M Waterfront Grille, Naples Bayside magnet for delicious dining, becomes even more inviting this summer.
Since Executive Chef Brian Roland arrived in Naples in 2008, taking the helm at the formerly lackluster Maxwell’s, his refreshing cuisine and owners Peter and Chris Sereno’s sleek décor let their newborn M Waterfront Grille easily cruise past many lesser restaurants. These bold changes and the lovely wide Bay view has made "M" one of my favorite dining spots. Chef Brian has now come up with a Summer Chef Series that makes "M" even more desirable!
Chef Brian invited top chefs from other restaurants to co-host, and prepare great dishes with him at monthly Summer Chef Series Wine Dinners. Each guest chef prepares two dishes, and then collaborates with Chef Brian on dessert. To sweeten the pot, they ideally use one featured theme ingredient in all the dishes. The first dinner on June 27th, featuring pork, with Handsome Harry’s Chef Tony Biagetti, was a hit.
I was over the moon at the second, July 25th dinner with superb guest Sea Salt Owner/Chef Fabrizio Aielli.
 |
| M Waterfront Chef Brian Roland, Sea Salt Chef Fabrizio Aielli |
Why treat yourself to a memorable wine dinner, when cheaper two-for-one dinners abound? A chef’s multi-course wine dinner is a great deal-you to get a wonderful sampling of a top chef’s creatively prepared and plated best cuisine at a very good price. At $95 per person and $45 additional for wine pairings, everyone I talked to after my M Waterfront meal agreed that the cuisine, service and ambiance made for a superb deal and a wonderful evening to remember.
The Sablefish themed Chef Series dinner started with an amuse bouche of sized portion of crispy sablefish brandade, paired with a unique milkshake. Ever had sablefish, also known as Pacific black cod? It tastes like a first cousin to Chilean sea bass, only with more flavor and a slighter sweet taste.
Looking like a toasted ravioli, a small puff pastry is filled with a light brandade, or mix of sablefish with olive oil and touch of potato. It’s a perfectly sized appetizer- one delicious bite. Perfectly executed, the artful contrast of the flavorful hot savory brandade nestled in its light crisp pastry is a bite sized delight. To gild the lily, er pastry, it’s topped with an accenting dollop of tomato-sage jam and Meyer lemon confit.
Ah yes, the milkshake cup on the right side of the plate. This is not your mother’s milkshake-you’ve probably never had a fish milkshake, either! This blend of warm white chocolate, milk, cream, sablefish and black truffle essence is the equal of any top seafood bisque; an over the top creation! It’s also a brilliantly clever use of the sablefish.
Chef Brian served the first appetizer, a colorful plate with a mound of smoked sablefish-blue crab salad, accented by the unique tastes of a parsnip, artichoke and apple purée, lightly topped with a light green baby mache foam.
For contrasting texture, he added crisp fingerling chips and a bulls-eye slice of candy-stripe beet. Then he accented the delicate tastes with crystalline grains of Fleur de Sel. Garnished with tiny vegetables from Chef’s Garden, it’s a picture-perfect delight.
Chef Fabrizio practically stole the show with the second appetizer.
Diners were amazed, then transfixed, as the sea urchin cappuccino, Mount Vesuvius-like, bubbled up and over its cup onto their plates!
Billy took photos!
It reminded me of my sixth grade science fair project- a desktop-sized volcano spewed clouds of pyroclastic green ash and flames. Chef Fabrizio wisely uses super-cold dry ice instead, to fuel his cappucchino cauldron.
This explosive appetizer was accompanied by strips of creamy yellow sea urchin eggs topped with savory crisped Colonata lardons. A fluorescent sablefish carpaccio was overwhelmed by torrents of briskly bubbling sea urchin foam. The lush risotto, made with Acquerello rice, the “Rolls Royce” of rice, was the real culinary star. Lightly blended with melted cheese, it’s a superbly made risotto. This paired well with Dr. Loosen Red Slate Mosel, 09, a refreshingly dry, yet fruity Riesling.
Chef Brian’s entrée course featured a succulent seared slice of curried sablefish, topped with microgreens, and accompanied by a molten truffled lobster-filled crisp potato fritter. The combination is a knockout! It got better with two separate bite-sized crescents of “Jersey Corn” custard brûlées, wilted spinach and salsify for color, and a pipette of reduced wild mushroom liquor to sprinkle ad libitum.
My sainted mother never cooked for her three sons like this! Alas, she also cooked long before the paired Domaine Serene Rosé wine was a glint in Ken and Grace Evenstad’s eyes.
Chef Fabrizio’s contrapuntal entrée started with a tease. First, we tasted the porcelain spoon’s pale extra virgin olive oil dust, yes, olive oil dust, savoring its ethereally freeze-dried richness. Then we sprinkled it over the heavenly orange-agave broiled sablefish, and were finally allowed to taste the fish.
The fish truly “melted in your mouth.” It was accompanied by earthy morels, bright green fava beans (sans liver and a nice chianti), slivers of duck confit and baby beets. The rich, saffron-yellow lobster sauce was superb-nary a drop was left on a plate! A glass of 2009 Ferraton Pere et Fils Cotes du Rhone Samorens Rouge, was a gem of a wine pairing.
Two keys to a great multi-course dinner are portion size and pacing. The goal- diners leave satiated, not stuffed, so they return for another dinner! The two chef’s proper portion size and relaxed dinner pacing ably accomplished this.
The two chefs' dessert was either a resounding success for its creativity, or an abject failure for its utter lack of sablefish. Confession: I really can do without a fishy dessert. Nearby diners were also happy and pleased at the fish's absence. The servers first scented the air with whiffs of rose petals and lime rind. We were then served with a hamburger and bun topped with poached egg, a side of fries, ketchup, and cup of mustard. That's no big deal-my mom could serve that up while sleepwalking!
A quick bite of the burger proved otherwise. The burger's beef was a luscious chocolate mousse cradled in a brioche bun, topped with a coconut and mango puree fried egg. The golden fries were crisp sweet biscotti. The two condiments were a soft gelato mustard, and a rich raspberry ketchup! Oops, that dessert’s out of my mom’s league!
Summertime is my favorite time to dine in Naples. I relish not having to wait for a table, servers can give attentive care to diners, and dining rooms are not crowded or noisy. The 60 diners left happy-some reserving for the next dinner.
Treat yourself to a wonderful M Waterfront culinary evening with Chef Brian and guests! The next Chef's Dinner at M Waterfront Grille is August 29th, with Campiello and Café Lurcat’s Chefs Vincenzo Betulia and Mike Mueller working with Petrossian caviar. Then, September 19th features IM Tapas top chefs Isabel Polo and Mary Shipman with Foie Gras. The last dinner has Stoney’s Steakhouse’s serenading Chef Eric Delano crafting quail eggs on October 17th. These are dinners and evenings to treasure.
Call 263-4421 for reservations, 4300 Gulf Shore Blvd, Naples, mwaterfrontgrille.com
 |
| Summer Chef Series July 25th Chefs and Cooks |
Sea Salt is an elegant young lady in town, the "newest kid on the block", on Naples 3rd Avenue South, a gnocchi’s toss from Campiello and just north of Tommy Bahama’s. The Sea, as in the Gulf of Mexico and Naples beach, is two blocks away. And the food? Chef Fabrizio Aielli can cook! Previously, in 1999, he and wife Ingrid opened his highly successful restaurant, Washington D.C.’s tony Teatro Goldoni, and groomed it into a “must visit” spot. They sold it in 2007, moved to Naples, and just opened Sea Salt a few weeks ago. A 2002 James Beard Foundation Star Chef Award Recipient, and a former chef at Naples Winter Wine Festival, he’s nationally respected. While Chef Fabrizio is clearly “hands on” in the kitchen, the front of the house is covered by personable, artistic Ingrid. Active partner Lili Montes minds the financials and other details.
They gutted a failed clothing store, and created an elegantly simple, beautiful setting for lunch and dinner. The patio is the perfect spot to
people watch on 3rd Ave S. The curved outside bar is a favorite vantage point. 
Inside, there's wooden floors and ceilings, and the 3 dimensional limestone wall featuring inset color photos of Old Naples. 
This is a freshly designed concept. From the white tablecloths and napkins, to the servers attractive black uniforms with striped aprons, a lot of thought has created Old Naples newest spot to "see and be seen". 
My favorite spot would be the true Chef’s Table, a table that can sit 8, smack dab in the kitchen's center. Whether you are a foodie, or just curious about the inner workings of a commercial kitchen, this is the place to be!
We sat at Table 54, to both view the dining room and look into the kitchen, ably served by attentive Gina. Ingrid told us that Chef Fabrizio has several vendors for just seafood alone, and several for primarily organic produce. A look at the fresh seafood and produce, and the lack of odors in the kitchen attest to his meticulous nature, and passion for cooking with only the freshest ingredients. He’s passionate about salts, 
with over 100 salts from around the world, and yes, you can easily taste the difference between salts! 
We started with an Italian white wine, the Antinori Vermentino. ($8), nicely complementing the Crispy Assortment, below. Sea Salt has over 500 wines, and the staff is knowledgeable on pairing.
($19). The batter had just the right amount of salt, pepper and light spicing to complement the delicate seafood. An appetizer larger than some entrées in Naples, one could not ask for fresher or better quality seafood. My dining partner said “You can taste the freshness of the seafood underneath the batter, and tell it’s good!” The wine is a great match for this and other seafood.
and creating a whole that exceeds it’s components. The calamari are sensually tender, and the cappuccino foam light, and understated. The poached quail egg tops it all off, with panache.
texture stand out, accentuated by the dried tuna roe, or bottarga, with the tomato’s richness tying it all together. We scooped up the sauce with complimentary crusty bread slices, tender and soft on the inside. 
orange balsamic soy, with red Hawaiian salt (12).
and tops it with a shaved red poached pear. The supporting veggies are roasted cipollini onions and tender turnips. The portion size is quite fine for me. 
This is a decent portion size, a better grade tuna than often offered elsewhere, elegantly presented.
at the same time. See if this special is available-well worth it!
thyme sauce, and baby artichokes (32), and Broiled Black Grouper with grape tomato pops and chives, served with shiitake shrooms and truffled soft polenta. (32). There’s also a Braised Lamb Shank with fig and fennel, served over fontina and Swiss chard mashed potatoes (28), a grilled brick pressed young chicken (27), and Five Spice Dusted Bone- in Prime Ribeye (below) with black truffle zabaglione, roasted shallots and fingerling potatoes (42). 
The Black Raspberry-Candy Orange Sorbet (above right), topped with black salt was my favorite- by a salt grain. Gelato is made with less air than American ice cream, so it's richer in taste. It's also kept not as coldly frozen as ice cream, so it stays creamy. Put any gelato in your home freezer and it turns solid-bad move!
