If you find yourself in Southwest Florida this winter, make sure you have lunch at Bert's Bar and Grill. Bert's is located on Pine Island in the fishing town of Matlacha. Pine Island is just a few miles from Cape Coral and Ft. Myers. It has been a draw for fishermen and those who love to eat fish since the 1930's, some seventy years ago. It has had various owners during that period, including a Lee County bar owner named Bert Clubb, who gave his name to the bar. The bar is located just before the Matlacha bridge which was made famous in the Elvis Presley movie, "Follow That Dream."
Located directly on the water, you can sit out on the specious deck or dine inside. We opted for a table outside with a view of Cape Coral in the distance.
The food is wonderful. Both my wife and I had the fried oyster and chips basket for $11.99 (market price). The oysters were perfectly fried and incredibly sweet. They were some of the best oysters I have ever eaten. I asked the waiter where they obtained them and he said they got them off of the Louisiana coast. The chips (real potato chips) were just right, not greasy and not overly salted. The meal also came with a small cup of cole slaw that was excellent.
Bert's Bar and Grill is located at 4271 Pine Island Road, Matlacha, FL. Phone number is 239-282-3232.
Showing posts with label Florida. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Florida. Show all posts
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Farmers' Markets
I don't know about you, but I love farmers' markets. You know, the old-fashioned kind, where the farmers come into town and set up tents in a parking lot and lay out fresh vegetables, fruits and homemade pies, jams and jellies. Well, while staying recently in South Florida, we visited a farmers' market set up in a small parking lot of a suburban strip mall. It was a little different from those we are used to up North.
The farmers' markets we are familiar with are usually filled with tables full of apples and the smell of funnel cakes. The Florida market offered a selection of fresh seafood, including lobster tails and grouper! And instead of funnel cakes (which I love to eat) there were beignets! If you are not familiar with beignets, they are a sort of French donut, really just pieces of fried dough covered with powdered sugar. I had heard of them and knew they were popular in New Orleans, but I had never actually eaten one before. I decided now was the time.
So, for one dollar, I watched as the man behind the wooden table, took a small rectangle of dough, placed it in what looked like a wok with oil boiling in it and then took it out after about two minutes, rolled it in powdered sugar and handed it to me in a small paper container. I eagerly took it and bit into it. It was delicious. It was still warm and sort of crunchy. Now, I know why it has such a great reputation as a delicacy not to be missed.
Although it was the middle of winter, fresh corn, tomatoes and avocados were also available. So we loaded up on those and headed home where we ate them for dinner that night. My only regret was not buying a glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade at the stand at the farmer's market. Oh well, that just gives me a good reason to go back again next time.
The farmers' markets we are familiar with are usually filled with tables full of apples and the smell of funnel cakes. The Florida market offered a selection of fresh seafood, including lobster tails and grouper! And instead of funnel cakes (which I love to eat) there were beignets! If you are not familiar with beignets, they are a sort of French donut, really just pieces of fried dough covered with powdered sugar. I had heard of them and knew they were popular in New Orleans, but I had never actually eaten one before. I decided now was the time.
So, for one dollar, I watched as the man behind the wooden table, took a small rectangle of dough, placed it in what looked like a wok with oil boiling in it and then took it out after about two minutes, rolled it in powdered sugar and handed it to me in a small paper container. I eagerly took it and bit into it. It was delicious. It was still warm and sort of crunchy. Now, I know why it has such a great reputation as a delicacy not to be missed.
Although it was the middle of winter, fresh corn, tomatoes and avocados were also available. So we loaded up on those and headed home where we ate them for dinner that night. My only regret was not buying a glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade at the stand at the farmer's market. Oh well, that just gives me a good reason to go back again next time.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Going to Florida this Winter? Consider the Auto Train.
If you are planning a trip to sunny Florida this winter from the snowy Northeast, you might want to consider taking Amtrak's Auto Train. The Auto Train runs on the CSX Transportation line tracks from Lorton, Virginia (just outside Washington, D.C.) to Sanford, Florida (just outside Orlando). www.amtrak.com/autotrain
My wife and I recently were traveling to Southern Florida for a short visit. We had previously driven to Florida and found it to be a long almost three day trip.Neither of us had traveled long distances on a train, so we looked into the Auto Train. As the name implies, the Auto Train takes you and your vehicle, automobile or motorcycle, on a train. You travel on a large, very modern railroad car and your vehicle travels separately in a railroad car with other vehicles. It is said that when fully occupied, the Auto Train is approximately one quarter mile long, making it one of the longest passenger trains in the world!
There are several levels of accommodations from a coach seat up to a family bedroom sleeping two adults and two children. We opted for the standard bedroom which consisted of a chair and two sleeping berths, bunk-bed style. For the two of us and our car, the cost was about $640. While this seems pricey, consider that driving takes two to three days from the Northeast, requiring hotels, meals, gas, etc. The Auto Train price includes everything, including two meals.
The station at Lorton is quite large with a newstand and small cafe where we had lunch. The Amtrak personnelwe met at the station and on the train were very courteous and efficient.
We were advised to arrive at least two hours before the scheduled departure time of 4 pm. When we did arrive, it appeared quite a few of the 600 or so people who were riding the train were already there.
Upon arrival, you are greeted by the parking crew, who slap a number on the side of your car, film it ( we think for insurance purposes) and you are given a few minutes to retrieve your luggagefrom the trunk and go into the station itself. There you present your ID and are given your tickets while waiting for the boarding call. Boarding was very orderly despite the large number of people.
Our room was small, but comfortable. In addition to the seats, which the porter would turn into the bunks while we were at dinner, there is a small toilet/shower combination, which for a tall man like me was too small, and a sink with mirror. We were on the upper level of the two decker car, which gave us an excellent view of the countryside as we rolled through Virginia, North and South Carolina, as well as Georgia on into Florida.
The train left on time (actually a little early) and arrived in Florida about an hour early, at 8:30 a.m. the next morning. All in all, it is about an 17 to 18 hour overnight trip. While on board, we had a wine and cheese party upon departure and dinner in the dining car at one of three sittings, beginning at 5 pm and ending at 9 pm. Dinner was served on fine china and consisted of a choice of entrees ( I had the salmon with lobster sauce, which was quite good) and my wife had the flank steak.Dinner came with dessert and plenty of red wine (white is also available).
After dinner a movie was shown in the lounge car. We returned to our room and were able to sleep intermittently. My wife was generous enough to sleep in the upper bunk. In the morning we arrived at the Sanford station and immediately before that we were served a continental breakfast of cereal, corn muffins, coffee or tea.
After we disembarked, we went into the station and waited as the numbers of the cars were called. They seemed to be in no particular order but ours was about the middle of the pack and we picked up our car in the parking lot and were off for Southern Florida.
All in all it was a very interesting experience. The train also runs between Sanford and Lorton going North. We would definitely consider taking it again.
My wife and I recently were traveling to Southern Florida for a short visit. We had previously driven to Florida and found it to be a long almost three day trip.Neither of us had traveled long distances on a train, so we looked into the Auto Train. As the name implies, the Auto Train takes you and your vehicle, automobile or motorcycle, on a train. You travel on a large, very modern railroad car and your vehicle travels separately in a railroad car with other vehicles. It is said that when fully occupied, the Auto Train is approximately one quarter mile long, making it one of the longest passenger trains in the world!
There are several levels of accommodations from a coach seat up to a family bedroom sleeping two adults and two children. We opted for the standard bedroom which consisted of a chair and two sleeping berths, bunk-bed style. For the two of us and our car, the cost was about $640. While this seems pricey, consider that driving takes two to three days from the Northeast, requiring hotels, meals, gas, etc. The Auto Train price includes everything, including two meals.
The station at Lorton is quite large with a newstand and small cafe where we had lunch. The Amtrak personnelwe met at the station and on the train were very courteous and efficient.
We were advised to arrive at least two hours before the scheduled departure time of 4 pm. When we did arrive, it appeared quite a few of the 600 or so people who were riding the train were already there.
Upon arrival, you are greeted by the parking crew, who slap a number on the side of your car, film it ( we think for insurance purposes) and you are given a few minutes to retrieve your luggagefrom the trunk and go into the station itself. There you present your ID and are given your tickets while waiting for the boarding call. Boarding was very orderly despite the large number of people.
Our room was small, but comfortable. In addition to the seats, which the porter would turn into the bunks while we were at dinner, there is a small toilet/shower combination, which for a tall man like me was too small, and a sink with mirror. We were on the upper level of the two decker car, which gave us an excellent view of the countryside as we rolled through Virginia, North and South Carolina, as well as Georgia on into Florida.
The train left on time (actually a little early) and arrived in Florida about an hour early, at 8:30 a.m. the next morning. All in all, it is about an 17 to 18 hour overnight trip. While on board, we had a wine and cheese party upon departure and dinner in the dining car at one of three sittings, beginning at 5 pm and ending at 9 pm. Dinner was served on fine china and consisted of a choice of entrees ( I had the salmon with lobster sauce, which was quite good) and my wife had the flank steak.Dinner came with dessert and plenty of red wine (white is also available).
After dinner a movie was shown in the lounge car. We returned to our room and were able to sleep intermittently. My wife was generous enough to sleep in the upper bunk. In the morning we arrived at the Sanford station and immediately before that we were served a continental breakfast of cereal, corn muffins, coffee or tea.
After we disembarked, we went into the station and waited as the numbers of the cars were called. They seemed to be in no particular order but ours was about the middle of the pack and we picked up our car in the parking lot and were off for Southern Florida.
All in all it was a very interesting experience. The train also runs between Sanford and Lorton going North. We would definitely consider taking it again.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
National Park Service Senior Pass
If you are 62 years old or older, you are eligible to purchase a lifetime pass for seniors from the National Park Service. For only $10, you can have access to all of the national parks run by the National Park Service. Since that number is close to 400, that is quite a bargain. But, as they say in those infomercials on television, it gets even better. Not only you have that access, you can take along 3 other persons with you on your visit---at no charge.
We were recently in St. Augustine, Florida and visited the Castillo de San Marcos. It was there that one of the park rangers told us of this real steal. By the way, the Castillo is an absolute must-see if you get a chance to visit that part of the country. It is in excellent condition, despite dating back to 1672. Built by the Spanish to protect their empire in America, it was built to last. Some of the walls are said to be between 14 and 19 feet thick. It was also surrounded by a 40 foot moat. Large cannons still line the gun deck. At 2:30 p.m. during our visit last Sunday, there was a demonstration of the firing of one of those cannons. It was an excellent show that had everyone cheering.
Two suggestions: If you are interested in visiting the national parks, by all means secure a senior pass. And if you are in the vicinity, you must stop and see the Castillo de San Marcos.
We were recently in St. Augustine, Florida and visited the Castillo de San Marcos. It was there that one of the park rangers told us of this real steal. By the way, the Castillo is an absolute must-see if you get a chance to visit that part of the country. It is in excellent condition, despite dating back to 1672. Built by the Spanish to protect their empire in America, it was built to last. Some of the walls are said to be between 14 and 19 feet thick. It was also surrounded by a 40 foot moat. Large cannons still line the gun deck. At 2:30 p.m. during our visit last Sunday, there was a demonstration of the firing of one of those cannons. It was an excellent show that had everyone cheering.
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