This year has been a tough one to look back on.
2022 reminds me of that old quote from Michael Corleone in the all-time worst sequel of movie history, "The Godfather: Part III."
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.
Just when we thought we were out (of the pandemic, the supply-chain woes, the past toxic-algae blooms/tornadoes/hurricanes), a massive and life-altering hurricane pulls us back in.
Southwest Florida's restaurants cannot catch a break. And yet, so many of them keep cooking.
I hate to use the word resilient. It seems too easy; a gross oversimplification. Little kids are resilient. They fall down and they get back up, because they have youthful joints and springy tendons. What our local chefs and restaurant owners have done these last few years isn't resilience, it's survival. It's scraping together everything they can and hoping/wishing/praying it will work.
We are not springy at this point. We are doing what it takes to get by.
This whatever-it-takes approach, in the very best scenarios, is also delicious, sometimes charming, occasionally efficient — almost never all three. When I look back at my favorite restaurants of my 2022 reviews, there isn't perfection. Not even close. But there is beautiful and interesting food. There are plates that push this area beyond fish sandwiches and Key lime pie. And there are places that stick to the classics and do them justice.
While 2022 has been a helluva year, it's also been, at times, a tasty one. Here are 10 of the places I loved eating at and writing about these past 12 months.
Noticeably present on this list: Bonita Springs, arguably the area's current culinary hot spot.
Noticeably absent: Cape Coral and the beaches. The Cape is home to some of my all-time favorite restaurants, none of which I reviewed this year. And our beaches and islands are still piecing themselves back together again, hoping to survive.
Cheers to 2023. May it be the year we finally catch that break.
Big Nick's BBQ
Six mornings a week, as folks head to work and school,Big Nick's BBQgets to smoking in south Fort Myers.It starts around dawnwith logs of black oakloaded into the two smokers out back and set ablaze. When the fire coolsto a glowing smolder, when the temperature is just right, in goes the meat. From pork spare ribs to juicy turkey and lushly wobbly brisket, the 11-month-old Big Nick's makes barbecue as this area rarely sees it: cooked low and slow, sliced fresh, served till it's gone. My tips: order ahead online to reserve your favorite meats before they sell out for the day; and don't sleep on the house-made sides or the peanut butter pie. They are worth it.
(takeout only; 9211 Cypress Lake Drive, south Fort Myers; 239-204-2498; bignicksbbq.com)
Full review:Smoked fresh daily: Big Nick's BBQ brings old-fashioned barbecue to Fort Myers — JLB
De Adriatico
I couldn't quite pinpoint the source of my happiness after leavingDe Adriatico at Gulf Coast Town Center in April. The baklava, loaded with honey-infused, softly crunchy pistachios, was a likely culprit. Or perhaps thepunjene paprike, a dish of braised peppers stuffed with beef and rice.There were, to be sure, far fancier things on the menu: bracing martinis shaken at the bar, lamb chops, steaksand grilled branzino offered with a la carte sides.That's a lot of joy. But the source ofmyhappiness, if it had to be pinpointed, was Hugo Cardenas. Of that I'm now certain.Cardenas is the Bolivian-Yugoslavian chef-restaurateur behind De Adriatico. He's the person who (finally) brought something new and wonderfully interesting to this shopping center; a restaurant with solid Mediterranean fare and the best service I had all year. I wish we had more Hugo Cardenases. For now, the one will have to suffice.
(9908 Gulf Coast Main St. No. C165, San Carlos Park; 239-362-3545; facebook.com/deadriaticorestaurantfortmyers)
Full review:Fort Myers restaurants: At De Adriatico, chef Hugo Cardenas takes you home — JLB review
Dru's West Indian Roti Shop
The Churaman siblings and their mother, Dru, are the forces behind this Guyanese takeout restaurant, which opened in Fort Myers in Oct. 2021. Dru's brings something unique to the area: a trip to the West Indies in a few bright and spice-rich bites. If you're new to Guyanese food, let the Churamans be your guides. Start with puffy, fritter-like pholourie. Check out the curries, the fried rice, the scratch-made roti flatbreads. Have a double or two, an aloo bake, some fried chicken. Then wash it all down with freshly pressed cane juice and marvel at the magic of food.
(2968 Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers; 239-245-7162; druswestindianroti.com)
Full review:Fort Myers restaurants: At Dru's West-Indian Roti Shop, a thrilling taste of Guyana
El Basque Vin & Pintxo Bar
This 30-seat Bonita Springs restaurant spotlights thecuisine of the Basque regionof northern Spain, a small but mightyarea known for seafood and pork, cheeses, steaks, cured meats, cidersand lovely wines. It's a food lover's paradise. And so is El Basque. Start with a few pintxos (the Basque take on tapas) and then a few more. You'll need the figs, the garlic shrimp, the octopus that's tender as a hug. If your table is still hungry, share an entree or two. Just be sure to save room for the traditional Basque burnt cheesecake for dessert.
(Prado at Spring Creek, 25245 Chamber of Commerce Drive, Bonita Springs; 239-301-4973; elbasque.com)=
Full review:
The Bohemian
This place is a snapshot of 2022 Southwest Florida, at least pre-Ian. It is buzzy and pricey — andalso warm, also inviting.It is a restaurant of beautiful food served by beautiful people in a beautiful setting that could be in Miami or Montmartre but is actually in an old bank building off Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs. Go for the crafty, low-alcohol co*cktails, the chicken chicharrones dusted in togarashi, the vegan small plates that do not skimp on flavor. If you still have money, then keep going with towers of seafood, diver scallops in fennel ragu, or a $99 tomahawk rib eye that looked outstanding, but that I was far too scared to expense.
(27975 Old 41 Road, Bonita Springs; 239-451-9619; thebohemianbonita.com)
Full review:Bonita Springs restaurants: At The Bohemian, rhapsody and sticker shock — JLB review
Hot Pot & BBQ
Hot Pot & BBQ is the most fun I've had in a Fort Myers restaurant. Possibly ever. This dining room is an engineering marvel. A magnetic conveyor belt filled with side bowls of vegetablesglides past each table, all of which have their own grill tops as well as individual hot pots for each place setting.Think of this as a fantastical DIY all-you-can-eat experience. Choose a broth, opt into or out of the barbecue, then stock up on all the raw ingredients — bulgogi, brisket, heads-on prawns — you can manage from the buffet. Need kimchi? Wood-eared mushrooms? Spicy cucumbers? They'll be by on the conveyor belt before you know it. And, before you know it, Hot Pot's two-hour dining limit will be up. Eat accordingly.
(Colonial Square, 9345 Six Mile Cypress Parkway, Fort Myers; 239-338-9999)
Full review:
Malinche Mexican Cuisine
Jorge and Antonio Salazar are the brothers behind Malinche, which opened June 27 in the former Metro Diner space on Bonita Beach Road. They came to Southwest Florida via St. Louis, where Jorge spent 20-some years working in and running restaurants. Over time, the brothers Salazar wanted to be somewhere warmer, somewheremore like the family'shome inTlaxcala, east of Mexico City.So, they came to Bonita and opened a Mexican restaurant that's unlike the others. Malinche offers many of the usual Mexican dishes, but the most interesting parts of this menu are the pre-colonial options (tlacoyos, tamals) that deliciously showcase the country's Mayan and Aztecan roots.
(Center of Bonita Springs, 3250 Bonita Beach Road No. 202, Bonita Springs; 239-301-2902; malinchebonitasprings.com)
More:Where to eat in Bonita Springs, Estero: A taste of two new Mexican restaurants — JLB review
Uncle Rico's Pizza
In what has been a banner year for new pizzerias, Uncle Rico's stands out. This tiny Fort Myers spot makes the pizza I crave: a slight crunch to the still-foldable crust, great cheese, great sauce, great toppings, and just the right proportions of each. Credit for this mastery goes to owner/pizzaiolo Enrico Aguila, who brings 22-plus years of dough-tossing experience to this place. Aguila doesn't just make great pizzas, he makes consistently great pizzas that I have grown to love.
(2960 Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers; 239-362-0083; unclericospizza239.com)
More:Fort Myers restaurants: Four new pizzerias open — and new barbecue, too
Uva's Vino & Tapas
Fernando Uva has been in the restaurant industry for most of his 70 years on this earth. He's been in the Southwest Florida restaurant industry since the mid-1990s,when he opened the old Fernando's of Martha's Vineyard on Fort Myers Beach. For most of Uva's time in the business, he's focused on the Italian side of his roots. Finally, he's turning his attention to his Portuguese half. Uva's, which opened in August in south Fort Myers, is an Americanized Portuguese tapas restaurant. The portions are generous, the flavors are too. It's also a delicious restaurant with shockingly low prices, a full bar, and genial service that stems from a lifetime of experience.
(16230 Summerlin Road, south Fort Myers; 239-887-3889; uvasvinotapas.com)
Full review:Restaurant review: Wine, tapas and the most bang our critic has ever gotten for their buck
Zen Deli
This is the kind of mashup I love. Part Vietnamese banh-mi shop, part Lower East Side delicatessen, Zen balances these two worlds beautifully. There is lobster bisque and crab Rangoon, Caesar salads and frieddumplings. Rye sandwiches come with pastrami, corned beef, Swiss. Subs include an Italian, a club andtheBBQ steak. Plus,there arebanh mi—delectable banh mi on house-baked, crumb-spewing French rollssmeared in butter andpate, then layered with Vietnamese pork roll, meats and house-pickled vegetables.It's a lot to take in. But Zen makes it work.
(locations in south Fort Myers and Cape Coral; zen-deli.com)
More:Zen Deli offers balance, banh mi and American classics with Vietnamese twists — JLB review
Jean Le Boeuf is the brand under which our restaurant critics have written for more than 40 years. This articlecame from staff writer Annabelle Tometich. Connect with this reporter:atometich@news-press.com;@abellewrites(Instagram);@atometich(Twitter)
