Boop’s By The Bubble Room Re-opens On Captiva

It's a big day for fans of the iconic Bubble Room Restaurant. The restaurant itself is still closed due to Hurricane Ian. However, the lights are on once again at the restaurant's sweet outpost. Boop's By The Bubble Room Re-opens on Captiva. Managers first announced that the dessert shop would open today (Monday). But they were actually able to open the doors yesterday.

Boop's By The Bubble Room is a dessert shop and vintage soda fountain in the parking lot of the iconic Bubble Room restaurant on Captiva. It opened March 26, 2021 in the building that formerly housed the restaurant's emporium. The Bubble Room is a fixture on Captiva. It's a sprawling yet cozy den full of nostalgia, with photos from Hollywood's so-called Golden Age. Each nook and cranny is full of antiques, old juke boxes, bubble lights, and shadow box tables teaming with vintage trinkets.

Diners didn't just come for the unique atmosphere, they also came for the desserts. So many people would show up at the small entrance to get desserts to go, it was causing a pedestrian traffic jam. That is when owners had the brilliant idea to open Boop's. You wont find anything savory here. It's full of all things sweet. Ice cream, hand crafted sodas, cookies, muffins, donuts, and perhaps most important, the restaurant's famous cakes.

Coincidentally, I wrote a feature story on Boop's for the Fort Myers News-Press almost one month to the day before the hurricane hit. Read it here. Since the storm, The Bubble Room bakers have been operating a weekend, pop-up kitchen of sorts at Broadway Palm Dinner Theater in Fort Myers. In the meantime, we are still awaiting the official word on a re-opening date for the restaurant.

In another positive sign of Hurricane Ian recovery, Dixie Fish Company reopens on Fort Myers Beach. The waterfront restaurant and bar is on the bay side of Fort Myers Beach, what is technically called San Carlos Island. It's tucked away under the Matanzas Pass Bridge next to Doc Ford's. As a matter of fact Doc Ford's owns Dixie.

The al fresco restaurant opened Thursday for the first time after the hurricane. I went last night (Sunday) and it was buzzing. First of all, there was quite a long wait. It's the only restaurant open in the area at the base of the bridge. The staff was on fire, happy, excited to have a full house once again. The kitchen was cranking out food like the famous Yucatan Shrimp, smoked fish dip, burgers and more.

Dixie Fish has always been a favorite of mine. I went to this area shortly after the storm to help some friends. Pictures here, story here. It's been a couple of weeks since I've been out towards or on Fort Myers Beach. Yes, there has been an amazing amount of progress with clean up. But as I drove out at sunset, I still saw so much destruction. The tent city that was under the bridge has been fenced off. I wondered where those left homeless from the storm have gone.

Debris is still piled along San Carlos Blvd. Boats are still in mangroves. There is an odd smell in the air. In addition, many traffic and street lights are still out. Dixie's popular neighbors Doc Ford's and Bonita Bills are still closed. I admit that for me, there was a fog of sadness when I parked. Then I walked up to Dixie and saw the lights glowing. I heard and the laughter. Finally, I heard a familiar, beautiful voice singing. The song was "Ride Like The Wind" which made me smile. The singer was the amazing Heather Brooks, an old friend. Like a cool breeze, the sadness lifted a bit, and the hope returned. Recovery is slow but it is steady and worthy of celebrating when and where we can.

Congratulations Dixie Fish Company! Cheers to your reopening. Keep my seat warm please.