Captain's Table has New Bar Menu Updating Lunch and Dinner Menus

We were glad to hear this week that Fishermen's Village's  "Captain's Table" restaurant is updating its lunch and dinner menus and introducing a new bar and lounge menu.  The restaurant has stunning waterfront vistas from the bar and deck overlooking Charlotte Harbor, but has needed a jolt to its menus.  The bar menu is also a welcome addition.  With the comfortable perch the bar offers over the harbor, better, reasonable-priced food at the bar could be a magnet for Punta Gordans and visitors.  The new bar menu  includes bison burgers, Asian nachos, Bahamian chicken—and more - prices look reasonable.  We'll be visiting soon with a full report.  Meanwhile, below are highlights from Smugglers release.





The Captain’s Table unveiled its first-ever bar menu and an updated lunch menu this summer, said General Manager Nate McKelvy and Chef Todd Stolpe in a joint announcement. An updated dinner menu will start in September.  Located in the top tier of Fishermen’s Village, the Captain’s Table is the part of Smuggler’s Enterprises, the local, family-owned restaurant network.

The appetizers, main courses, and side items showcase Caribbean, Asian, and Old World Spanish influences on South Florida’s fresh seafood and locally grown, seasonal fruits and vegetables,” Chef Todd said. Other innovations include a “Wild Game and Whiskey” dinner that marries full-course, table d’hôte specials—such as bison, boar, or rabbit—with specialty bourbons, whiskeys, and brandies, topped with a hand-rolled cigar on the sunset deck. Upcoming events include the “Hemingway Old Caribbean” dinner which will explore Caribbean food and old, aged Rum.







(Photos furnished by Smugglers, Inc.)

"Diners can expect to see more salad selections on the menu and fewer “basket with fries” fare at lunch", McKelvy said, “We are expanding the chef’s dinner specials with a rotation of new dishes that, if the demand is there, will be promoted to the main menu.”

"The first weeks of the new bar menu has been an especially big hit", McKelvy indicated, "partly due to timing. The bar menu now offers selections throughout the entire day, and most importantly, bridging the two hours in the afternoon between lunch and dinner." “We had not offered specialty sandwiches, wraps, and appetizers at the bar before, but the demand is clearly there. We are delighted to be able to respond to that demand with both new items and old favorites,” McKelvy said. Complementing the new menu is a selection of craft cocktails and a list of over 30 single barrel bourbons and small batch whiskeys that McKelvy has carefully constructed.

The new menu at the Captain’s Table includes long-standing specialties of the house, such as the chef’s signature Chilean sea bass marinated in coconut—now kicked up a notch with a marinade of Thai sriracha. “Another emerging favorite is the lobster grilled-cheese sandwich,” McKelvy said. All in all, the new menu is fresher and brighter than ever before, he promised.

The Captain’s Table is a 275-seat restaurant with views of Charlotte Harbor. It is open seven days a week, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch, and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner on weekdays, and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Find the Captain’s Table on the upper deck of Fishermen’s Village, 1200 W. Retta Esplanade, Punta Gorda, Fla. 33950.

Telephone (941) 637-1177. Visit the website for news, menus, and on-line reservations at www.thecaptainstable.com