I've just returned from the "11: Eleven" cafe located in an inconspicuous strip mall along San Carlos Blvd. Their specialty is grilled cheese sandwiches. Not the Kraft American Cheese Slices grilled cheese sandwiches of our youth, but adult cheese sandwiches. Real cheeses like cheddar, Swiss, smoked Gouda, Havarti, and so forth, served on hearty breads including sourdough, marble rye, or sun dried tomato swirl.
Lactose intolerant people beware: This is probably not the restaurant for you, though they do have a few non-cheese options. Just the sight of three slices of melted cheese oozing from panini grilled bread will be enough to make your colon clench. But if you love cheese (Wisconsin born and bred, hello ...?) you will definitely get your curd on at this place.
My cheese-gasm of cheddar, Swiss, and Pepper Jack on grilled sourdough arrived at my table piping hot along with a side of their signature marinated apples ... freshly chunked Granny Smiths bathed in a sweet marinade infused with essences of caramel, hazelnut, nutmeg, cinnamon and chai. The sweet, tangy apples were the perfect compliment to the briny cheese.
This is comfort food with a twist. One of their more creative sandwiches is the "Bacon....I love you." Three crispy strips of bacon with house seasoning, and choice of cheeses. For an extra 79 cents, they will top it with their homemade maple bacon bourbon jam. Twist my arm.
Another sassy twist on the grilled cheese is that they will serve it open face on a made-to-order savory waffle. I was going to try that, but they were out of waffle batter on my visit.
Everything here is homemade and/or locally sourced. My bill with a 20-ounce bottle of Diet Coke, tax, and tip came to $12.43. Not bad at all considering the portion size and quality of the food. I think the only thing that could have it better for me is if they grilled the sandwich in butter on a flat top. I'll ask them about this next time. Chef Christa Leigh states on their website that, "If it's not on the menu rest assured we will create it for you." You gotta love that.
The name of the restaurant is kind of new-agey, if you believe in that sort of thing. According to numerologists, the time 11:11 is the time of alignment when the universe urges us to pay attention to our heart, our soul and our inner intuition. It’s serves as a wake-up call to us so that opportunities are not missed in this lifetime.
Not really my particular brand of vodka, and what this has to do with grilled cheese I'm not exactly sure. But one thing is for sure: If you are ever in the Fort Myers area, and like cheese, do not miss this particular opportunity.
Friends and family, it's been over a month since my last blog update, and I apologize for this. We (sister Dawn and I) have more or less slipped into a routine where there isn't really anything earth-shaking taking place on a day-to-day basis. But I will hit a few of the highlights.
March 3-5. Visit with (brother) Curt and (sis-in-law) Karen. We had a very fun and very busy time playing tour guides to Curt and Karen on their whirlwind tour of the south which included stops to see several friends and ending with a Caribbean cruise out of New Orleans with family. We took C&K to Sun Harvest Citrus, the area's largest citrus market; the Friday farmers' market at Lakes Park; the giant "FleaMasters" flea market; Sanibel Island (where the annual sea shell festival was taking place); and a sunset dolphin cruise. We ate at a couple of favorite restaurants, and also experienced something new at the "American-European Cafe and Bakery" where we had a most excellent breakfast.
March 12. Dawn and I attended a community theater event as the "Cascades" community in Estero, which was hosted by my Meetup group. Community volunteers put on a musical revue of four classic Broadway musicals, including 42nd Street, Pajama Game, Dam Yankees, and South Pacific. It was great fun, and afterward we were all invited to our group leader's home in Cascades for beverages, cake, and pie.
March 16. Day trip to Miami Beach. This was a solo trip; Dawn opted not to go. This was put on by " Trendy Tours"a local travel agency catering to folks in Fort Myers/Bonita Springs/Naples. For $79, we got round trip bus transportation; a walking tour of Miami Beach's Art Deco district (with a guide); a two hour lunch/shopping break at Lincoln Road Mall; and a narrated boat ride around Biscayne Bay to see the ocean-front homes of the rich and famous. For lunch, I ate a Cuban restaurant called YUCA and had a couple of tapas, including Cuban style calamari, and bacon-wrapped dates. It was an all-day affair, leaving Ft. Myers at 6:30 a.m., returning at 8:00 p.m. It was a great time, though I came back to the apartment with a pretty bad case of sunburn ... forgot sunscreen and a hat. Here's a selfie on the boat:
Hope this blog updates finds you all healthy and in good spirits.
Love,
Bruce & Dawn
My cheese-gasm of cheddar, Swiss, and Pepper Jack on grilled sourdough arrived at my table piping hot along with a side of their signature marinated apples ... freshly chunked Granny Smiths bathed in a sweet marinade infused with essences of caramel, hazelnut, nutmeg, cinnamon and chai. The sweet, tangy apples were the perfect compliment to the briny cheese.
 |
| The marinated apples are in the blue coffee cup |
This is comfort food with a twist. One of their more creative sandwiches is the "Bacon....I love you." Three crispy strips of bacon with house seasoning, and choice of cheeses. For an extra 79 cents, they will top it with their homemade maple bacon bourbon jam. Twist my arm.
Another sassy twist on the grilled cheese is that they will serve it open face on a made-to-order savory waffle. I was going to try that, but they were out of waffle batter on my visit.
Everything here is homemade and/or locally sourced. My bill with a 20-ounce bottle of Diet Coke, tax, and tip came to $12.43. Not bad at all considering the portion size and quality of the food. I think the only thing that could have it better for me is if they grilled the sandwich in butter on a flat top. I'll ask them about this next time. Chef Christa Leigh states on their website that, "If it's not on the menu rest assured we will create it for you." You gotta love that.
The name of the restaurant is kind of new-agey, if you believe in that sort of thing. According to numerologists, the time 11:11 is the time of alignment when the universe urges us to pay attention to our heart, our soul and our inner intuition. It’s serves as a wake-up call to us so that opportunities are not missed in this lifetime.
Not really my particular brand of vodka, and what this has to do with grilled cheese I'm not exactly sure. But one thing is for sure: If you are ever in the Fort Myers area, and like cheese, do not miss this particular opportunity.
Friends and family, it's been over a month since my last blog update, and I apologize for this. We (sister Dawn and I) have more or less slipped into a routine where there isn't really anything earth-shaking taking place on a day-to-day basis. But I will hit a few of the highlights.
March 3-5. Visit with (brother) Curt and (sis-in-law) Karen. We had a very fun and very busy time playing tour guides to Curt and Karen on their whirlwind tour of the south which included stops to see several friends and ending with a Caribbean cruise out of New Orleans with family. We took C&K to Sun Harvest Citrus, the area's largest citrus market; the Friday farmers' market at Lakes Park; the giant "FleaMasters" flea market; Sanibel Island (where the annual sea shell festival was taking place); and a sunset dolphin cruise. We ate at a couple of favorite restaurants, and also experienced something new at the "American-European Cafe and Bakery" where we had a most excellent breakfast.
March 12. Dawn and I attended a community theater event as the "Cascades" community in Estero, which was hosted by my Meetup group. Community volunteers put on a musical revue of four classic Broadway musicals, including 42nd Street, Pajama Game, Dam Yankees, and South Pacific. It was great fun, and afterward we were all invited to our group leader's home in Cascades for beverages, cake, and pie.
March 16. Day trip to Miami Beach. This was a solo trip; Dawn opted not to go. This was put on by " Trendy Tours"a local travel agency catering to folks in Fort Myers/Bonita Springs/Naples. For $79, we got round trip bus transportation; a walking tour of Miami Beach's Art Deco district (with a guide); a two hour lunch/shopping break at Lincoln Road Mall; and a narrated boat ride around Biscayne Bay to see the ocean-front homes of the rich and famous. For lunch, I ate a Cuban restaurant called YUCA and had a couple of tapas, including Cuban style calamari, and bacon-wrapped dates. It was an all-day affair, leaving Ft. Myers at 6:30 a.m., returning at 8:00 p.m. It was a great time, though I came back to the apartment with a pretty bad case of sunburn ... forgot sunscreen and a hat. Here's a selfie on the boat:
So other than that, Dawn and I are preparing for the move to larger quarters at Summerlin Trace. We are moving the small stuff on March 31, and I have a delivery company coming on April 1 to move the only two large things we are taking with us: the piano, and my boxspring/mattress. The other furnishing will go on Craigslist next week, and whatever doesn't sell will either be donated to any charity that will come and get it, or left at the curb as a last resort. Dawn and I have been getting along swimmingly, but it will be nice to have more room to move about, and for each of use to have a bedroom and bathroom.
Hope this blog updates finds you all healthy and in good spirits.
Love,
Bruce & Dawn
An alternative in your writing career would be to write restaurant reviews. Loved your description of the "11 Eleven" grilled cheese sandwich, but didn't know what "Not really my particular brand of vodka" meant. Must be a colloquialism. Hey, next year we signed for a two-bedroom condo, so we'll have a guest room. Keep takin' it easy Bruce & Dawn.
ReplyDeleteHi Gene and Pegg: "Not really my particular brand of vodka" was another way of saying "Not my cup of tea" and referred to my skepticism of numerology. Truth be told, I stole the line from the movie "Oceans 11," the 2001 version starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt!
ReplyDeleteI wondered where you went... thought maybe I fell off your blog roster. Glad to see what you're up to, Bruce. The grilled cheese place sounds like a nice 'find'... lots to uncover down there, huh? Also happy to hear about your new digs...dual bathrooms is a great idea. Hope that transition goes swimmingly!
ReplyDelete