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Nov/Dec 2004
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Biddle's Restaurant & Piano Bar
- Hours
Open 7 days for lunch and dinner starting at 11 a.m. Dinner is
served from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. Sunday Ñ Thursday, and until 11 p.m.
Friday & Saturday. Live entertainment nightly with late-night music and
dancing on the weekend. -
- Address
Summerlin Road in Fort Myers, across from Tanger Outlet.
Ft. Myers, Florida
Phone
Catering is available. Reservations suggested.
Phone: 239-433-4449.
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Let's Do Lunch/Dinner...
Biddle's Restaurant & Piano Bar
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One of the best
ways to judge a new Southwest Florida
restaurant is to see how it fares during its
first summer in business. If it’s still open
after Labor Day, it has a shot at long-term
success. So what does it mean if the place
has stayed busy from day one, even after the
worst summer storm season in Florida
history? If the owners are Andy and Brenda
Biddle, you can expect great things for the
foreseeable future.
Since opening in south Fort Myers last
November, Biddle’s Restaurant & Piano Bar
has earned a reputation as a place for all
seasons, all reasons and all ages. Located
in the Sanibel Beach Plaza on Summerlin
Road, Biddle’s serves lunch and dinner seven
days a week. Certainly, it has all the key
ingredients of a winning restaurant,
starting with the perfect décor to reflect
the casual, fine dining theme. (Actually,
the elegant look of its faux painted walls,
gold columns, upholstered booths and soft
lighting belies the fact that it won’t cost
a fortune to eat there.)
Besides its good looks, Biddle’s offers
great food, and a talented kitchen and wait
staff to back it up. It is no surprise that
the owners are experienced restaurateurs.
The Biddles came to this area in 1999 from
Beaufort, South Carolina, where they owned
and operated a restaurant for seven years.
Their first local restaurant was The Seafood
Factory on Sanibel, at the corner of
Periwinkle Way and Tarpon Bay Road. Thanks
largely to items such as Mango Barbecued
Ribs and other unique dishes developed over
the years by Chef Christopher Murray, Chef
Bruno Ferreyra and Brenda Biddle (also a
chef), The Seafood Factory remains a popular
island dining destination for locals and
tourists.
At Biddle’s, they have designed a slightly
different - but just as exciting menu to
target an even broader audience. Described
as New American Fusion cuisine, many of the
menu items are meant to introduce diners to
new flavors and combinations without scaring
them off. With an emphasis on seafood,
citrus and sauces, Biddle’s menu offers
items that diners will easily recognize but
probably wouldn’t cook at home every night.
For example, while you’ll find all the usual
seafood offerings, including local snapper,
grouper, swordfish and shrimp, they’re
prepared in ways that transcend the expected
broiled, blackened or grilled routine. The
Macadamia Nut Crusted Grouper for instance,
is sautéed with pan-seared polenta and a
stone-ground mustard plum sauce ($22),
proving that the familiar need not be
boring. Similarly, the Tuna Sashimi is made
with sushi-grade Ahi tuna, encrusted with
black and white sesame seeds, and seared.
Thinly sliced, it is served with a peanut
sesame sauce, wasabi and Wakami salad ($24).
One of Biddle’s most intriguing and popular
dishes is the Seafood Wellington, which is
so divine, it’s practically addictive. It
contains lobster, scallops, shrimp and
grouper, cooked in a garlic cream sauce,
baked in a puff pastry, surrounded by a
lobster cream sauce ($29).
There are also several original pasta dishes
on the dinner menu, including a Grilled
Vegetable Penne, Scallop & Artichoke
Fettuccine, and spicy Prawn & Crab Diablo.
In addition, diners may choose from a
variety of meat entrees, ranging from Lamb
Chops and Filet Mignon to Roasted Duck. On
any given night, there are five or six
fabulous specials, such as Citrus Teriyaki
Glazed Swordfish and Wasabi-Encrusted Tuna,
depending on what is fresh.
There are also daily lunch specials,
including a fresh catch and soup du jour, as
well as many of the same salads, appetizers
and entrees served at night. Favorites
include the classic Cobb Salad, available
with shrimp, crab or chicken, Biddle’s own
Tropical Chicken Salad and Duck Salad.
Marinaded in Tequila-lime, the duck is
sliced and then served over mixed greens
with balsamic dressing (made on site, like
all of Biddle’s dressings). Garnished with
fried goat cheese, it’s become a favorite
among regulars.
Some of the items have been brought over
from The Seafood Factory, namely the Shrimp
Spinach Salad and the Greek Chicken Wrap
(made with an herb and garlic tortilla). In
addition to various seafood and chicken
wraps and sandwiches, Biddle’s serves a Beef
Marsala sandwich (jazzed up with a Cajun
Marsala sauce, melted provolone and served
on a hoagie) and Biddle’s Burger (a
half-pound of Angus beef, yummy cracked
black peppercorn bacon and cheese).
On Sundays, a non-buffet brunch is served,
offering sandwiches, entrees and traditional
breakfast items, along with specialties such
as Shrimp & Grits and Biddle’s famous
Seafood Omelette. Some locals make a weekly
trek for the oversized omelette, chock full
of lobster, shrimp, scallops, cheddar cheese
and diced tomatoes. Others come to enjoy a
Blood Mary (Biddle’s has a full-service
liquor bar) or the live entertainment.
In addition to a piano-playing singer at
Sunday brunch, the restaurant provides live
entertainment seven nights a week starting
at around 6:00. Acts range from one-man
bands to trios such as Liquid Jazz. The
group, which features singer Lynn
Richardson, is a big draw on Wednesday,
beginning at 6:30. During season on
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, the music
usually continues until midnight or 1 a.m.
and often features two different acts.
This season, there’ll be even more to look
forward to at Biddle’s when it enhances its
outdoor seating areas. To help separate the
outdoor dining patio from the parking lot,
the owners plan to make the area more of a
private, tropical courtyard, complete with
potted palms, outdoor heaters for chilly
nights and tiki torches. Also, love seats
and cocktail tables will be added to the
front of the restaurant, specifically to
accommodate bar patrons.
Biddle’s Restaurant & Piano Bar is at
20351 Summerlin Road in Fort Myers, across
from Tanger Outlet. Open 7 days for lunch
and dinner starting at 11 a.m. Dinner is
served from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. Sunday Ñ
Thursday, and until 11 p.m. Friday &
Saturday. Live entertainment nightly with
late-night music and dancing on the weekend.
Catering is available. Reservations
suggested. Phone: 239-433-4449. |
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