Fort Myers Beach, Florida

From:
JOHN OSBORNE – Banner Correspondent
11:20 a.m., Friday, June 19, 2009
Grab your dad for Father’s Day, a bottle of suntan lotion and tie on your flimsiest plastic bibs — you know, the ones with the picture of a big red lobster on front.

The 14th annual Taste of the Beach returns to Fort Myers Beach on Sunday, June 21, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Twenty area restaurants will dish up a wide variety of offerings ranging from seafood delicacies to ethnic-infused culinary creations. More than 8,000 food-lovers are expected to attend the event.

The Taste of the Beach will feature restaurants facing off in cooking and service-staff competitions, with each eatery whipping up its specialty of the house. Anybody who can’t stand the heat will just have to get out of the stadium-style kitchen and off the beach.

Judges will select winners in categories including seafood; shrimp; soup/chowder; appetizers; pizza; ribs; dessert and ethnic food. Festival-goers can cast their votes in the “People’s Choice” competition for best restaurant and watch as waiters and waitresses square off in a challenging obstacle course.

An awards presentation will take place from 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. under the main tent.

A wine garden will offer tastings for $10 and a brief presentation on six different kinds of wine. Full glasses can be purchased $5-$7.

Live music will entertain the crowd throughout the six-hour event, and there will also be plenty of fun games and activities for the kids. Children can ride the festival rides for $2 apiece, or $10 for the entire day. A children’s section will feature face-painting, a “young chef” competition, bounce-houses, a “blue monster” slide, a “dino-zone,” a golf challenge and an obstacle course.

Admission to the event is $4. Children 12 and under are free. Proceeds will support the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce and other local causes, including the town’s annual Forth of July fireworks display.

Parking ($3) will be available at Main Street and at Summerlin Square Shopping Center, with shuttle buses transporting festival-goers to the party site. Party headquarters will be located near Salty Sam’s Marina, 2200 Main Street.

Participating restaurants include ABWA; Beach Doggie Dog; Bourbon Street Bar & Grill; Dixie Fish Company; The Fish House; Francesco’s Italian Deli & Pizzeria; Hooters; J Bistro; NTL Catering; Parrot Key Caribbean Grill; Pinchers Bar & Grill at Holiday Inn; Jo-Jo’s at Pink Shell; The Sandy Butler; The Sandy Parrot Tiki Bar & Grill; South West Roasters; Surf Pie; V & J Bistro and Yucatan Beach Stand.

Estero resident Ashley Ball said he looks forward to attending the event every year.

“It’s a gastronomic gourmet feast,” Ball said. “It’s such fun. The surf, the sand, 95 degrees, the smell of suntan oil, sexy bodies and delicious food. Is it any wonder that we live in Fort Myers? Who would live in Boston?”

For more information on the 14th annual Taste of the Beach, call the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce at (239) 454-7500.

You’ve probably heard of call ahead seating for restaurants. Now, that concept is being used to help you avoid waiting, in the emergency room.

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From a recent review on Yelp!:

The Fish House prepares the stone crab cold (you can ask for it hot, but they’ll just reheat the already-cooked claws, and that’s no good), and serve it with amazing house-made sauces — a peppery cocktail, and a tangy, mayonnaise-y dip. Add a pitcher of ice cold beer, and you will think you’ve died and gone to heaven. Most of the sides are delicious, too: crispy battered fries, homemade sweet cole slaw, homemade hush puppies that are crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle…the steamed veggies are nothing to write home about, however, and are typically mushy. Seafood is their specialty, and they do it amazingly well. The ahi tuna loin is delicious, crusted with sesame, seared, and served with a seaweed salad and rice cake. The blackened ahi tuna bites are tasty, the peel-and-eat shrimp are plump and well-spiced, the crab quesadilla is awesome.

The location of this Fish House (the other is in Bonita) is way better, right on a marina with views of the bay and excellent bird and boat watching. The restaurant is open and airy with the sea breeze blowing through, a real Florida experience. Don’t miss this place!!!

7225 Estero Blvd

Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931

(239) 765-6766

Authorities in South Florida have finally nabbed a suspect dubbed the “Saggy Pants Bandit,” accused of holding up 28 restaurants and gas stations.

The only place to go from rock bottom is up.Certainly, Southwest Florida retailers, Realtors, restaurants and others whose businesses struggled because of a shaky economy in 2008 hope that 2009 brings better news. A summary of five of the top businesses stories from the past year:

The only place to go from rock bottom is up.Certainly, Southwest Florida retailers, Realtors, restaurants and others whose businesses struggled because of a shaky economy in 2008 hope that 2009 brings better news. A summary of five of the top businesses stories from the past year:

The only place to go from rock bottom is up.Certainly, Southwest Florida retailers, Realtors, restaurants and others whose businesses struggled because of a shaky economy in 2008 hope that 2009 brings better news. A summary of five of the top businesses stories from the past year:

The only place to go from rock bottom is up.Certainly, Southwest Florida retailers, Realtors, restaurants and others whose businesses struggled because of a shaky economy in 2008 hope that 2009 brings better news. A summary of five of the top businesses stories from the past year:

The only place to go from rock bottom is up.Certainly, Southwest Florida retailers, Realtors, restaurants and others whose businesses struggled because of a shaky economy in 2008 hope that 2009 brings better news. A summary of five of the top businesses stories from the past year:

Sanibel Signs up warning of sharks near Sanibel Another restaurant hanging up the apron The list of restaurants out of business is no short order.

Rating systems help people decide which restaurants to go to or hotels to stay at. So why not something similar from the federal government for the nation’s 16,000 nursing homes? Such a simple rating for so complex a task as caring for the elderly is leading to much anxiety in the nursing home industry. Home operators worry about the ramifications for their businesses if they get one or two stars — when five is the best.

Rating systems help people decide which restaurants to go to or hotels to stay at. So why not something similar from the federal government for the nation’s 16,000 nursing homes? Such a simple rating for so complex a task as caring for the elderly is leading to much anxiety in the nursing home industry. Home operators worry about the ramifications for their businesses if they get one or two stars — when five is the best.

Rating systems help people decide which restaurants to go to or hotels to stay at. So why not something similar from the federal government for the nation’s 16,000 nursing homes? Such a simple rating for so complex a task as caring for the elderly is leading to much anxiety in the nursing home industry. Home operators worry about the ramifications for their businesses if they get one or two stars — when five is the best.

Rating systems help people decide which restaurants to go to or hotels to stay at. So why not something similar from the federal government for the nation’s 16,000 nursing homes? Such a simple rating for so complex a task as caring for the elderly is leading to much anxiety in the nursing home industry. Home operators worry about the ramifications for their businesses if they get one or two stars — when five is the best.

Rating systems help people decide which restaurants to go to or hotels to stay at. So why not something similar from the federal government for the nation’s 16,000 nursing homes? Such a simple rating for so complex a task as caring for the elderly is leading to much anxiety in the nursing home industry. Home operators worry about the ramifications for their businesses if they get one or two stars — when five is the best.