ENTER THE DRAGON

CHEF YATES’ LATEST NICHE DEFIES LABELING

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Chef Shannon Yates always has something tricky up his sleeve. Not given to same-old restaurants, he has found his niches in Cape Coral, where he has invented pigeon-hole-sized restaurants, such as Nevermind, with unusual, original concepts.

His latest, Enter the Dragon, came as a shake-out after a partnership with Nice Guys Pizza guys, a short-lived restaurant called Danger Danger. It didn’t take. The danger was real.

Enter Enter the Dragon, named for a Bruce Lee flick. (Don’t ask me why.) Although it has a Cape Coral Parkway address, it has no signage upfront. You have to seek it out through the back parking lot, a model that Yates made work with Nevermind. Some of the food ideas he borrowed also.

But it’s almost as if he conjured these food concepts during a munchies binge that ended in a mash-up of sushi, tacos and Southern comfort food. The fried chicken is already legendary, whether you get it dry with the seven-spice seasoning or wet with BBQ, hot or truffle mayo sauce. Wet or dry, it’s crunchy and spicy.

I got it for take-out on my first visit, though torn by some of the day’s specials, such as the Crazy Crawfish Roll and four-ounce steak topped with lobster cheese sauce and claw with fried yuca. So there will be more visits. Did I mention chocolate beignets? Just reel me in.