Christmas In Naples

Two days after I arrived back in NYC after my 3 week trip to China, I was on a plane once again, this time bound for my Christmas holiday with my family in Naples, Florida.  My parents have a condo on the beach and we have been vacationing there for the last 20 years for the sun, sand and relaxation!  I met up with my brother in Newark (he was connecting from Buffalo) where we boarded our flight.  When we landed in Fort Myers, my mom was there to greet us, while my dad was off getting Starbucks.  They had a bit of a nightmare with the rental car on there way from the Punta Gorda Airport, where they had landed.  The car had stalled on the highway, at night and it took so long for Alamo to send a tow truck that the battery had died, leaving them without heat or the hazard lights.  They called the police who stayed with them until the tow truck finally decided to turn up.  Thankfully they were fine, just very hungry!  Unfortunately, since Naples is the land of the early bird special and everyone is in bed by 9:30 pm, there was nowhere open to eat at 1:00 am and we ended up whipping up a feast of frozen pizza and ramen noodles from the food aisle of the 24 hour CVS.

Eating out is a big part of what we do in Naples, with breakfast and lunch usually prepared in the condo between sessions out on the beach or reading poolside, and dinners out at our favorite restaurants.  My brother is a rib aficionado, with his ribs of choice at Michelbob's Ribs, where you eat a picnic tables surrounded by retro Coca-Cola signs and ads all over the walls.  My parents love Carrabba's Italian Grill, which always seems to be packed, as well as Randy's Fish Market Restaurant for seafood.  My favorite was always Frascati's Italian Restaurant for the eggplant parmigiana and the salad with creamy Italian dressing.  However, when we drove up to Frascati's, my favorite restaurant that had been open as long as I can remember had closed down!  I was NOT happy, but took this opportunity to try and find a new favorite.  Admittedly, since we had always gone to our routine list of places to eat, my family had gotten a bit lazy in discovering new restaurants in the area.  We discovered Bleu Provence while driving past it to get to another dinner spot - it looked inviting and warmly candlelit from the outside through the white shutters.  I made an early reservation online to take advantage of their $24.95 "Menu Decouverte", available between 5:00 to 6:00 pm every day and includes an appetizer, a main course and a glass of wine!  According to the website, Bleu Provence is a French restaurant that was opened by a French couple from Provence who had retired in Naples.  When we arrived we were promptly greeted by the host and seated in the dining room.  The restaurant is elegant, borrowing from the best of both French and Florida Coastal design, the waitstaff friendly and the wine list extensive.  There were plenty of option included in the dinner special and I decided to start with the Provencal Fish Soup with Rouille and Croutons:

The last time I had a fish soup this flavorful I was sitting seaside in Arcachon, France, with a heaping raw seafood platter and a ridiculous view of a woman trying to sunbathe topless while I shivered under my hooded sweatshirt!  Anyways, my mom had the French Onion Soup; my brother the Pan-Grilled Mussels with Garlic and Parsely; and my dad, the Arugula Salad with Smoked Salmon, Parmesan and Fennel.  We were all happy with our starters and I even managed to sneak a piece of baguette into my brothers appetizer to sample the sauce, which was wonderful.  For the main, me and my dad ordered Loup de Mer (Sea Bass) Baked with Chablis Beurre Blanc Sauce Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus.  We always seem to order similarly, though I like to think he's copying me!

My mom had the Crispy Duck Leg Confit with Potato Gratin and Mango Fries and my brother decided on a Swordfish special.  We sipped glasses of red wine and chatted throughout our meal, during which the dining room had filled up!  Our mains were also delicious, though the portion of the swordfish was not  quite large enough for my brother.  We all shared a Creme Brulee with Vanilla Bourbon for dessert:

Creamy, not too sweet and flecked with vanilla bean.  We left Bleu Provence happy and full (except for my brother who would require a snack of potato chips later that night), did a little shopping and then played some Mahjong (purchased in Shanghai!) before bed.  Christmas highlights also included our Christmas day dinner (lots of yummy veggies), our living room plant covered in colorful Christmas lights, tossing around the football in the sand, and me and my dad beating my mom and brother in our annual family doubles tennis match.  I'll be training for a repeat win next year!