Yes, it is off your beaten path, being out in the open country
at the edge of Lee and Charlotte Counties, where the stars shine brightly in
the night sky…and it’s well worth your lunch or dinner visit, for two reasons! First, to see
visionary Syd Kitson’s self sufficient solar
energy powered , well-planned multi-generational community on 19,000 acre Babcock
Ranch unfold, and second, to experience the culinary creations of Executive Chef Julian
Cardona and Executive Sous Chef John
Innarelli.
 |
| Executive Chef Julian Cardona |
A new menu will appear in Fall, keeping some of the current menu
favorites. Chef Cardona masterfully adds some Hispanic touches of Mexican and Cuban
cuisines to the dishes, and Chef Innarelli works his magic with smoking meats
and charcuterie. Daily specials are the
magnet for many to drive from a 50 mile radius to savor what’s new. Some days the
main dish special have been smoked and seared duck breast, or “sticky” ribs; your
specials will vary as well. I’ve driven the 45 minutes from Naples to Table
& Tap a few times in the past, and can say that the food only gets better
and better, or else I’d not make the drive!
I went with several dining
companions for this visit, and here’s what we enjoyed.
We started with over a dozen Mussels with crumbled mild
chorizo, garlic, and shallot in a white wine sauce ($12); it’s very flavorful, and, in a
very good sense, unlike any mussels dish you may have had. Highly recommended.
The wonderful smoked fish dip special appetizer is an artful presentation with
pickled fruits and vegetables, hot sauce, and crisp bread. Save room for the
entrees!
I hope the special pulled pork lomo with cotija cheese and pico
de gallo goes on the new menu–this is a “wow” mix of American smoked pork and Cuban mojo sauce, served atop Mexican-style tostones.
The red deviled eggs ($10) has the Sweet Cypress Farm egg
whites pickled in red beet, with crisp candied bacon and pickled beet batons-a welcome
twist on a Southern delight.
I savored a snifter of Founders Dirty Bastard beer ($5),
while my companions enjoyed the Hendricks martini ($9), and the generous pours
of the Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc ($10), and the ($5) Babcock Chardonnay. Good selections and good prices. On
to the main dishes.
Lead cook Micah Tedros crafted a green onion and Andouille
sausage risotto-based etouffée , instead
of using the usual rice, with a sextet of grilled shrimp and a New Orleans-styled sauce
(~$22).The risotto is lusciously tender and flavorful with the smoky sausage
highlights, and the shrimp are perfectly cooked. Highly Recommended.
My all-natural skirt steak from Harris Ranch ($26) with
chimichurri sauce (from parsley grown on the Babcock grounds) came with sweet
plantains, grilled asparagus, Carolina Gold rice, and a touch of garlic oil.
This was one of the best steaks I’ve ever had-perfectly charred with a
medium-rare interior. That’s not easy to do on a thin skirt steak. Highly
recommended-and well worth the drive.
The wild game-balaya ($21), is a savory mix of tender alligator,
boar sausage, Carolina Gold rice, trinity, and smoked tomato. It’s a delicious and
generous portion.
Shrimp po’-boy ($12) is a filling sandwich with a choice of fried
or blackened large shrimp, remoulade sauce, and lettuce and tomato on a toasted French
roll with fries. Recommended.
Other current “must-haves” are the watermelon herb salad; wild boar rack;
tomahawk pork chop; Elton melt of braised short rib and Provolone cheese; seafood
tropicales with mahi, blackened shrimp and plantains, and a side of roasted exotic mushrooms. Look forward to duck or chicken confit, and a
variety of smoked meats.
For dessert, we shared the large mixed berry cobbler ($12),
with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, fresh whipped cream, and raspberries,
blueberries and strawberries in a delicious sweet crust, baked in a cast iron
pan. It easily serves four people. Highly Recommended!
After dinner, we walked around the Babcock community. Kids
were fishing for bluegill, freshwater snook, and 5-8 lb bass-all catch and
release on the stocked Lake Babcock that the restaurant overlooks.
Mr. Kitson is
creating a truly interactive community of all ages-may this be a model for
other developers across the country.
We will probably be back again, before the new Fall menu
comes out. Table & Tap may or may not take Open Table reservations. If not, that could
be a problem on a Friday or Saturday night in Season, it’s not in the off
Season. The restaurant seats about 70 inside, and can seat another 200 or so outside!
Check out the plates-my photos do not do them justice-some look like the rings
of a large tree stump, other plates have an “earthy” look to them-more evidence
of the culinary team’s attention to creativity and detail.
42860 Crescent Loop, Punta Gorda, FL. (941) 235-6906, https://tableandtap.co/
No comments:
Post a Comment