Even though it has been a mild Chicago winter, I still loved every minute of my recent nine days in Florida. I spent time with my family, enjoyed temperatures in the upper 70s and had a lot of great seafood.
My dining romp through the seafood options started with crab cakes at Joey D’s in Naples. Many places may claim ownership of crab cakes, but I have never had any better than what Joey D’s served. We later returned to Joey D’s and had the best pizza in the area. MiraMare Ristorante in Naples offered scenic waterside seating while also preparing wonderfully tender tilapia. They also had great bread with a crispy crust; soft inside; and an interesting, subtle flavor. We shared awesome appetizers at Pinchers in Fort Myers, overlooking the Caloosahatchee River. The grouper bites were light and fresh. The clam chowder soup was five-star. They also had great frozen margaritas. The grouper sandwich at the Pierside Grill in Fort Myers Beach came highly recommended, and it surpassed expectations. It is lightly breaded with cornflakes and it overflows a hearty bun.
We did take an occasional break from the fantastic food and poolside lounging to visit some area attractions, starting with some dog racing action at Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Racing. We had a blast trash-talking each other as we wagered on our favorites. I even came out a crispy 90 cents ahead. Other destinations were as much about nature as the actual attraction. The Naples Zoo has some of the most interesting trees, along with closeup looks at exotic animals. The Edison and Ford Winter Homes were also a chance to be ensconced in nature. Of course, the tours were educational, but just meandering around the spacious grounds was enjoyment for me. The same thing could be said for Manatee Park, where we saw many huge and playful manatees. This was my ideal vacation. I did just enough sightseeing to qualify as a tourist, but I spent enough time enjoying the food options and relaxing poolside with my family to satisfy my quest to do nothing.
— John Wroblewski, online contributor
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