November 18th, 2011
USS NEMO Restaurant, Naples, Florida, Restaurant, Review, Undersea Cuisine
It was so nice to let our friend, Jay, do the driving and talking. I just sat back and took it all in. It was a pretty day to be on the Gulf of Mexico; Historic Naples is certainly quaint.
I found a few facts from this Paradise Coast. The average temperature is 75 degrees. Collier County is the largest county in the State of Florida.
An estimate of 134 art galleries are in the Greater Naples area.
The western side of the Florida Everglades is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles are known to cohabitate.
Collier county is also the home of the endangered Florida panther.
A walk; a nap and pretty soon it was time to check out the restaurant that Jay had picked out for dinner. He said that it was unique, the chef was daring, to say the least. He made the reservation for 8:00 p.m., hoping that the patrons were heading home and we would have the place to ourselves. No such luck.
The chosen restaurant was USS NEMO, located at 3745 Tamiami Trail North, Naples, FL 34103. Tel. 239-261-6366. Website? http://www.ussnemorestaurant.com.
There were a few tables outside, but our preference was, definitely, inside. Upon entering USS NEMO there were the comings and goings of a busy restaurant. The room was open with booths, as well as single tables.
At first we thought it was bit dark. Maybe the reason was that the candle was out. Then the lights flickered some. Finally, we asked and they were having a problem with their lightning that evening.
Melania was our server. She was from Romania. She was friendly; a big smile. Bread was brought to our table. Hummus and condiments too.
The menu was a good one. I saw the Branzino and thought I had to have it. After talking to Melania she said that the signature dish was the Miso Broiled Sea Bass. Okay, say no more, that’s exactly what I did have after having a Seafood Ceviche which had white sea bass, shrimp, salmon, grilled pineapple and lime. Refreshing and very good.
Then, my sea bass had a citrus ginger butter sauce, steamed rice, asparagus, and a carrot tempura that was soooo good. Melania hit it right on. This sea bass melted in my mouth.
Jay decided on a salad, watermelon adding the extra touch.
Then, even though he had been at USS NEMO several times, the only dish he had tried was the Prime Tuna. A choice of cooking styles were East, West or Indian. Jay chose the West style. The blue tuna would be flash seared and rare. It had a peppercorn crust, exotic mushrooms, asparagus, fresh thyme potato gratin, sauteed garlic spinach and a cognac demi-glace. On this particular evening, Jay thought they cooked it a few seconds more than he would have wanted but it was delicious, anyway.
My husband was not that hungry but he had a very interesting appetizer. Bone Marrow; in the bone, a side of sea salt, and a condiment. The dish is a conversation piece. It is considered a delicacy and it was Julia Child’s favorite. Because of his gluten allergy he could not have the crostini. I tried it and it was good. Not gelatinous as you might think; marmalade would be a better term. And, a little tricky to get out of the bone. All I could think of was my dog, Addy. If he had not ordered it, I was going to. It was hard to resist.
Then he had a Black Truffle Risotto which was a side dish; he just had it as his entree. Very flavorful.
For our dessert we shared a flourless chocolate cake. It was fudgy, rich, delicious and believe it or not, jut a tad sweet. A perfect sweet ending.
We talked to Melania for a little bit and want to thank her for taking care of us in such a special way.
Talk to you later……lunch in Naples again….
Tags: City of Naples, Florida, Florida's West Coast, Naples, Paradise Coast, Restaurant, review, seafood restaurant, The Gulf, The Gulf of Mexico, Undersea Cuisine, USS NEMO, USS NEMO Restaurant, west coast of Florida
Gloria,
I have been wanting to go to USS Nemo for 4 years and now I am definitely going. Everyone talks about it but it is hard to find. Thanks for the great blog about it- I will let you know after we go. Happy Thanksgiving !
Missy
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, as well. NEMO is really worth going. Great menu.