Seafood Treasures Summer Dining

Summer may be hot and humid--and a tad stormy--in Southwest Florida, but it's one of the best times of the year for dining.

The number of summer dining specials at great establishments increases dramatically with things such as prefix menus and half off bottles of wine to name a few. For the rest of the month of August, Tarpon Bay at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs is one of them. 

The Summer Treasures Dining Special includes three courses (really four if you count the amuse bouche which is much more than a bite) and a bottle of wine.

My evening began with a nice, cold dirty martini while listening to the hum of jazz music coming from the alcove. Speaking of music, the restaurant puts on a killer Jazz Brunch on Sundays. 

The amuse is a ceviche of the chef's choosing; there are eight on the menu. On the particular night I dined, the selection was salmon with sweet chili, almond and cucumber on a crisp plantain chip; it took the edge off and got us excited about the next course.

Diners have two choices for each of the remaining courses. Next up was a 'naughty' (my description, not the chef's) roasted corn bisque topped with a corn fritter or a 'nice' spinach salad with citrus filets, feta cheese dust, red onion and Champagne vinaigrette. I opted for the naughty; it was sweet and decadent. 

The meal comes with a bottle of wine, made by the famous Michael Mondavi exclusively for Hyatt. I was pleasantly surprised that my options weren't white or red, rather several whites and several reds. In other words a pinot, cab or merlot, to which we selected the pinot noir. It was fruity and easy.

The entree course is a surf and turf with options; we love options. A petit fillet comes with either blackened shrimp or the catch of the day. The filet is cooked to your preference then topped with an herbaceous chimichurri and served over a bed of southern grits with a side of perfectly steamed, fresh vegetables. 

For me, the portions sizes were perfect; enough to be filling but not so much that if you didn't wear stretchy pants you would be uncomfortable. It also helped that the dessert was on the lighter side.

Gluten-free, the mango and strawberry shortcake with coconut cream in a martini glass. Cheers!

The Seafood Treasures dining special for two continues through August 31st and it is $90. Although Tarpon Bay is at the Hyatt, non-guests are welcome and your parking will be validated. Stay and enjoy the beautiful grounds, listen to music and maybe even continue indulging with smores around the fire pit or an after dinner drink.

Unboxing Wine-- Frosé

I've been waiting on this box to finish a story....



I've never been able to buy into the whole Frosé thing...not sure why. Maybe this will change my mind? The directions on this say I can add wine (even sparkling) AND vodka, so this could just be the ticket.

I put it to the test at a friends house and will post the story when it is published. No spoilers.

It's always fun when UPS shows up

This unboxing is cool because I wrote about the Four Virtues Bourbon Barrel Aged Zinfandel in a column last year focusing on wines for grilling. So I'm looking forward to seeing how the cabernet holds up. Oh, and I can't forget about the pinot too. I'll post the results or links to the articles when they go live.

Farm To Glass Gin

You've mostly likely been to or at least heard about farm to table restaurants where chefs source food from local farms. Among other benefits, one of the most appealing is that the ingredients are fresher than those typically shipped.

I had never heard the term farm to glass spirits until I learned about Eau Claire from Canada. It is uniquely designated as a certified farm distillery. Owners compare the designation to that of an estate winery.

The ingredients used to distill the gin come from carefully sourced local grains. In addition, the natural botanicals are distilled along with the grains. The result is an amazingly smooth flavor and mouth feel. 

It is a London-style dry gin that has floral notes along with juniper, citrus, and spice, none of which are overpowering. Ideally suited for a gin martini.

Sunday afternoon I decided to try Eau Claire's gimlet recipe with a gin loving friend. Refreshing and so good, I could easily see getting into trouble with these. If you're searching for a new gin to try, give this one a go!

Parlour Gin Gimlet

2 oz Parlour Gin

3/4 oz fresh lime juice

3/4 oz simple syrup

Shake with ice and strain

Garnish with cucumber wheel or lime wedge

This delivery is pretty awesome as Pahlmeyer makes some impressive wines.

I'm torn with the Proprietary Red. Pahlmeyer has been producing this for 30 years. What I'm torn between is opening it now and being patient, letting it sit a few years. This wine has an amazing aging potential. 80% cab the rest merlot, cab franc, petit verdot and malbec. It's also pricey ($200) and not something I want to uncork with takeout on a Tuesday. This one deserves to be shared with special friends.

Decisions Decisions

"Unboxing"...Wine

When I first heard of the "unboxing" phenomena, I really thought, this is the dumbest thing ever-- unless you are a friend of mine who does it. In that case it's BRILLIANT.

Unboxing is as simple as it sounds, taking things out of a box--filming and posting it on social media. I guess it's better than throwing slices of cheese on your toddlers face and filming that.

Then I got to thinking about it. I get excited every time a box of wine is delivered to my house. Sometimes I know what to expect, but more often than not I don't or quite frankly I have forgotten what's coming.

When I have friends over they too are excited to see what's hidden inside of that cardboard, what they might be helping me taste in a day or two, after things settle down in the bottle.

So I'm going to give it a go, not every delivery because once again, I'll forget. I will tell you that I was SUPER excited about this when it arrived, but didn't get that part on film, I'm learning..



The reason I was so excited about this? There are only 1843 bottles of this Besserat de Bellefon Cuvee 1843...and mama now has one. The packaging is beautiful and I can hardly wait to pop this cork and tell everyone about it.

Sharing Stories and Wine With Kimberly Jones

One of the best things about wine, besides sharing it with friends and enjoying it with food, is learning the stories behind it.

I met Kimberly Jones, founder of Kimberly Jones Selections several years ago and we hit it off immediately. I was fascinated by the story behind her becoming a successful wine importer and distributor. How she now has so many connections and friends in the wine world that she partners with big names to make wines.

And how with a phone call, she can get wines in front of famous wine critics who can make or break a brand.

Julie Glenn and I recently sat down with her for an episode of our Grape Minds Podcast, where she shared some of her journey over some new wine releases.

Hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did. Please subscribe to Grape Minds. It's not a stuffy wine podcast by any means.