DeRomo's Gourmet Market and Restaurant, Bonita Springs, Florida

Assortment of my holiday cookies from DeRomo's Bakery

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to wander the NYC city streets on my own and found myself in the epicurean paradise called Eataly.  Its a one stop shop for all things food - grocery, bakery,  fromagerie, deli, restaurant, coffee bar.  It had me at "hello".  I never thought I'd find any place close enough to my own backyard that would come close.  I'm very happy to stand corrected!  In the upscale shopping enclave of the Promenade now stands DeRomo's Gourmet Market & Restaurant, a little slice of Italian heaven in Bonita Springs, Florida.    

Set in old world rustic decor, DeRomo's offers a multitude of offerings.  The grocery offers a wide selection of items including produce, fresh breads and bakery items, homemade and specialty pastas and gourmet snacks.  DeRomo's also has a well stocked meat counter boasting beef, veal, pork and poultry cuts alongside house made Italian sausages and ready-to-cook specialities like braciola.   The variety of available selections makes DeRomo's an ideal shopping location for party hosts and home chefs.

Among my favorite sections in the market is the bakery.  Each trip to DeRomo's guarantees that I will leave with a box full of homemade cookies and pastries.  The pastry case rivals any authentic Italian bakery in Little Italy.  My go to selections include the amaretti and pignoli cookies, both of which have a soft chewy and lightly sweet center prefect to pair with an after dinner cappuccino or espresso.  But if you prefer a sweet with a bit more crunch, DeRomo's bakers do not disappoint with its assortment of biscotti.

In addition to grocery offerings, DeRomo's also boasts prepared foods and ready to order items from its deli area.  Sandwiches, pizzas, flatbreads and hot soups are all available for the lunch diner on the go.  Comfort foods like meat stromboli and Italian wedding soup will not disappoint you.  Don't want to "take out"?  "Eat in" and enjoy your meal on the outside patio.  In the springtime, on a nice temperate day, the patio makes for a nice mid-day lunch date.

For those looking for a more elegant dining experience, head through the market's back door and right into DeRomo's restaurant.  The menu features many of the traditional offerings of fine Italian dining, including my perennial favorite, eggplant parmesan so nicely breaded and sauced.        Those dining alone can also enjoy the upscale experience and set themselves at the bar situated between DeRomo's indoor and outdoor dining areas.





DeRomo's is a unique experience in the Southwest Florida area, one that I have been enjoying many times over since its opening in just over a year ago.   Admittedly, the quality of the fare is reflected in its prices.  But it is quite true that you do get what you pay for.  And when you are looking for something comforting and delicious, DeRomo's is an ideal place to go.

Food & Thought, Naples, Florida

If you've been following along with my blog, you know that I have a penchant for farm to table restaurants.  And now that I've made a resolution to cut out processed foods, I'm in greater need to find good all natural/organic purveyors.  This Presidents' Day, the kids and I took a trip to the Naples Botanical Garden to enjoy the installation of the Lego sculpture exhibit.  But before we could take in the sights, lunch was definitely on the agenda.  In a world dominated by fast food options, finding a fresh and healthy lunch option pleasing to younger palates is a daunting challenge.  I think I could count on one hand the available options in our town.  But lucky for me today, our local Panera Bread is in the same shopping plaza as a local gem, Food & Thought.  I was introduced to this organic market and eatery by a friend but had not been back in quite a long time.  I had intended to bring the kids to the well-known chain restaurant but was pleasantly reminded of Food & Thought as soon as I drove into the plaza.  So, today was the day for a return trip.

Fronted by a full organic market, Food & Thought serves breakfast, lunch and dinner from a kitchen counter in the back.  There are some seating options indoors but the best spot to dine is outdoors, especially in pleasantly cool and sunny weather.   Outdoor seating is plentiful and includes wooden tables and benches built around grown trees that provide plenty of shade on a hot day.  Fruits and vegetables in carts along the windows and trees and plants for sale provide natural decoration.

Food & Thought offers various healthy sandwich options, including chicken salad, egg salad and tuna salad.  Hummus is also available for those looking for a vegetarian/vegan option.  Salads and soups are also available.  Those looking for more substance can order entrees such as rotisserie chicken and salmon, each for $6.95.  Entree sides, like red potatoes, brown rice and baked plantains, are also available for $1.95 each.  Today, the kids and I split a rotisserie chicken quarter, red potatoes and a "cup" of vegetable soup.  The chicken was generously seasoned and moist.  My clear favorite, the red potatoes, were slightly mashed and properly salted.  The vegetable soup, although more mildly spiced, was generously stocked with green beans, corn, carrots, onions and potatoes.   The kids and I finished every bite, providing that healthy and flavorful can exist in the same realm.

How much I spent:  $  Our lunch, along with three bottled teas, cost $18 with tax included.  Not bad!

My rating:  3 1/2 spoons.  If you are looking for a good healthy lunch that you can eat without guilt, Food & Thought definitely meets the grade.  Certainly a good post-New Year option if you are sticking to your resolutions!

Eataly, New York, New York

Recently, I took a trip to New York City.  While I really wanted to eat my way through the city, I'm a petite gal and I can only pack away so much food.  It's just a shame because there is so much good food in the City.  But, things are what they are and if I wanted to appreciate all of the good food planned for my day, I needed to take some breaks between bites.  On the suggestion of a good friend and fellow foodie, I scheduled some "food wanderings" in between dining venues.  On the advice of my good friend, I wandered my way from the Doughnut Plant (review to come soon) in the direction of Eataly, an Italian food and dining venue right in the Flatiron District in Midtown Manhattan.  This was the perfect spot for a respite between doughnuts and British gastropub fare.  And a great spot to pick up Italian imported arabica coffee beans for my Sicilian husband and European chocolates for my two kids.  Situated on famous Fifth Avenue, near the corner at 23rd Street, this upscale food market has everything one would need to satisfy an Italian food craving:  plump ripe vegetables and fruits, house made pasta, olives and oils, fresh baked bread, chocolates, coffee, salumi and other cured meats, hard and soft cheeses, Italian sweets and more.  And if you are an out of towner like me, unable to fill up on those perishable goods that won't survive the flight home, you can partake at eleven different cafes and restaurants for big or small bites, whatever your pleasure, all in the midst of this bustling market.  I had only thirty minutes to take it all in before heading to lunch at the Spotted Pig, but it was thirty minutes very well spent.  But don't think that Eataly is a place you can or should just quickly cruise through.  There is so much here to see and enjoy and a half hour is definitely not enough to completely appreciate all that this upscale Italian market has to offer.  It's too bad I didn't have more time.  I'm definitely going to allocate a couple of hours to this amazing marketplace the next time I have a chance to visit the Big Apple.  For now, I'm just going to have to enjoy these pics.  Hope you do too!

Cheese, cheese and more cheese!

Fresh fruit and veggies, good enough to eat right off the cart

They had me a prosciutto

Making the pasta ....

and baking the bread.