No matter the state of the economy, restaurants keep opening

The economy be damned. People still have to eat and drink, right? And that's why brave and passionate entrepreneurs continue to open new restaurants, coffee houses and the like. As industry observers can tell you, it's a fluid business.

Here's a look at some of what's already opened and what's to come in the next couple of months.

Cape scores Puerto Rican restaurant

Timbales, which touts itself as offering authentic Puerto Rican cuisine, opened in November and held its official grand opening Dec. 21.

The restaurant, owned by Angelo Lista and Jason Zhang, is named in honor of the late Tito Puente Sr., who was known as the "King of the Timbales."

Among the dishes offered are arroz con gandules (rice and pigeon peas), pernir asado (roasted pork), plantanos maduros (yellow plantains), pasteles (plantain tamales) and coconut flan.

The restaurant is at 728 SW Pine Island Road, Units 8 and 9, Cape Coral. Call 574-1335. It's open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Cape Cod cuisine comes south

Calistoga grand opening. COURTESY PHOTO

The former La Brasserie reopened Dec. 27 as the Roadhouse Café, inspired by a restaurant of the same name the owners have operated for many years in Cape Cod.

It's a family affair, involving owners Marc Neeley and Sherri Colombo Neeley, sister/ manager Lynda Colombo and brother David Colombo, who has run the original restaurant in Cape Cod for more than 25 years.

"It was eight tables in a former home with a porch in front right by the road, which is where the name came from," Lynda Colombo says. "Now it's a 200-seat restaurant with a jazz club."

She says the south Fort Myers cafe will also be the scene of some jazz concerts by the octogenarian family patriarch, trumpet player Lou Colombo. His proud daughter says he's performed with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney and Mel Torme. He performs at the Cape Cod restaurant on occasion and is expected to do the same in Fort Myers.

On the menu, patrons will find a wide range of choices, including salads (two, an arugula salad and another with roasted beets and goat cheese, are especially popular), pasta dishes, rack of lamb, grilled la double-thick stuffed pork chop, shrimp d scampi, baked scallops, veal saltimbocca, filet mignon, seared tuna, oven roasted salmon and chicken Homard (stuffed with lobster). There are also mix-and-match options, such as a 6-ounce sirloin or 8-ounce filet with Maine lobster tail, shrimp or scallops.

John Feagan, the previous owner, remains the head chef.

There's a full bar and extensive wine list, Colombo says.

Roadhouse Café's bar opens at 4 p.m. every day. Dinner starts at 4:30 p.m. and is served until 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and until 9 p.m. Sundays. For details and reservations, call 415-4375.

Fresh-roasted coffee, baked goods hit downtown

Most people who recognize the name Bob Bennett know the long-time Fort Myers resident for his morning drive-time radio shows on WINK-FM, which included "Alexander and Bennett," "Bennett and Burch" and "WINK in the Morning."

It was that 3 a.m. wake-up time that forced Bennett to start making his own coffee, which led to his roasting his own beans and, now, to his opening Bennett's Fresh Roast, a gourmet coffee and baked-goods establishment coming to downtown Fort Myers in about a month.

He and his brother, Roger, are equal partners in the undertaking, which involved gutting and remodeling a 1940s cottage on Bayside Parkway facing West First Street across from High Point Place.

The 2,000-square-foot café and retail shop will offer coffee roasted in a computercontrolled machine that does small batches.

"We want to make sure that every cup of coffee and every pound (of beans) that go out our doors" contain beans that were roasted within the previous 24 hours, he says. "Coffee beans start to deteriorate 72 hours after they come out of the roaster. Coffee has a high oil content and oil can turn rancid quickly."

Besides serving hot, freshly made coffee in the shop, he'll be selling beans for people to grind and brew at home. Also available will be unroasted beans and roasters for those who want to try it themselves. Other accessories he'll be selling include a stateof the-art drip coffee maker that brews coffee at 205 degrees, creating a much more intense flavor than the conventional home coffee maker.

"People wonder why when they brew at home it doesn't taste the same as the coffee shop they like," he says. "It's the temperature."

He'll also be serving tea, freshly baked pastries and made-from-scratch bread doughnuts baked and hand cut every morning. There will be panini and salads for light lunches, a selection of desserts in the afternoon as well as beer and wine.

"We'll be selling products you can't find elsewhere," Bennett says. "We're all so passionate about this business, we hope Southwest Florida feels the same way about it."

The shop will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays. It's at 2011 Bayside Parkway. Call 332-0077 or go online at www. bennettsfreshroast.com for details.

Calistoga Bakery opens at Gulf Coast Town Center

Still more dining choices now beckon to shoppers at Gulf Coast Town Center in San Carlos Park. Among the newest is Calistoga Bakery Café, the third shop for the Naplesbased company.

Spacious and inviting, it offers highbacked booths and conventional tables for those intent on eating as well as plushly upholstered chairs and coffee tables for those who want to linger over coffee and dessert while talking or working on their laptops (free Wi-Fioffered). There are also outdoor tables, an outside espresso bar and a carryout window.

The café features soups, salads, sandwiches, pot pies, artisan breads and pastries as well as custom roasted and freshly ground coffees and espresso.

"At Calistoga, customers are invited to slow down and enjoy the comfortable surroundings in a relaxed setting," says Danny Donahue, operating partner of the new café.

It's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For details, call the café at 466-8642 or go online at www.calistogacafe.com.

Cooking Asian-style

Rosa Kim of Origami Restaurants and Young's Asian Market, will conduct a variety of cooking classes at the market in the coming months.

The market, at 4160 Cleveland Ave., just in front of Edison Mall, offers a wide range of Asian foods and food preparation equipment. Upcoming classes, which last 90 minutes to two hours each, take place at noon and 6 p.m. on scheduled days. They are as follows:

Jan. 10: Sushi. Cost: $50.

Jan. 27: Shabu shabu, a dish similar to sukiyaki. Cost: $30.

Feb. 7: Sushi. Cost: $50.

Feb. 21: Pepper steak and fried rice (Chinese style). Cost: $30.

March 13: Sushi. Cost: $50.

March 27: Galbi (Korean beef short ribs) and beef bulgogi (traditional Korean dish. Cost: $30.

For reservations, call 278-3500.

Coming attraction

The annual Special Equestrians fundraiser is set for 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10 at Robb & Stucky Casual Living - Outdoor in Bonita Springs and will feature the culinary talents of several accomplished area chefs. Among those participating are: Martin Murphy of Robb & Stucky's KitchenAid Culinary Center; Norbert Mess, Gulf Harbour Yacht & Country Club; Jayne and Brian Baker, Jayne's Victorian Garden; Brian Martin, EVOO Market & Bistro; Russell Heintze and John Innarelli, Sasse's; Karen Hutto, The Flying Pig; Bill Wavrin, Dwyers; Reiner Drygala, Bistro 41; Philippe Arlandis and Michael Ragusa, The Sandy Butler; and Norman Love, of Norman Love Confections.

There will also be wine from Austin's Wine Cellar, hand-rolled cigars from The Cigar Bar, jewelry from The Diamond District and a live auction.

Tickets are $150 each.

Proceeds benefit the program that helps children and adults with learning and physical impairments to learn and develop with the help of horses.

For details and tickets, contact Barbara Carlin at 768-2893 (or bcarlin801@aol.com) or Jan Fifer at 851-7070 (or jtfifer@gmail.com).

Sad note

Espeto Brazilian Grill on Boy Scout Drive has closed.