orangemiles's Profile
is there any decent lunch near the wrigley building?
Seconding Bandera. If I worked at the Wrigley building I would have a chicken sandwich every day at Bandera. Yum.
First-Timers in CHI
My favorite little find is Bandera. It's just north of the Tribune Building at Michigan and Grand. It's upstairs-- you have to take an escalator to get there. Once in the door you'll be greeted by rotisserie chickens! They have live jazz many nights and fantastic, simple food at very decent prices-- surprising for their prime location! Ask for a table by the windows and watch the shoppers go by below. I always get the chicken rotisserie sandwich with mashed potatoes, and for dessert, their oreo ice cream sandwiches. It's just a great, classy place with very reasonable prices.
Moving away from Baltimore
Right before I left BMore, I hit my favs, too.
Breakfast:
Caramel Roll and Brown Sugar Lemonade at Stone Mill Bakery on Roland Avenue
Cafe Hon on the Avenue in Hampden
Lunch/Dinner
Pizza Boli's on the circle in Towson
Pizza from the Isabella's Deli at High and Stiles in Little Italy
Gelato from Boccaccio on High and Eastern in Little Italy
Where to eat in Fort Myers?
The standard go-here-directly-from-the-airport is the Shrimp Shack just north of Daniels on Metro. Divey, sort of, but good shrimp, etc.
Bonefish Grill is a chain but you'd never know. Amazing upscale food.
Most really good seafood places are on Sanibel/Captiva or in Naples. DO NOT MISS Grouper and Chips in Bonita Springs, on the way to Naples. While in Naples, hit Randy's Fishmarket on US41. Grouper and Chips is a dive but the best. Randy's is even better.
Spring Training Eats in Naples/Ft. Myers
Yum- I agree on the orange-strawberry. Sun Harvest Citrus is the place, aka the big green barn.
Naples dining options
Have to say that Iguana Mia in my opinion is just okay. Nothing to write home about. I do like their carry out-- a fajita feast for 6 adults for about $25-- not bad. But I'd never go there unless I was getting takeout for the extended family. Just my two cents.
Bonefish Grill has the best filet mignon I've found down here.
Naples - Good Game Watching / Ice Cream?
Royal Scoop is my weakness. One scoop, half pistachio, half chocolate peanut butter. Yum.
Spring Break in Naples
I like Tommy Bahamas, even though it's a chain and branded. The food is good and islandy, and you can't help but relax to the live music and warm breezes. Great pulled pork sandwich.
For the best key lime EVER in your life, go to Bella Maria on Fifth Avenue. You might need to call ahead to get her to make a key lime tart for you. It's just beyond... I have no words. Buy the whole big thing and eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yum. Instant vacation feeling.
Seconding Randy's Fishmarket. Everyone raves about it. I'm not a seafood eater, but my finicky mother said the coconut shrimp was the best she's ever had. And she's had a lot.
For a hometown feel, Gatsby's Pizza is excellent. It's in a nondescript strip mall behind the Walgreens at 41 and Wiggins Pass, so almost in Bonita Springs. But it's owned by a family from Columbus, Ohio, so it's filled with Buckeye paraphrenalia and the folks are fun. The pizza is thin crust and covered with spicy pepperoni, if you like. Yum. Our favorite.
For burgers and fries hit Cheeburger Cheeburger on 41. Burgers in all sizes up to two pounds! Fries fried in peanut oil- yum, but use moderation or you'll feel it later. Best chocolate shake you'll ever have. Even if you don't like burgers and fries, go for the chocolate shake.
Sanibel Island Family Restaurants
You'll want to drive north out of the airport on Treeline. Take a left onto Daniels. Go about four miles to Metro Parkway. If you want seafood RIGHT NOW, take a right on Metro and go about a short block to the Shrimp Shack on the right. I'm not a seafood eater so I'm not a huge fan, but my seafood-eating husband loves their shrimp and other seafood goodness. Kind of dive-y, but it gets the job done if you need seafood now and can't wait for Sanibel. It's kid-friendly, too.
If you want other options, go about one more mile to the intersection of Daniels and US41. This is restaurant mecca. On the north east corner you have the Bell Tower Shops. In this area are Mimi's Cafe, TGI Fridays, Johnny Rockets, Outback Steakhouse, etc. Mimi's would be my pick-- big menu, not too loud, family friendly.
On the south east corner you have Moe's - like Chipotle-- mexican you wait in line for like Subway, with free chips and salsa. Also, Crispers is like Panera with more options, like huge baked potatoes, flatbreads, etc. Again, order at the counter, food comes to you. Also-- Longhorn Steakhouse, Macaroni Grill, and a rib place I've never been- Smokey Bones, I think.
On the north west corner you have Lonestar, Burger King, McAlister's Deli (huge menu, order at the counter, food comes to you).
On the south west corner you have Chick Fil A (fast food but a tad healthier and recognizable), Applebees, and a pizza place.
These are a lot of options, I know. If you want seafood 20 minutes out of the airport, go to the Shrimp Shack. If you want a quick meal that's a bit healthy to balance out the fried shrimp you'll be eating the rest of the week, go to Crispers. If you want a little silly, go to Moe's, where they yell, "Welcome to Moe's" every 10 seconds or so. If you want sit-down-family, go to Mimi's.
If I can help at all, I'm at orangemiles at gmail dot com. Hope you have fun!!!
Sanibel Island Family Restaurants
Grocery-- you MUST go to Jerry's! It's on Periwinkle (the main drag) and pretty much the main grocery on Sanibel. Don't stop at Publix on your way from the airport as my family did the first time here. Just get to Sanibel already and go to Jerry's. The parrots are real and will squawk, so consider yourself warned. That's fun for the kids. They have a restaurant in there, too-- nice for a little breakfast, or the salad bar is good as well. Take time to see the shops around the plaza as well.
Breakfast-- definitely the Lighthouse Cafe http://www.lighthousecafe.com/. Call ahead to avoid as long of a wait. Their whole wheat blueberry pancakes will keep you full all day. Unbelievable. There's also a breakfast place by Cheeburger Cheeburger down on Periwinkle -- can't remember the name, but if you ask anyone where Cheeburger is you'll find a breakfast place in that same plaza. Haven't been there in a while, but it was good as well.
Lunch-- Cheeburger Cheeburger is a classic. Burgers in all sizes, up to two pounds! Fries and onion rings fried in peanut oil- yum, but use moderation or you'll be feeling it later. DO NOT forget to get a chocolate shake. There are zillions of shake flavors, but just once, try a small chocolate shake. You will never have better.
Dinner-- The Hungry Heron. http://www.hungryheron.com/ HUGE portions, really good food. Call ahead and find out if they have the magician coming. A while back they had a kid doing magic at night-- really fun. Also- they have a tv going with cartoons to entertain the kids. If you can't find something you like on their menu there's something wrong. Sometimes the waitstaff is a little rough around the edges, but that's just stress. Don't let it scare you off.
People rave about The Lazy Flamingo, but when we went the waitstaff was dressed more like Hooters. Haven't been back in probably 10 years, so things may certainly have changed.
For incredible seafood, go to Gramma Dot's at the Sanibel Marina. It's a little hard to find, but worth the trouble. Get there early and put your name in. Not a lot of variety, but the food is out of this world. Homemade potato chips at lunch- yum! And for dinner, a little fruit cup served in a chocolate shell. Cute touches for a casual restaurant. And it's right on the water, so you can shop for million dollar yachts while you wait for your table.
Dessert-- The Mermaid Kitchen. Stop in and get a few slices of cake to go, and eat on them for a few days. Red velvet cake with cream cheese pecan icing makes a great breakfast. The cakes are the same as The Bubble Room-- the chef left The Bubble Room and started The Mermaid Kitchen a few years back.
Skip The Bubble Room on Captiva-- it's kitschy to look at, but the food is really not great. Stop in and look around if you drive out that way, but don't eat there. The Mucky Duck on Captiva, down the street from The Bubble Room, is a fun place to eat right on the beach-- literally. The sand comes up to the front stoop! Get there early to put your name in- the wait can be torturous with kids.
Do drive down to Captiva even if you're staying on Sanibel. It's fun to see the difference between the two islands.
And, for one last piece of unsolicited advice, do the tram ride at Ding Darling http://www.fws.gov/dingdarling/. I've been to Sanibel every year since 1994 and never did it until just recently. Best $12 I ever spent. Got a two-hour nature drive and a huge education by a driver who truly loves this place!
We live here permanently now-- if I can be of any more help, please don't hesitate to email me at orangemiles at gmail dot com.
Naples or surrounding area
Seconding Randy's. Not a seafood eater myself, but my mother has eaten coconut shrimp at nearly every place south of the Mason Dixon, and she said Randy's was the best ever. Good burgers for landlubbers, too. But the seafood is out of this world, people say.
Not many good breakfast places around here, unfortunately. First Watch is the typical and it's pretty good-- definitely many steps up from IHOP.
