The Dock at Crayton Cove - a Tropical Taste of old Naples Florida

The Dock at Crayton Cove is a seafood restaurant located on the Fishing Pier in Naples, Florida that advertises a laid-back attitude with bay views and great food. They like to think of themselves as a little piece of Naples’ history. They’ve been there for more than 30 years, and for a lot of locals and visitors too, they’re practically part of the family.

For us that is really true. A trip to Naples always includes lunch at the Dock. We’ve been dining at the Dock in Naples since the seventies when Meakin’s mother retired to nearby Marco Island.

A little history of the area - The Naples Fishing Pier was originally built as a freight and passenger dock in 1888. In the 1920’s the area was known as “The Back Bay” because it provided the town’s first sheltered moorage. It became the community center for the year-around pioneers who were building the Tamiami Trail, creating a fishing industry, and laying the foundation for Naples. Renamed “Crayton Cove” in 1936, it remains an integral part of  Naples’ social and business life while providing a rare glimpse into the town’s earliest days.

The Dock is an open-air restaurant overlooking Naples Bay. You can come by car or boat.

Seafood has been a three-decade love affair at the restaurant where, according to their menu, they offer "seasonally superior fin-fish, shellfish and crustaceans energized with tropical flavors. The preparation reflects the area’s cultural history of the Caribbean and Latin cuisines." In our opinion, it's some of the best seafood in southwest Florida.

On our most recent visit I had the porcupine grouper with mango Thai chili sauce and pineapple salsa that was not only crispy and delicious, but also very colorful as you can see.

Meakin can never resist calamari, so he chose the flash fried calamari “Ropa Vieja” with a spicy red sauce and a drizzle of secret sauce. His favorite way to start his meal is with a wonderful bowl with steaming clam chowder. The Dock's chowder was chock full of clams and had a very nice consistency, not too much of a flourly taste as some inferior chowders are inclined to have.

Meakin’s mother’s favorite item was always the Dock hotdog, a foot long affair with all of the trimmings. I can still hear her saying, “Tell 'em to burn it.” Many times since her death we’ve ordered the hotdog in her memory, which is no longer on the menu. You almost have to be a local to know about it. Last time I ordered the hotdog, an older gentleman at a table near us (who was very snappy dresser in his starched shirt and bow tie) nodded and winked as his sign of approval when he saw the waitress serve my hotdog.

We recommended The Dock to our friend Larry of Big Dude’s Eclectic Ramblings when he was in the area last fall. He ordered the seafood tower which included 6 raw oysters and clams, 12 steamed mussels, 6 boiled shrimp and half a snow crab, plus 3 sauces and lots of napkins. To quote Larry, “I enjoyed every bite and while it looked like a lot to eat, about 75 percent of it was still on the tower when I finished and I was pleasantly full. The waitress said she’d served several sea food towers as a table-wide appetizer, but never to a person as a meal. She can count on her second time when I come down next year.”

We never leave Napes without a stroll down the glamorous and ritzy shops on Fifth Avenue South, one of the nation’s premier shopping districts. One of my favorite stops is Cleopatra’s Barge.

This fine jewelry shop has been in business for 44 years and owner & designer Marilyn Janss is one talented lady. She was trained by two premier jewelers, one of whom designed and manufactured jewelry for Cartier, Tiffany & Co., and Van Cleef & Arpel. I have an “I Love You” gold charm that was designed by Marilyn for Meakin’s mother as a gift from her husband and every time I wear it I can count on getting compliments.

Among the many other unique creations at Cleopatra's Barge, Marilyn has designed a lovely Naples Medallion in 14k yellow gold or sterling silver to celebrate the Naples Fishing Pier, where we just dined. Don’t leave Naples without a stop at Cleopatra's Barge.

Cheers and good-bye from Naples, Florida and The Dock at Crayton Cove where locals and visitors alike have been enjoying consistently excellent seafood, tasty salads and sandwiches, tempting beef, poultry and pasta dishes in a casual, laid back setting for over 30 years. In a town full of jewelry stores catering to the wealthy and elite, Cleopatra's Barge is the insider's favorite (sorry Tiffany).

The opinions in this post are solely my own and I was not compensated in any way. I will be linking this to Miz Helen’s Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.

Dinner at the Inn on Biltmore Estate & a Tour of the Antler Hill Farm

Inn on Biltmore Estate

After we toured the mansion and gardens of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC last week, we returned to the Inn on the grounds where we spent the night and dined in the Estate Dining Room. I can tell you without a doubt that everything about it was beyond our expectations. We enjoyed the same gracious hospitality and pampering as if we were old, personal friends of  George & Edith Vanderbilt themselves.

The Inn is in an idyllic setting overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and the Pisgah National Forest. The Pisgah forest land was originally a part of Biltmore Estate until Edith sold nearly 87,000 acres to the federal government in 1915 after George Vanderbilt’s death, creating what now is the Pisgah National Park. Mt. Pisgah in the distance is an elevation of 5,721 feet. Can you imagine once owing a national forest? It is mindboggling and impressive to me. A virtual tour of the Inn, including the beautifully appointed suites, the lovely guest rooms, the spacious lobby and library with a fireplace, and of course the dining room, is available on-line. The architecture is reminiscent of country inns of the late 19th century.

View from the Inn & Dining Room

The dining room at the Inn is luxurious and the service impeccable. It's also a coat-and-tie and little black dress kind of restaurant.  Everywhere you go in the Inn they use your name and always seem to be at your beck and call for anything and everything your heart desires.

Meakin started his meal with an appetizer of South Carolina Quail with grilled peach jam atop a black pepper waffle and mache. The waffle was crispy as expected and the surprise bite of black pepper in the waffle batter paired beautifully with the sweet peach jam, the baby lambs lettuce, and southern quail.

South Carolina Quail with Peach Jam on Black Pepper Waffle

As a main course, he ordered Rabbit Pappardelle, which is braised rabbit with tomatoes, prosciutto, olives and charred green onions served over large, broad fettuccine. As you know, if lapin is on a menu, one of us is bound to order it. The lapin was succulent and fork tender and the tomato prosciutto olive sauce brought just the right amount of moistness to the pasta.

Rabbit Pappardelle

Meakin’s choice of wine was from the Reserve List – a Biltmore Pinot Noir. It was a complex, yet elegant Pinot Noir with delicate fruit flavors and reminiscent of a French Pinot Noir. It was so delicious that we brought a few bottles home with us that we picked up at the winery the next day.

He chose a Biltmore Reserve Chardonnay for me because I’m fond of buttery, full-bodied Chardonnays. My entrée was an old classic French dish, Lobster Thermador, made for special occasions that you don’t often see on menus today and needless to say, I was delighted. The stuffed lobster was garnished with a bright green whipped pea puree, and served with a mixed vegetable succotash, and drizzled with a rich, creamy lobster popcorn butter. As you can see, it’s eye-candy on a plate. The tail was stuffed with a generous amount of Maine lobster, lightly seasoned with brandy, French cheese (probably Gruyere), and bread crumbs. It made an outstanding entrée with the buttery Biltmore Reserve Chardonnay wine.

Lobster Thermador

For dessert we shared a beautifully presented goat cheese cheesecake with a blackberry Merlot sorbet, a walnut nougetine, and blackberry jam. It was my birthday and Meakin had requested that they not make a big deal about it, so “Happy Birthday” was scrolled in chocolate above the cheesecake.

Goat Cheese Cheesecake 

After dinner we lingered over espressos and brandy and mentioned to our waiter how much we enjoyed the goat cheese cheesecake and that we were hoping to make our own goat cheese at home sometime. All excited, he said he would like to introduce us to Chef Ryba, the Chef de Cuisine, because he makes his own cheeses. We had a delightful conversation with the Chef at our table and he took the time to tell us about how to make cheese and afterwards, he brought a sample of some flavorful, sharp blue cheese that he had made. As we strolled out of the dining room, we remarked to each other that this must be how the Vanderbilt’s guests felt when they retired to their room in the evening in the mansion so many years ago.

The “Field to Table” Program at the Biltmore allows the chefs to prepare the best of what the season has to offer, featuring seasonal produce, wine from their winery, and locally grown ingredients. Much of the produce is grown on the Farm at Antler Hill Village on the grounds of the Biltmore. Antler Hill Farm is a step back in time for a hands-on legacy that was the center of Biltmore’s farming community more than a century ago. The Kitchen Garden produces lettuces, tomatoes, herbs, beans, root vegetables, berries, and squashes. Here’s a look around Antler Hill Farm.

The horse barn and farm exhibit offer a closer look at what life was like for families who lived on the Biltmore Estate in the early 1900’s.

The barn was the social and work center for these families.

It is here that they worked and visited while their children played.

Some were blacksmiths.

Blacksmith Shop

Others worked in the wood shop.

Wood Shop

While others raised livestock, tended crops, or worked in the dairy.

We’ll wander around and see the exhibits of turn-of the-century farm equipment and state-of-the art tractors of the time.

On the farm, meet some chickens, sheep, a donkey, and Belgian draft horses.

A chicken enjoys some sunflower seeds

There is so much to see at the Biltmore Estate and through the years they have added many new attractions and opened more rooms in the mansion to the public.  If you have never been or haven’t been in a while, you owe it to yourself to visit if you are in the Asheville, NC area. Christmas at Biltmore Estate is a very special time and also in the spring when 50,000 tulips and over 1,000 azaleas burst into bloom in the garden are a spectacular site to see. Allow a full day or more to tour the mansion, gardens, farm, and winery and be sure to read the tour tips. Our visit ended as we purchased wines and vowed to return soon for a complete tour of the winery – the most visited winery in America.

The Chef custom designed a wine dinner just for us at Bistro 41 in Fort Myers, Florida

When my husband Meakin’s birthday rolled around this year, we wanted to do something extra special because it was one of those “milestone” years that calls for a celebration. We tossed a lot of ideas around, but finally decided to throw an intimate little birthday dinner party at one of our favorite restaurants in Florida – Bistro 41.

Bistro 41 is an upscale yet casually elegant bistro-style restaurant located in the Bell Tower Shoppes in Fort Myers, Florida, and was established in 1997. We’ve dined there on numerous occasions and have always had an excellent meal and excellent service. I particularly like the relaxing atmosphere of the dining room and the colorful artwork displayed throughout the room.

We’ve also gotten to know the chef a little. So for this special occasion, we made an appointment with Chef Reiner Drygaka and sat down one afternoon to discuss our ideas for the menu. Chef Reiner is the kind of chef that’s easy to visit with, very easy going, and, best of all, full of great ideas. We explained that this was a very special birthday, there would be four of us, we would like to dine in their small private dining area, and we wanted something a bit out of the ordinary. Meakin added that his brother would be flying down from New York for the occasion and was accustomed to dining in gourmet restaurants and we wanted the chef to impress him. Here’s the wine birthday Surf & Turf dinner Chef Reiner suggested and it was a real success.

To begin the meal, we all toasted the birthday boy with flutes of dry Louis Perdier Brut champagne and dined on a spring salad of baby field greens with fresh mixed berries, topped with Chevre goat cheese and candied pecans, drizzled with a light, slightly tangy  raspberry vinaigrette.

At first I was a bit concerned that the butter poached lobster would be too rich as the main course, but since the chef served the lobsters and tournedos of beef over a creamy herbed risotto and accompanied them with sautéed Swiss chard and Belgium endive finished in a citrus beurre  blanc sauce, it was a perfect balance of flavors and textures. The wine was a McMannis Pinot Noir from California, a rich deep Pinot with a slight hint of fruit and Asian flavors.

One of our desires was to finish the meal with a light dessert and emphasized no birthday cake with candles or anything heavy. Chef Reiner suggested a cheese plate of Maytag blue accompanied with fresh strawberries served with a swirl of chocolate ganache. The St. Supery Napa Cabernet Sauvignon was a luxurious young wine with hints of black berries and Cassis and also happens to be one of the chef’s personal favorite wines.

I always consider a dinner party a success when everyone goes home happy, smiling, and well fed. Here we are thanking Chef Reiner and our server at Bistro 41 for custom designing a wine dinner just for us. Happy birthday Meakin. May you have many, many more.

Our favorite restaurants and a romantic country inn in Highlands, North Carolina

More often than not, we plan our trips around food and my birthday trip was no exception. Our favorite place for lunch in Highlands, NC is Wild Thyme Gourmet. When the weather permits, we enjoy dining outside on the patio.

However, their indoor sun room is cozy when the weather cools off. The Wild Thyme Gourmet is open year-around and offers lunch and dinner, a handy tip to know because many restaurants in the area close during the winter.

One of the reasons we like Wild Thyme is because their chef creates fabulous soups. Meakin chose the fresh tomato basil and I never pass up sampling black bean soup.

For our main course, we normally order their grilled wild salmon BLT sandwich with apple wood smoked bacon and herb mayonnaise, but this time we saw something new on the menu - a Panko fried shrimp sandwich accompanied by a slightly chilled and well seasoned wild rice salad. I would have never thought to put fried shrimp on a sandwich, but it was delicious and the shrimp remained crispy and moist. I love Panko shrimp and when I make it at home, instead of deep frying it, I shallow fry it in a little canola oil and it turns out perfectly every time.

For dinner we made reservations at Wolfgang’s Restaurant and Wine Bistro, which conveniently is right down Main Street from the Highlands Inn, where we’re spending the night. Wolfgang’s has been a fixture in Highlands for seventeen years.

Chef Wolfgang, as you probably guessed from his name, is German, so you might expect that Weiner Schnitzel and a Bavarian sampler of Bratwurst, Knockwurst, Kessler and a Schnitzel with red cabbage, sauerkraut and potato salad would be on his menu.  However you’ll be surprised to learn that he was also a former executive chef for the Brennan Family of Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. So as they say in Louisiana, laissez les bon temps roulez - let the good times roll.

The last time we dined at Wolfgang’s was in the winter and Hungarian goulash soup was on the menu. Meakin asked our waitress to please tell the chef that his soup was delicious and just as good as the Hungarian goulash soup he’d enjoyed in a restaurant in Austria at the Zugspitze. When she returned to the table, he asked, “What did the chef say?” He had a great big smile she said. Apparently Chef Wolfgang was pleased with Meakin’s sense of humor and little tease about Bavaria.

My birthday is a special day for us. If you’re a regular reader you might remember that Meakin proposed to me on my birthday years ago at the romantic Mecom Fountains in Houston. We toasted the occasion with a glass of one of our favorite chardonnays, a buttery Sonoma Cutrer, in the wine bistro and reminisced about all of the fun times we’ve had. It’s most definitely been a good life. Wolfgang’s wine list is excellent and every year since 1999 the restaurant has been awarded the prestigious Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence.

Because it was a special occasion we asked to be seated in a cozy corner of the main dining room. I was particularly impressed by their attention to detail. The waitress brought napkins and water glasses to the table right away, which you expect. But wait………my napkin was black. When Meakin asked why I got a black napkin and he got a white one, the waitress said, “The lady is wearing black and a white napkin might leave lint.” Furthermore I was also impressed when I picked up my water glass and found that the foot of the glass was fitted into the doily (not sitting on the doily, but in a slot in the doily), allowing it to protect your clothing from the annoying drips common to water glasses after they’ve sat on the table a few minutes.

I never pass up a chance to enjoy Creole cuisine and tonight was no exception. From Chef Wolfgang’s Signature Specialties menu I chose the Veal Medallions Wolfgang with a cabernet sauce topped with sautéed crawfish and béarnaise sauce. When I took my first bite, I was immediately transported to Louisiana and the French Quarter.

The veal was melt in your mouth tender, as I expected in a quality restaurant such as this, and the béarnaise was creamy and rich, with just a touch of tarragon as a background note. In my opinion, the quality of sauces a chef turns out of his kitchen tells you much about his training. A good sauce spells a good chef, one that has been classically trained in fine cooking. Chef Wolfgang didn’t let me down with his béarnaise sauce or his tender, properly cooked veal.

At home (when our waistlines can stand it), I make both homemade béarnaise and hollandaise sauce. Even if you are a beginner, they’re quick and easy to make if you use my blender method. There’s no excuse to buy the packaged stuff, so email me (samhoffer (at) gmail (dot) com) if you want my easy, foolproof recipe for béarnaise or hollandaise sauce.

Meakin took the more traditional route and ordered a well aged and marbled 12 ounce New York strip, cooked rare the way he likes it, and topped with béarnaise. For a starter he let me have a taste his shrimp and lobster bisque, which was some of the best bisque I’ve ever had. Chef Wolfgang came by our table and visited for a few minutes, which is also a sign of a top quality restaurant.

I know by now you must be saying to yourself, “Where are the pictures of the food?” Well, in all honesty, we’re a little shy about taking photos in restaurants. It’s like ringing cells phones and misbehaved kids. We don’t want anything to spoil the pleasure of dining.  Maybe someday we’ll get braver. We did manage to sneak a few food photos from Wild Thyme, but that was a much more casual setting.

On our departure Wolfgang’s gave me a small box of beautiful handmade chocolates for my birthday from Kilwin’s, whose store has been on Main Street for as long as I can remember.

We spent the night at the Highlands Inn, built in 1880 and is on the National Historic Register.

Lobby of Highlands Inn filled with beautiful antiques

Meakin chose one of their historic rooms, number twenty-two to be exact. He was told by the innkeeper that “everyone loves room twenty-two,” so who could resist?

It was filled with authentic antiques and lived up to its reputation as a very romantic room. Before dinner we relaxed on the balcony with our feet up, watching life go by on Main Street below.

These lovely flowers from Meakin were waiting for me in our room when we arrived.  As a surprise, he had asked the Inn to arrange for a local florist to send over this gorgeous bouquet. I had no idea how fragrant lilies were.

The next morning we enjoyed a complimentary breakfast downstairs in the Inn’s Kelsey Restaurant. The dining room has a comfy, at home feeling with mismatched, old arrow back chairs around the tables and more lovely antiques scattered about.

The breakfast was a typical hardy southern one, but today they were featuring rustic homemade biscuits (nothing out of the can here) with a rich cream gravy, French toast with pralines, and one of my favorites – Potatoes O’Brian. After all the rich food I indulged in last night, I filled my plate with fresh fruit, but I couldn’t resist just a tiny taste of the potatoes – delicious, with just the right amount of red bell peppers and onions.

This was a fabulous romantic trip that lived up to its expectations. The only downside is now that we’re home, we’ll have to go on a diet.