Sizzle Dining Stop At Bicyclette Cookshop In Naples

Sizzle Dining is officially underway for another season. It began Thursday and I was the first to take advantage of lunch with a Sizzle Dining stop at Bicyclette Cookshop in Naples. It was so good that I might just have to go back before it ends.

Sizzle Dining is an annual event in Southwest Florida and one of my favorites. There are more restaurants and more variety this year than ever. Offerings are not just for dinner but there are some lunch and brunch options too.

September is a traditionally slow month for restaurants. Sizzle Dining entices locals through the doors with an array of pre-fix dining menus that range from $19 to $59 for two, three and four-course meals. It's a great way to try some new places and new foods.

However, the best part is that while you dine, you give back to the food insecure in our community. $1 of each meal sold is donated to Blessings in a Backpack.

My first lunch outing was to Bicyclette Cookshop. The special two course menu was $29 with a few opportunities for upgrades.

First course had items such as beef tartare, roasted octopus, tuna crude burrata, chorizo potatoes and more. Each dish had a unique twist. I chose the chicken liver pate.

It was spread in a thin layer on a round plate, decorated with dollops of whipped massaman curried onions. They were a burst of spice and flavor. The pate was rich and had a texture like silk. It came with warm pita points for dipping.

Second course options were items such as truffle risotto, chicken flautas, and pork gyro. I picked the tuna chop salad. It was romaine lettuce, chickpeas, thin slices of mortadella, and olives with thin slices of seared ahi. The dressing was a zippy, charred lemon vinaigrette.

Finally, Bicyclette threw in an option for a Sizzle dessert which I could not resist. A Fancy Soft Serve. They actually have a soft serve ice cream machine. There is something nostalgic and comforting about soft serve.

However, there was nothing ordinary about this one. The cold sweet treat came in a small glass bowl, was sprinkled with fennel pollen and flaky salt, then drizzled with young, fragrant olive oil. It was divine.

For lunch the dessert was an $8 upcharge. However, it is one of two choices included in the dessert course for Bicyclette's Sizzle dinner menu.

Last year I covered some ground from Sanibel to Cape Coral to Naples, trying these special menus and dining with a purpose. I challenge you to do the same this year.

Sizzle Dining runs through September 25th. You get to support local restaurants while supporting a local charity that works to combat food insecurities in our community. I can't think of a better combination.

Bicyclette's Sizzle Dining lunch menu. As you can see, there are lots of choices for each course. The menus are on the Sizzle Dining website.

This is the silky, delicious pate. Those round dots in the middle are the Massaman Curried onions and they were outstanding. The dish came with warm pita points

I love these plates at Bicyclette. They were handmade and shipped from Italy. Each one has different saying. This one, "The difference between wine & your opinion, is that I actually asked for wine."

This salad was the second course in the Sizzle Dining lunch menu at Bicyclette. It's Ahi Tuna slices, romaine, mortadella strips, and olives in charred lemon vinaigrette.

This soft serve was indeed fancy and like none other. I would go back to Bicyclette just for this. It was sprinkled with fennel pollen, flaky salt and then drizzled with young, fresh olive oil.

Bicyclette has a sizeable dining room and a spacious bar. There is also outdoor seating. It's in a strip mall off of Vanderbilt Beach Rd.