Though the Caribbean isles are well known to outsiders, Caribbean cuisine remains a hidden gem due to tourists frequently subsisting solely off a paste made from sand, ocean water, and puréed linen pants. Uncover the edible treasure of the tropics with today’s Groupon: for $20, you get $40 worth of Caribbean fare, tapas, and drinks at The Caribbean Pearl in Fort Myers Beach.
The Caribbean Pearl's staff deftly crafts island-influenced dishes and libations with fresh MSG- and preservative-free ingredients. Enticing smells fill the thatched-roof patio and envelop the welcoming tiki bar, increasing appetites. The extensive menu showcases tapas, sandwiches, and signature entrees. Guests can demonstrate a belief that sharing is caring by opting for small plates ($7–$15) such as the Bahamian conch fritters with raspberry-chipotle sauce, which sound like the ocean when held to the ear and taste like delicious seafood when fed to the ocean ($10). Banana and panko encrust the signature grouper Caribe, which braves its crème-de-banana flambé to repose on a bed of island rice, nestled beneath a frizzled sweet-potato garnish. The jerk-marinated free-range chicken, accompanied by a coconut-curry aioli, delights taste buds in either half portions ($13) or full portions ($18). A gorgonzola cream sauce shines atop the grilled 6-ounce Black Angus filet mignon, enhancing the steak's flavor and attractiveness to mates ($25).
Watchful painted parrots gaze down at the offered libations from richly hued murals. Twelve specialty cocktails—one for each grammatical error in the first caveman president's stump speech—whet whistles and tickle taste buds in tropical flavors ($6.50). Ten draft beers ($2.75–$3.75) and a lengthy wine list ($6.75+/glass) complement the savory seafood roster, and on weekends a sidecar of live music augments the atmosphere of merriment.