Table Matters: First-Rate Impression

All roads may lead to Rome, but fortunately Vanderbilt Beach

Road leads to The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples and its Lemonia

(lemon-EYE-ah), a restaurant specializing in Tuscan fare.

The initial experience, even for lunch, can be a bit

intimidating. After you drive up the brick-paved incline to the hotel entrance,

knicker-clad young men greet you, eager to park the car. The valet parking will

set you back $9, although diners can have their ticket validated. After

entering through the gorgeous and luxurious lobby, again warmly greeted by an

attendant, you’ll head to the right for the restaurant. Lighted cases in the

hallway feature dishes of bonbons from Perugia and wines from Tuscany, the

heartland of Italy. A deferential hostess greets and seats you.

The room, which overlooks Tiburón golf course, is a pleasing

mix of Southwest Florida moderne classy and traditional gentlemen’s club (i.e.

dark wood trim, rich carpeting and subdued walls featuring unobtrusive

artwork). We visited soon after Lemonia’s January opening and fellow diners

numbered but 17, so there was no real conversational buzz and no clatter and

clamor of service personnel going about appointed rounds.

Although the luncheon menu is modest in length, it isn’t

reticent in prices. An Angus beef sirloin burger with provolone, cheddar, Swiss

and American cheese accompanied by lettuce, tomato and a “house pickle” is $13.

Other sandwiches include a warm prosciutto, cappy ham and shaved Parmesan

cheese on ciabatta bread and a smoked salmon with romaine lettuce and

marscapone dill cream, both for $14; and for $12, an open-faced sandwich

featuring a fresh mozzarella-based salad and cherry tomatoes on focaccia.

Entrées include a mixed seafood trio on bruschetta, arugula

salad with lemon dressing, grilled grouper with leek julienne and tomato caper

sauce, free-range chicken with diced tomatoes and olives in a thyme-based

sauce, grilled beef filet and oyster mushrooms, and penne with diced tomatoes

and basil. Prices range from $18-$28.

Interesting salad selections, ranging from $9-$16, include

mixed greens and baby greens, a Tuscan bread salad with tomatoes, sweet

peppers, cucumbers and herbs and a poached Maine lobster salad with

ginger/lemon vinaigrette, spinach and arugula. Other offerings include spinach

and asparagus soup and seafood minestrone.

In addition to the menu items, lunch includes a marvelous

and diverse buffet. Offered are assorted meats (salami, pepperoni, mortadella,

cappy ham), marinated sliced portobello mushrooms, roasted red peppers, several

types of greens, Italian cheeses, olives, eggplant, tomatoes and on, all for

$22 including dessert.

Sticking with the menu, my companion ordered iced tea and

the free-range chicken. I ordered iced tea and the warm prosciutto, cappy ham

and shaved Parmesan sandwich.

The free-range chicken was superb. What appeared to be half

of a pullet was cooked to moist and flavorful perfection. Exquisite baby

vegetables—zucchini, yellow squash and potatoes—and diced tomatoes and olives

with a thyme-based dressing accompanied the dish. My choice, while tasty and

filling, didn’t live up to its billing. I thought it would feature more

prosciutto, more shaved Parmesan.

A separate menu lists desserts that on their own and,

contrary to Mr. Gibbon’s famed account, may well have felled the Roman empire.

Priced from $7.50 to $9.50, they included a cappuccino creme brûlée almond cake

with Dutch cocoa ice cream and a tiramisu guaranteed—to borrow a term coined by

long-ago Pogo comic strip artist Walt Kelly—“to bring a tear to the orb.”

I lunged for the tiramisu, a sinful sponge cake soaked in

brandy and espresso then smothered in rich, sweet marscapone topped with a

light dusting of powdered cinnamon and half of a large, fresh-stemmed

strawberry. Oh, my!

The overall experience was first-rate, one you can easily

convince yourself is owed to you.

Lemonia

Location: The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples, 2600 Tiburón

Drive

Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m., lunch (buffet runs from noon-2 p.m.);

6-10 p.m., dinner.

Phone number: 593-2000

Reservations: Recommended for dinner.