Sizzle Starts Today: 6 Newer Naples Restaurants I'd Book First + A German Butcher-Shop Lunch

Friends and neighbors,

I’m still trying to savor the last morsels of vacation, the ones I’ve waited many months for and which a staid September threatens to take away from me. But alas, planning is something you are almost always rewarded for, so I invite you to plan your September as well.

September means Sizzle Dining, which starts today. With more than 80 participating restaurants in Collier County, I’ve narrowed things down to six of the newer spots and what I’d order at each. These are places you may already have been meaning to try, and Sizzle gives you a good excuse.

I’ve also highlighted a rather unusual lunch stop inside a German butcher shop, where the daily lunch is cooked from scratch, and you may find yourself leaving with a few brats for later.

Warmly,

Sizzle Dining starts today, bringing prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus to participating restaurants across Southwest Florida, with a portion of every meal benefiting Blessings in a Backpack. More than 80 restaurants in Collier County are participating this year, and these six have all opened within the past year or so. Here’s what caught my attention: 

Estia opened last year and went on to serve 3,242 Sizzle meals (more than any other restaurant!). This year, the three-course dinner is $39; add $8 for three Australian lamb chops with Greek fried potatoes and tzatziki. I'd start with the spanakopita manti and finish with baklava.

8990 Fontana del Sol Way | (239) 631-2902 | estiarestaurant.com

Blackbird opened at Naples Bay Resort last summer and also had a huge first Sizzle, serving more than 2,000 meals. This year's menu has truffle salmon crispy rice, Mongolian beef and char siu pork fried rice, but I'd save room for the warm chocolate-chip banana cake with miso caramel and white sesame ice cream.

1500 Fifth Ave. S. | (239) 944-2473 | blackbirdmodernasian.com

Michael Mina opened Acqua Bistecca at Saltleaf in January, bringing an Italian steakhouse to the edge of Estero Bay. The $49 Sizzle dinner includes a 7-ounce Wagyu picanha without an upcharge, plus a starter and dessert. 

5500 Coconut Rd., Bonita Springs | (239) 319-2301 | acquabistecca.com

Kayla Pfeiffer opened Heyday this spring, just down Tamiami Trail from Bicyclette. Its Sizzle menu is probably the one I had the most fun reading: start with Heyday's take on a “Pub Sub,” order the snapper with Caribbean chowder and finish with a PB&J ice cream sandwich.

4691 Tamiami Trail N. | (239) 234-6226 | heydaycookshop.com

Ce Soir opened at Bayfront this year, and the filet is what I'd order. The 6-ounce filet is included in the $55 three-course price with truffle potato purée, broccolini and au poivre. Beef carpaccio and tarte Tatin would be my first and last courses.

492 Bayfront Pl. | (239) 516-4210 | cesoirnaples.com

Violí took over the former Bravo space at Mercato late last year. Filet mignon souvlaki and Icelandic cod are on the $39 dinner, but the deconstructed pastitsio with short-rib ragù, graviera béchamel and black truffle is what I'd order. Dessert is either orange syrup cake or warm loukoumades.

9110 Strada Pl. | (239) 427-1443 | violinaples.com

And that’s enough Sizzle menus for one week. I’ll be back with the best lunch deals and longtime favorites soon.

There are only so many grouper sandwiches one can eat in a week. For a change of pace, head to Corporate Square off Radio Road, where Pepper’s Deli & Butcher has been making a convincing case for a German lunch.

Pepper’s is a proper butcher shop and deli run by Georg and Heike Hörndler. Georg earned his Master Butcher certification and the meat case reflects it. Nearly everything in it is made in-house, from bratwurst to German cold cuts, using spices and sausage casings imported from Germany. The salami is one exception: apparently, Florida humidity makes proper curing impossible.

Come hungry. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with something different cooked from scratch each day. Sauerbraten is often a special with red cabbage and German potato salad, along with bratwurst and sauerkraut and breaded pork schnitzel. Then there’s the Schnitzel Reuben, which dispenses with geographic fidelity altogether: pork schnitzel, sauerkraut, Swiss and Thousand Island on rye. Germany meets the New York deli, to very good effect. 

Before you leave, check the butcher case. Pepper’s carries Braunschweiger, Nürnberger sausages, Oktoberfest brats and even Limburger cheese. They also bake German bread, rolls and pretzels fresh each day and stock mustards, chocolates, candies and other imports.

There’s a humble dining area, as this is still very much a butcher shop. Come for a lunch you cannot find elsewhere and leave with provisions for the week. 

Pepper’s Deli & Butcher
4165 Corporate Square, Naples | (239) 643-2008 | Pepper’s Deli & Butcher

Last week we asked: Which spot has your favorite chocolate cake?

Here’s where you landed: 

The readers have answered: Mikkelsen’s is the winner! P.F. Chang’s came in second, with Seed to Table and The Turtle Club vying for third. Plenty of other favorites got shoutouts, though not everyone was sold on buying chocolate cake at all. One reader wrote that their favorite is their own homemade version! Here were some other responses: 

“Costco has the best chocolate cake!” — L.

“Tony’s been our go-to place for 40 years!” — D.

September has a way of nudging us back into routine, but Naples is giving us plenty of reasons not to rush it.

Sizzle is a good excuse to finally try the restaurant you’ve been meaning to book. Pepper’s is a reminder that some of the best lunches are hiding where you least expect them. And if you still have a little summer left in you, I say take it.

I’ll be back soon with more Sizzle picks, local favorites, and a few reasons to keep your September calendar from getting too sensible.

Until then, eat well and enjoy what’s left of summer.

Elizabeth Bellotti
Editor-In-Chief
Naples, Florida
The Naples Florida Review

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