Inca’s Kitchen Chef Rafael Rottiers and wife Blanca.
Chef/Co-owner Rafael Rottiers serves some of the tastiest seafood and steaks in town. I flipped over Inca’s Wari fish ($16), an ambrosia-like grilled fish with mango salsa.
The Peruvian ceviche ($12) is tops, a full-size portion of fish, calamari and shrimp. The lomo saltado and other steaks are a match for any steakhouse.
Inca’s Kitchen’s sampler featuring grilled tenderloin, seared diver scallops, two large grilled shrimp, quinoa and sauteed spinach
Desserts include enjoyable cherimoya and Lucama fruit ice creams, apple cobbler with a twist, and picarones ($6), a sweet potato and squash donut-like fried ring drizzled with chancaca syrup that’s a sweet delight. Inca’s Kitchen, 11985 Collier Blvd., Naples (three blocks north of Golden Gate Parkway on Collier Boulevard/C.R. 951), 352-3200.
Chef Scott Sopher, who earned a large following at Fort Myers’ Cin Cin Mediterranean restaurant, moved south after its recent closure to become executive chef at upscale Olio on Naples Bay.
Olio on Naples Bay Chef Matthew Vonderembse, Executive Chef Scott Sopher and Chef Ender Metin.
It’s a great fit for Sopher, and his deft culinary touches are already appreciated in Naples. I was there Sunday, and his passed hors d’oeuvres were a hit.
Olio on Naples Bay’s sausage pizza. Olio on Naples Bay’s polenta.
Whether serving flatbread pizza slices, braised shortribs, carpaccio on a porcelain spoon, or incredibly tender sous vide pork on polenta, accented with warm apricots, golden raisins and spices, the difference in style and continued high quality is obvious.
Positive changes will continue with the upcoming fall menu. Olio on Naples Bay, 1500 Fifth Ave. S., Naples, in the Naples Bay Resort, 530-5110,
The Bay House’s grilled quail.
His new offerings are winners, and he even kept my favorite crispy fried oysters on the shell with remoulade on the menu!
The Bay House’s grouper.
The Tempura cabbage-wrapped Ahi tuna with wasabi and edamame puree ($12) is a harmonious contrast in tastes and textures. Basil-seared gulf shrimp are masterfully grilled—and a must-have.
The Bay House’s lobster salad.
I like to sit overlooking the river and mangroves, or visit the bar early evenings, as Stu Shelton on keyboard and Patricia Dean on drums offer light jazz Wednesday through Saturday evenings. The Bay House, 799 Walkerbilt Road, Naples, 591-3837,
The elegant, four-course meal will feature passed hors d’oeuvres, followed by steamed and chilled seafood cocktail, duck confit and Asian pear salad, and the main course of spice rubbed Australian lamb loin with caramelized cippolini onions and a warm Ramey Cabernet syrup. The final course will be dark and white chocolate mousse, with brandied cherries and a black pepper-berry sauce. Call 263-4421 to make reservations for the $89 dinner (includes tax and tip).
