Rodes got its humble start in 1987 when George Rodes and Charley Bohley opened a small fish-and-produce market and grocery store on Bonita Beach Road. The fascination with its supply of fresh fish-grouper, snapper, tuna, Chilean sea bass and more-and its name, which till this day still provokes the question, "How is it pronounced?" became legend around Bonita, drawing people to the small storefront.

The store became so popular that in 1996, when the space next door became available, Bohley tore down the wall and set up a 40-seat restaurant. Seated in the fish market, diners would select their fish and watch it be prepared right before them. It wasn't long before customers were lined up out the door waiting for a table. "We were the little hole-in-the-wall place people loved to go to," Bohley says.

In 2000, their rented space facing a sale, Bohley and new co-owner Glenn Morton moved Rodes farther up Bonita Beach Road into an 8,000-square-foot building. "We didn't want to move too far. We didn't want to lose our following," he says. "And we like being on the way to the beach." They kept the same concept-restaurant, bar, fish market and produce store.

So how is Rodes pronounced? It goes back to the original owner, George Rodes, who used to answer the phone "Rodies," and it stuck with some people. In fact, Bohley still calls it Rodies sometimes. But either way you pronounce it, Rodes or Rodies, he insists that everyone is welcome.

What we ate: Everything seafood-fish fillets, shellfish, chowders. The only word to describe Rodes' menu is huge. It's three full pages jam-packed with raw-bar delicacies, appetizers, soups and salads, sandwiches and platters all featuring the house specialty-fish. Bohley confesses that he actually had to take some things off to make it all fit.

We started with the lobster seafood dip and crackers ($7.99), which arrived in a plastic container, similar to what you would find at the grocery store, on a large plastic platter surrounded by greens. Not big on looks, but big on taste. "We're not fancy. We're not Fifth Avenue," says Bohley. "But we offer a good product."

We agree. The bigger-than-normal oyster crackers complemented the dip, which was creamy with a mild lobster taste. We had to stop dipping to save some room for our entrées-coconut shrimp ($8.99) with conch fritters ($5.99) and a grouper sandwich ($8.99).

Our lunch was served on cute, shell-shaped plastic dishes overflowing with fish, French fries and coleslaw. Lightly battered, the medium-sized coconut shrimp were tastily crunchy, and the accompanying pineapple dip added a touch of sweetness. When paired with the yummy conch fritters, flavored with the right amount of onion, and their homemade mustard sauce, it was seafood heaven.

There were a variety of ways to order the grouper sandwich ($8.99), but we put all thoughts of dieting aside and asked for it fried. It was worth every calorie-the fillet dwarfed the kaiser roll, the batter wasn't too crunchy or heavy, and the grouper was fresh and flaky.

Although the appetizer and entrées left us with a very large doggie bag, we couldn't very well leave Rodes without trying its legendary key lime pie ($2.99 a slice). Topped with whipped cream, the thick, creamy pie had lots of zing with its tart key lime flavor. A satisfying ending to a big meal.

Atmosphere: Beyond its menu and lunch platters, everything else at Rodes also is enormous. The hostess station sits in the midst of a gigantic bar, which alone takes up one room. The main dining area sports lots of ceiling fans and large windows, an open kitchen and fake palm trees. Additional seating outside makes it feasible for 189 customers to dine.

Service: Fast and friendly. Our server kindly answered our questions and made the extra effort to wrap up our many leftovers.

Power Quotient: There were a few ties, but the suit jackets had been left behind to fully relish the fish fare. Paperwork seemed to be missing in action, too, allowing for only good food and good conversation.

Rodes

3756 Bonita Beach Road, Bonita Springs. (239) 992-4040. Lunch: 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Dinner: 4:30-9 p.m. Seven days a week. Credit cards.