Ask the Editor
NI Editor Kathy Becker answers your questions about the most fascinating people, places, experiences and events in Naples. Submit your questions to Kathy and watch this space for her answers.
Q: Now that the charity social season is winding down, is there something you attended that stands out?
A: There are a lot of events that were very special this season, but one of my favorites, and a complete surprise, was attending one of the last performances of the Circus Sarasota before it left Miromar Outlets in Estero.
The month-long engagement in March was the first time the 11-year-old circus left its home in Sarasota. The visit benefited Voices for Kids of Southwest Florida, which supports the Guardian Ad Litem program, in addition to Circus Sarasota’s own Laughter Unlimited and Big Top Education programs.
I went because of my six- and nine-year-old children, but I left the big top entertained and charmed. Circus Sarasota bills itself as a champion of the circus arts, and the performance lived up to that goal, with an athletic, entertaining show by quality performers. My children, my husband and I were delighted throughout the entire two-hour show, which changes each year. When we went to the concession at intermission for kid-friendly cotton candy and popcorn, my son rushed us back into the big top, because he was afraid the circus would start again without him.
Circus Sarasota is a class act that upholds the circus tradition established in Sarasota when John Ringling himself made it the winter home of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. With its Estero visit, Circus Sarasota launched its first Capital Campaign to raise $1.5 million to purchase its own tent and equipment.
The area’s sponsors who supported this first visit of the circus made a great choice, and I hope the circus will be back to Estero next year. If not, I’ll definitely consider driving to Sarasota next February to see it again. (circussarasota.org)
Q: After traveling to Italy [see “Romancing the Stone” in the April issue], surely you were impressed by the wonderful food there. What in Naples, Florida, can you recommend that offers flavors similar to what you experienced in Italy?
A: One of my most recent delightful dining experiences was at Dino’s in Naples, where Dino Redzic, the proprietor, took NI colleagues and me on a tasting tour of Italy at his chef’s table (dinorestaurantnaples.com). In addition to experiencing the flavors of Italy in food and wine, he also gave us a history and cultural lesson as the courses progressed. For example, the Bellini, which accompanied a white bean bruschetta appetizer, hails from Venice, and the one he serves may remind diners of Harry’s Bar in Venezia.
Redzic, who is from Montenegro, Italy, uses his mother’s own recipes, 50-year-old balsamic vinegar, homemade pasta and limoncello, house-cured lemon, and other classic, top-rate ingredients. At the chef’s table, which Redzic oversees personally, surprises may include meatballs and homemade lamb sausage (the family owns a butcher shop in New York) with flaming cognac and rosemary.
I’m fortunate that as a journalist, I often have the privilege of sitting at the chef’s table. Now, whenever I have the opportunity, I seek them. The pleasure of dining at a chef’s table is the opportunity to experience the chef’s best dishes while learning about different flavors and getting individual attention.
As in Italy, the experience was warm and extensive, and left the entire staff feeling connected and comforted, just the same as the meals I experienced in Italy.
Q: I’m wondering how you selected the Powers of 10, a feature planned for the January issue, where the commuity was asked to make nominations? Jack Shelby, via e-mail
A: When we first asked the community for nominations, we knew that we wanted to profile 10 extraordinary men, 10 extraordinary women and 10 extraordinary children and youths. However, we weren’t sure who would be nominated, and just how we would set up our selection criteria. We did know that we were hoping to identify people who are flying below the radar, and who are not frequently singled out for honors.
Once the nominations came in, we started to see a pattern, and chose to select people who were making improvements in the community, either through charity work or by exploring new ideas. We did make the decision not to select people who were nominated merely because of their business success. Through the nomination process, we also identifed some people who will be featured in the magazine in the future.
It was difficult to make selections, but we think you will be pleased and stunned by the results. We will be going through a similar process soon for our Perfect 10 stylish men, which will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this year as well.
Q: We’re looking for a change of pace, and before roads become crowded, we’d like to trek to Fort Myers and sample some of the restaurants there. Do you have a recommendation?
A: Please be sure to read the November Issue’s Dining Out (review of Wyld’s Café in Bonita Springs, which will save you a huge drive) and Local Flavor, which highlights a few restaurants in Fort Myers. Naples foodie Skip Becker also recommends Café Cibo, which I haven’t sampled personally, but Managing Editor Kat Smith has tried. I’ll let her fill you in. …
The chef-owner, Mark Marotta, and his wife, Mary Pat, serve sophisticated Italian fare along with a nice selection of wines. Recently, we had some delicious homemade gnocchi and a perfectly cooked, delicious veal porterhouse served with a heady side of truffle risotto. Cibo is moving from its casual and cozy space into larger quarters within the same shopping center on McGregor Boulevard around the first week of November; it will include a full bar and about 150 seats. Marotta plans to use Café Cibo’s vacated space to open a Mexican restaurant called Cabo. Call 239-454-3700 for information.
Q: My wife and I will be visiting Naples in mid-October for a weekend. We always visit for a week during the summer, but this is our first trip during the fall. Will the traffic be quite different in mid-October as compared to July/August?
A: The difference in traffic from a July/August visit to October will likely be slight. One advantage of a fall visit is that you will likely be beyond the summer’s afternoon rainstorms, which seem to have the same effect on traffic as snowfall does up north, often resulting in accidents that cause traffic snarls.
While some of the seasonal residents will be back and on the road in October, the first big wave doesn’t arrive until November. The biggest change in traffic that I’ve noticed happens between January and Easter.
One thing you will find delightful since your last visit is the completion of several road projects that have resulted in better traffic flow.
First, don’t be confused (as a few members of our company from the east coast have been) by the new ramp at Golden Gate Parkway on I-75. This exit (No. 105), along with the completed overpass at Airport-Pulling Road, brings traffic from the Interstate into Naples right at Coastland Center Mall.
In addition, construction along U.S. 41 through Bonita Springs is complete (and landscaping in the medians nearly so), making travel south from Naples to Coconut Point Mall and the International Design Center in Estero much smoother.
Unfortunately, construction along Immokalee Road continues, making this area a continued mess.
The state’s Department of Transportation offers a new service for keeping track of traffic. The Southwest Florida 511 Traffic Information Service provides real-time traffic updates covering 30 roads in Lee, Charlotte and Collier counties.
After dialing 511, we found it takes a few attempts to figure out how to navigate the menu, but once you have it down, at least you can call to find out why you are sitting in traffic. And since there has been so much development along the roadways, be assured there’s usually an interesting place to pull into and explore in the rare instance that you do get caught in a jam.
Q: I noticed in the July/August issue that your fashion was shot in Jamaica. Do you get to go to all these great places featured in Naples Illustrated?
A: If only! Actually, my job takes me to all sorts of incredible places. We did send a writer/editor to Jamaica, and for the trips involving fashion shoots, the editors of our magazines usually take turns.
In truth, these location fashion trips are often grueling 10-hour days, so my personal preference for work-related travel are the trips where I get to go to places where Neapolitans congregate when they are not here. So far, I’ve been able to log fabulous trips to places including the Keys, North Carolina, Georgia, Oregon, Montana, Las Vegas and most recently Chicago (watch for those stories in our November issue). I’m working on trips to Italy, Costa Rica and Wisconsin.
Our goal (in addition to providing me with trips) is to reflect the lifestyle of Neapolitans, who love to travel and often end up spending time with other Neapolitans when they aren’t in Florida.
I’m always looking for new destinations, so feel free to suggest other places we might go where Neapolitans gather.
Q: We’re new full-time residents in Southwest Florida, and we’re having a difficult time adjusting to our first sultry Southwest Florida summer. How do we stay as sunny as the summer without breaking into an afternoon storm of despair?
A: Admittedly, it is an adjustment. I arrived in Southwest Florida in June 1989, and spent the first several weeks feeling like I was about to pass out every time I got out of my air-conditioned car. During my first week, a brush fire was so big in Bonita Springs that firefighters had to close U.S. 41 as the fire hopped from one side to the other. It was something I had never experienced.
But after living here since 1989, I can tell you that summer does have its charms (and is perhaps why my daughter’s name is Summer!). Now is the time to explore restaurants and shops, with plenty of new ones to discover. The longer days provide, it seems, more time to do so. In addition to retail clearance events, you can also enjoy restaurants without a wait. I especially enjoy frequent visits to USS Nemo for the sea bass, Tropical Reef for the hot ‘n’ crunchy grouper, and Charlie Chiangs for California rolls and lobster and asparagus soup.
Although it seems counterintuitive, beaches are great at this time of year, because you expect to be hot at the beach anyway, and the Gulf beckons. Pools are incredibly enticing. If you are from up north, you can marvel at the ability to practically watch the plants grow before your eyes. While away hours browsing area bookstores. (My book club will next discuss The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, and I recently began reading Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Cross Creek, which offers some stunning descriptions of a primitive, wild Florida. Her description of magnolia and citrus trees is positively lyrical.)
Most of all, enjoy the slower pace, with few evening social and charitable engagements, and before your first round of visitors. (Trust me, it’s inevitable!)
CLICK HERE to submit your questions to NI Editor Kathy Becker.
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