KELLY MERRITT

The brainchild of Jeff Mitchell and Chef Richard Demarse, The Local showcases light-as-air salads, savory soups and satisfying sandwiches — especially the savory veggie sandwich.

While Southwest Florida looks forward to the Greater Fort Myers Dog Club Show this weekend, handlers and owners already are hard at work beautifying their competitors for the spotlight. Just what does it take for a handler or owner to ...

Nothing gets my taste buds fired up like discovering a great little gem of a restaurant close to home.

Sometimes the best-kept secrets exist right in front of you, but somehow you keep missing them. In the case of Flava Restaurant in Old Naples, I’ve been missing a hidden gem.

It’s always a good time for empanadas. Gustitos Bakery and Peruvian Cafe in North Naples, is home to a variety of empanadas, but it also serves up a bevy of other delights.

Vergina Restaurant, which has long been a staple of the Fifth Avenue South dining scene, has someone new at the helm in the kitchen.

Pavilion Shops in North Naples is fast becoming a Naples culinary attraction, with KC American Bistro’s expansion, Fit n’ Fuel Cafe, Trattoria Abruzzo, Margarita’s and now the new Skillets.

You've likely seen the saying “eat dessert first.” While Veranda E at the Hotel Escalante has some amazing savory dishes, Executive Chef Michael Kang’s homemade ice cream dictates beginning this story with dessert.

It’s impossible to name every restaurant that serves a great burger in Naples. But it’s also impossible to ignore the noise some special burgers are getting.

Scallywags Steak and Burger House fills a dining need on the East Trail in East Naples.

Attending food festivals is one of the best ways — not to mention tastiest — to experiment with diverse cuisines without having to get on a plane. Naples has at least four food festivals coming up in February, including German ...

When La Piñata Mexican restaurant opened recently in East Naples, people flocked to it. And they are still flocking.

Jon Ashton is a chef. But he's a showman as well.

If you love learning about Earth's storied past, being Dr. Gary Schmelz would be a dream job. Schmelz is leading fossil digs with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida throughout January, February and March. The digs will take place in Charlotte ...

Fish Restaurant recently opened at Village on Venetian Bay by local restaurateur Sal Sinzieri, who also owns MiraMare in the Village. His seafood bistro is a wide-open dining experience on the water and, as the name implies, is all about ...

We love the characters of "Downton Abbey" on PBS. Would we love their food? Local purveyors of British goods invite us to see for ourselves.

Sweet Home Chicago Pub & Grub is keeping it all in the family. Breaking free from the chains of pizzeria franchising, the owners have given their Naples restaurant a major menu makeover with some catchy names to boot.

There's a lot to be said for doing your own thing. That's why the owners of L'Angolo 5th ave have renamed and reformed their restaurant and are featuring a revamped menu.

In Naples, Masa is the first generation of trendy, fine Mexican dining.

Get ready to stand up, get moving and get grooving. The Spinners — one of the most beloved rhythm and blues bands of all time — are returning to Southwest Florida this weekend.

After sampling the cuisine at Bha! Bha! Persian Bistro's new location on Fifth Avenue in downtown Naples last week, I now understand why readers have badgered me to go there for so long.

Cote d'Azur, which has won many accolades — including several Zagat best restaurant awards — is a charming place. Little awnings over each table and bright colors with little mirrored windows are meant to evoke images of dining in sunny, ...

In the Bible, gluttony is frowned upon. So it's a good thing Chapel Grill is located in a beautifully restored church, because you will need all the forgiveness you can get after eating there. The highly creative menu makes it ...

At L'Orient Exquisite Asian Cuisine in Naples, the owners have been keeping a sushi secret.

The stars seemed to have aligned for the Capitol Steps appearance in Naples on Oct. 31: It's Halloween, and certainly the 2012 elections can be described as nightmarish. Further, the election is still nearly a week away and all candidates ...

The presidential candidates are popular as masks, but some commanders-in-chief from the past are popular, too, in Halloween costumes stores.

Stone crab season is officially under way. Restaurants and stone crab festival organizers are gearing up for another season that some seafood lovers wait for all summer long. From festivals to restaurants to seafood retailers, it's finally time to crank ...

Words that begin with the letter “d,” such as diagnosis, dosage and diameter, becomes part of every cancer patient’s vocabulary. But one “d” word could be the most important of them all: diet.

Executive chef Ettore Laccetti and his sister Paolo Laccetti have found a new kitchen of their own in their new North Naples restaurant, Trattoria Abruzzo Cucina Italiana.

American Indian Day this weekend honors America's true first settlers: the Native Americans. Saturday, the Miccosukee tribe will celebrate with a free festival from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Miccosukee Resort & Gaming.

What do you get when you combine die-hard customers, dedicated restaurateurs and staff who stick around no matter what? In Naples, it's called Mangrove Cafe.

A Naples native produces an inspirational story, "Unconditional."

Hear that? It's your kids going berserk for Elmo. The furry red monster and the rest of the Sesame Street crew are back in town and will perform at Germain Arena Friday through Sunday.

Watermark Grille is well known in town for the story of Naples' four Malo brothers and their collection of Viper sports cars and restaurant architecture — tall windows and daylight and nighttime ambiance. The restaurant is in homage to water, ...

Seminole Casino Immokalee's Paradise Food Truck Rally is in swing again, drawing foodies and the trucks they love from across Florida. The rallies are on the third Sunday of each month through October and then every Sunday in January and ...

The family restaurant team that is Enzo's Ristorante Italiano has been in business in Bonita Springs for 29 years. In an industry that has a high turnover, how have they done so well for so long?

Kids' box lunches can be healthful and fun, and several Naples chefs offer ways to do it.

Tucked away in The Pavilion shopping center in North Naples, KC American Bistro is continuing along the path chef and owner Keith Casey began three years ago.

When Cirque du Soleil's "Dralion" arrives at Germain Arena next week, it will be way too big to sneak in. "Dralion" (pronounced "Drah-lee-on" ) boasts an international cast of 52 acrobats, gymnasts, musicians, singers and comedic characters. The costumes alone ...

When you walk into Maguro, the décor leaps out at you. Lots of electric blue lighting is soothing and sexy.

After years of success in Naples with their family's French restaurant, Le Lafayette, Chef Sebastien Maillard, Astrid Maillard and her fiancé, Dave DiGrazia, opened Paris Bistro and Bakery.

Steppin' out is one of the best exercises you can cultivate, but just make sure you're doing it with the right equipment.

EJ's Bayfront Café, which opened earlier this year at Bayfront in Naples, looks like any other cute metropolitan cafe with its open-kitchen atmosphere. You can grab a coffee and a bite or a full meal with a large group. But ...

Most of us have a special purpose when we go out to lunch. In this first of a series on favored lunch spots in Southest Florida, it's for women friends to get together.

Señor Tequila's Fine Mexican Grill opened its third location recently in Marquesa Plaza in the southeast corner of Livingston and Pine Ridge roads. When we went there for dinner, the new location, much like its sister locations in Golden Gate ...

In the heart of one of Naples' industrial communities is a German deli and butcher's market that embraces the past. Owned and operated by certified master butcher Georg Hörndler and his wife, Heike, Pepper's Deli & Butcher is a bastion ...

A little pasta, a little vino, some pizza and something sweet for dessert. What's more comforting than Italian food? One of the new kids on the block is Café Alfredo in the Galleria Shoppes at Vanderbilt at Airport-Pulling and Vanderbilt ...

With exhibits ranging from space exploration to journeying through the Everglades, adults are encouraged to explore and blast of on that mission to space, climb through a mangrove or just roll down a hill in the outdoor playground.

Whisk! makes a good lunch simple, fresh and economical with its sandwich and treat menu.

Chez Boet now has a Boet in the kitchen: Lisa, one of indepedent diners' greatest champions in Naples. But she's also a tireless advocate for good food.