‘Watts for Dinner’: The SpeakEasy – Soup, sliders and more
Our next dining destination is the SpeakEasy on Marco Island. Located just off Collier Boulevard, the restaurant is a great place for waterside dining, local color and great conversation.
We skipped the appetizers in favor of soup on this cool Sunday afternoon — since soup weather will be taking a break soon, in favor of hot and wet.
The restaurant offers three regular soups — French onion, cream of mushroom and lobster bisque.
I ordered the French onion ($8) and it was, hands down, the best part of my meal. Cheesy and salty with more than a hint of sherry. Love it!
My dining companion opted for the cream of mushroom. He was not impressed with the color, texture or flavor.
For my main dish, I selected the sliders ($12.99). You get three and can pick from beef (hamburger meat), barbecue pork, meatballs or corned beef (with Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing).
I was in a White Castle kind of mood and picked the beef, adding cheese. The menu says the sliders are served on mini brioche buns. While the bread wasn’t bad, it did not have a brioche quality about it.
The burgers come plain, except for the cheese. The meat is thick and looks suspiciously like the meatballs, minus the marinara. Nothing wrong with that. There’s ketchup on the table, and I requested mayo, mustard and pickles. I wanted diced and cooked onions as well — but I thought that might be pushing it.
While nothing like White Castle, these sliders are satisfying. And you get to keep a little dignity that eating a thick hand-pressed and dripping regular-sized burger won’t allow. I do wish somebody in the Marco, Naples area would come up with their own version of the White Castle/Krystal-like sliders. It’s always my first stop when leaving Florida.
The sliders come with your choice of side between fries or coleslaw. You can have sweet potato fries or onion rings for $2 more. I picked the sweet potato fries. Delish!
My friend picked the buffalo chicken wrap ($13.99). Its fried chicken tossed in buffalo sauce with lettuce, tomato and blue cheese dressing. For his side, cole slaw.
The wrap seemed a little thin and made for messy eating. It wasn’t his favorite buffalo chicken, but not the worst either.
This was our first official visit in almost two years. On May 6, 2022, things got off to an appetizing start with the artichoke dip. This cheesy baked goodness is served with house-made chips, which are the true star of this dish. Taste wise, think flatbread cooked to tortilla-like greatness. You can tell there’s artichoke in the dip only by the texture. The taste is all cheese. And that’s ok with me.
For my main entrée, I selected the linguini and meatballs, featuring three house-made meatballs served over linguini in a marinara sauce. The marinara is amazing! The noodles are cooked to perfection.
My dining companion had the short-rib pot roast. It’s a thing of beauty! A generous portion of meat served with mashed potatoes, gravy and mixed vegetables. Everything was in order with this dish.
What makes The SpeakEasy a success are the drinks, the atmosphere and the location. It’s unfair to judge the food against some of the more upscale restaurants. The service is good and friendly. You don’t have a long wait for the food or drinks. Happy eating!
MoreWatts: Season’s best, Part 2 – Dishes from Marco-area restaurants that impressed
AndHey Marco Island, looking for a place to eat?
Prices indicate time of visit and may vary. This newspaper pays for all meals related to dining reviews. We do not solicit or accept free food.
If you go
The SpeakEasy
- 1106 N Collier Blvd., Marco Island
- 239-970-2929
- speakeasymarco.com