BY LAURA TICHY
laura.tichy-smith@floridaweekly.com
The Shipyard’s swamp cabbage fritters and crab cakes dinner. -LAURA TICHY / FLORIDA WEEKLY
The Dish: Casual resort dining
The Place: The Shipyard, 15951 Captiva Drive, Captiva; 239-472-5161; www.shipyardcaptiva.com
The Details:
One of four restaurants at the historic ‘Tween Waters Inn & Marina on Captiva Island, The Shipyard is the resort’s casual dining establishment. But to ‘Tween Waters’ credit, just because the restaurant is located at an out-of-the-way resort doesn’t mean that they’re charging resort prices. Food and beverage prices are in line with those in other parts of Lee County, and the portions are generous for the money. For example, their painkiller ($16) is made with two rums, and they serve it in a pint glass.
Of the dozen appetizers on the menu, many are familiar, but one that’s less so are the swamp cabbage fritters ($8). Made from a flour-and-egg dough flecked with diced onion and hearts of sabal palm (what the Florida cracker settlers ate as the vegetable “swamp cabbage”), they’re similar to hushpuppies, but without the cornmeal. Fried to a crisp, crunchy brown, the insides are light and cake-like, sort of an unsweetened donut with vegetables in it. They’re perfect for dipping in the slightly spicy remoulade sauce that’s served on the side.
The dinner menu offers a mix of sandwiches, familiar dishes and seafood. The crab cakes dinner ($32) features three panko-crusted lump blue crab cakes accompanied by house-made pineapple coleslaw, French fries and that zesty remoulade sauce. The crab cakes are different from those served by most Southwest Florida restaurants, which usually are Maryland-style. These tasty cakes are very moist inside their crispy-fried crumb shells, more in the style of Tampa’s deviled crab croquettes. The house-made slaw has a vinegar-style dressing that complements the slightly spicy bite it has, which can only come from freshly shredding the cabbage. The fries are big steak-style fries that are wonderfully spiced and crispy on the outside but big enough to stay soft on the inside. They’re great for scooping up the last bits of that flavorsome remoulade sauce.
The Shipyard’s crab cakes dinner. -LAURA TICHY / FLORIDA WEEKLY
The Shipyard’s swamp cabbage fritters. -LAURA TICHY / FLORIDA WEEKLY