Two couples escaping to Naples for a one-night, no-kids getaway, have never been to Naples (or the West Coast of Florida, for that matter). Looking for a restaurant for dinner that is somewhat of a quintessential restaurant for that area. If that doesn't exist, then a restaurant that is special and preferably with nice sunsets and outdoor dining. Your suggestions are welcome.

Campiello on Third Street South is the most popular restaurant in Naples with year round residents and tourists. Food is excellent, ambience is lovely, bar scene is lively. The servers are good but sometimes overwhelmed. I ate there last night and had a wonderful dinner. We had had champagne before going to the restaurant so we had an excellent 2000 Banfi Brunello to go with our balsamic glazed short ribs, so tender they fell off the bone. We had fresh artichokes and a classic Margherita pizza with fresh mozzarella for the first course. Dessert for me was a glass of moscato. We ate outside under the huge trees covered with lights. It was a perfect evening.

Here is a link to the menu at Campiello:

http://www.campiello.damico.com/asse...ida%20menu.pdf

My second recommendation is the Turtle Club which is on Vanderbilt Beach just north of the Ritz Carlton. The food here is much better than it has to be given its location right on the beach. Some of the outdoor tables are set in sand. Nice drinks. Not formal in any way and popular mainly with locals. Sunsets are here. It is also a quintessential Naples experience.

http://www.theturtleclubrestaurant.com/home.html

Third rec would be Cafe Lurcat which has superb cuisine but does not meet your sunset or outdoor dining requirements although you sit outside on the balcony if you like and watch the passing scene on Fifth Avenue. Bar Lurcat has fantastic hamburgers and it is definitely a see and be seen place. Maybe it would be fun to end up here for drinks after dinner at Campiello.

Warning: Make reservations soon. Especially on weekends, reservations must be made very early. For this weekend, we had made our reservations in early January.

LMF

Isn't LMF the best? Can't you almost taste those short ribs? I was licking my fingers!

Ok LMFoodie I want to eat at campiello's again right now - only I want the chocolate dessert.....underradar could choose any of your selections and be happy.

I have friends visiting Naples right now who are bigger wine fans than myself who always include me in their plans.

Tonight we are going to Cafe Lurcat and Monday night, Cru in Fort Myers. I'll add the Cafe Lurcat comments tonight or tomorrow. Then I need to have some sort of cleansing diet week. LMF

Thanks to all of you for your help. I think the Fodor's message boards are great generally, but the Naples posts are the best.

As it turns out, we can't get Campiello's (and balsamic short ribs is something we'd travel very far to try). So we shifted our focus a little; we'll do the sunset at the Ritz Carlton (which is where we're staying) and will go elsewhere for dinner. We have reservations at both Roy's and Chops City. I know they're both in different locations and pretty far removed from my original idea, but they sounded interesting. Is there a clear choice between the two? Seems to me that the choice may come down to geography. Is there enough to do downtown after sundown to make that be the deciding factor?

Check out Sign of the Vine.......It was very nice last time I visited...........

Sadly, I believe Sign of the Vine has closed.
Are you thinking of going to Chops in Old Naples or the one in Bonita Springs? I'd definitely recommend the Old Naples (on 5th Ave South) for more "Naples atmosphere". After dinner, you can take a stroll down 5th with all of the other tourists and beautiful people! The Chops Bonita Springs location is nothing special, it's located in a commercial center.

I love Roys, it is one of the best of the chain and has exceptional staff. That being said, it is a miserable and uninspiring drive from the Ritz Carlton north past strip mall after strip mall and never ending road expansion. The Roy's location is just ok. Nice little mall with little shops which should be open in high season.

I'll go with the Chops rec, the Fifth Avenue one because of the location.

You also could just walk up the beach about 1 block to the Turtle Club but it is not as trendy as Chops. Have a great time. LMF

Naples Tomatoes is fantastic- the owner's are Jack and Nadine Surfass, tell them I sent you. It is just north of wiggins pass road- you can go for lunch but rsv for dinner are a must. sadly i had to move from naples to ft lauderdale for my job... i keep finding myself back over there however!

I'm headed to Naples next week, too, so thanks for the recs!

Underradar:
Just got back last night from 5 days in Naples and would highly recommend Baleens which is in the LaPlaya Hotel about 1/4 mile north of the Ritz for the best combination of sunset, beach dining and atmosphere. On the other hand, we never go to Naples without eating at least one night at Chops (20 min max ride from Ritz). Can't go wrong either way.

love chops as well; but you must try naples tomatoes. they will make you anything you want;even if it is not on the menu. so many great places to choose...

Campiello's is a must for a first timer. Perfect setting, even if you just go for Happy Hour. The ambiance is great. The homemade pasta is to die for. The Turtle Club is very casual with a great lunch menu, a must if you go to Vanderbilt Beach. The Ritz Beach Bar is also a great place for lunch and cocktails. Naples Beach and Golf Club on Sunday night is great for sunset watching and happy hour. Chops City Grill is great for steaks and presentation. The one Bonita Springs is also very nice.

what about lunch at campiello's? that's still a great take and such a nice atmosphere, so it might still work if you were inclined to walk south st/galleries/etc.

So, we ended up going to Chops, as we had a chance to walk past it when we strolled downtown during the afternoon, and we loved it. Great atmosphere - very "adult". Food was excellent, for the most part. Our party ordered the lamb chops, teriyaki glazed chicken, a sushi dish and a short rib special. All but the teriyaki were excellent. The wine list was great - the drinks were oversized (and a bit silly for a restaurant with this atmosphere, if you ask me). We didn't bother with dessert as we figured we would stop at one of the yogurt and ice cream parlors we passed on the way from the hotel, but I guess the town pretty much rolls up at 10pm. Too bad.

For lunch that day, we went to Lurcat and on the porch. The food was very tasty, but unfortunately we had a waiter who must have been in training (and was flying solo), and it took us almost an hour and a half to eat a lunch that should have taken less than half that long.

For breakfast the next day, we decided that we didn't need to invest $15 per person in an English muffin and coffee at the hotel, so we drove a mile or so to First Watch, a breakfast specialty place in a shopping center. It was perfect.

Thanks to all of you who responded to my initial post. I love this site and find it absolutely essential for travel planning. And this particular board is the most informative that I have come across.

thanks for sharing your info and experience ! Even a one night get a way can feel like a longer vaca and a nice break to just be togther - glad you enjoyed.

This thread is just what I needed! My parents are staying at their condo in Naples this month & it my dad's b-day next friday. I was thinking a restaurant gift certificate would be nice so I think I'll go w/Campiello. Thanks all!!

The best choice, snowrooster!