Florida “S’s” – Sanibel Island, FL

I recently returned from a much needed and might I say well deserved week on Florida’s Southwest Coast. To be exact we vacationed at the Marriott Sanibel Harbor Resort and Spa in the very small town of Punta Rassa just south of Fort Myers. Six days were filled with Sea, Sun, Sand, Shells, Steak, Sanibel, Summerlin and Shrimp! Obviously not in any particular order either. I’ll break down my reasons that these are the best “S’s” of Southwest Florida.

Sun – Each day we basked in the warmth of 80 degree sun poolside as we sipped on sweet fruity drinks, catching some rays in hopes of transforming our vampire white skin to something less ghost like. Living in northern Ohio we don’t see much of that big orange ball in the sky from about November to May! So of course our sun deprived bodies were lathered in coats of sunblock, SPF 75 or higher! Did we become bronze before we left, absolutely not but we did show signs of some color, even though the color was more of the red variety.

Sanibel, Sea, Shells and Sand – Emerald blue warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico had been calling our return since visiting Destin a couple of years ago. Though we didn’t swim in the sea we did enjoy walks on the white sand beaches of Sanibel, breathing that salt water air and wondering why we had never moved by the sea, oh that’s right, those pesky things called jobs! The white sand here is such a pleasure to go barefoot in as we combed the beaches in search of shells. Sanibel Island is unique in that it lies east and west, different than most islands which lie north and south, this direction allows Sanibel Island to catch abundant sea shells that the Gulf of Mexico brings to its shores. Sanibel Island is world renowned for its shells. Our favorite of the two beaches we visited was Bowman’s Beach on the north end, closer to Captiva, the other beach Tarpon Bay didn’t have the same amount of or type of shells. The amount of shells for the taking is amazing and we did snag some beautiful ones to bring home. Definitely visit Pinocchio’s Italian Ice Cream after a day shelling located near the lighthouse for some massive homemade ice cream cones. A single scoop is actually like a double and you can even choose two flavors in a single scoop. We tried their house specialties Dirty Sand Dollar and Sanibel Krunch and every order is topped with an animal cracker. A word of caution, if you do not stay on the island the toll is $6.00 each time you cross the bridge-causeway. The traffic can get very snarled in the early morning until about 10am and also in the evening around 6pm. Once on the island the traffic seems to disperse nicely. I suggest eating at Rosie’s Café, Timbers and Doc Ford’s on Sanibel.

Shrimp – Have you ever ate something and you instantly knew that it was the best thing you had ever ate in your life? We did while on Sanibel per the recommendation of our friend Cheri Hall who vacations at Fort Myers Beach in trying Doc Ford’s. This local favorite Rum Bar and Grille is named for the main character in Randy Wayne White’s mystery novels, Doc Ford. We visited the new location on Sanibel and tried their signature dish, Yucatan Shrimp or as I would say DELICIOTAN! The shrimp is steamed then served in a butter, garlic, Colombian chili, cilantro and Key Lime sauce with large pieces of crusty French bread used for sopping up every drop of goodness! The dish is served in ½ or 1 pound options, yes we were on vacation so we splurged and got the full pound, not exactly cheap at $28.95 but the best money I’ve ever spent on shrimp! We loved it so much we had to have it again during the week and tried the Fort Myers Beach location and yes…we ate another pound , each, of Yucatan Shrimp!

Steak and Summerlin – On Wednesday we visited the winter estates of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford (how could we not…right? – being that we practically live in Milan, Edison’s birthplace) in Fort Myers located on the King Palm lined Summerlin Boulevard which was at the time Edison purchased the property a cow path separating
the home on the river side from Edison’s laboratory on the east side. This cow path was used by and later named for Jacob (Jake) Summerlin. He was also known as the King of the Crackers, and was reputed to be the first child born in Florida after the land was ceded by Spain. He amassed a fortune of 15,000 to 20,000 head of cattle during the period after the civil war, and was considered one of the wealthiest Floridians before he reached the age of 40. He bought a wharf at Punta Rassa and a thousand acres nearby for cow pens, some of which he rented to other cattlemen from where he sold and shipped cattle to Cuba. So it’s only fitting that the area also offers some of the best steaks and beef in the state. We tried Summerlin Jake’s near the resort to mixed reviews from our group, after spending the afternoon in Naples. On the night before leaving we had the pleasure of meeting and dining with Chef Jamie McFadden. Chef Jamie is a renowned Florida caterer in the Orlando area where he owns and operates “A Fresh Approach to Catered Cuisine” in his company Cuisiniers. He is also my sister-in-law Judi’s best friend from high school as they both graduated from Monroeville. We dined at the resort’s highly reputed and recommended restaurant, Courtside Steakhouse. We were completely satisfied with our succulent steaks cooked perfectly along with delicious sides large enough to share and wedge salads. I also got to enjoy some wonderful conversation and get to know a new friend and food mentor in Chef Jamie. Jamie is launching his own wine aptly named “Snowbirds” as in reference to the snowbirds of Ohio who go south along with the birds during the winter. Chef Jamie also gave me some great tips and inspiration for my blog, it was the best pleasure of the week making a new friend. Please visit and learn more about Chef Jamie McFadden at: www.jamiemcfadden.com
It was the perfect ending to a much needed getaway filled with the best “S’s” of Florida, Sun, Sea, Sand, Shells, Sanibel, Steaks, Summerlin and Shrimp!

I’ve included my adaptation recipe of Yucatan Shrimp in the recipe section, you’ll definitely want this as often as possible!