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Woody’s Bar-B-Q is back in Fort Myers. This time it is located on the Fort Myers – Lehigh Acres line in the Crossroads Shopping Center. Woody’s was originally in North Fort Myers and later in South Fort Myers as well. They closed in 2004 so many of our newer residents may not be familiar with this Bar-B-Q chain. The current Woody’s is locally owned, so we decided to give them a try.

Lehigh Acres needs a good sit-down restaurant. However, many Lehigh residents tend to think of this area of Lehigh as Fort Myers. So, it may not satisfy their need, but it is not that long of a drive if you are wanting some Bar-B-Q and sit-down service.

Let’s talk about the negatives that if not corrected will affect them in the long run. When we arrived, they were not particularly busy. The hostess/server did take a bit to come out and seat us. It is not a good idea to leave people waiting to be seated. When our meals were served, they mixed up the sides as to which sides went to which person. This is a kitchen issue. The last negative was our server presented the bill without asking if we wanted coffee and dessert. We did opt for the coffee which was really good. She made a fresh pot and actually waited for it to finishing brewing before serving us. As we have mentioned before some places will not do this. However, if you read our reviews you know about the one pet peeve, we mention a lot. When serving coffee and you also serve the sweetener and creams does it not stand to reason that a spoon is needed to stir the coffee? Ours was not served with one. Lastly, when our meals were served, they mixed up the sides as to which sides went to which person.

The food, however, was very good. The chicken and the ribs, the meat just fell off the bones. The white meat chicken was very tender and moist. The portions are a decent size. The combo of ¼ chicken and half rack ribs with garlic toast and 2 sides is $13.99 We opted for a variety of sides: Beans, okra and tomatoes, cole slaw, mac and cheese and a side salad. Overall, they have many options making it affordable for families.

Woody’s Bar-B-Q has real potential and we will certainly be going back despite the negatives. For those that live in Lehigh Acres, it is nice to have a sit-down restaurant that serves good bar-b-q without having to run into Fort Myers. If they correct the negatives, they will really be knocking it out of the park.

Overall rating Average

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The Pinecraft community is situated near the intersection of Bahia Vista Avenue and Beneva Road in Sarasota. It is a popular winter vacation spot for many North American Amish and Mennonites, particularly from Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. (Wikipedia) Within this community lies a wonderful restaurant Der Dutchman.  It is a casual Amish restaurant that has “scratch-made” breakfast, lunch or dinner, a buffet and pies and desserts. Not to mention their bakery and store.  It is the quaintest not so little place that is immensely popular.

Their most popular and notable menu item is their buffet. The food quality of most buffets is often subpar but not at Der Dutchman. Their buffet features broasted chicken, juicy roast beef, ham, fish, pork,ribs, and turkey, stuffing, real mashed potatoes, creamed corn, green beans, carrots, homemade noodles, salad bar and much more. The salad greens are fresh and crisp, the tomatoes and cucumbers all had flavor and taste. They also have the best potato salad. Everything was fresh and kept warm. They keep replenishing the items frequently. The buffet area is clean and is kept that way.

We just had to try a little bit of everything, and they use good quality food items. Homemade mashed potatoes and stuffing were excellent but the yams, oh my, the yams were absolutely over the top delicious! For $14.99 it is a great value. The quality of the food makes this we worth it.

The service, they certainly are trained to put the customer first. If you are walking anywhere and a server or any of the other workers are nearby, they stop and let you go first. Even in the buffet line, if a worker was getting ready to replenish the food, they waited and let us go first.

We also noted, despite how large the restaurant is and how many people were there, it was quiet. You could hold an actual conversation and not have to deal with surrounding noise. There were plenty of families there but no screaming little ones. It was a very pleasant experience.

If you find yourself in Sarasota, then you will want to give Der Dutchman a try. It is a superior buffet!

Overall rating Excellent

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The British Open Pub has been serving Bonita Springs for over 20 years. My how time flies and how Bonita Springs has changed over those years. The one thing that has not changed is how good the food is at the British Open Pub.

We have dined at the British Open Pub many times over the years but it has been at least 10 years since we visited them, so we thought they were overdo for a visit from the Discriminating Diner.

The atmosphere is absolutely charming. You did fell like you are in a pub. Sometimes an older restaurant gets old and used looking but that is not the case here. It is warm, quaint and has wonderful décor throughout. We chose to eat outdoors on the patio as it was a beautiful winter day in SWFL.

Our hostess was warm and friendly. However, our server was a bit rough around the edges. My dining companion has dietary restrictions and had some trouble finding something that was to her liking. While our server did try to help, after several suggestions she became visibly frustrated. My dining partner did settle on Prime Rib Sandwedge – $9.95 – Shaved Prime Rib, with Sauteed Onions, Mushrooms, Cheese, & Mayonnaise on a Toasted Hoagie Roll minus the mushrooms and cheese.

I had the Chicken Broccoli Pastie – $10.95 – Tender pieces of Chicken Breast, Broccoli & Assorted cheeses, wrapped in a Light Flaky Pastry, baked ‘til golden brown, served with Chips and Chicken Gravy on the side. It also came with the veggies of the day peas and carrots.

One would think that pub food would be ordinary and lack flavor but that is not the case here. Everything was delicious, fresh, hot and absolutely wonderful. Sometimes the side dishes get neglected and are an after thought but not in this case. I am not a fan of carrots but theirs were really flavorful and cook perfectly.

If you find yourself In Bonita Springs and are looking for a great place to dine, give the British Open Pub,  located on U.S. 41 at the corner of Pelican Landing Parkway, a try.

Overall rating Above Average

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There is a new Restaurant in town and is located in the “castle” as it is nicknamed. Leopardi’s is located where the Tilted Kilt and at least 3 other restaurants once were.  Perhaps this one will be a keeper. Leopardi’s opened on November 10th.  It was about a month old when we decided to pay them a visit. This is a large restaurant to fill with seating on 2 floors as well as 2 outdoor dining options.  The parking lot was full but as there is plenty of seating we did not have to wait.

Leopardi’s Service

We were greeted by a hostess who opens the door for those entering and leaving. While she smiled, she was soft spoken and did not really add to the experience. Their motto is Enter as Friends, Leave as Family. As the greeter gives you your first impression perhaps a greeter with a more outgoing personality would be a better fit. The hostess station comes next and it was a bit chaotic. There were several hostesses all talking and hanging around the station. This made it difficult for guests to approach but one hostess did come out from around the back to greet us warmly and take us to our table. We were seated in the right-hand dining room. We were there for a few minutes when a server approached and asked if we had been helped yet.  As we had not, she took our drink orders. We thought she was our server, but she was not as another server soon appeared. What we noticed about the service in general is that they are so focused on what they are doing that they struggle with making your feel like family. Other services we observed were quite chatty with their customers and lingered at the tables longer than they should be. Our server neglected to take the menus after we ordered, and they remained there for quite some time. One of our bussers who kept our glasses filled was very personable. They seem to have a lot of staff and service seemed to be a bit chaotic as well. We also noticed that the servers were not familiar with the menu including what desserts were available that day.

As for the ambiance, the room was very noisy making it hard to hear at times and it was at most half full. The tables do not have any tablecloths on them which I think would add some warmth to the room. The room is brighter than it used to be back in the early days. We also noticed the kitchen was a bit noisy too despite our table being about in the middle of the room.

Leopardi’s Food

The food on the other hand is awesome. They know what they are doing there. You can tell they are using high quality products in everything they make. They have a large menu with many traditional items as well as more creative items. The bread is awesome and has a crunchy crust. It is served with a trio of Olive Tapenade, Olive Oil with Garlic and Parm Cheese and Diced Eggplant. All 3 were excellent.

For entrees we chose the Sausage with Broccoli Rabe ($19.99) which is thin sausage, broccoli rabe olive oil, garlic and Italian seasoning served over Cavatelli (one of my favorites). It was outstanding although it could have used a bit more of the sauce on it. The cavatelli did not have ridges and that made it harder for the sauce to adhere to it. The portion of sausage is large, and it was delicious. My dining partner had the Chicken Marsala ($19.99) without the mushrooms. There are 2 chicken breasts and they just melt in your mouth. Both entrees came with a mixed salad which was good as well.

They have a dessert case and as our server was not sure what was available or what some of the desserts were, we checked them out for ourselves. We chose to split a Tiramisu and it was excellent. They do have a nice selection of cakes and a torte as well. We did not see the torte on the menu nor did our server know they had that. They have desserts listed on their menu that were not available. We asked what Italian pastries they had, and yes the menu said Italian pastries, but our server had no idea what we were talking about and there none in the case.

As we left, my dining partner inquired from one of the hostesses about gluten free options. In her effort to be helpful, she started to educate my dining partner on what it meant to be gluten free and other information she was not asking about and never really answered her question. Again, training is the solution here.

Service seems to be their Achilles heal at this point. Given what they are trying to achieve their servers and hostesses need more training. In observing the other guests in the dining room, some seemed pleased and others not so much. I do want to give kudos to the manager. The gentlemen at the table next to us knocked the dish that held the bread dipping options onto the floor. She came to clean it up and asked if we were ok and did any of the class hit us. That was very thoughtful of her.

I do hope they get a handle on their service as the food is very good and they have the makings of providing a truly exceptional dining experience. Do give them a try but perhaps wait until their service improves.

Overall rating: Above Average Minus

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The Discriminating Diner went on the road to Punta Gorda and came across a gem of a restaurant. They are not a hidden gem because they are right on 41 but to Lee County diners you may have never heard of them. Phil’s 41 Restaurant is certainly worth the trip!

We were warmly greeted by the hostess and taken to our table. The atmosphere is very warm and welcoming. They were decorated for Christmas as well. The dining room is fairly large and there is a separate room perfect for large groups or parties. While it is not closed off from main dining room it is separate enough to give your group privacy.

Our server was a real delight. She answered all our questions and checked on things for us. I have to say that when it comes to service, they worked together in such harmony. There was a system and that reflected in their professional service. Yet they made you feel comfortable and that they were there to make sure you have a great dining experience.

We started with some cocktails a Lemon Drop Martini and a Chocolate Martini. They have a skilled bartender because not everyone can make a good martini. Both were excellent.

We opted not to have an appetizer as the entrees come with choice of soup or salad. The soup of the day was a Tomato Bisque, but it was like none other that I have had. It had small diced tomatoes, onions and peppers in it. It was very hearty and full of flavor. My dining partner had the salad which was large for a side salad. Everything was crisp and fresh.

For entrees we chose the Prime Rib special and the Veal Francese. The prime rib was cooked perfectly, tender, and was a large portion. The baked potato was light and fluffy on the inside and the sautéed veggies were fresh and crisp. The veal just melted in your mouth and had perfectly balanced flavors.

For dessert we chose the Perogies and the Cannoli. The Perogies were filled with sweet cheese and I could only eat 3 of the 8 provided. When it comes to Cannoli it is all about the cream and is the shell crisp. Their Cannoli was excellent. The cream was delightful and the shell crisp.

Towards the end of the meal, the service kind of slacked off a bit. Our server was a real delight, but we could tell she was struggling a bit. Our meal was perfectly paced but the desserts and coffee took a while to be served. However, this did not detract from the experience. The only other recommendation is that the butters etc. are served in little plastic containers but using a dish and or glass cups would better fit the caliber of restaurant this is.

We were so impressed that we spoke with the owners to let them know how pleased we were. So when you find yourself in Punta Gorda or are looking to take a road trip for dinner, Give Phil’s 41 Restaurant a try. You will not be disappointed.

Overall rating: Above Average+

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Finding a restaurant east of I-75 is a daunting task. There just not that many options for those who live in those areas. In Gateway there are a few options one being the Saucy Meatball. So, we thought we would stop by and give them a try.

The Saucy Meatball has indoor seating in the bar, outdoor seating and offers take-out. The décor of the bar is clean and modern. When dining in the bar, look at the ceiling as they have a very nice and unique light effect. The indoor dining space is small but there is plenty of outdoor dining space.

Our server was very attentive, friendly and professional. She added to the overall pleasant experience you have dining there.

We started with martini’s ($8) a Limoncello and an Expresso with chocolate added. Both were wonderful. The Limoncello martini was light and refreshing. The Expresso is perfect as an after-dinner dessert type martini.

Their menu follows the current trend of having a small menu then have daily or weekly specials. We opted to share the Walnut Encrusted Brie ($9) which was served with 3 crostini topped with wild berry compote. It was delicious, and the flavors blended so well with each other. We ordered the Pasta Bolognese ($13.90) which was enough for 2 people with leftovers as well. The portion was large. The sauce was dark and rich but could of used a bit more spices. It was good, I just like my sauce with a bit more garlic etc in it. So it is just a matter of taste. One can tell though that they do know what they are doing as well as they should as the family has been in the restaurant business for many years.

We did not have dessert, but the weekly special was bread pudding with ice cream ($6). We did have coffee though and it was excellent. Sometimes restaurant coffee is way too strong as it may have sat in pot too long but that was not the case here.

So, it you find yourself east of I-75 and are looking for a restaurant to have a nice dinner, give the Saucy Meatball a try.

Overall rating: Above Average

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The Mellow Mushroom Fort Myers opened in August and has been getting mixed reviews. So, we thought we would check it out and see what the buzz is all about.

Mellow Mushroom Fort Myers is in Daniels Marketplace, where the new Whole Foods is, on the corner Daniels Rd and 6 Mile Cypress.  The decor is very eclectic, modern, colorful. It has a cool vibe to it that makes it a place you want to hang out in.

We were there off-peak times so we had no wait at all. We were promptly seated, and our waitress soon arrived to take our drink orders. Robbi was her name and she was very warm and friendly. She returned with our beverages and explained the menu to us. She told us it would be a 20-minute wait if we wanted pizzas. This is different. Never had a restaurant tell you how long it would be to get your meal once it is ordered.  This is where people who dine there struggle with as once they order they are told it is an 60 minute or 90 minute wait for their food. I think management needs to work on that issue. Nobody wants to wait 60 minutes to be seated and then another 60 minutes for their food. However, we luckily did not have that issue.

We had the bruschetta for starters and it was really very good. A nice blend of flavors and even though they use fetta cheese it was good. Sometimes bruschetta can get soggy if not made right. For pizza’s we tried a specialty pizza called the Holy Shiitake Medium $19.99 (Olive oil and garlic base, shiitake, button and portobello mushrooms, caramelized onions, mozzarella, and MontAmoré®. Finished with a garlic aioli swirl and a spritz of black truffle oil. Garnished with fresh chives and shaved Parmesan.) We also had a medium pepperoni and bacon pizza ($16.76) The bacon is applewood smoked bacon.

The Holy Shiitake pizza was extremely good. You could taste the flavor of each and every type of mushroom on it. It even looks like a work of art as the presentation is wonderful. The flavors complement each other well. The pepperoni/bacon however was unremarkable. In fact, you are better off sticking to the specialty pizzas and if you want a more traditional pizza then go to your favorite pizzeria. The way they top the pizza’s could use some work so that everything especially the Parmesan cheese is evenly distributed.

We opted not to try dessert except one of my dining partners wanted the Pink Lemonade pop $3.49 (Water, organic cane sugar, lemon juice, strawberries, lemon zest.) She stated it was very good. No meal is complete without coffee. This is where we had our one and only issue for the night. As it was close to closing time, I was informed that all the coffee pots had already been cleaned and the maker turned off. I guess they were in a hurry to close up maybe? This should never be done prior to closing and certainly never when there are still people in the restaurant. We were not the only ones still there. Our server, sensing our displeasure, returned and said her manager said we could indeed have coffee if we wanted some. However, it was rather strong as they poured it prior to the pot completely brewing. When that is done, the coffee is much stronger at first. I am sure it was done so we would not have to wait too long for it.

Mellow Mushroom Fort Myers has some things they do well and other things not so much. I certainly would not go when it is packed but would opt for off peak times. If you want authentic Italian, this is not the place for you. If you are looking a unique vibe, trendy food with good quality products then this is the place for you.

Overall rating Average plus.

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Blu Agave Fort Myers first opened its doors in Cape Coral and now also has a location in Fort Myers. We heard good things about the one in the Cape, so we thought we would give the Fort Myers one a try.

We arrived at off peak time so there were not very many people dining that evening. The decor is nice but what one would expect.  Blu Agave Fort Myers is all about “authentic flavors and excellent style of service”.

Our waiter warmly greeted us and took our drink orders. I just had too try one of their Margarita’s and chose the Italian as it is topped with Amaretto.  It is only served in the Jumbo size (such a hardship) for $10.25. I will give it to their bartender as he made one awesome margarita!

We then ordered our food. Fajitas for 2 (steak) $34.50 and Pork Shanks En Mole $14.95. I must say at this point that it took over 45 minutes to get our food. They did keep us in chips and salsa which tasted very good however we were confused as to why it took so long for our food to arrive. Of course, we inquired, and it was explained to us that the chef cooked the wrong entrée and the fajitas had to be cooked all over again. I guess things can wrong in the kitchen, but they were not busy. We should have been told of this rather than waiting on us to ask. It was not like we would not notice the long delay.

When the food arrived, while the Fajitas were hot, the Pork Shanks En Mole were only warm as it had to be kept warm while they recooked the fajitas. I did not send it back as I did not want to wait any longer for my food. Despite all this, the food was very good. The pork was very tender, and the beans and rice were seasoned nicely. My dining partners thoroughly enjoyed their fajitas. While the food was very good it was overshadowed by the long wait and lack of explanation.

It will be sometime before we would return to Blu Agave Fort Myers to give them another try but we are open to trying them again to see if their kitchen/management problems have resolved.  Perhaps we will try the Cape Coral location next time

Overall rating: Average

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