Daruma Japanese Steak & Seafood Restaurant Rocks!

I’ve been to Daruma at least 10 times over the past 15 years, and can’t believe I’ve not yet written a review on the Daruma experience! Until this visit, each time it’s been at the teppan tables, celebrating birthdays, and just fun occasions as friends get together and have a laugh and a great meal.
Usually when I visit, I sit with a group of friends at a teppan table to the right, or straight ahead. The view from the teppan room to the right overlooks the entrance and the koi pond.

The teppan-style chefs at their hot plate have amazing dexterity and showmanship, cooking up chicken, shrimp, scallops, NY strip, filet mignon and Chilean sea bass right in front of you! Prices range form $23.50 for shrimp and chicken up to $34 for lobster and filet mignon. Children’s entrees are $13 to $18. The meals are more than filling, as the price includes clear soup, green salad, shrimp flambé, stir fried vegetables, Japanese steamed rice and green tea. Some even get appetizers! This is ideal for a birthday or family get-together, as you can have 4 adults to perhaps as many as fourteen teens around a single festive table.

 The chef explains what he is doing, and is amazing how he tosses food, forks, knives and jokes in the air, and all comes down safe and sound! There’s a Birthday Club Bonus-sign up by email and get a $10 off any entrée on your big day.

This time, for the first time, may guest and I sat at a regular table in the dining room to the far right as you enter, quickly greeted and walked past and waving to a familiar cutlery tossing chef. Turns out, he’d been there since Mr. Chang started Daruma, over 20 years ago.

 One server later told me there’s little turnover among staff-a very good sign for diners. There’s a small fish tank on one side, ad the sushi bar on the other side. The softly playing Japanese music reminds me of being in a Japanese Noh or Kabuki theater- much preferable to Muzak.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ModfyW8wDvo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67-bgSFJiKc

The light level is quite low, and several flashlights are standard on each table-works just fine for me. Mr. Chang put careful thought into not just the food and attentive service, but the décor, creating a very harmonious relaxing atmosphere. I like to start with sharing a porcelain container of warm sake ($7) for two, or try one of the Ichiban or Asahi beers, or cold sake.

My guest liked her Ramsay Pinot Noir ($10.50 /glass.) there’s no shortage of mixed drinks that come in a souvenir container. Plum wine is good with dessert.

There’s a very wide choice of good sized appetizers ($7-11) that include gyoza, tempura shrimp, oysters and vegetables, escargot Nippon, soft shell crab, beef mu shu and lobster crab cakes. Are you a light eater? There’s about fifteen petite entrees, including duck breast, NY strip steak, salmon teriyaki and vegetarian dinners. These come with miso soup and a salad.

We started with the Lobster volcano ($12), Mr. Chang’s sextet of cleverly designed tastes and textures. The base is a crab roll slice, topped with an orange mound of chunks of lobster lightly marinated with garlic, onions and scallops, then baked.

The mounds are sprinkled with crunchy tobiko caviar and served. Each is two bites for a small mouth, or one bite for a larger mouth. The mound of warm lobster is a delight, with a surprising slight crunch to it from the onion and scallions, and a mild heat from perhaps a drop or two of sriracha sauce.

I didn’t expect much lobster, and was happily surprised to see the chunks. The crab roll base has its own texture ad different taste-the combination shows that someone put a lot of time into crafting this marriage of tastes, textures and light spices. Recommended! Oh, what’s with the volcano in the name?

When it arrives, you'll always remember this dish!

Our server suggested the attractively plated traditional Negamaki appetizer ($9) with eight diagonal cut, thinly sliced tender rolls of beef tenderloin rolled over a core of crisp scallions, marinated in a light teriyaki sauce, and sprinkled with sesame seeds. A purple and white orchid accompanies this dish, and other dishes too.

 I wouldn’t have chosen the Negamaki from the description alone, and I’m glad we went with the recommendation. Served warm, the beef is tender and the marinade makes you want to sop it up. Do so, with fork or chopsticks, using the center garden green salad to bind the marinade. As your tongue hits the scallions, you may smile as we did-it’s a welcome surprise to have the crisp crunch and light earthy taste of the scallions as a counterpart to the savory thin beef. Each bite has a light crisp texture that is much appreciated. The subtle nature of the  low-salt teriyaki sauce lets the beef’s taste shine. Recommended for beef eaters!

The Sushi and Sashimi combination ($35) is a plentiful portion for two or three people. Super fresh and presented in an elegantly simple way, it’s as tasty as if I’d been eating it at a top Tokyo spot. (Been there, enjoyed that, and have eaten super fresh seafood at the huge Tokyo Tsukiji Market too).

By the way, sushi is completely cooked seafood, and sashimi is raw fish, carefully examined at Daruma by chefs with years of experience.
Our large sushi-sashimi combo dinner had tuna, yellow tail, octopus, white tuna, salmon, shrimp, eel, and a tuna roll and California roll. The tobiko topped California roll has rice enclosing a core of nori- wrapped surimi-crab and avocado, with a hint of wasabi.

Avocado gives a delicious mouth feel! The tuna roll is good and fresh. The octopus and shrimp are lightly steamed. Though thoroughly cooked, they are tender and not rubbery. The salmon tastes as if it is from the fish’s belly, not the back-it is smooth, sexy and luscious.

My favorite sashimi is the oh-so-tender, almost buttery texture of white tuna, and I was Very happy with ours! The quality of the cooked eel and its sweet sauce is how I gauge a sushi/sashimi restaurant-if this is tender with a good sauce, then everything else will be very good too.

If the eel is fatty, stringy with excess skin, or the sauce isn’t right, I’ll pay and leave. Same thing goes if I can detect a fishy smell in any of the seafood. Simple as that. Many spots serve varying quality of sushi and sashimi- it’s at several Italian restaurants, Publix, and quite a few other non-Japanese locations. You get my drift. This combination of sushi and sashimi is recommended, and perfect for one who’s never had sushi or sashimi to start on. Later you may move my favorite uni- sea urchin eggs! A hint-let the sushi sit a little while and start on something else. Why? You can only  fully appreciate the delicate layers of taste and textures as is comes to room temperature from refrigerator temperature! This is not a wine that’s better when chilled. I prefer my sushi with just a hint of soy-it accents, and does not steal the show that way.

A Combo in a Take Home Box

To top it off, we ordered the $27 Filet mignon and shrimp tempura combination box. This, like all dinners, includes a delicate miso soup and fresh salad with a light dressing. The beautifully lacquered red and black bento box is an old Japanese serving tradition, a lunch box that dates back over 800 years. It has rice, fish or meat, and a pickled fruit or vegetable. I chose the shrimp tempura instead of the shrimp teriyaki to see how Daruma handled tempura. The box arrived well paced from our prior dish, and all was hot.

The shrimp tempura was my favorite part-the shrimp, with the lightest of panko batter, is surprisingly light with a very crisp panko crunch. We made fast work of those delights. The choice Black Angus filet mignon is so tender; we very much like its somewhat thicker teriyaki sauce. I asked for fried rice instead of white rice. That’s highly recommended, as the crunch of the kernels of corn, the savory cooked egg, onion green peas and carrots stir fried with a touch of soy sauce makes a rice that’s much tastier than the usual fried rice at other Asian spots. The veggies are lightly steamed, still crisp broccoli and cauliflower with Mr. Chang’s light lemony secret sauce. A treat is the Japanese cucumber, thinly sliced and marinated in vinegar and perhaps a little soy sauce and sesame oil. It’s more delicate than conventional pickles. If you prefer cooked familiar foods instead of sushi, the bento box combinations are for you. Select from Chilean sea bass, lobster, scallops, cod and chicken.

We didn’t have room for dessert. Truth be told, we waned to try a variety of things, and ordered knowing we’d take home much of our treats, as the portions are generous.

So there you have it. After eating many times at Daruma over fifteen years, just like eating at an old chef-friend’s home, I finally get around to the sushi and sashimi side instead of my tried and true teppan side, and write my experience. As I write this the day after, I’m savoring each and every morsel!

241 Center Street (just off Vanderbilt, almost across from the Ritz-Carlton’s street), Naples, 591-1200, darumarestaurant.com/

**Visit the new Daruma at Fort Myers' Bell Tower Shops by Saks and across from Bistro 41.
13499 S Cleveland Ave Ste 131, Fort Myers, 344-0037.

Citrus Restaurant on Naples 5th Avenue South

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Citrus opened in November, 2010, sandwiched between Paddy Murphy’s Irish Pub and Bellini Bar on Naples’ 5th Avenue South. With plenty of patio seating facing 5th Avenue and seating for 40 inside, it’s a nice addition, and a welcome, upscale contrast to the numerous pizza spots on 5th Avenue.

Their specialty is fresh, fresh seafood, not citrus, despite the somewhat confusing name. Co-owners, Paula and Jay Powell, visitors to Naples over the last 37 years, feel that Florida is the "epitome of Citrus, sunshine and seafood," hence the name. The seafood is lovingly prepared, and served with uniquely seasoned sides of starches and vegetables.

Sit outdoors, and people watch on 5th Avenue, day or night.

Walk in, and manager Brooks will seat you at a linen decked table with linen napkins.

The background music is low key, with Vivaldi and light jazz. Underwater photographer Kevin Sweeney's vibrantly colored larger than life fish photographs brighten the walls.  Soda, bottled water, coffee or hot tea is $2-very reasonably priced! Order a Blue Moon beer ($6) from a selection of over a dozen fine beers, or a nicely priced glass of wine and relax!
 I ordered the fresh tangerine mimosa ($10), and was treated to a table side treat as David first poured the Mumm Napa sparkling champagne, er, wine.

then added the tangy-sweet tangerine. Muy elegante y delicioso!

There’s a good assortment of light appetizers and meals, and five standard entrees, including a 7 oz tenderloin fillet ($29) and 3 oz tenderloin filet with fresh Maine lobster cake for $18. Nightly, some 6 to 8 fresh seafood specials appear. Try a trio of ceviche for $15, with grouper Peruvian style, scallops Jamaican style and shrimp Cuban style. Other appetizers include seared ahi tuna ($12), large stone crab claws ($34), and lobster tower (15).

Lobster Tower

For $15, there's a lot of tender lobster! It's a delicious fresh meal, a light salad with mango, diced tomato and crisp, crunchy jicama. Here's the toppled tower!

For lunch or light dinner, there's grilled chicken Caesar ($10), grilled pineapple-glazed chicken (9), Ruben sandwich (9), Angus burger (9) fish and chips (14) and Baja fish tacos (16).

Grouper Firecracker, Lobster Purse, Stone Crab Wontons

We ordered the Trio appetizer, with lightly fried firecracker grouper, lobster purse and stone crab claw meat in fried wontons.

I really enjoyed the truly fresh tender grouper firecracker, in a very light fried batter, perfectly cooked, attractively tied with a green onion bow. The cabbage bed is delicious. The lobster purse (center) is an attractive presentation, however it is creamy and somewhat bland with scant lobster taste. To be fair, for 1/3 of $14, I don’t expect much lobster, either. I’d suggest a “seafood purse” instead of “lobster” to allow the restaurant to add chunks of seafood, and have a win-win dish. I like the slightly spicy sauce on its shaved cabbage base. The fried stone crab wonton is delicious, placed on top of fresh tomato, lettuce and drizzled with a tasty sauce. Three sauces accompany the trio, two with a soy base.

 The chef is an artist with his food, and every item we had was fresh, fresh, fresh.

For entrees, we ordered two specials. The Red snapper topped with stone crab claw meat ($25) comes with a side of smashed potatoes, a big crisp baked parmesan cracker or wheel, and crisp green beans, nicely displayed. I’d get this again!. The snapper is more “buttery” than the cobia, which has a swordfish like texture.

The ($24) fresh grilled Cobia is glazed with fresh-squeezed Florida orange juice,

and topped with crisp, long fried plantain chips. It comes with diced sweet potato and pineapple in a delicious mildly spiced sauce. Another winner!

Top off a refreshing meal with the tasty Blood Orange Mascarpone (8), with a bright blood orange marmelade and edible sugared pansy flower placed atop layers of blood orange mousse and mascarpone, all on a thin sponge cake base, with hidden dollops of candied blood orange peel. The desserts are the only items not made on premises. Made by Attilio Bindi, they have been a regular in the Neiman Marcus catalog. The sorbets are served in the fruit's natural skin (7). Choose from Mandarin orange, peack, mango, pineapple and coconut. Chocaholics, ask about the chocolate souffle, truffle or straciatella.

Chef Fauston Vega hails from the coast of Ecuador, and I delight in  his subtle and creative spicings and respect for cooking fish properly. He's also cooked in Peru and NYC, and mastered many styles. He's been joined by Chef Annie Prizzi, who is also a successful Naples area caterer. You're in good hands!

There are various drink and food specials-$1 beer was our night’s special, and attracted a young crowd to dine outdoors. Owners Paula and Jay Powell have a created a  welcome sunlit gem on Fifth Avenue South.
455 5th Avenue South, 435-0408.

Flavor Tree Restaurant Naples Salads Grill Deli

“You’d love this lovely spot! A sweet couple make bigger, better tasting and healthier sandwiches and soups than Stage 62 and the rest!”

So said a New York deli maven (expert) who previously favored the Mercato’s Studio 62, the Detroit style deli and Jason’s Deli. I stopped by Flavor Tree Restaurant, a pretty spot next to The Parkshore Grille, a few hundred feet west of Sunsplash Natural Foods, on Neapolitan Way.

It’s a homey spot with big New York deli style foods, hot and cold sandwiches, salads burgers and wraps. The emphasis is on healthy, and it stays there! There are eight tables inside, and a bench out front. Hand written menus artfully decorate the walls.

Light jazz played softly in the background. I placed my order and chatted with owners/chefs Pasha and Marina Vlasov. As we talked over dishes and ingredients, it’s clear that they have a Passion, with a capital “P”, for fresh, healthy and tasty cuisines. Marina started baking at 9 years old, assisted by her Russian mother’s recipes. She bakes some regular items like chocolate cookies nearly every day, and tries new baking and dessert ideas, putting them out when perfected. She’s very creative, and has very good sense of taste. Her daily changing soups are a high point-often taken home.

Pasha has done it all, from serving as waiter to cruise ship dining; covering front of the house at NY spots like Jean Georges to being on the line. The kitchen is open-it’s fun to see Pasha’s dexterity as he slices fresh vegetables. They are a great team together.

My Flavor Tree turkey, provolone ham sandwich ($7.95) has deliciously roasted red peppers, and fresh sliced cucumber on a multigrain bread.

 A cup of potato salad and a pickle accompany it. The sandwich is BIG! Unlike some big delis I won’t mention, that sneakily slice and stack meat to look big in the center, and dwindle to nothing behind, this is a generous portion of very high quality meats, with a touch of mayo. It bursts with flavor! The potato salad is refreshing-very little mayo, and chopped apple gives it both moisture and a fun crunch. It’s so big that there’s no need for chips of fries to fill you up.
I’m a good eater, and I still took half home.

My sweet tooth led me to the Napoleon for dessert. It’s a big slab, pretty, rich and luscious with tender phyllo separating the luscious layers. topped with fresh apple and blueberries. Mmmmm good!

 It’s not offered every day. The cookies look good, with healthy ingredients that could form a granola bar. Customers like to try new items often. Works for me!

Other customers came in for dining and take out. Their cold sandwiches were very large and attractive, some enough for two separate meals, and all are under $8. I can list the names of the sandwiches and ingredients, however it doesn’t tell the story as much as seeing and tasting them. If there’s a sandwich you want to create, it’s done on the spot!

Cold sandwiches include Classic turkey club, roast beef on roll, European style salami (better than ubiquitous Boars Head!) and the very popular chicken salad. The open face New York Reuben sounds very good! Wraps are generally under $8, and offer chicken Caesar, Tuscan tuna, grilled vegetable, smoked salmon and a turkey gourmet lite wrap. There's plenty of freshly made salads by the hpound to take home, too.

Salads are large and beautiful. The Flavor Tree has grilled chicken, romaine lettuce, tomato, feta, apple, grapes, raisins, cranberries, nuts with a light lemon dressing for $9.75. Try grilled chicken Cobb, shepherd salad, New York spinach, goddess with chicken fingers, and crab cake salad.

Breakfast is big, with all sorts of bagels, omelette’s (egg white, cheese, veggie, spinach and feta, etc) creative pancakes, crispy French toast with a twist, and sides of ham, sausage, bacon, fries and cheese.

They’ve been open since March, and have an established catering branch. Summer hours are 8 am to 4 pm M-F, 8-2 Sat, and closed Sunday. 818 Neapolitan Way, Naples, 963-9688

ADDENDUM--FLAVOR TREE RESTAURANT SUDDENLY CLOSED FOR GOOD ~ JUNE, 2011.

A Haiku Garden Walk

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Sugar apple tree blossoms (Annona squamosa). Green sugar apple

luscious ripe custard grenade

juice caresses cheek Kaffir lime blossom

pungent aromatic leaves

white pink green and dew Florida sunset

heaven blazing orange and blue

spectacular sky Nam Doc Mai Mangos-Custardly sweet, and no fiber.Mango mockingbird

serenades sky lake fruit palm

springtime garden song Nam Doc Mai mangoes and longans- season now ends.

Dragonfly perches

summer heat bends cattail leaf

cooling breeze stirs pond

Orange Blossoms-Florida's scented signature!

Red ants bites. Their bite is mild, compared to a fire ant's bite.

Octoduck so still

brown and yellow chicks circle

ripples tease the shore

The Sugar Apple, Anon, or Sweetsop -Annona Squamosa

Have you ever been lucky enough to enjoy a sugar apple? They look like WW II knobby hand grenades, and burst just like them when a ripe one hits the ground in August. Firm and all green, they suddenly soften over just a couple days, becoming mushy ripe, and fall to the ground (if no two or four legged bandits have seized them). Pick a near fully ripe one (below) from the tree, before it falls and goes "splat". When is it ripe? The green color becomes light yellow near the cracks between the bumpy parts, (the purplish fruits become pink at the cracks) and the fruit suddenly softens, from firm to almost a "bag of beans" softness, and soon it cracks open, to delight ants, bugs, and us. A Ripe and an Immature Sugar AppleRipe ones will fall apart in your hand, if you bounce them on your palm. Open it, smell the sweet aroma, and savor the smooth white flesh's taste. It's a lusciously rich sugary custard. Scoop out the flesh, and let your tongue seek out the subtle hints of pineapple and even lime. Mmmm! Use your tongue to separate the fruit from the oblong black seeds, then spit out the seeds, just like watermelon seeds. Enjoy the sweet finish, as you might savor a fine Sauterne, Icewine or Muscat, lingering on your lips... There! You've had your first one. See how quickly you suck down the next one! Wipe the glorious nectar off your lips and chin. If you live in USA gardening Zone 10 or 11, buy and plant a tree-you're hooked! My fruiting trees are 4 and 5 years old, grown from spindly foot tall plants, now 5 and 7 feet, respectively.
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The fruit starts from a small flower, coming directly off a branch. There's no shortage of scale and other bugs sometimes.

I pinch the bugs (ugh!) to kill them during fruiting season, to avoid pesticides in the fruit. I don't pinch the rats.

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Prune the tree back a lot, after harvest time, and the branches will grow back even fuller for the next season. They are related to the atemoya, cherimoya and guanabana (soursop).