Food & Drink in Golden Gate

Todd Brooks has worked nearly every angle of the restaurant industry, starting out as a dishwasher and eventually settling in as the vice president of a chain in Kansas City. But after several vacations to Naples with his wife, Sandra, who also has a background in food service, something about the city stayed with them. The couple decided that was where they needed to be—so they sold all of their belongings, moved to Florida, learned to speak Alligator, and began setting up shop in the space previously occupied by the Naples staple Lindburgers, which they bought and made their own. Todd was also a finalist for "Best Burger" in the "Best of the Gulfshore 2011".

It didn’t take long for Todd, who had grown accustomed to working with food from inside his own office, to reacquaint himself with manning a grill. Incorporating some favorites from the Lindburgers’ menu, Todd and Sandra put together a list of more than 20 gourmet burgers and sandwiches. Each burger patty is hand-formed from all-natural black Angus beef, and topped with fresh veggies from the nearby Cooper Farms. Todd’s namesake burger, Todd’s Way, is a client favorite, boasting a fried egg, bacon, and cheese, and other adventurous options include the Cajun, a blackened patty with onion, jalapeños, and pepper jack cheese.

Before moving to Naples in 1994, Lisa and Philippe Boët spent nine years in Paris, retreating to the French countryside on weekends for traditional, home-cooked meals with ingredients from the gardens and farms of family and friends. The duo re-creates that authentic experience at Chez Boet French Home Cooking, where a culinary staff headed by Lisa whips up French classics such as french onion soup, bouillabaisse, steak frites, and fondue made with imported French and Swiss cheeses. The Boëts' commitment to using locally sourced seafood and locally grown, organic, and seasonal ingredients has since earned Chez Boet the distinction of being the Naples' first certified green business.

Meals commence in the restaurant's 2,000-square-foot facility, which houses a main dining room, bar salon, and a covered outdoor terrace. Tones of raspberry, eggplant, and pomegranate grace the walls alongside wallpaper that depicts classic Piero Fornasetti portraits, which guests can admire and mimes can challenge to lifelong no-speaking contests. Along with live tunes by pianist Bob Terri on Thursdays, Chez Boet hosts special events and themed luncheons throughout the year, which have included jazz brunches, author-attended book launches, and a Moroccan-themed dinner with live belly dancers.

Lined with more than 70 high-definition flat-screen televisions and two 110-inch projector screens, Boston Beer Garden immerses diners in 360 degrees of sports. Every seat is the best in the house, whether it’s a brown leather booth on the restaurant's perimeter, a high-top table in the center, or the bartender's lap. Behind the indoor and outdoor bars, the other barkeeps offer various microbrews and domestic drafts to complement the chefs' all-natural, home-style cooking—burgers stuffed with bacon and cheese, for instance, and short ribs braised in Sam Adams lager and Guinnes stout. To accompany nighttime happenings such as pub trivia and live music, the culinary team cooks until 2 a.m. from a late-night menu that includes deep-fried kosher pickles and sandwiches filled with ingredients such as scallions and harvati cheese.

The team at Freddie Rebel's sports bar grills scrumptious American pub fare catalogued on the menu and pours glassfuls of thirst-thwarting libations, including 28 varieties of beer. Goliath-worthy flat-screen televisions glow above guests supping from a capacious selection of traditional sports bar fare such as pizza ($7.99 +), half-pound burgers ($7.25+), and wings that range from mild to extra hot and boast a sauce selection of teriyaki, barbecue, ranch, and honey mustard garlic ($6.95—$24.95). The kitchen churns out specialty bruschetta flatbreads by placing diced tomatoes, basil, onion, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan onto an open, overheated laptop and then closing it, imparting a rich, keyboardy texture ($8.95). Patrons can also feel free to imbibe a cold brew while savoring a roast-beef sandwich ($9.25) or wrapping silverware in succulent tiger-shrimp fettuccine, which arrives at tables soaked in a piquant potion of tomatoes, garlic, wine, and basil ($12.49).

A Little Tacky Tiki Bar and Grill's doors swing open to reveal plates piled high with freshly caught seafood, specialty burgers and sandwiches, and a full bar dispensing cooling libations. The crab cake sandwich locks a grilled crab cake inside a toasted roll with chili mayo ($15), and diners can practice their fine motor skills by picking apart beer-steamed shrimp dusted with Old Bay ($9/half lb.). Baskets of fried flounder ($14) or bay scallops ($14.50) cradle batter-encrusted treasures like the hope chest of a chef, and patrons splash gleefully through a pot of mixed steamed seafood brimming with mussels, clams, shrimp, and scallops cooked in a garlic-white-wine sauce ($17). The eatery's bartenders dispense a variety of cocktails, beers, and wines beneath televisions and the rainbow of memorabilia that festoons the walls.

Bohemian Schnitzel House dishes out hearty and authentic recipes rooted in European tradition. Let your tongue traipse off to the Czech Republic’s capital city by way of spicy, horseradish-filled prague ham rolls ($6.99), or chow down on radegast schnitzel, a savory pork loin ensconced in a warm potato-dough blanket, tucked in with pears, cranberries, and a fairy tale ($19.99). Tender roasted duckling served in a nest of red cabbage ($25.99) thrills palates, while aquatic appetites are sated with a rich, butter-and-almond-sautéed rainbow trout ($23.99) caught fresh during rainbow season. Bohemian Schnitzel House serves dinner only; the restaurant is open daily from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.