Fresh and Fun

The restaurant at the Sandy Butler Market in Fort Myers has a new name and is debuting it's new menu with a wine dinner this week. The space has been expanded, brightened and turned into the more casual, Shoals Restaurant and Wine Bar. At first I was disappointed to see my favorite fountain has been removed from the gazebo but it does allow more room to party. And a lovely chandelier has been added for that extra touch.

I was able to sample some of the new menu items recently along with Shoal's new private label wine and want to tempt your taste-buds a little today. We began the evening in the market with the Italian Delight cheese tray ($14); Butler-made Mozzarella, Fontina, Provolone and other goodies

My favorite appetizer was the Corriander-Crusted Ahi Tuna ($14) with Wasabi Avocado Mousee and citrus glaze. It was creamy with just a hint of heat and a touch of sweet from the glaze; it went nicely with the Shoals Sauvignon Blanc. The wine was also smooth with the Seared Diver Scallops in Lemon Coconut Curry Sauce.

We tried a pasta duo of Tagliatelle and Farfalle Carbonara. The egg pasta is imported from Italy for The Butler. I particularly liked the Carbonara with the Shoals Merlot.


The meat course included a perfectly cooked Pork Tenderloin ($14) and Filet Mignon with a Keylime Bearnaise; there was a lot of tarragon in the sauce and I liked it. My favorite, however, was the Hogfish Snapper ($25); seared crisp with lemon olive oil.

Dessert was decadent with a dense and delicious Banana Fosters Cake ($4) and a Key Lime Tart ($6) with rich custard and the right amount of 'tart' for me.

You can try many of these dishes this week (Wednesday, 2/29) at the Shoal's Premier Wine Taste. The $40, three course menu pairs new dishes with Shoal's new wine.
**Click here for my review of Shoal's Wine.