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Ongoing: Campiello’s seasonal black and white truffle celebration features an a la carte menu available daily throughout October and November.
October 13 (Thursday): Lamoraga’s Pink Celebrity Bartender Night is bringing in former NFL stars Winston Justice and Tom Nütten, among others, to raise money for breast cancer research. The $25 admission fee covers one drink and tapas (small plates) at the modern Spanish restaurant.
October 14-15 (Friday and Saturday): Fathoms, an upscale-casual Cape Coral restaurant with not one but two talented chefs manning its kitchen, is hosting an Oktoberfest celebration. They’ll be creating authentic German dishes using a smoker, have beer specials and live music both days. (FYI—they are also running half-price pizza nights Wednesdays in October.)
FloridaStoneCrabs
Stone crab claws get their own festival in Naples at the end of the month. (Photo courtesy of Bonefish Grill.)October 15 (Saturday): DeRomo’s Gourmet Market is throwing an afternoon party in honor of its 2nd anniversary with all-you-can-eat Italian nibbles for $20.
October 15 (Saturday): Salty Sam’s Murder Mystery Cruise will encourage zombie pirates to get their Halloween on early for a costumed drinking adventure on a replica pirate ship.
October 17 (Monday): 2nd annual Best of Taste in the Park. The Junior League of Fort Myers has hosted Taste of the Town for three decades, establishing it as one of the premier food festivals every November (this year’s will be Sunday, November 6). The Best of Taste in the Park—a smaller, more intimate “taste” of the food vendors that will be at the fair—is a fundraiser in its second year where participants also can cast their vote for the festival’s People’s Choice Award as well as bid on silent auction items.
October 17-27 (Monday through following Thursday): Foodie Camp is where you can learn to cook from our best local chefs in their own restaurants, and it has a roster of classes each day across town.
October 20 (Thursday): Bar Tulia is launching its Fall Guest Bartender Series with a visit starting at 6 p.m. from Julio Cabrera, a Miami-based mixologist from The Regent Cocktail Club who has been on TV and written about in GQ magazine.
October 21 (Friday): Rocktoberfest is a new FREE event nighttime being held by the Bonita Beach Rotary Club at Artichoke & Co.’s big tent (donations are encouraged, though, to support New Horizons of Southwest Florida). Expect German food, beer, dancing and even a scotch tasting.
October 22 (Saturday): If your sweet tooth is insatiable, definitely check out the fundraiser Chocolate Extravaganza. In its 20th year spotlighting Project HELP, a ticket to the nighttime event includes dozens of sweets from restaurants, bakeries and dessert shops from across Southwest Florida.
October 22 (Saturday): Mercato’s annual outdoor Brew-Ha-Ha Craft Beer Festival features unlimited samples of more than 60 beers, many of which are from local or Florida-based microbreweries, for a flat fee of $35 in advance and $40 at the door.
October 23 (Sunday): The Fort Myers Rotary Club is hosting its 8th annual Italian Fest at the Alliance for the Arts. Starting at 11 a.m., multiple Italian restaurants will have booths serving their specialties.
October 28 (Friday): PierSide Grill and Famous Blowfish Bar is having a party to ring in 20 years on Fort Myers Beach. There will be a $20 prix-fixe, $20 pitchers of margaritas and complimentary Key lime bites.
October 28-30 (Friday to Sunday): It’s Stone Crab Season! Technically, it launches October 15 (and ends May 15), but the 2016 Stone Crab Festival honoring the year’s first catch is the last weekend of the month in and around Naples’ Tin City. Click here to see all of the events.
October 29 (Saturday): Barbatella is ready to bewitch Naples adults for another year of its beloved Halloween costume party. The DJ starts at 7 p.m. and the costume contest will be at 9 p.m. They’ve created a special cocktail this year (that will be served throughout October as well) called the Witches Brew with melon liqueur, vodka, triple sec and lemon juice.