Back Home from Sanibel

The pool is open!

I just returned from a short trip to Sanibel. It looks like the island and the Fort Myers area is quickly recovering from Hurricane Irma. On the island, many branches and trees were lost, and there are a number of piles of vegetation that still need to be picked up. But the roads are open and it didn't look like any biking and walking paths were unaccessible. Most shops and restaurants are open or should be within the next few weeks, and the farmers market opened for the season yesterday (Sunday, October 1st). The gulf waters are warm and enjoyable for swimming, the birds still run away from the waves and there are plenty of shells to be gathered!

As is usual in the fall, the island isn't very busy, but as we approach the busy holiday and winter season, don't forget you can use the Gulf Drives to avoid traffic. By following the West, Middle and East Gulf Drive, you can get all the way down to Pinocchio's Ice Cream and the Lighthouse Cafe without driving on Periwinkle.

View of the sunset from the Sand Pointe beach

Over Easy Cafe

This past Saturday, April 15, we FINALLY tried the Over Easy Cafe.  I say finally because we have wanted to try it for years.  We have heard only fabulous things about it and we were not disappointed.

It was Saturday, April 15th around 11:30am.  We knew we would have to wait a little and we did.  They told us 30 minutes and given a pager and pointed to the little shops we could check out while we wait.  How fun!  The cutest shops ever and 1/2 hour was not enough time to see them all.  

Our buzzer went off and we were seated at a nice table inside near a window.  There are also tables outside that you can request.  We ordered grapefruit juice and cranberry juice and were very pleased that they had both as many places do not.

We ordered our breakfast and it came within 15 minutes.  I had the 2 eggs over easy and 2 slices of french toast along with 2 pieces of bacon.  YUM YUM YUM!  All of it was so good.

Jeff had the Traditional Eggs Benedict with fried potatoes.  All AMAZING!  The eggs were perfectly shaped and the hollandaise sauce was nice and light.  

We had trouble with the menu because there were so many really good choices we wanted to try.  We watched the servers carry plates to different tables and wanted to try it all!  We will be back.  This is a very family friendly, price friendly place for a delicious breakfast or lunch.  They serve till 3pm every day.

George and Wendy's Sanibel Seafood Grille

Tonight we tried a place we have never been to, the Sanibel Seafood Grille.  We had heard it was a very good seafood restaurant but a bit on the spendy side.  We went early, around 5pm, to beat the Friday night rush.  We were first seated outside as we requested but decided to move inside because of the small black bugs flying around.  We ended up at a nice booth.

We started off with an order of crab cakes, my favorite!  They came with a red pepper aioli on the side.  Very tasty.....  but I love crab cakes and rarely meet one I don't like!  They bring a warm loaf of sourdough bread and olive oil, parmesan and herb dipping sauce to the table as well.  I could have eaten that bread all night.  So good.

For our entrees we ordered the Drunken Grouper.  It is pan seared and sautéed with garlic, fresh chilis, and a tequila lime tomato sauce.  It is accompanied by garlic smashed potatoes and fresh vegetables (green beans with red pepper)

It was very good!  It was prepared perfectly and had a hint of spiciness.  The 2 sides were also very good.

The second entree was the Grilled Sweet Bourbon Salmon accompanied by yellow saffron rice and fresh veggies.

I loved this dish.  The bourbon sauce was yummy and the salmon was cooked medium, just the way I like it.  I loved the pineapple slice on top as well.

We had to try a dessert, of course.  They had a sampler called the Island Trio.  It was a tiny carrot cake, a tiny key lime pie, and a tiny cheese cake.  Just enough for a bit of each!

We will start with the Carrot Cake.  YUMMY!  That's all.  Loved it.

Next, the Key Lime Pie.  Great flavor!  We love love love the graham cracker crust.  A winner.

Finally, the Cheese Cake.  Delicious!!!!  For us the winner was the Key Lime but we enjoyed them all.

This was a wonderful meal and very close to our condo (right next door to Bailey's)  It is a bit spendy, however.  For the 2 of us it was almost $100 including tip.  We did not order any alcohol with our meal and just stuck with water.  They offer live entertainment every night after 9pm.