Neopatrick-Naples dining question
 

Hi Patrick- My DH and I have decided to go to Naples for our 5th anniversary since we encountered some sitter issues and didn't want to leave the states. It's been a few years since we've been. We loved campiello's for lunch last time we were there and can't wait to go back. Wondering if you had some suggestions for some great & special dinners. Is Baleen at la Playa still special- thinking for the actual anniv. night? we are in our late 30s and relatively
hip :-) looking for great food & atmosphere- nowhere overly casual. Price not an issue. thanks!

I'll send this up for Patrick and recommend having a special dinner at Cafe Lurcat. It is a lovely room with beautiful lighting and the bar downstairs is fun for after dinner. The food is excellent and the wine list is very good.

http://www.damico.com/frame.asp?s=vi...ation&ft=d

My last visit I had the foie gras appetizer, yellowtail for the entree with roasted cauliflower as a side. Everything was perfect.

Campiello is lovely and I have lunch there almost every time I shop in Naples. I wrote about Baleen here several years ago and I think its atmosphere can not be beat in Naples. The food is sometimes fabulous and other times someone seems absent from the kitchen.

Mangia bene. Honoria

perhaps I should note that Campiello and Cafe Lurcat are from the same excellent small chain based in Minneapolis. HG

Wow. I haven't been to Baleen in a couple years, but the scoop hasn't been that positive about it.

We recently had dinner at the old Zoe's on Fifth Ave. South, now called Trilogy, and it was very good.
Here's their website:
http://www.trilogyofnaples.com/

I still like Campiello's as well as anywhere -- and like the casual atmosphere of it. Have you been to their "sister restaurant" Lurcat on Fifth Avenue? It's just a little more upscale and I like it a lot.

If you want a steak house, there's been a fair amount of buzz about The Strip House (branch of New York's) which recently opened at the Naples Grande (formerly The Registry).

Patrick, did you like The Strip House? Steaks were good but I really don't think it is all that special. It is the interior that gets the buzz I think. I am not crazy about the bordello interior. It seems at odds with the re-design of the hotel. Just my opinion. Men seem crazy about it. Walls are full of pictures of burlesque queens.

OOps. When I posted (which I got sidetracked from doing) those first two posts weren't here from Honoria Glossop.

I haven't been to the Strip House, just repeating what I've heard. I have seen pictures of the interior and yes, I love its tacky, decadent look, so right for a steakhouse in my book -- admittedly out of step with the rest of the hotel.

Honoria, it just "clicked" who you are. I forgot that was your new screen name instead of LMF. Someone was asking me about you lately and I mentioned I hadn't heard in ages. Good to see you posting here. What's up? If you have my old email address it's now embarqmail.com instead of earthlink.net, but otherwise the same.

honoria- grazie tanto! Thank you also Patrick. Sounds like Lurcat and Trilogy must definitely be looked into. Thanks for the info on baleen- it's too bad that it's not regarded as it once was. i appreciate your suggestions!

Baleen: how about just doing a sunset cocktail or drink there and down to the Turtle Club for dinner on the beach? Might be fun. both are very close to the Ritz Carlton and easily accessed from the beach. H

Another question- though a "chain" we liked the food at Chops (the one in Naples, not Bonita)- not for the actual anniv night, but maybe for one of the others. Any thoughts?

I don't consider Chops a "chain". The owner has five restaurants, only two have the same name and similar menus.
I like Chops a lot, but I tend to patronize Pazzo the most -- partially since a good friend (our "adopted" son) works there. Their newest one -- Blue Water Bistro in Coconut Point is very good too.

By the way, another thought for the "special" dinner might be Lemonia, the restaurant at the Ritz Golfing Resort. It's one of the prettiest rooms in town and seems to get raves from all those who dine there -- I haven't, however.

Did I see you're staying at the Ritz -- probably the Gulf not the Golf?

yes, we're staying at Ritz Gulf. Thanks for the other 2 options. I'm going to peruse the websites. I'm very much looking forward to this trip!

Since you're at the Ritz, I especially recommend the Turtle Club. Not so much for its food although it is good, but to sit outside with your feet in the sand whilst watching the gulf. Drinkies at Baleen for sunset?

Patrick has mentioned Blue Water Bistro at Coconut Point,a great outdoor "town" built from scratch since your last visit. Blue Water is only open for dinner. BW is one of the best seafood restaurants around. For lunch, the Grape is very good if you are into wine.

http://www.bluewaterbistro.net/

I recommend you avoid Ruth's Chris steakhouse at all costs. We had a terrible meal last Friday night and the restaurant was exceptionally slow. Steaks were tough and the sides were ghastly. frozen peas in cheeze whiz. Yeccch. Nice wine, ok service but not what I expect at a steakhouse. HG

Honoria, very interesting about Ruth Chris. I know they are very popular around the country. But they opened two of them here this past year -- the one at Coconut Point and another at the Coastland Mall in Naples. The buzz on the street is that both are already in serious trouble. I have heard horror stories about service and food, and despite it now being season when you wait to get in nearly any decent and even not-so-great restaurants, there are reports of people going to Ruth Chris and seeing only a small handful of diners there. Very bad sign.

Patrick and/or Honoria- a few questions. 1) how far is Blue Water Bistro from the Ritz beach? Would you consider it a "night out" type of place or just a good place for dinner? the menu looks fantastic.
2)Same question as to trilogy. if you had to choose between trilogy and chops, which would you choose and why?
3) cafe Lurcat- the menu on line looks a little limited. Since you have been, is the on line menu simply a sampling (as it implies) or is that it? Thank you!

1) Yes, Blue Water Bistro would be fine for a night out. Coconut Point is huge (going to be the largest mall complex in Florida, someone told me?). There are movies there (the nicest cinema in our area), tons of stores, and lots of restaurants. The whole complex is very scattered though and outside -- no indoor mall area. It's quite casual and good, but I wouldn't think of it as a major "destination dining place" if that's what you are asking. Probably not your "special" meal.

2)I think Chops has a more trendy and casual vibe while Trilogy seems a little more "grand" and dressy. Although in all honesty, I'm not sure I don't like the food and the service just as well if not slightly better at Chops than at Trilogy.

3) The menu at Cafe Lurcat is not huge -- I think about 15 entrees, maybe a special or two in addition.
Downstairs in BAR Lurcat is a more limited menu. I access Cafe Lurcat via Open Table and use it for making reservations there and at Campiello by the way -- is that where you accessed the menu?

Honoria had posted their website which is where i saw the menu. I use open table as well but i can't use it yet for this trip-- too far out.

I guess I want to make sure we get a variety and each night is special in its own way. I think maybe Trilogy one night, Lurcat one night and then 1 other spot.Chops sounds like it might be similar to Trilogy? Perhaps Blue Water. Would you make Lurcat the special night place? Lemonia is an option, but I don't know why a hotel restaurant is not doing it for me (altho baleen is in a hotel, it didn't have that feel).

Patrick and Honoria (and anyone else!):
I've booked Lurcat for our anniversary night. A friend who recently went to naples tried Blue water Bistro and liked it, but thought it would be a bit too long of a ride for us coming from the Ritz beach. Thoughts on that?

So, I have 2 other nights to book. I'm thinking maybe the Strip House b/c DH loves steak places. But if do that, should i forget Chops? Maybe Strip House and Trilogy? Or should I forget Strip House and book Chops and trilogy?

Went on Chowhound and saw Blue Porvence and nemos mentioned. Are they any good? are they considered as good as the ones mentioned? Thank you as always!

OH, these are all really tough questions. I live really close to Blue Provence and haven't been there in a very long time. I get mixed reports. My experience was pretty bad, but too long ago now to even count. I really should try it again. Mainly it seemed like a good restaurant trying to hard to pretend to be magnificent, and charging prices as if they were. It feels like it should be a wonderful casual little country French place, but the whole manner and attitude was as if you were dining at The Ritz.

Nemo's is quite good, but always seems more of a bustling neighborhood type casual place than as fine of dining as you are indicating.

Since I haven't been to the Strip House, it's hard to pass judgment or comparison there. I think choosing Trilogy and Chops would be great. (Incidentally friends just said they had the most WONDERFUL dinner at Trilogy) and they are really usually very picky. Blue Water Bistro is more casual. But frankly if you're staying at the Ritz, the drive up there is hardly any more than the drive to downtown and Fifth Avenue. On the other hand, it would make a great lunch place!

The Strip House is clearly more of an atmospheric traditional steak house. Chops is more of a trendy "brasserie feel" place, but with really good steaks, sushi, and other items. Chops is more vibrant and noisy -- Strip House (I'm sure) is more quiet and sedate.

Thank you Patrick, as always. I talked about it with DH last night and he doesn't want to miss Chops, so Chops is definitely in for one of the nights. I think we'll do Trilogy for the other, and that will wrap it up. Lunch at campiellos at least once!
Thanks again for your help with this!

Patrick &/or Honoria- we've changed our upcoming Naples trip to 2 nights rather than 3. On our actual anniversary we will be dining at Lurcat. I have now only 1 other night to play with. Friends who just got back from Naples said that Chops isn't what it used to be, or so the foodies they stayed with opined. any comments on that? I'm thinking maybe we'll try the Strip House or Truluck-- although we did already dine at Truluck in Boca. I don't think DH will love Trilogy, but he loves a good steak and can do that at either strip or Tru I believe. Any suggestions? Thank you.