dining out

4 COMFORT FOODS

In the culmination of a year of uncertainty, Jean Le Boeuf, the nom de plume food critic for The NewsPress and Naples Daily News, put together a list of four dishes that are practically guaranteed to bring comfort. JLB takes it from here:

These four dishes, found from Fort Myers to Naples, are my certain comforts. These are the foods I know won’t let me down, the ones I turn to when I want a reassuring hug, that’s also edible. I hope they bring you solace.

And where to find them | BY JEAN LE BOEUF

ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICH

My pick: Chicago Beef Guy, 1127 Del Prado Blvd. S., Cape Coral; 239-772-0713; beefguycapecoral.com

When I want to lose myself in a sandwich, I turn to Chicago Beef Guy. The Guy’s Italian beef sub is juicy comfort on a hoagie roll. It’s beef, slow roasted in house. It’s spicy-crisp giardiniera, also crafted in house. It’s the richness of the housemade dipping jus (soaking jus is more like it). It’s the fact anything the Beef Guy doesn’t make in house, it orders direct from the Windy City. It sounds simple enough but put it together and you get bites of delicious, time-erasing bliss.

Also worth a try:

Beefstro’s Gourmet Beefs, Naples; Chicago Beef, Dogs and Pizza, Cape Coral; Chicago Boys, Fort Myers

SHRIMP AND GRITS

My pick: The Rooster Food + Drink, 600 Goodlette Road N. No. 101, Naples; 239-228-5973; theroosternaples.com

Southern food = comfort food. I don’t make the rules, I just report on them. And there are few more comforting dishes in Naples than shrimp and grits from The Rooster. Hearty pink shrimp rest atop a thick, buttery bed of grits sprinkled with bacon bits under a blanket of pepper pan sauce. Makes me want to forget the world, get up early, smell the sweet Southern air and relax in a rocking chair to a symphony of crickets and chirping frogs as I tuck into another hearty bite.

Also worth a try: Salty Papa’s Shrimp House, south Fort Myers; Slate’s, Cape Coral; Doc Ford’s, multiple locations

PANCAKES

My pick: Crave, 12901 McGregor Blvd., south Fort Myers; 239-466-4663; cravemenu. com

There are pancakes and then there are *pancakes*. Pancakes can be made at home, taste good, will make you smile, fine. But *pancakes* are fluffy bites of utopia, buttery rounds of happiness that feed not just your stomach but your soul. And *pancakes* are Crave’s specialty. I don’t know exactly how Crave makes its *pancakes* , but I suspect copious amounts of butter to be involved. Maybe some magic. A dash of sorcery. Whatnot. I don’t question Crave’s methods. I just eat the *pancakes* until I’m stuffed silly. Then I roll home, take a *pancakes*-induced nap, and dream about my next go-round.

Also worth a try: Sanibel Fresh, Sanibel; Annie’s, Cape Coral; Blueberry’s Cafe, Naples; Skillets, multiple locations KEY LIME PIE

My pick: Keylime Bistro, 11509 Andy Rosse Lane, Captiva; 239-395-4000; captivaislandinn.com

Living in Southwest Florida, there’s something specifically comforting about Key lime pie. It’s at the end of almost every menu. It can be great and good, but rarely is it bad. Keylime Bistro’s version isn’t Key lime pie so much as a towering wedge of Key lime heaven. The Captiva restaurant takes its name from this dish for a reason, well, a few reasons: thick, gooey, tangy-sweet layers that, when put together, create Key lime perfection.

Also worth a try: Tony’s Off Third, Naples; Deep Lagoon Seafood and Pinchers restaurants, multiple locations; Sweet Melissa’s Ice Cream Shoppe, Bonita Springs

Jean Le Boeuf is the pseudonym used by a local food lover who dines at restaurants anonymously and without warning, with meals paid for by The News-Press and Naples Daily News. Follow the critic at facebook.com/ jeanleboeufswfl or @JeanLeBoeuf on Twitter and Instagram.