Table for Two: Amber Cove

Food nerd alert! As my favorite reads are menus and recipes, I was completely smitten by the menu for Amber Cove, which I read online even before I visited with a friend. It reads like poetry and makes me wish I could read chef Jehad Alsharabini’s recipes, too. Behind glass storefront doors lies the pleasantly unexpected restaurant at the Pavilion Shopping Center in North Naples. Amber Cove makes a first impression with elegantly dressed tables and lighting elements that flatter and impress. From there, the pleasant surprises just keep coming—from a white negroni cocktail that awakens every taste bud and the flavor-bursting balsamic “caviar” on the beet salad to the added depth of the tomato marmalade served with the Wagyu meatballs and flavors that turn ordinary chicken into a celebration.

The menu describes the flame-grilled heritage half chicken this way: “marinated in aromatic Middle Eastern spices and served over pearl couscous with a light date-infused broth, complemented by fermented shallots, creamy labneh yogurt, and pistachios.” I rarely order chicken when dining out, but I could not resist.

Owner and hospitality veteran Tim Herman composed the menu along with carefully selected wine pairings culled from an impressive international selection. Herman is also on hand to personally oversee the warm, exacting service and presentation of Jordan-born Chef Je’s masterpieces—each one multilayered and complex.

The coastally inclined menu listed the chicken dish under Land to Flame, “Earth’s bounty, honored by flame and craft.” From the Sea to Ember section, we relished the entirely novel Ribeye of the Sea—bone-in, dry-rubbed swordfish seared and finished with light lemon foam and served atop a hearty bean ragout studded with pancetta. 

Like certain cocktail and menu items, desserts sway with the season, and everything is made in-house. Our Ebony & Ivory Crèmeux epilogue reads like the best seller it is: dark chocolate cream encased in contrasting white and dark chocolate, accompanied by a sweeping mixed berry gel, chocolate soil, yuzu gel, and fresh berry accents.

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