Boating for Food Blog - Captiva Island Yacht Club

What better way to beat the crowds flocking to every dining venue in SW Florida then to boat to your favorite private club? Although slightly longer boat trip than the 20-minute goal set for this boating and food blog. But hey! It is worth the few extra couple of minutes.

The vessel route is straightforward: take the ICW south to Marker 39 (Fl Green), then 200 degrees to Captiva Channel Light 2 (FL Red), then follow the markers into Roosevelt Channel.  Jensen’s Marina is the first commercial establishment along the channel, then Green Flash restaurant, and the Yacht Club, which is adjacent to Tween Waters Resort. Lots of fun and foodie opportunities along this short stretch of water!

Our first trip this year was for a wine and dine pairing, featuring California wines, The goal of these frequent dinners is to discover and experience good wines available for around $20. The club chef works the pairings with a cool couple from the club that enjoy the wine discovery process as much or more than consumption.

Needless to say the dinner was a sell-out and everything was just perfect. See the menu for the great pairings.

We made another journey last week, again with a group of 8 Useppa neighbors, for Steak and Lobster night. The staff prepared a terrific evening and the food was great! The Lockharts, our frequent diners and foodie photographers provide the following evidence.

  

Steak and Lobster

Although presently sporting a waiting list for membership, for any boaters in this vicinity it will be worth the wait. Not only can one enjoy this great venue that fronts the bayou and the Captiva Island beach, Captiva Island Yacht Club is a member of the Florida Council of Yacht Clubs, providing reciprocal membership cruising and dining facilities throughout Southwest Florida.

The Tarpon Lodge - Part 1 in the Boat for Food Blog Series - Useppa Island

BOATING FOR FOOD FROM USEPPA ISLAND, FLORIDA

To the Tarpon Lodge, Pineland, FL

Tarpon Lodge Pineland Florida

Once again it is time to search for the perfect place to dine. This time, rather than a lunch run we are going for dinner. My choices re extremely limited because Mary has already made reservations at the Tarpon Lodge. This destination is the second most convenient restaurant to Useppa, the other being Cabbage Key. We call the Lodge “upscale” compared to Cabbage, to which we can kayak, but Cabbage has a charm of its own.

The Four Star Tarpon Lodge, owned and managed by the same family that owns Cabbage Key, is located in Pineland, a small burg on the western shore of Pine Island that, in a previous era was a stronghold of the Calusa Indians. They built huge mounds from shell and earth to serve as temples and, I presume, strongholds in the event some enemies were silly enough to attack them. Calusa’s had a way of dealing with that problem; they ate those that they captured-or at least, the prime parts. That tends to diminish the number of enemies.

Which is probably not why there is a restaurant in Pineland today, but it makes you think. By the way, the Randell Research Center, dedicated to preserving the remains of this notable center of Native American history, is located across the street from the Lodge and is part of the Florida Museum of Natural History. Take a tour at www.flmnh.ufl.edu/rrc/

The Tarpon Lodge, located adjacent to the 24-rooms that make it a Lodge, is well known as the best quality and service on the waterfront. The staff is well led and openly friendly, eager to serve and they do it well. No matter if the restaurant is full; you will always receive the best service. Unlike the wait staff in many restaurants, these pros know what’s in each dish. 

The food, especially the fish, is always fresh, fresh, fresh. Like one review on Google stated “THE best fish I ever had”. The chef’s preparations are creative and the presentation wonderful. Our dinner that evening was the Special, a delish hunk of grouper in a light cream sauce on a bed of Jasmine rice and sautéed spinach. It sounded so good all four of us ordered it, and we were not disappointed.  Unfortunately, that means all the plate photos look the same.

Grouper - Jasmine Rice in a light cream sauce

The lodge is a favorite place for Useppans to visit, for lunch or for dinner. Just an 8 minute run from Useppa via the well-marked Pineland channel, there is always sufficient dock space right along the seawall and docks behind the restaurant.  

For more information visit their website www.tarponlodge.com

The Newest Dock on Useppa Island

Introducing the Newest Dock On Useppa Island

Big private dock that will, not only, accommodate a 35’ boat, but is also wide enough for your golf cart. You don’t have to walk and carry your gear.  Great access to boating, fishing and tons of fun on the water.

Secret Islands of Southwest Florida

Discover the Secret Islands of Southwest Florida

Many of Southwest Florida’s barrier islands, spanning the coast from Marco north to Manasota Key, deliver seclusion — without the three-hour tour or that dunderhead Gilligan. The best are those accessible only by boat, chartered ferry excursions and, in some cases, a helicopter or seaplane. Bonus for resort amenities and grand, Old Florida-style cottages and estate rentals — or sleeping platforms for the truly adventurous who don’t mind starlit nights within the thick nothingness of the Everglades. This time of year, even those islands connected by bridge offer more room to spread out your beach blanket.

Find Your Key to Paradise

The Ten Thousand Islands

Just a smattering of the Everglades’ Ten Thousand Islands are inhabited. Subtract Marco from the mix, and the majority of the remaining 9,999 are devoid of civilization or an inkling of man’s presence. Heck, some are merely walking-on-water mangroves with little to no actual land. Motorboats allow you to take the plunge deeper into the ‘Glades and the 35,000-acre Ten Thousand Island National Wildlife Refuge. The national park is part of the largest mangrove forest in North America and plays an important role in the circle of life with its bird rookeries and fish nurseries. You might spot the rare mangrove cuckoo or black-whiskered vireo, or a sea turtle nest along the refuge’s small slices of beach.

Opt for paddle power and you’re bound to hear and see more, the dip of your paddle the only man made noise within a natural soundtrack of bird calls, leaping fish splashdowns and, if you’re lucky, the distinguishable snort of dolphins and manatees. Florida panthers also live here, and the quiet back bay waters are home to snook, permit, flounder, pompano and sea trout.

Some of the islands also offer platforms for overnight campers.

Gasparilla Island

Boca Grande–the Palm Beach of Gasparilla Island. This easy-going, but upscale island boasts stylish shops and boutiques, as well as to-die-for seafood restaurants.

Long before roads opened southwest Florida to the masses, privileged northerners came by train to spend the winter on beautiful Gasparilla Island.  This picturesque town looks much the way it did a century ago.  In the off-season, beach goers can have the water to themselves, going the whole day without seeing anyone.

See the full article

Florida Weekly June 2015

Lazy Flamingo: Part 5 in the Boat for Food Blog Series - A Culinary Adventure around Useppa Island!

Once again we set out in search of some good food for lunch. We don’t go north or south this time, but turn east to Bokeelia and Pine Island. Lazy Flamingo is located within the Four Winds Marina complex, at the head of Jug Creek, home port for most Useppans. Leaving our dock we head south then do a hairpin turn around the south end of Useppa and head north into the center of Pine Island Sound.

Small fishing boats dot the landscape, casting for sea trout and redfish in the grass flats. Views north open up to Boca Grande and Charlotte Harbor, while Captiva Pass is visible just 3 miles to the south.  We pass the outer buoy of the Pineland Channel then veer to the northeast and head directly for Little Bokeelia Bay. This is the short cut that merges into the center of Jug Creek, and saves a mile of travel. Although impassable at extreme low tides there is plenty of water in a channel marked by private aids, but it is still a local knowledge route. 

We pass Little Bokeelia Island, with its gorgeous Spanish home, and high ground overlooking Boca Grande Pass. You can buy this paradise for just $24.5 million, and have 29 lots to sell to your best friends. The remnants of a Calusa temple mound appear on the left as you make the final turn into Jug Creek. In a couple more minutes you are docked in front of the Lazy Flamingo, 13 minutes from our dock.

A casual place for lunch or dinner, the Lazy is a local chain known for its fresh fish offerings, usually Mahi but frequently Grouper and sometimes a surprising and yummy Triple Tail. You can get it grilled, blackened or fried. Fresh oysters and scallops are usually available also. Naturally there are burgers and fries, steak sandwiches and always fresh salads-nice and crispy.

Mary departs from her usual lunch salad and goes for the grilled Mahi sandwich basket-but avoids devouring the fries. I had a giant, perfectly done blue cheeseburger basket with all the toppings-lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles-and ate every damn fry in the basket. This lunch just demanded an ice cold beer, so I gave in to the temptation and had two-they are small.

This experience was typical. Friendly and attentive wait staff, good but not fancy food, hot from the kitchen, and ice cold beer. It is hard to walk past the Lazy and not feel some hunger pangs-so go in and fix them!