this area has often felt like a compromise. Good food, Gulf views, fair prices — you get two of the three, if you're lucky. Service will be a crap shoot. Parking, too. Coste fixes all of that.
If I sound like a super-fan, I kind of am. And there should be more of me.
At that recent happy hour, I listened to two separate Ohio couples toast their respective Midwest cities.
To Akron! And Ashtabula! Cheers!
A couple in the lounge came over. They raised a glass to Youngstown, Ohio. I was officially surrounded, the odd Floridian out.
Let's not lose this place to out-of-towners. Coste is in our backyard. And I have confidence it is well worth a trip to the beach.
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Jean Le Boeuf is the pseudonym used by a local food lover who dines at restaurants anonymously and without warning, with meals paid for by The News-Press and Naples Daily News. Follow the critic at facebook.com/jeanleboeufswfl or @JeanLeBoeuf on Twitter and Instagram.
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Coste Island Cuisine
DiamondHead Beach Resort; 2000 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach
• Food: ★★★☆
• Atmosphere: ★★★½
• Service: ★★☆☆
JLB's stars AREN'T like Yelp stars, here's why...
• Price: $$$-$$$$$
• Call: 855-892-2905
• Web: costeislandcuisine.com
• Hours: 5-9 p.m. daily for dinner
• Noise level: Low to moderate
• Etc.: Full bar, kids menu, free parking onsite, outdoor seating off the lounge area, open for breakfast/brunch daily
Sample Menu
Appetizers
• Island chowder, $6
• Crispy Brussels sprouts, $9
• Lobster mac, $16
Mains
• Angry chicken, $21
• Sea scallops, $32
• NY strip, $42
What the symbols mean
★ - Fair
★★ - Good
★★★ - Excellent
★★★★ - Exceptional
$ - Average entree is under $10
$$ - $10-$15
$$$ - $15-$20
$$$$ - $20-$25
$$$$$ - $25 and up