Food & Dining | David Critzer, REALTOR®

Mercato launches ‘refresh’ mid-month. What will it look like at Collier entertainment hub?

Phil Fernandez | Naples Daily News

Mercato this month will begin a reboot that we first told you about two years ago at the Naples destination near Vanderbilt Beach Road and U.S. 41.

Most anyone will tell you it can get a bit uncomfortable in the 450,000-square-foot shopping and restaurant district when cars converge with pedestrians or bicyclists, and its new owners a couple of summers ago promised us a reposition as part of “elevating Mercato (to) a people-oriented entertainment hub.”

Well, here’s what to know about what the honchos have tabbed as a more “walkable, experiential oasis (in) strengthening Mercato’s relevance and relationship with the community.”

What is Mercato in Naples, Florida missing? How will it be addressed?
“While Mercato does have a few small social gathering spots, it’s missing a central space that can host large-scale events and encourage guests to stay a while,” said Nick Lombardo, vice president of development at North American Properties, also known as NAP. “We’re looking forward to redefining the Piazza and creating a lively experience for our guests.”

The “reinvention” plans call for tripling the size of the 3,000-square-foot Piazza adjacent to Bravo Italian Kitchen and Narrative Coffee Roasters, and “creating a more connected, pedestrian-friendly environment” throughout the center, Lombardo said.

Get all the details, read the full story on naplesnews.com.

Find a home convenient to great restaurants and entertainment in southwest Florida. Contact David at David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.

Waterfront Naples fine-dining spot makes Southern Living ‘most legendary’ restaurants list

Dave Osborn | Naples Daily News

A Naples restaurant left heavily damaged from Hurricane Ian in 2022 has written its own comeback story, reopening earlier this year.

Now the regional lifestyle magazine Southern Living has named the popular and resilient waterfront Turtle Club to its list of “most legendary” restaurants in Florida.

What did Southern Living say about Florida restaurants?

Southern Living earlier this month named “Florida’s 17 Most Legendary Restaurants.”

“It’s no secret that Florida restaurants are good at keeping their doors open,” the article said.

“The Sunshine State has seen countless hurricanes, watched rockets soar into space from its shores, and served coffee through the Cuban missile crisis. Through it all, Florida restaurants continue to survive and thrive, keeping residents and visitors satiated and coming back for more.”

And the only Southwest Florida one to make the list was the Turtle Club, 9225 Gulf Shore Drive.

‘Dine with your toes in sugar-like sand’
The Southern Living story raved about how, despite a powerful blow from the Category 4 Ian, Turtle Club had a “slow and careful comeback.”

Read the full article on naplesnews.com to find out what other 16 Florida restaurants made the list.

This waterfront Naples restaurant is on HGTV Friday night

Diana Biederman | Naples Daily News

Set your DVR: Nosh on Naples Bay will be featured on HGTV’s “My Lottery Dream Home” at 9 p.m. Friday, June 7.

The restaurant is owned by Chef Todd Johnson and his wife Dana.

Chef Todd Johnson and his wife Dana own Nosh on Naples Bay.
The premise: Host David Bromstad takes recent lottery winners on “over-the-top house hunts for their new dream homes,” according to HGTV.

Bromstad is no stranger to Southwest Florida. An episode showcasing Cape Coral as a dream destination for newly minted millionaires aired Aug. 25. Bromsted’s HGTV bio notes he’s an alum of the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota who won HGTV’s “Design Star” debut season in 2006.

The episode featuring Nosh is titled “The Gold Lady of Naples.”

HGTV’s descriptor says, “After already spending over $5 million on her dream lake house in Wisconsin, a woman now asks David to find a dream vacation home in Naples, Florida. She’s bringing her sister along as David looks for super-bougie properties in luxury golfing communities.”

Where does she find her super-bougie home?

You’ll have to watch and let us know if she’s your new neighbor.

Where does she celebrate?

Nosh.

Read on naplesnews.com.

New stores and restaurants headed to Mercato in 2024

By Naples News Now | June 4, 2024

Mercato, the popular mixed-use development in North Naples, is welcoming several exciting new additions to its dining and shopping lineup in 2024.

Birch Lane
Wayfair is opening a new Birch Lane furniture store at Mercato this summer, taking over the former 9,994-square-foot space of Z Gallerie. Birch Lane is a specialty brand from Wayfair that curates a selection of timeless home furnishings, seasonal decor, and classic anchor pieces.

Tap 42 Craft Kitchen & Bar
Tap 42 Craft Kitchen & Bar, a Florida-based casual dining concept, is targeted to open in the former AZN Azian Cuizine space at the end of June or beginning of July. Tap 42 will bring its expansive bar, boozy brunch offerings, and popular American fare like calamari towers and baby back ribs to Mercato.

Waxin’s
Shortly after Tap 42’s opening, Waxin’s, an upscale Swedish-American restaurant and bar, plans to launch in the former space of The Counter custom burger bar. Waxin’s is known for its classic Swedish and American cuisines, particularly its signature Swedish meatballs.

Beeline Ales & Spirits
Beeline Ales & Spirits, an upscale cocktail bar concept from Cincinnati-based 4EG (Four Entertainment Group), is coming to Mercato near the end of 2024. The 4,000-square-foot space at 9115 Strada Place, Suite 5155 will offer patrons a unique selection of craft cocktails, ales, and spirits. Beeline focuses on providing an elevated cocktail lounge experience with a curated drinks menu. Construction is anticipated to start this summer, with an expected opening in late 2024.

Read on for more on naplesnewsnow.com.

U.S. News ‘Best Places to Live’ list revealed: Is Naples No. 1?

Dave Osborn | Naples Daily News

Neapolitans believe Naples is an awesome place to live, and U.S. News & World Report agrees.

Naples ranks No. 1 in its annual Best Places to Live in the U.S., the only Florida city to make the top 10. The Southwest Florida city often rank high on various “best” lists by the national magazine and others, usually noted for its weather and quality of life.

“I love seeing sunshine almost every day,” said Mark Danni, founder and artistic director of TheatreZone, who’s lived in Naples for 22 years. “I love that Naples has a wide variety of live performing arts groups where Neapolitans can see so many different performing arts productions throughout the year.”

Naples in the past decade also has become more familiar as the Pickleball Capital of the World. The region in April again hosted the another U.S. Open Pickleball Championships. The very first championships were played in Naples in 2016.

What other Florida cities made the list? Read the full article on naplesnews.com.

Looking for a home in the Naples – Bonita Springs – Marco Island area? Contact David at 239-285-1086 or David@DavidFlorida.com

Hellfire Burger to goat cheese pizza: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema menu offers variety

Dave Osborn | Naples Daily News

There’s movie theater popcorn and then there’s Alamo Drafthouse Cinema popcorn.

Picking the film will be the easy part. Movie-goers will then have to choose from the traditional Bottomless Popcorn ($9.95, with real butter and free refills); Truffle Herb Parmesan Popcorn ($11.95); and Churro Popcorn ($11.95, “tossed with custom blend of cinnamon, sugar, maple & vanilla”).

The new theater at Mercato in North Naples opens April 29, in the same location as Silverspot, which opened in 2009 ― one year after the outdoor shopping and entertainment center opened.

With so many food and drink choices, if Billy Joel tried to include them all in a song, it would be longer than his 4½-minute 1989 hit “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”

What else to know about the movie house.

More than Goobers and Gummi Bears
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema serves candy including M&M’s and Sour Patch Kids, but it’s the extensive menu for food and drinks that makes it stand out more than most other movie house companies.

There are 11 starters, including the three popcorn options but also healthier choices like vegan cauliflower bites and avocado toast; seven sandwiches, from the Hellfire Burger to the Beyond Meat Vegan Burger; four salads; three entrees, including fish & chips; seven pizzas choices, including Brussels Sprout, Bacon & Goat Cheese; five flavors of shakes; and four kids only options, like mini-corn dogs.

And the drink options are about as robust, with 24 beers on draft; 11 “bottles and cans” choices for beers, White Claw and more; nine red wines, such as a $120 bottle of Benton Lane Pinot Noir from Oregon; six white wines; five rose and sparkling; and a dozen signature cocktails, like the Habanero Margarita, Alamo Old Fashioned and Bourbon Peach Smash.

There’s more: 17 whiskeys, including a couple 10-year bourbons; nine agaves; five gins; seven rums; five vodkas; two Brandies; three “boozy shakes”; and one non-alcoholic drink (Seedlip Grove 42).

Read the full article on naplesnews.com.

There are many wonderful home ownership opportunities in Naples and the surrounding Southwest Florida areas of Bonita Springs and Marco Island? Contact David to find a home that suits your needs, Call 239-285-1086 or David@DavidFlorida.com