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RESTAURANT: USS Nemo
ADDRESS: 3745 N. Tamiami Trail, Naples
PHONE: 239-261-6366
WEB SITE: www.ussnemorestaurant.com
RECOMMENDED BY: Ann Hughes, president of Hughes McGrath, a marketing and public relations firm in Naples. “I bring clients here all the time,” says Hughes, who notes that she's never been disappointed in the six years she's eaten here.
RESERVATIONS: Recommended, especially during the winter season.
PARKING: Parking can be a challenge during the winter season because the restaurant is located in a shopping center. However, the restaurant has an agreement with the Northern Trust offices next door that allows patrons to park in the bank's parking lot just north of the shopping center.
ONE-HOUR LUNCH TEST: Service was immediately attentive. Lunch was served quickly and we even had time to linger for coffee in under an hour.
PRIVACY: USS Nemo is a popular lunch spot for executives and you're likely to run into people you know. Still, the tables are spaced out well enough so that you'd have to make an effort to eavesdrop on a conversation. During less busy times such as summer months, the staff scatters patrons diplomatically throughout the restaurant.
AMBIANCE: We were somewhat apprehensive about the location and name of the restaurant. It's located in a strip center on U.S. 41 and the name evokes Disney more than an executive-lunch spot. While the nautical theme is clearly from Jules Verne's “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,” it doesn't scream theme park like a Rainforest Cafe. The windows are designed like portholes and aquariums give an undersea flavor, but it's not overdone and you won't feel like ordering a kid's meal. We were pleasantly surprised by the tasteful decor.
FOOD: Seafood is the main attraction here, but don't expect the typical fried fare. The menu is full of delightful and upscale surprises and spans the globe, from Asian-inspired bento boxes to dainty tacos and grilled Mediterranean or tandoori-style fish. The miso-broiled sea bass is the house specialty, served with ginger-butter sauce, steamed rice, asparagus and carrot tempura. Seafood connoisseurs won't be disappointed. Lunch for two cost $47, including tip.
OWNERSHIP: Chef-owner Nicolas Mercier moved from Canada to Naples in 1999 after selling his two restaurants in Quebec City. Mercier and his wife, Nathalie Savoie, have two young children and moved to Naples for the lifestyle. “She's at the door at night and does the paperwork during the day,” he says. The restaurant, which seats 90 people inside and 24 outside, has been a hit with the locals, and it has a loyal following in Naples. “It used to be a deli and it was kind of small, but for the type of food I wanted to do it was the perfect size. It was not geared to volume,” Mercier says. “The food I have is what I like to cook.”
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