New Restaurant, Succotash, Salmon, and a Veggie Medley

This week I'm reviewing Fort Myers newest restaurant, which Sally and I stumbled upon by happy accident. 

BЯB

That's the logo. It's pronounced BeeArrBee -- Fort Myers newest foodie destination, on the grounds of the Butterfly Mansion off Fowler, near downtown.

Tuesday last, Sally and I were honored and pleased to be the first diners at this 70+seat American gastropub; brainchild of the owners of the R&R Pub 'n Grub at Fleamasters.

We were literally the first people to poke our heads inside to see what was there.

The menu is eclectic, and features a number of offerings that Fort Myers has never seen; but which I predict will soon become destination dishes: Cuba Libre Ceviche, the Antipasto Board, and the Truffle Bianchi Pizza to name a few.

I had the creamy-inside-and-perfectly-crisp-outside Proscuitto and Parmesan Croquettes, while Sally had the Truffle Bianchi pizette (which she graciously shared). Excellant choices, both! We would have had the ceviche and the ahi tuna tacos, which sounded fabulous -- but with the usual Opening Day problems, their seafood source had not yet delivered. Oh well, that gives us a good excuse to go back! And we will. Wishing them great success in their new venture!

Roasted Cauliflower & Red Peppers

BЯB might use this as a gastro side dish.  Or it could be a vegetarian main course. Whatever you do with it, you're gonna love it.  And it's easy to prepare.

1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded, veined and chopped

1/2 head of Cauliflower disassembled into florets and half-florets

1/4 cup Slivered Almonds

1/4 cup Kalamata Olives

1/4 cup Parsley

EVOO for Veggies

Cavender'stm Spice Blend, to taste

Juice of 1 Lemon

3 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

4 Tbsp EVOO

Place cauliflower and bell pepper on a baking sheet. A quarter cup of sliced onion and a stick of chopped up celery would not go amiss either. Drizzle the veggies with EVOO and dust with Cavender's. Roast at 425F for 18-20 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, make a dressing from the balsamic, lemon juice and oil. Place in a jar and shake to combine. Pit the olives if needed.

Place roasted veg on a platter, top with olives, almonds, and parsley. Don't have any parsley, mince some celery leaves instead. Drizzle with the dressing before serving.

Balsamic & Honey Glazed Salmon

Usually I make salmon with a dusting of dill; or with a couple of whole cloves stick in the fillet; either way, poached on a platform of 1/4" or thicker lemon or lime slices. But I happened to see this recipe the other day, and it sounded interesting. This adds another dish to my salmon repertoire, and a very tasty one, at that.

Two nice Salmon fillets, skin on

2-3 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

2-3 Tbsp Honey -- locally sourced, of course. I used Saw Palmetto Honey

You really want to do this in a non-stick pan, because the glaze is going to drip off and caramelize (burn) on the pan.

Place the fillets skin side down on a hot skillet or griddle. Brush with the glaze. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Repeat glazing as necessary until the salmon is flake tender.

Caribbean Chicken Succotash

Wacky name, eh? Shredded chicken, Rotel tm seasoned tomatoes with green chiles, and taco-seasoned Caribbean succotash of pigeon peas, green peas and corn. A simple low-cal dinner -- one quarter of the recipe below is right at a whopping 200 calories! Using canned peas, corn and tomatoes makes this easy and quick to prepare. 

If you have the time (I didn't the other day) cook the peas from dry, cut the corn from the cob, dice good tomatoes and green chiles, onions and garlic and make it from scratch. I guarantee that this recipe is good, but if you make it from scratch it will be exceptional.

2 Chicken Breasts

1 can Rotel with green chiles

1 can low-sodium Corn kernals (I like white corn)

1 can Pigeon Peas

1 Taco Seasoning packet

Simmer chick 20 mins in 5 cups of water. Shred. Reduce broth to 4 cups. Add the Rotel, peas, corn, and seasoning, return shredded chick. Cook another 20 minutes until flavors marry.

Need more of a spice kick? Add some of your favorite pepper sauce. Bajan yellow pepper sauce or Peruvian Aji Amarillo sauce would be my choice in keeping with the Caribbean theme.

Serve over rice, like I did; or salad greens. Put in soft tortillas, or crispy taco shells or boats. Even ladle it over a handful of Fritos tm or restaurant-style tortilla chips.

Next week will be cross-cultural with Cuban Ropa Vieja and French Clafoutis among other things!