Lux brunch options abound throughout Lee County
With “season” creeping up fast, it’s already time to start planning for visitors looking to take in the sights – and tastes – around Lee County. Who is coming in to town, what’s the menu, what’s going on? Going out for breakfast is always fun, but wrangling the family together in time can be a hassle. Meet brunch, the perfect combination of breakfast and lunch. Most restaurants start serving brunch in the late morning and stay open until early afternoon, giving you plenty of time to sleep in and eat a good meal, too.
* For a Cajun flair
Slate’s in Cape Coral boasts its Cajun cuisine, and its brunch menu is no exception.
The live jazz music and New Orleans-style decor will create a warm, home-style ambiance Sunday mornings. Brunch is served from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and plates are made to order.
Menu items range from eggs benedict and Cajun omelets to beignets and gumbo.
The restaurant recently introduced a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar, complete with all the beverage fixins’ as well as a house-marinated vodka to add even more flavor. Guests can get all-you-can-drink bloody Marys for $18 with purchase of an entree. One Bloody Mary made by the bartender is $8.
Restaurant owners Nancy and Alan Cotter retired to Cape Coral after owning a restaurant in the Virgin Islands. When they moved back to Florida, they found they missed cooking up dishes with a kick, Nancy Cotter said.
They didn’t stay in retirement long – without Cajun food to dine on, they decided they’d open their own restaurant, and Slate’s was born.
“We have a Cajun flavor that’s not as bland,” Nancy Cotter said, which they believe makes them unique in the area’s restaurant options.
Cotter’s favorite brunch item is also the most popular: the champagne eggs benedict, two poached eggs, with spinach, tomato, red onion and goat cheese on a butter croissant.
“Everything is made from scratch,” she said.
Reservations are highly recommended, especially during season. The menu’s price ranges from $11 to $20, with a few items over $20. Cotter described the attire as casual fine dining.
Make sure to ask the bartender for a Pimm’s Cup cocktail, a delicious and refreshing liqueur-based drink with apple and cucumber slices. Slates is at 4820 Candia St. Call 239-540-6800.
* For an experience on the water
It’s not hard to find somewhere that serves breakfast late, but brunch on the water is a unique experience.
The Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort and Spa offers a seafaring fare for its guests.
Reservations are required for the two-hour Sunday brunch cruise. The 100-foot Princess Yacht seats about 75 to 80 people in its main dining area, which is air conditioned but windowed all around to offer a comfortable view of the water. A private dining area, which fits about 30 guests, is also available for those wanting to brunch with friends and family in a more intimate setting.
Attire is resort-casual, although the dining set is a luxurious white-tablecloth affair.
“It’s a great way to be out on the water,” said Lynda Rizzo, the head concierge.
The menu features a wide variety of buffet-style treats, including fresh salads and fruits, assorted bagels and cream cheeses, smoked salmon and a meat-carving station, as well as a dessert table.
Rizzo said her favorite item is the fruit blitz. Entrees include carved rosemary beef and chicken, with grouper occasionally appearing as an option, as well.
After the meal, guests are free to wander about the deck and its two levels.
“If the captain spots something, like dolphins swimming along the side, he’ll let us know,” Rizzo said.
And for those worried about sea-sickness, Rizzo said she can attest that the on-water experience will not upset the stomach. The captain always chooses calm waters, and the yacht’s size nearly eliminates any kind of motion of the ocean.
“You can go to brunch anywhere, but to see the sites on the outer islands or the Gulf, it’s really, really beautiful,” Rizzo said.
Brunch cruise tickets, which include the meal, are $60 for adults and $35 for children ages 5 to 12 years old; children 4 years and younger are free. The yacht departs the resort at 11:15 a.m. on Sundays and arrives back to dock around 1:15 p.m. The Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort and Spa is at 17260 Harbour Pointe Dr, Fort Myers. Call 239-466-4000.
* For an eclectic palate
The word brunch is obviously breakfast and lunch put together, and Bayfront Bistro on Fort Myers Beach takes that literally when it comes to its brunch menu.
Cousins-team Eduardo Prieto, executive chef, and Abbey Prieto, sous-chef, have designed a to-order brunch menu for those guests who really can’t decide if they want breakfast or lunch.
It’s got the usual breakfast and lunch plates, like eggs benedict and omelets, salads and burgers. But mixed among the expected are the unexpected.
The Hammers Sandwich is French toast filled with ham, Swiss cheese, and ranch, and finished off with powdered sugar – Abbey Prieto’s favorite, combining a light lunch sandwich and a breakfast twist.
Prieto said she was inspired by the island lifestyle to come up with foods that would satisfy the post-late-night crowd who spent the previous day enjoying the warm sun and sandy beaches and stayed out at one of the island’s many establishments.
Another speciality listing is the Huevos Rancheros – but Prieto said to watch out, they have cranked up the heat on a traditional breakfast plate. Two over-easy eggs are served on corn tortillas with salsa and Feta cheese.
The menu’s pricing ranges from $11 to $16, with $12 unlimited mimosas and $13 unlimited Bloody Marys. Brunch is served both Saturdays and Sundays, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The bistro also started Brunch and Brushes on the last Saturday of each month. Beginning at 1 p.m., guests can get an early afternoon brunch and learn how to paint a picture. The Bayfront Bistro is at 4761 Estero Blvd. A full bar is also available. Call 239-463-3663.
* For a meal and a tune
If you like your meals delivered to you in step with music, the Sunday Champagne Brunch at the Tarpon Bay Restaurant is the place for you and your entourage.
Bottomless mimosas, a chocolate fondue foundation and live jazz are just a few of the delights available at the restaurant, which is located in the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort in Bonita Springs. The hotel and resort along Estero Bay offers a beautiful setting for a late morning or early afternoon feast.
Marketing manager Patricia George described the menu as “abundant.” A seafood buffet offers everything from oysters and crab legs to ceviches and sushi. Other meats and cheeses are also available, as well as chocolate fondue and dessert table.
One of the restaurant’s newest features for the brunch menu is a build-your-own bloody Mary bar: given a quart jar of Bloody Mary, guests can select from a number of add-ins, such as picked vegetables, crab claws, bacon and blue cheese, for an additional $6.
“You can make a colossal Bloody Mary,” George said. “It’s a meal in itself.”
Main entrees are made to order for each guest, offering items like Crepe Sucre, a crepe stuffed with Nutella, or Florida alligator sausage biscuits and gravy.
One of the most popular orders is the menu’s “Surf & Turf Benedict,” a petit fillet and a lump crab cake with two poached eggs and bearnaise sauce.
“I’ve never had a guest leave and tell me they were not stuffed,” manager Carrie Clay said.
Unlimited mimosas and champagne are included with the sumptuous dining; a full bar is available but drinks from the bar are not included.
Brunch is served each Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The price is $48 for adults (and an additional $6 for the Bloody Mary bar) and $24 for children 5 to 12 years old. Children under 5 are complimentary. Attire is resort-casual. The Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa is at 5001 Coconut Road. Call 239-390-4295.