Luxe for less: Hits & misses during September’s Sizzle Dining promo

Diana Biederman | Naples Daily News

I remember skipping New York City’s semi-annual “Restaurant Week” because of a few disappointing meals served up during its early years.

I recall servers at higher-end restaurants seeming less enthusiastic about working those dates. Special three-course prix-fixe menus were created to make the price points work but were rarely indicative of a chef’s talent.

That first restaurant week in 1992 was priced $19.92, making it tricky for participating restaurants to make any money even though their staffs were working so much harder because demand volume was crazy.

Case in point: When working at ‘21,’ we served tilapia instead of the famous market-price Dover sole and a human-sized portion of the legendary burger with a different bun to make Restaurant Week’s price points work.

For years, the price crept up a penny.

But Sizzle Dining is different, especially during an offseason when COVID returned and it was too steamy to dine outside. It got butts in seats for restaurants during a traditionally slow month while offering sweet deals to patrons. Participating restaurants also fork over $1 for every meal sold to Blessings in a Backpack.

Making a list, checking it twice
JLB is always looking for the biggest bang for her buckaroos. So how to choose?

Find out how to choose on naplesnews.com.

Rooted in Naples: Award-winning Bleu Provence grows food at Corkscrew Swamp farm

Diana Biederman | Naples Daily News

Long pants? Check.

Long-sleeved shirt? Check.

Mosquito repellant? Check.

The biggest decision: Sneakers or rubber boots?

I opted for beat-up sneakers that had previously survived a summer deluge.

On what was predicted to be a real-feel day of 107 degrees, I was dressing for a visit to Jacques and Lysielle Cariot’s swamp farm, where they unwind after 70-hour work weeks.

The couple is famous for Bleu Provence, arguably Naples’ most prestigious restaurant, which has achieved global recognition for its astounding wine offerings.

Yet unlike several regional restaurants that list local food purveyors — a wonderful thing to be encouraged— Bleu Provence’s menu does not mention their farm as a source. Eggs, fruit, vegetables and herbs grown there are ingredients at the restaurant.

Why?

It’s a work in progress.

“Two years ago, we started to plant vegetables every week, and serve what’s in season,” said Lysielle.

The jam accompanying foie gras is the farm’s papaya. Black grouper’s citrus-papaya sauce and sweet potato chips garnish are harvested there, too.

Just-picked berries adorning a luscious pavlova or meringue? The tuna tartare’s mango and passionfruit coulis? Peppers, squash and tomatoes in ratatouille?

All from the farm.

Read the full article with photos on naplesnews.com.

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USA Today’s readers vote Ritz-Carlton restaurant in Naples one of America’s 10 Best

Diana Biederman | Naples Daily News

USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards has announced the winners of America’s best hotel amenities. Categories encompass spas, eco-friendliness, bars, swimming pools — and ta-da! — on-property restaurants.

While several prestigious hotel restaurants (think Inn at Little Washington and Blackberry Farm) might be considered the destination augmented with adjacent rooms, neither made USA Today’s list in 2024 revealed on Aug. 21.

And when considering how many high-end hotels dot our nation’s landscape, calling this category ultra-competitive is an understatement.

Consider this an opportunity to live like you’re on vacation minus the overnight stay when visiting Florida’s sole best hotel restaurant winner.

One of America’s favorite burger joints set to open at Mercato in 2025

Diana Biederman | Naples Daily News

On a hot summer day in 2004, I remember standing in line with my ’21’ Club colleagues at the first Shake Shack in New York City’s Madison Square Park.

Nowadays, it’s famous for its burgers and shakes, but during that visit, I don’t recall any burgers or crinkly fries because it was all about hot dogs and soft drinks.

In those early days, it resembled a kiosk with an assembly prep line with different staff responsible for different toppings.

Following a 40-minute wait, it was my first (and last) bite into a Chicago-style wiener.

Several years later, another location opened in my neighborhood across from the Museum of Natural History. The ever-present line around the block made the sidewalk tricky to maneuver.

Anyone working in the restaurant industry has always paid attention to anything Danny Meyer (the hospitality legend behind the concept) opens because he is among the world’s most successful restaurateurs. Whether dining at Union Square Café, the game-changing restaurant that made him famous in 1985 — or Shake Shack — you’re in for a special experience.

Twenty years and more than 400 Shake Shacks across the globe later, Naples is getting its first outpost at Mercato Shops. It’s set to open in 2025 and is taking over 3,000 square feet in what was formerly Charming Charlie’s and, subsequently, the pop-up Hand & Harvest Artisan Market.

Read the full article on naplesnews.com.