Bayfront Bistro

This is one of the worst selections for dinning on Fort Myers Beach. The management has an attitude that is not consistent with the fine dinning representation they try to make. Food is over priced and the portions are small. Bring along $100 for two bowls of soup  iceberg salad and a couple of drinks.

My family (party of 6 - mostly seniors) had dinner here in early January.  We sat at a table by the window in the corner, near the bar area.  As we were seated, a large  black speaker was being adjusted by a man just over our heads.  At 7 p.m., loud music began to play from the speaker and the man began singing. This continued non-stop for the next few hours.  I asked the waitress to turn the volume down on the speaker as we couldn't hear each other speak. This never happened.
If the restaurant turns into nightclub in the evening, say it.  How sad - this WAS a lovely restaurant and had great atmosphere.

Bayfront Bistro, located behind the Publix on Estero Blvd, is a completely overpriced, mediocre seafood combined with completely overpriced, mediocre service.  

We drove with a full van, full wallets and empty stomachs past the Publix to the large building by the bay.  The 7 of us (4 adults and 3 kids) sat in the main dining room which is well appointed and open to the outdoors, with a nice view of the marina.  After we sat, that's when things started going downhill.

No introduction from our waiter...no description of specials....no welcome....just a "can I get you a drink?"  I selected an Alberino from the wine list....after waiting for about 15 minutes with closed menus on the table, the same waiter returned to tell us that they could not find a bottle.  OK...understandable....so I gave him 2 additional wine choices.

Given that we already waited on the wine, we entered our order with our ordertaker (server would not be accurate).  Then, we once again waited....and waited...and waited.  No sign of the ordertaker.  We were thinking that perhaps he was making his way to the Publix to find our 2nd or 3rd choice of wine when the wine finally made it to the table just before our appetizers.  One in our party ordered a salad with salmon, and the salad came to the table 5 minutes before the salmon.

Our orders included the clam chowder, claimed as the best chowder we would ever have, which was in reality an overbuttered, thin stew.  I voted it the third best chowder ever found behind a Publix.

And then my $30 cold scallop dish with cauliflower puree.  Now I know the restaurants keep the entrees a bit softer in Florida to appease the older folks, but the cauliflower puree was particularly soft; a cold, flavorless mush.  However, it was the best cauliflower puree I had ever had behind a Publix.  The scallops were fresh but flavorless.  The portion was so small that I thought about grabbing a rotisserie chicken from the Publix after dinner.  

And then for the insult to injury.  An added 20 PERCENT gratuity for 4 adults and 3 kids.  No wonder the service was so bad....the guy had his income from our table already locked in.  At 20 PERCENT!  My crappy $30 scallops just became crappy $36 scallops.  

When I informed the hostess that we were not enthused with the service or the 20 percent add-on, she shrugged her shoulders.  We shrugged our shoulders too...driving away in a full van with still-empty stomachs and now-empty wallets looking wistfully at the affordable food choices at the nearby Publix.