A spot of shopping

This morning we decided to go to the Miromar Outlet Shopping Mall a few miles up the I75. Sophie was keen to buy some Vans and a Levi's jacket and both shops were there so off we went. We called into the management office first, and amazingly someone was there! We told them about the door into Sophie's bedroom that had come off the runner and they promised to send someone out to fix it.

We also went into a small shop selling European foods and wines and Keith bought Sophie and I a bottle of Romanian Pinot Grigio. I don't normally buy wines from other countries when I'm in the US, but we've found it hard to buy a decent American Pinot Grigio and have had to resort to Italian bottles!

We found the shopping mall easily and Sophie bought the Vans shoes she had had her eye on. They are all white and look lovely with her tanned legs. She also bought a men's Levi's denim jacket and I treated Mike to three pairs of Calvin Klein briefs that were far cheaper in the Saks 5th Avenue shop than in the Calvin Klein shop itself!

Keith was getting a little fed up and it was very warm (104f when we came out) so we left and headed back to Naples on the 41. Mike and Sophie wanted to experience a Taco Bell so we looked out for a restaurant and just before we reached Naples we found one.

I would never go back! Sophie and I ordered a chicken quesadilla each with a side of nachos and cheese while Mike went for a Nachos Bellgrande. When the food arrived I jumped up to help Sophie as I thought our order would be quite large but it was just two trays and the food looked very insipid indeed! Our quesadillas were completely flat, like folded over pancakes, and Mike's nachos seemed to be a very small portion. Admittedly, we only paid $17 but I think all of us were very disappointed. Our side of nachos came in a tiny bag with a small pot of plasticky cheese. Ugh! The restaurant itself was small and depressing so I am fairly certain that we won't be trying that particular fast food chain again!

On the way back to the villa we called into a Target and bought some shopping and then it was back to the villa for an afternoon of sun-bathing and swimming. It clouded over again towards the evening and we heard several rumbles of thunder but we didn't see any rain.

Our dinner venue for the evening was 3rd Street South again as we'd spotted an Italian restaurant called Barbatella that looked promising. The weather was looking very iffy and we'd heard more thunder and seen flashes of lightening since leaving the villa. Despite there being lots of tables free at the Italian restaurant we were told we'd have to share a long bench with other diners, which put us off.

We wandered off up the street and looked at the Ridgeway Bar and Grill but the mains were all over $30, which was far more than we wanted to pay. We then remembered Tommy Bahama's and had a look at the menu posted outside. Again, the dishes weren't cheap but there were quite a few priced from $24-28 so we asked if they had a table. There was live music which was very loud but the front of house woman said she had a table free at the back of the restaurant, which was good news.

There was a great atmosphere with most of the tables full and people sitting at the bar enjoying cocktails. Sophie and I had a glass of white wine to start while Keith had a beer. The server bought us some bread and butter while we looked at the menu.

We skipped starters and we ordered Parmesan crusted Sanibel chicken (me), a chicken dish for Sophie off the specials menu, grilled fillet of Snapper for Keith and a Miso soup for Mike, which I thought was a strange choice for him, but he said he picked it because of the shrimp and belly pork. My meal was delicious and was served with mashed potato and broccoli and a gorgeous red pepper cream sauce. It was the best meal I'd had of the holiday so far. Keith liked his fish but said his asparagus was tasteless. Sophie enjoyed her meal as well, but Mike was disappointed with his dinner. He was definitely in the market for a dessert!

Our server was very friendly and efficient and when he asked if we wanted pudding he brought a tray of them to show us, which I thought was a great idea. Sophie and I went for a lovely pineapple creme brulee that was served in a thick slice of pineapple. Mike went for the biggest dessert on the menu, the Malted Chocolate pie and polished it off easily!

The bill came to an almighty $197, the most expensive of any meal we've eaten as a family! It beat the Sandbar restaurant on Anna Maria island last time! We were slightly shocked but it was right and we noticed that the drinks alone came to over $50 (three beers, three wines, a rootbeer). Phew! Time to rein it in again tomorrow!