Florida

Su’s Garden Chinese Restaurant on Marco Island, Florida

Dining Outside the Home: Su’s Garden Chinese Restaurant on Marco Island, Florida! Pay no attention to the golden lions guarding the serpent-wrapped columns as you enter through the glass doors, unless you want to take a photo. Dining areas are set with white tablecloths, printed placemats, and flatware. Meals are served in Old World style on blue and white designed dishes by attentive servers. Portions are generous and filling. The menu offers tasty appetizers, savory soups, and extensive house specialties with steamed or fried rice. Pay attention to the dishes that promote peppery hot, spicy ingredients for those who crave that Szechwan kick. One mustn’t forget a pot of the blended hot tea for the ultimate dining experience. When you can go no further, sit back, break open the fortune cookie, read the message, and eat the cookie. Perfect meals require perfect endings.

Zaza Mexican Kitchen on Marco Island, Florida

Dining Outside the Home: Zaza Mexican Kitchen on Marco Island, Florida! Tucked away next to a local bike shop, a blend of kitchen aromas fill the parking lot with hypnotic haziness. The breeze reveals the familiarity of slow-cooked meats like woodsmoke curlicues. Something inside you says this is going to taste pretty good. Using fresh ingredients is a must when combining Latin secrets with Mexican family recipes. There is no other way to cook. The taqueria ambiance slightly resembles Old Mexico living as well. Go ahead, begin with hand-cut chips and salsa. Wash them down with an original agave wine margarita. Ahhh. Then dig in to a platter of sizzling fajitas, spiced carnitas, soft tacos, loaded enchiladas, or cheesy quesadillas. On second thought, better plan on a return visit. Your stomach will thank you.

Cocomo’s Grill on Marco Island, Florida

Dining Outside the Home: Cocomo’s Grill on Marco Island, Florida! Laid-Back is their middle name. When you’re on your way to somewhere else, stop by for a little conversation and a familiar face at this island-themed eating house. The mood is always groovy at Cocomo’s, and the positive mind-set is downright contagious. After all, this cozy island oasis is exactly where you want to be right now. Order a platter of Ahi Tuna Nachos. Seared rare is the only way to go, you know. The wonton chips, sprinkled with pickled ginger and snipped scallions, add crispy crunch to that burst of wasabi. Peruse the menu to make a mental note for other favorites later on. Take a break from the sandcastles and beach combing. Did you hear that? Cocomo’s is calling your name.

Sunset Grille on Marco Island, Florida

Dining Outside the Home: Sunset Grille on Marco Island, Florida! Whether you walk across the white sandy beach to the barefoot bar or ramble under the turquoise-blue awning from the parking lot, you can’t ignore the familiar chorus floating across your mind, “…down at the Sunset Grille…”. Prepare yourself for tropical dining. Look around, this is definitely paradise. The view is breathtaking all the way to the aquamarine horizon. Order a crafted cocktail. When you catch your breath… sip, chat, laugh out loud. It’s okay, you’re among friends. These are times you remember. Nibble on the seared ahi appetizer (the seaweed salad is amazing) before moving on to dinner. Perhaps the garden-fresh steak salad, medium rare, will tempt your palate. Order another drink. Stick around for a sunset kaleidoscope of color that will dazzle the senses. And tomorrow you can do it all over again.

Sami’s on Marco Island, Florida

Dining Outside the Home: Sami’s on Marco Island, Florida! The locals still talk about this once convenience stored-turned affordable restaurant with approval and enthusiasm. Fresh ingredients and homemade meals became the norm. So much so, that word spread like wildfire. The extensive menu offers grilled dishes, home style pastas, garden salads, pizza variations, tempting appetizers, seafood favorites, and more. Grab a seat at the bar or a cozy table for two outdoors. No matter the time of day, Sami’s is a friendly place for your next island meal.

Pinchers on Marco Island, Florida

Dining Outside the Home: Pinchers on Marco Island, Florida! Stumbling into a place that boasts Happy Hour Every Day All Day is definitely an unexpected pleasure if you appreciate liquid refreshments and crave seafood. At Pinchers, their motto is “You can’t fake fresh!”, which is important when you’re located steps away from the Gulf of Mexico. It helps that local fishermen keep the restaurant supplied with fish from local emerald green waters. When the wait staff rolls out a sheet of brown paper to cover the table, it’s practically unspoken permission to eat with your fingers. Slightly chilled peel ‘n eat shrimp, dunked in a homemade cocktail sauce, is good enough to devour in one bite. Save room for more, though, because the clam strips are coated in a tasty batter and deep-fried to a golden brown; crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. Even if you have to share, the meal wouldn’t be complete without the favored Floridian dessert, Key Lime Pie.

Laishley Crab House in Punta Gorda, Florida

Dining Outside the Home: Laishley Crab House in Punta Gorda, Florida. For a jaw-dropping view of the waterfront from the open air upper deck, either grab a seat at the wraparound bar or reserve a table instead. Laishley Crab House has a menu that offers everything from incredible seafood and sushi bowls to unique sandwiches, garden salads, roasted chicken, and grilled steak. But way more than that. The freshly baked bread is so warm, butter spreads across it like liquid gold. Try not to gorge yourself because dinner is worth the wait. Sip on a crafted cocktail; notice the way vehicles crisscross on the parallel bridges in the distance as motorboats cut through the flowing waters of the Peace River below. Make dining a total experience worth remembering. Life is good at Laishley Crab House, especially if you save room for dessert.

Hemingway Rum Company in Key West, Florida

Dining Outside the Home: Papa’s Pilar Rum Distillery, Hemingway Rum Company in Key West, Florida! The mystique of the legendary adventurer, Ernest Hemingway, is revealed in Papa’s Pilar premium sipping rum. Visit the island distillery nestled in an original tobacco warehouse built in 1878. “Papa’s Pilar”, named after Hemingway’s private vessel which he often sailed to nearby Cuba in the 1930s, lent its name to the limited edition rums. Tours are certainly encouraged and tastings of both the blonde and dark varieties of rum are available. “Live the full life of the mind, exhilarated by new ideas, intoxicated by the romance of the unusual.” ~ Ernest Hemingway.

Duetto Pizza and Gelato in Key West, Florida

Dining Outside the Home: Duetto Pizza and Gelato in Key West, Florida! Just a stone’s throw off Duval Street is a cozy Italian eatery that serves New York-style thin crust pizza by the slice. Because a single slice can be bigger than your hand, you may see people folding it in half, especially if they’re peddling toward the beach or heading over to the waterfront pier. No judgement. If it keeps one from burning the roof of their mouth on the gooey cheese, I’m all for it. Whatever you choose, save a little room for fresh gelato. It’s made daily with milk, real fruit, and natural ingredients. No wonder it tastes so good.