2 Best Restaurants in The Lower Gulf Coast, Florida

Luxurious yet simultaneously resort-wear casual, this restaurant draws everyone from young businesspeople to local retirees. Sushi and such Pacific Rim inspirations as shrimp spring rolls rub elbows with beef carpaccio and watermelon salad with goat cheese and pecans; grilled seafood and fine cuts of meat like dry-aged rib-eyes or strip steaks come with your choice of nine sides that include "wild" sherry-laced mushrooms for four-cheese mac. For dessert, sip a Special K Express martini, made with a full shot of espresso. Dine alfresco or inside with a view of the kitchen. There's a second location in Bonita Springs.

You'll feel as if you're dining in a home at this intimate bistro, which serves creative American-Italian-Asian fusion cuisine, and that's exactly how the owners want it to be—inviting, warm, and welcoming. The menu is full of home-cooked classics, but you'll also find chef specials that change with the season or an inspired whim. Customer service is always top-notch.