“We’ve changed the colors to make them earth tones,” Trevethan said. “The old light paint made the dining room, which is big, look like a banqueting hall.”

“We wanted to make it look a bit more like a steakhouse,” Porto said.

The two owners also have put some money into new chair coverings, flat TV screens in the bar area, and not least, used the talents of Gene’s 5th Ave. Florist to grace the whole place with plenty of cheerful flowery light decorations for the season.

More tapas appear on the menu as well, Porto said, while the regular menu will also offer smaller portions of their signature dishes at a proportionally smaller price, too.

Happy hour takes place 4:30-7 p.m. each day.

Trevethan said Tara’s is open Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and the popular restaurant at The Esplanade will have two New Year’s Eve seatings, so booking is required. Call 394-0212.

Tara Steak & Lobster House will open Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at 4:30pm.

In addition to our Happy Hour from 4:00 – 7:00pm in the lounge we will serve our complete dinner and small plate tapas menu until closing. For your after or pre-dinner enjoyment, the Moony Mann Band will perform songs of the season Christmas Eve.

Make certain to make your reservations early for Tara Steak & Lobster House’s New Years Eve Celebration!

Join us for our New Years Eve Celebration Seating beginning at 8:30!
Dine, Dance and Delight while enjoying our complete award-winning menu and music by the Moony Mann Band! A $25.00 per person cover charge includes a Champagne Toast, Party Favors and reserved seating all night long.

Should your plans take you elsewhere to ring in 2012, Tara Steak & Lobster will offer an Early Dinner Seating from 4:00 – 6:30pm.

For more information or to make reservations, please call Marco at (239) 394-0212.

MOONY MANN BAND

Singer, songwriter and bassist, Moony Mann plays virtually every type music genre with that Moony Mann twist. So if you are in the mood for vintage and current rock, oldies, country, blue grass, Motown, blues, folk, or R&B – than pull up a chair at the bar – at Tara we’re serving up more than just great food.

OMAR BAKER

The Tara Lounge welcomes back Omar Baker, performing your favorite song with that smooth effortless baritone sound he’s famous for. With a repertoire of genres, from jazz to standards and pop, Omar captivates audiences with his falsetto, singing Prince, Earth Wind and Fire, and of course with his bass vocals singing Barry White and Lou Rawls renditions.

To keep apprised of upcoming entertainers and special events, join our mailing list, or become a fan of our Facebook Page.

As I always do, I did my research prior to my trip. And realized quickly there weren’t many dining choices on the island. I figured at the very least I was gonna have some amazing seafood.

Dinner on Friday night, was met with grand disappointment. I should have known to never trust an Italian restaurant that turns into a disco after 11pm. Things had MUST get better. The following morning we had a wonderful buffet at the Hilton. For a buffet it was A+. Made to order omelet’s, Belgian waffles, fresh pineapple and great service.

After a day of relaxing by the beach and hitting 5th ave in Naples for a afternoon of shopping, we worked up an appetite. We all agreed ( for once) that we were gonna trade casual dining in for FINE dining, at least for the night.

We made reservations at Tara’s Steak and Lobster House. DELICIOUS!! We ordered 3 surf and turf specials, a 1& 1/2 pound lobster paired with a 2oz filet. We got the last 2 lobsters! The chef was gracious enough to offer a lobster tail to my friend. Everything was cooked to perfection. They offer family style side dishes,we settled on the cream corn and mac and cheese, both were delectable. They also offer a great wine and martini selection. Great food, great wine, and great friends. Perfect evening!

Brandy

reprint from B’Stro Blog www.bstroblog.com

Bone-in rib eye steak $18 (half-off regular $36 menu price); or whole 1 ½ pound lobster specially priced $24; both served with rolls and butter. Tara’s regular a la carte menus, including meat and seafood selections, appetizers or sides will also be available as well as the tapas menu. Happy Hour in the Lounge, 4:30 to 8 p.m., offers the regularly priced tapas menu in addition to half price well drinks or house wine or Martinis.

Tara Steak & Lobster House at The Esplanade, 760 N. Collier Blvd. Dining room open 5 to closing. Reservations accepted, call 394-0212.

By JENINE C. OUILLETTE
marconews.com | Excerpt: June 17, 2011

This is national steak house month all over the country, so we want to remind you there are some good places here on Marco to tuck into a terrific steak dinner.

Of course not all of our restaurants that serve good steaks have the word “Steakhouse” or words “Steak House” in their names.

One example is Marco Polo Restaurant at 30 Marco Lake Drive. The menu and atmosphere is upscale continental and it includes several succulent steak selections. Others include Konrads, Arturo’s, Verdi’s, Capt. Brien’s, Casa Mia, Kurrents (at the Marriott), Kretch’s and of course the Philly Grille and Guy’s and Lisa’s famous Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches. Other eateries probably have steak too, no slight intended.

Maybe our best-known steakhouse is Tara’s at the Esplanade. To observe steak house month, Tara’s is offering bone-in ribeye steaks at half price every Tuesday & Wednesday night during dinner hours throughout the month.

So if you’re a red meat fan, call your favorite restaurant and enjoy

Chris Curle is a former news anchor for CNN and for ABC-TV stations in Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Houston. E-mail chris@chriscurle.com.

Don is a former ABC News correspondent and bureau chief and a former news anchor for CNN and ABC-TV, in Atlanta. His Farmer File column appears Fridays in the Naples Daily News. E-mail: don@donfarmer.com.

© 2011 marconews.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

By LANCE SHEARER
Published Friday, April 29, 2011
Naples News Business Section

You can find a little more space around Marco Island this week. Tee times are easier, the beach offers plenty of room between clusters of towels, and it’s easier to find a close-in parking space at the grocery store.

Easter marks the traditional end of the winter tourist season in Southwest Florida. Many island businesses depend on those tourists for the revenue that makes the difference between a good year and a bad year. But those in the hospitality industry, who house and feed the tourists while they are here, are the most directly affected, and the clearest barometer of how lucrative a season the island had.

Most local hotels reported the 2011 season started slowly, but finished strong.

“This season has been the best in three years. Our occupancy was up 6 percent and the ADR was much better than last two years,” said Mac Chaudhry, general manager of the Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort & Spa. ADR, or average daily rate, is how hotels measure how much they earn from each room per night. “January and February were soft months, but March and April were great. Our booking pace for the summer is looking very good, and well above last year.”

Bob Pfeffer, director of sales and marketing at the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort, had a similar assessment.

“We were very nervous going into the season. We were dramatically behind pace in our advance bookings,” he said. “But it turned out incredibly successful. We had a record-breaking March and April, all on the strength of short-term bookings. March was up 15 percent over last year, and April is up four percent.”

The 2010 season was strong at the end, added Pfeffer, so those were good numbers to beat. His hotel’s occupancy rate was one of the highest in the country throughout the Marriott chain for the period, he said.

The unusually late Easter helped extend the season, but businesspeople gave much of the credit to Mother Nature.

“The extended period of terrible weather up north, coupled with spectacular weather here, really helped our short-term bookings,” said Pfeffer.

“We did pretty well – better than last season,” said Marcia Mandel, general manager of Lakeside Inn. “January was a little slow, but we had a really good February and March. Because Easter was late, and the weather stayed lousy up north, we’re having a real good April. It has slowed down tremendously now.

“We’re hoping for a better spring and summer, now that BP isn’t spilling oil into the gulf. That’s when it died last year.”

Desiree Buhelos, owner of the Boat House Motel, characterized the season as “mediocre.” Like others, she said they had a very slow January, but a strong February and March, “and we’re having a great April.”

Mary Jane Chappy, director of marketing at the Marco Beach Ocean Resort, characterized 2011 as “a great season,” calling it better than last year.

Restauraters’ experience largely matched the hoteliers. At CJ’s on the Bay, “Chef Laura” Owen, who is also general manager, said “the season overall was a good season. It’s really just starting to tail off. April has been nearly as good as March. We’re all pretty darn tired.”

Owen said she enjoys the slower pace of the off-season, because it gives them a chance to spend time with island residents.

“That’s when we get to hang out with our local friends,” she said.

Lisa Meurgue, co-owner of Bistro Soleil, also said they looked forward to catching a breath, and having time for fellow islanders.

“We’ll be running some coupons for the summer,” she said. Meurgue said 2011 was not as good as last year, with fewer corporate parties booked. “I think the economy is still playing a role. Corporations are watching their expenses as well,” she said.

At Tara Steak & Lobster House, partner Marco Porto said business was better this year.

“We’re definitely up from last year, very close to ’08, and that was a banner season,” he said. In Goodland, Niki Bauer, co-owner of the Little Bar, also said she was extremely pleased with the season.

Jack Wert, executive director of the Naples/Marco Island/Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau, provides the big picture.

“For the first quarter, visitors were up three percent, and spending was up almost six percent,” he said, for the county as a whole. In addition to the cold weather up north, he credited an advertising campaign using transit ads in New York and Chicago.

“For our purposes, the season isn’t over,” he said. “We have another busy month. Those short-term visitors are still coming strong.”