M Waterfront Grille

By: Karen R. Tolchin and Tom DeMarchi

As relative newcomers to the region, Tom and I never dined at Maxwell’s on the Bay, but always intended to make it down at some point. Thus, we were surprised to discover that Maxwell’s, a fixture on the Naples dining scene for 20 years, had been replaced by M Waterfront Grille. Sometimes change is good, but then again, sometimes the familiar is comforting.

We can’t speak for Maxwell’s, but we had a very enjoyable evening at M Waterfront Grille, with its chic, minimalist dining room overlooking the water on the north side of The Village on Venetian Bay. Server Melissa Suciu introduced us to the restaurant’s prominent organic theme by bringing us white and red versions of an organic wine, the Heller Estates ’06 chardonnay and the Heller ’05 cabernet sauvignon (each $14 per glass). As our eyes grazed the menu and our palates savored French bread served with olive tapenade, we saw that M’s young and talented new Executive Chef Brian A. Roland is preparing high-quality, fresh food served with ingenuity.

To start, we couldn’t resist ordering all of the following: the "Chef’s Garden" heirloom tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad with organic greens, fig and almond jam, unfiltered olive oil and aged balsamic reduction ($11); the heirloom beet tartar with fried goat cheese and pistachio vinaigrette ($10); the "Not Your Traditional Escargot" with wild mushrooms, wilted spinach and a Boursin cream garlic-butter brushed French baguette ($12). I wanted a vat of the fig and almond jam to take home and enjoy every morning with an English muffin, and the fried goat cheese came in delectable nuggets. The escargot were incredibly light.

"I want some of this Boursin cream garlic-butter sauce on a plate of pasta," I told Tom.

"Mmmm," he agreed through a mouthful of mozzarella.

Carried away by the excellent vegetable array, we ordered the following sides: the roasted "Chef’s Garden Organic Vegetable Toy Box," with brussel sprouts, cauliflower, onions, corn and tomatoes ($12), the crispy hand-cut parmesan fries with truffled ketchup ($7), and the Manchego smashed potatoes with roasted garlic ($7). I caught Tom dipping his fries into his mashed potatoes and raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" he asked. "What could be better than potato on potato?" Clearly, I married a patriotic American man.

We were impressed by our two entrees. Actually, it would be more accurate to call them our four entrees since Tom ordered the Surf & Turf Trio with deep water Chilean sea bass, "Succulent Tiger Prawn" and Colorado buffalo steak ($49). I enhanced my Chervil pesto roasted sea bass ($31)—despite the fact that it came with grilled cornmeal flatbread, sautéed spinach and Jerusalem artichokes, and warm Serrano ham in a tomato vinaigrette—by adding caramelized diver scallops ($9). Tom’s tiger prawn was the big winner of the night. I could have eaten six and come back for more.

Before we left, we met M’s owners, brothers Peter and Christopher Sereno, and the general manager, and both the executive chef and the chef de cuisine, and were taken on a tour of M’s multiple dining locations and outdoor patios, all of which dazzled. We especially liked the bar area, where a simpler menu featuring such novelties as truffled popcorn ($5) and a lobster corndog ($21) were made available to the more casual diner. In the bar area, M offers live music on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 8 to 11 p.m. We talked about the transition, which has gone smoothly for the most part.

We learned that M aspires to deliver European-style dining, which seems to mean a high level of service and quality all around. We certainly enjoyed our meal and look forward to returning soon.

M Waterfront Grille, 4300 Gulf Shore Blvd. N., Naples; (239) 263-4421, www.mwaterfrontgrille.com. Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Dinner 5 to 10 p.m. daily; Live music 8 to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; Sunday brunch 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations strongly recommended. Free valet parking. Credit cards accepted. Wheelchair accessible.

Reviewed January 2009