Best Italian Dining in the Fort Myers Area

It's so funny.....when I first updated this list over a year ago for 10Best, a travel and tourism division of USA TODAY, I excitedly told a restaurant owner the next time I went in, that he made the top 10. He sneered "ya, but #7!"

He obviously thought he should've been higher. I said YES #7! Out of the hundreds of Italian joints in our area YOU were in the top. Still not good enough for him. And after looking at the list a second time, he was right.....I moved him to #5. HA!

But this is new list (click to read). Yes, some of the longtime local favorites are still on there but there are some new contenders in town. MANGA!

Linguini and clams, restaurant bumped from the list ;-(

New Food Festival For Fort Myers

There is so much to do in Southwest Florida this time of year with Spring Training, Spring Break, art shows, and all kinds of outdoor activities. But what about the foodies who have to wait twice as long to get into a restaurant right now?

Finally a festival just for you (and me), the first ever Spring Training and Food Truck Craft Beer Festival, Saturday (3/21/15).

Some twenty food trucks are gathering at JetBlue Park, the Fort Myers home of the Boston Red Sox, to tickle our tastebuds with the likes of BBQ, Latin cuisine, seafood, ice cream and more.

The Sizzle Truck

The Sizzle Truck got it's start at the Shoppes at Vanderbilt Farmers Market in Naples, hoping for their jalapeño slaw on Saturday. You'll also get to taste from trucks like the Traveling Tomato, the Ravenous Rhino, Piled Hi, What the French, Crazydilla, Croz's Surf Shack and more.

Croz's Surf Shack creations

While you may've seen some of these trucks at various events in the area, they've never been together in one big spot like this, until now.

For several years, Food Truck Festivals of America has organized these fun food events, mostly in the New England area. So it makes sense to follow their world famous baseball team to Fort Myers for a party.

If you want to avoid the crowds and long lines, buy a VIP ticket for $20. It grants access an hour early and beer is included. Everyone else gets in at Noon for a $5 ticket.  See you Saturday!

Saki and Sushi

Photo Credit: Gina Birch
A beautiful and delicious plate of fresh sushi at Tokyo Bay
in Bonita Springs

I'm a fan of sushi and in Southwest Florida there seems to be a competition among Asian inspired restaurants as to which can come up with the most inventive rolls.

A dear friend who now lives in NYC says she can't wait to come back every year to see what new creations she can find, as all she gets on a regular basis is the basic sashimi--and at much higher prices.

Check out the best places to find sushi and saki in Southwest Florida here, in one of my 10Best lists!

Planning Your Wine Vacation

Some of my favorite trips have been centered around food and wine.

I quite often find that people ask me for advice on where to go and how to make it happen.

Those are just a few of the reasons I was so happy that 10Best and USA TODAY TRAVEL asked me to write about "vinotourism" and  planning a wine tasting trip.

Check it out here!

Stop thinking about it and go ahead and book yours. You will be so glad you did. CHEERS!