Table Matters

Is it a store? is it a restaurant? It's both. Traders Store and Café fulfills both mid-afternoon cravings-a hearty lunch and a bit of shopping (for those of us who love to shop).

The restaurant-within-a-store concept, developed by Marvin and Helene Gralnick, the forces behind Fort Myers-based retailer Chico's, was the result of the couple's world travels. "They made a lot of purchases and built up quite an inventory," says manager Joe Archambault of the rustic furnishings, ethnic trinkets and authentic fabrics. "Everything is directly imported from places like China, Guatemala, Mexico and Turkey."

The first Traders, which opened in 1999 on Sanibel Island, was just a store in a small strip plaza until the restaurant eventually made it a popular lunch and dinner spot. Today there are three Traders, including one in Bonita Springs and another on Captiva Island.

Its appearance from the outside, however, has kept the Bonita Springs Traders from getting the attention it deserves. "People don't know until they come in that we are doing something special in there," Archambault says. We decided to find out exactly what that something special is.

What we ate: American bistro cuisine. Chef Scott Sopher (from Philadelphia) has created a selection of wood-oven pizzas ($8-$12), sandwiches ($7-$10) and salads ($8-$12), including smoked barbecue pork, curried chicken salad, blackened grouper and even chicken pot pie, for lunch. The menu changes often.

We started with a small bowl of mushroom soup topped with fresh crabmeat ($3). The shredded crabmeat and finely chopped mushrooms blended well in a cream base and the soup was filling enough for a meal in itself. A loaf of warm bread with seasoned olive oil sated us while we waited for our entrées.

We selected the chef's stromboli of the day ($9)-turkey, ham, bacon and cheeses rolled into a shell of dough and oven-baked. It came to the table sliced in small sections and accompanied by a cup of tomato sauce for dipping.

Our other entrée was the crab cakes ($9). The two plump cakes were among the best we've had in the area-crispy on the outside and filled with crabmeat and seasonings, but not spicy, and served with mango salsa.

Unable to finish and with our doggie bags on the way, we passed on dessert, which was a choice of apple strudel, peanut butter cheesecake and a palette of assorted sorbets.

Atmosphere: Casual eatery in a furniture showroom. Sky-high ceilings and a maze of furniture left us a bit bewildered as we entered through the enormous, extremely heavy, glass doors. Was the restaurant tucked in a corner?

The hostess greeted us from afar, leading us behind armoires and dressers to a gathering of tables and an open kitchen. The interior was structural, with ductwork and piping in view.

Dining next to furniture for sale, you feel as if you've stolen away from the office for a shopping spree. You can't help but browse. And so we did.

Service: Attentive and informative. Our server wasted no time welcoming us, taking our drink order, and rattling off the lunch specials. When considering the gumbo, he was kind to warn us of the spice level, saying, "It will put a sweat on you," which was enough to keep spice wimps like us at bay. Drinks were refilled without question. And when we got up in search of the restroom, he noticed and pointed the way.

Power Quotient: With frontage on U.S. 41, it was surprising to find only two other tables occupied during the lunch hour. But the 150-seat restaurant, which also has a private dining room for parties of up to 80, has potential for business lunches.

Traders Store & Café

26501 S. Tamiami Trail, Bonita Springs. (239) 949-0202. Lunch: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. daily. Dinner: 5-9:30 p.m. daily. Credit cards. Reservations accepted for lunch and dinner.