Discover Rome's Flavors at Naples' Secret Trattoria 🍝, Rejuvenate & Relax: Unique MedSpa Experience Awaits, Kevin Hart makes our Top 7 Events This Week

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Dear Friends & Neighbors,

I hope that you’ve found time to step back and enjoy this holiday season amidst the inevitable chaos. It’s a challenging, rewarding and busy time of year for everyone. 

In this week’s issue, we visit local hidden gem Mino for their delicious, straightforward Italian food. We also present our weekly Top 7 Events This Week, which covers everything from comedian Kevin Hart to holiday strolls with four-legged friends.

Want to share a can’t-miss event that’s on the horizon? Email me at [email protected] to share, and maybe the event will appear in next week’s issue! Some of our favorite event ideas have come from our readers. 

Also in this issue, we highlight the opening of a new MedSpa with a twist in central Naples and reveal your favorite destinations to eat outside of Naples when you’re looking to make the most of a night out. 

Thank you for participating in last week’s poll and providing us with foodie feedback. Results of the poll along with your comments are inside this issue. Remember that there’s just one more week to cast your vote for the Best New Restaurant of 2024. Make your voice heard! Click here to vote. 

Happy Holidays!

P.S. Check out The Naples Florida Review archive here for more dining and entertainment ideas. Also, subscribe here to get our list of the Top Events each week. 

Table of Contents

• Mino Italian: A Naples Hidden Gem

• Top 7 Events This Week

• Von & Co : A MedSpa with a Twist

• Foodie Feedback: Beyond Naples

Mino Italian: A Naples Hidden Gem

Just steps from Tin City in downtown Naples is Mino, a hidden gem of an Italian restaurant that escapes the notice of many locals, despite the fact that it’s been in the same location since 2016. It’s certainly worth a visit, however, because Mino has some of the most delicious and most straightforward Italian food in Naples. 

Mino is located on 6^th Avenue South in a brightly painted yellow building. Once inside, the décor is darker but clean and simple. Wooden tables are simply set around the main dining area and there is a separate bar area with TVs where you can go catch a game. No fuss, no elaborate décor, just homey and casual. 

The menu at Mino is not what you’d call extensive, and consists of an appetizer section, a pasta section, a pizza menu and a few simple options for kids. From the appetizer menu, I recommend the Affettato Misto (charcuterie) for the table. The generous portion includes meats and cheeses along with sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives and honey . It’s the perfect way to get started when you are eating with a group. The Bocconcini Fritti is another interesting appetizer comprised of eight bite size fresh mozzarella balls that are lightly breaded and deep-fried Served with a side of tomato sauce, the Bocconcini will make you forget all about mozzarella sticks. Their selection of bruschetta and spreads is authentic and reminds me of the bruschetta that I have eaten in Tuscany. 

Next, on to the pasta, which is one area where Mino really shines. There are currently six pasta dishes on the menu, but the four to try are the ones made with their homemade egg pasta: Dino's Spaghetti Aglio e Oglio, Spaghetti alla Chitarra or Fettuccine with Tomato sauce, Spaghetti alla Chitarra or Fettuccine with Meat sauce, and Spaghetti alla Chitarra or Fettuccine with Shrimp. All four are relatively simple pasta dishes, but the simplicity really allows the quality of the ingredients and care in preparation shine through. I found the fettuccine with meat sauce – comprised of kobe beef and veal – to be delicious. 

Finally, let’s talk pizza. I follow all the restaurant comment boards in town and pizza – without a question – is the most divisive topic amongst local eaters. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Mino has the best Neapolitan style pizza in town. Neapolitan style pizzas are small personal-style pizzas that are thin crust, cooked fast, served whole and eaten with a fork and knife. They typically have charring around the crust that can look black in some places and they are never loaded down with ingredients. If you’ve had a traditional margherita pizza, that’s what we’re talking about. 

I haven’t had a bad pizza at Minos (you really have to eat it there to appreciate it), but the classic margherita and the diavola (tomato sauce, mozzarella, spicy salame and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese) are two standouts to start with. If you’re looking for something a little more creative, the carbonara pizza is a sauceless creation with mozzarella, egg, onion, Guanciale, black pepper, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and fresh parsley. It works! 

If you have a chance this holiday season to take a break from the hustle and bustle, head on down to Minos. I suggest that you get a reservation (call 239-302-5990) because the dining room is quite small and it can get busy in season. Mino is located at 1100 6th Ave S #1, Naples, FL 34102 and they are open Tuesday - Sunday from 5:00pm – 9:00pm. 

Top 7 Events This Week

The holiday season is a busy time in Naples – especially as we get closer to Christmas. Here’s the Top 7 Events in Naples this week. 

Tonight, Tuesday December 17^th, 7:30pm: Kevin Hart at the Hertz Arena. 

Kevin Hart - a famous comedian who tours coast to coast – will be in our neck of the woods at Hertz arena tonight! If you are looking for a fun last minute idea for tonight, scoop up a remaining seat by clicking this link before it’s too late. 

All week: Christmas lights at Victoria Park

If you’re a local, I don’t have to tell you that Victoria Park is the best neighborhood in Naples to see Christmas lights. When I say that this neighborhood commits to the holiday magic of the season, I am not joking. If you haven’t gotten over there yet, make sure you check out their thoughtful, incredible displays this season. If it doesn’t get you in the Christmas spirit, I don’t know what will. Check out this link for more information and a route map. 

All week: Gingerbread House at the Ritz Carlton (Beach Location)

The enormous lobby-filling gingerbread house is back this year at the Naples Ritz Carlton, and admission is free to locals and hotel guests. (Please note that local visitors will be charged $10 for valet.) The Ritz lobby is magical this time of year with a giant gingerbread house and tons of Christmas décor. It is also a great opportunity/excuse to check out the property’s recent renovations and grab a cocktail or bite on the beach at Gumbo Limbo. 

Thursday, December 19th, 6:30pm-8:30pm: Santa Paws at Rock the Block Mercato:

Santa Paws at Mercato is a holiday tradition in Naples, and it’s another great chance to bring your best four-legged friend our to join in the holiday fun. This Thursday, stroll around Mercato with your festively-dressed pet and listen to live music from Moonstone Riders. Get a holiday pet photo with Santa, visit the family-friendly KID ZONE! and grab a drink at the SNIP Collier tent where you can learn about how SNIP helps domestic and stray dogs and cats in Collier County.

Thursday, December 19th, 6:30pm-7:30pm: NATS 9^th Annual Holiday Bike Parade

Have a bike to decorate for a festive ride downtown? Check out the Naples Area Triathletes 9^th Annual Holiday Bike Parade this Thursday. Riders need to have helmets and bike lights. The group will leave from Dockside near Tin City. The parade will weave through the streets of downtown Naples at a leisurely pace. 

Friday, December 20th, 5:30pm-8pm: Naples Candlelight Christmas Carol at Cambier Park

Last year this free family-friendly event had over a thousand participants who gathered in the Band Shell at Cambier Park. Add your voice to the holiday spirit this Friday as carolers light up Cambier Park this Friday with festive fun and cheer. 

Saturday, December 21st, 3pm-7pm:  Naples Holiday on the Bay at Venetian Bay

Stop by the festive shops at Venetian Bay to enjoy their annual night of holiday fun. This year’s event will feature complimentary photos with Santa, Dickens Period Carolers, and a festive snow show that starts at 6pm. I would recommend making a reservation now at one of the many restaurants in Venetian Bay (see a list here) and take in the snow show and views of the water this Saturday night.

Von & Co : A MedSpa with a Twist

To call the MedSpa space in Naples “crowded” would be a vast understatement. It seems like every other day a new MedSpa is opening. Nearly as often, you hear about them closing. It’s not every day, however, that a MedSpa opens next to the home of your favorite Turkey Reuben (thanks as always, Food & Thought), which is one reason I found myself at the newly opened Von & Co Medical Aesthetics Studio last week. 

A couple months ago I was invited to come and check out the opening of Von & Co, and I initially hesitated. My experience with MedSpas in Naples had been mixed at best. Of the two places I have attempted to go for semi-regular skin care, one shut down, and the other had a never-ending rotating cast of employees that turned over so fast you never knew their names. I know one aesthetician who has worked at no fewer than three different MedSpas in the last two years. 

However, as mentioned above, Von & Co is directly adjacent to Food & Thought and my Turkey Reuben, so I told them I could come in around lunchtime. 

The first thing they got right is location. The Gateway plaza is located at the intersection of Golden Gate and U.S. 41 in central Naples. It’s easy to get to, there’s plenty of parking, and - regardless of whether you share the political beliefs of owner Alfie Oakes – Food & Thought is a special kind of store that’s not going anywhere anytime soon. A good retail neighbor, I’d imagine. 

When I stepped off the busy sidewalk and into the sparkling new lobby, the first thing I noticed was the bank of floor-to-ceiling windows that comprise the entire façade. They make the lobby seem bright, clean and modern. The second thing I noticed - as I checked my planner and approached the counter - was that I had mistakenly arrived an entire day early. Whoops. 

As I apologetically explained to the staff that I’d return the next day and that it wasn’t a wasted trip (turkey sandwich two days in a row – why not?), they cheerfully accommodated me, and I was soon face-to-face with face to face with one of the founders (and chief medical officer) of Von & Co, Dr. Brandon Kirsch.

Kirsch’s background is, well, impressively interesting. He holds law degrees from the University of Western Ontario (LL.B.) and Georgetown University (LL.M. in Securities and Financial Regulation), a medical degree at Brown University, and he interned at the Mayo Clinic and completed his dermatology residency at the University of North Carolina. As a lawyer that manages a hedge fund strategy and writes a newsletter about Naples happenings, I feel like I can relate to a dermatologist that studied SEC regulation. 

Kirsch is slight in build, soft spoken, and possesses what is best summarized as “good bedside manner.” He had clearly answered my first question (“what makes Von & Co different”) more than once, and succinctly told me that he had set out to put the “spa” back in MedSpa by prioritizing a calm, serene, experience, all while getting the kind of results you’d want from a more traditional dermatological office. Sounded good to me, but I suspected I’d have to take a good look around before I’d buy into that. 

When I did get a chance to look around, I was impressed at how thoughtfully done the new space is. The lobby is spa-like with a seating area to one end and a retail area to the other. Everything down to their custom wallpaper  - with logo elements - has been carefully planned out. Von & Co utilizes cozy treatment pods for consultation and their large treatment rooms have a more comfortable feel than usual. (One MedSpa I went to had chairs that could only be described as “bad dentist office.”) There is also a central, hidden, area of the space where the treatment machines and supplies are kept. Each room is connected to the center room, so they are able to move employees and equipment between rooms without clogging up the hallways. 

I had a cleansing facial, which was great and very relaxing. I thought that the aesthetician was informative, but not pushy. Would I go back again? Yes. The facial flew by and I want to book a longer version (the deep pore cleansing facial) next time. I also really like the location, cleanliness and vibe of the place. 

If you are interested in checking out the newly-opened Von & Co., use code Von&Carolyn to get 20% off your first visit (remember to let them know about the code when you check in). After you have completed your relaxing MedSpa experience, head next door for the Turkey Reuben to cap off a great afternoon like I did.  Enjoy! 

Foodie Feedback: Beyond Naples

In our poll last week, we asked readers where they go when they leave Naples for a night out. The top three locations were Marco Island, Bonita Springs and Estero. 

As always, everyone pulled through with some great suggestions in the comments and I wanted to share some here. Get out there and enjoy! 

Also, remember there’s just one more week to cast your vote for Best New Restaurant of 2024. Make your voice heard! Click here to vote. 

“Muji Thai, Malinche, Wyld's Café. So many more in Bonita!!” L.J.

“Ember Steakhouse in Fort Myers is a must try” S.F. 

“I love Dixie's (Fort Myers) for a local fresh caught grouper sandwich, triple tail, or grouper bites - delicious! And fun, laid back atmosphere.” K.Z.

“Petar's. Great new expansion and wonderful lamb chops.” C

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Why It Matters

These aren’t just events or recommendations – they’re opportunities to create memories, uncover hidden gems, and connect with the community around you. Life’s best moments often come from saying “yes” to the unexpected.

So, whether you’re seeking inspiration, relaxation, or a little adventure, this week’s picks are your invitation to experience Naples like never before.

Carolyn Cervoni
Editor-in-Chief
Naples, Florida
The Naples Florida Review

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