Table Matters: Nibbling at Nemo's

In small print at the bottom of the lunch menu at USS Nemo in Naples, an ancient proverb states: If you have the pleasant experience of eating something you have not tasted before, your life will be lengthened by 75 days. After our journey into the undersea world created by owners Nicholas Mercier and Nathalie Savoie, we figure we’ve gained at least a couple of months.

What we ate: Seafood, of course—Pacific Rim salad ($8.95),

grilled yellowtail snapper ($11.95) and macadamia nut grouper ($11.95).

The one-page lunch menu features meat and fish entrées and

salads, all with an international twist.

Asian is the most prominent theme, as with the Pacific Rim

salad’s ingredients, which combined carrots, oranges and a mix of greens with

Japanese daikon and seafood salad, accented with soy and rice vinegar dressing.

The result is a mix of sweet and sour, highlighted by the pieces of crab meat

(in strands, not cubed) hidden in the mix of greens, vegetables and fruits.

The grilled yellowtail snapper arrived fresh and flaky, a

small fillet perched atop a bed of rice and stir-fried veggies in a pleasing,

fashionable fusion style.

Drizzled in a light and flavorful lobster sauce, the tender

macadamia nut grouper was accompanied by steamed vegetables and comfy mashed

potatoes.

The entrées, presented artfully on colorful plates, more

than satisfied our appetites, but starters are also available, including two

kinds of soup—miso soup ($2.99) and Bermuda fish chowder ($3.99)—as well as a

blue crab and lobster cake ($6.95), fried calamari ($6.25) and a type of sushi,

tataki tuna ($8.95).

Atmosphere: Undersea World. Before you even walk into the

restaurant, the portholes signal you’re entering an underwater fantasy. Once

you’re seated at either a cozy booth, an inside table or outside on the small

patio (the restaurant seats about 90), you can look around and take it all in.

The room is basically divided into two, with the walls

painted a deep ocean-blue on the bottom half and with whitecaps near the

ceiling. Eye-catching aquariums are built into one of the walls. Nautical

accessories include periscopes. It’s tough to tear yourself away from the décor

to decide what to eat. The owners (who previously owned restaurants in Canada)

say they created the cool, salty look without the help of a design firm.

Service: Let’s just say that, fortunately, there’s time to

look at the menu, which changes seasonally. We were seated promptly, but the

overall experience took nearly one-and-a-half hours, leaving us without time to

sample the tempting desserts, although we took a peek at the separate dessert

menu, which includes a maple syrup soufflé, key lime cheesecake, Nemo’s apple

pie and an Asian chocolate fondue for two.

Power quotient: What-ever your rank, you’ll fit in on the

USS Nemo. We saw business folks of every age and status, from office workers

studying reports in a back booth to a solo diner reading the Journal. There

were even a few civilians, including some groups of well-dressed ladies.

USS NEMO

3745 N. Tamiami Trail, Naples. (239) 261-6366. Lunch: 11:30

a.m. to 2 p.m. Dinner: 5-9:30 p.m. Credit cards. Easy parking in the shopping

center parking lot. Reservations taken at lunch or dinner.