THE PICKY EATER FROM BOSTON
Review: Bice -Pronounced Bee-chay
300 5th Avenue South, Naples, FL
There's been some talk lately...it seems some folks are getting a little weary of dining on 5th Avenue and ending the evening with a $500 bill. So when two of our favorite friends told us about the Early Dining option at Bice we were excited to try it!
First things first, early is the key word here. Early Dining is available daily from 3-5pm with the last seating at 4:30 and you must order before 5pm. Also important; you can't make reservations for the Early Dining, it's first come, first served so keep that in mind.
The upside to afternoon dining is the prices! The Early dining menu offers 50% of food, 50% off select Classic cocktails as well as $5 Beer, House Wine and Prosecco. Seriously...who knew such a thing existed?!
We arrived at 3:30, definitely early for your main meal, but we all agreed that growing up we would often have "Sunday Supper" at 2:00pm so we willingly embraced that tradition.
Frankly, I was assuming there wouldn't be many folks eating at that hour but by the time we received our meals the restaurant was nearly full.
Bice offers several lovely seating options including an elegant dining room with white tablecloths, sparkling glassware and walls of mirrors. There is a bustling Bar and Lounge which included live entertainment and an inviting outdoor terrace where you can enjoy your meal al fresco protected by a large awning to shield you from the sun. Oh, of course I checked out the Ladies room which was in perfect shape.
We were seated in the main dining room and loved the ambiance, especially the Gentlemen servers who were wearing white shirts with black ties and crisp white jackets. A very European touch! Our server Goce was excellent, offering suggestions and checking on us often to be sure everything was just right.
The overflowing bread basket arrived as soon as we were seated; it was full of assorted fresh breads with a delicious side of unsalted whipped butter and rich olive oil for dipping.
We all ordered cocktails including a tasty Sangria, a Moscow Mule, a generous pour of the House Cabernet Sauvignon for only $5 and to stick with the program, I had a Peach Bellini instead of my usual Belvedere Martini; it was actually a delightful diversion.
The Early Dining Menu offers a robust selection of appetizers and entrees, all at 50% off Bice's regular menu prices. Our appetizers included Caesar Salads for $7.50 and the flash fried Calamari with prawns, zucchini and tomato sauce for $11.
For our main course, three of us ordered the Lasagna for $12 (no, I'm not dyslexic and that's not a typo!) it was huge, cheesy, creamy and delicious, we ordered a little extra sauce on the side just to enhance it. My Husband had the Chicken Parmiggiana with spaghetti ($17.50) which was so large he brought some home for a late night snack.
Other tempting menu choices included Grilled Mediterranean Branzino for $24 and Ravioli Di Manzo with braised beef, veal, spinach, truffle oil and creamy mushroom sauce for $14. We seriously couldn't believe the discounted prices, considering a McDonald's Big Mac combo is now $18!
Our friends suggested we end the meal with dessert at "The French" right across the street where they introduced us to the deliciously decadent Chocolate Soufflé! It's a toasty warm, chocolate flavor bomb dusted with powdered sugar; the protocol is to poke a hole in the top and pour in the scrumptious vanilla cream sauce making a veritable volcano of sweet satisfaction! It does take the Chef twenty minutes to create this little masterpiece, but we had no problem passing the time watching the
5th Avenue world go by and sipping some Cappuccino while we waited.
It was so much fun to share a "Sunday Supper" at Bice with our lovely friends on a glorious sunny day in Naples. We had to laugh at how inexpensive our meals were; proving beyond a shadow of a doubt, you can definitely enjoy a wonderful dining experience on 5th Avenue without breaking the bank! read more