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Let’s go inside the minds of nearly everyone who has heard about the new restaurant from Michelin-starred Michael Psilakis at the Southwest Florida Performing Arts Center: Do you have to buy tickets to a show to eat there? Is it a dinner theater? Thankfully, it’s no to both because the food warrants a visit beyond just a special night out on the town.
Psilakis has balanced running fine-dining and casual restaurants throughout his career, and here he mixed elements from each to create an upscale (yet not too much so) Italian-Mediterranean menu served in a beautiful contemporary setting that escapes being labeled "stuffy."
So far on my first few visits, there have not nearly been enough people filling up the ample space considering what the kitchen is capable of (Psilakis still calls New York home, but he trained the team here well and plans to visit regularly).
Scroll down for a thorough preview—including a shot of the chef’s “buon appetito!” (a nice hand-written touch on every menu) and early stand-out dishes. The plates were indeed as appetizing as they appear—so what are you waiting for?
To plan a visit:
Teatro
11515 Bonita Beach Road SE, Bonita Springs
(at the Southwest Florida Performing Arts Center but with its own entrance)
(239) 389-6901
Get the Hot Dish every Wednesday and Friday online and every month in Gulfshore Life.