Fab Finds; New food and new designs

Pot Roast French Dip and Hogfish Rueben 

New food and new decor arrived at two of my favorite Southwest Florida Bistro's this week. Twisted Vine Bistro in downtown Fort Myers is in the middle of revamping it's menu and rolled out some new lunch specialties that are not just filling but fulfilling on every level.

The Pot Roast French Dip was among my favorites, stuffed full of flavorful meat and cheese. You could share one with a friend and each try a salad or soup too.

Twisted Vine's new chef now smokes his prime rib for another meaty and delicious new sandwich and the Fried Green Tomato BLT was perfect.  Yes, I tried all of them and then some.

A little further south in The Bell Tower Shops, Bistro 41's doors have been closed for two weeks for a facelift. I had to check it out the day it reopened and it feels good. Gone is the carpet, the blues and golds in the dining room; replaced with wood and warm, earthy tones. The bar is back lit and the lighting has been updated.

They were still working on a few finishing touches and hope to have all the "little things' taken care of by this week. New decor, but thankfully the same great staff.


One more find, one more Bistro. I stopped in Blue Water Bistro at Coconut Point in Estero this week for a little happy hour libation; BTW they have some really good, early dining specials right now.

When the oyster appetizer arrived, even the bar tender marveled at one of the massive molluscs on the plate; it clearly dwarfed the others. After some blue humored remarks, the negotiations began on who would tackle the big boy. As my friend and I began to eat around it, it seemed other patrons were now taking note, watching and waiting for the final, big slurp. This would not be a problem at the beach,  but it takes some finesse to do these things at a fancy restaurant. For the record, it was a success and it was delicious.