Dining on Sanibel Island

I know I still need to share with you all the seashells we found while on Sanibel Island and tell you about our night shelling adventure, but since it's Friday, and we all love talking about food on Fridays, I thought I would show you where we ate while there.

Karen and I stayed in a little (with the emphasis on little) cottage on the beach that had a fully-equipped kitchen. We had planned on eating all of our meals there and had stocked up on groceries for this reason. While driving around visiting some of the local proprietors, I spotted the cutest place and it was PACKED! I commented that the food must be good since it was the only place I saw that had folks waiting for their noonday meal.

Later, Chris at the T-Shirt Hut, more on him next week, informed us that the food was excellent, so we decided to stop in for a bite to eat. 

We LOVED The Island Cow!

Since our timing was somewhere between lunch and dinner, we were seated right away, choosing to sit on the outside patio. Although our mornings and evenings were on the chilly side by Florida standards, the afternoons were glorious — not hot and humid, but just perfect.

The curb appeal of  The Island Cow is so inviting. Just look at how bright and cheery their choice of colors is…

2163 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel Island, FL 33957   |   Ph: 239.472.0606   |   www.SanibelIslandCow.com

Let me give you a closer look at those adorable Adirondack chairs…

Aren't they the cutest?

Now I hope your gettin' hungry, because look at what we had for supper…

 Grouper and Shrimp Tacos!

Mouth-waterin' good!

They were served with these sauces…

and they were excellent, but Karen commented that they should also have a fruit salsa and I couldn't help but think of that fresh Pineapple Mango Salsa I made a few months ago for my Caribbean Shrimp Cocktail — it would have been even more delicious!

Now, I'm not complaining, because my taste buds were doing the happy dance and our experience at The Island Cow rates 5 Tikis on Shellbelle's Tiki Hut scale!

The staff was welcoming and friendly. The service was exemplary (and you must know that Karen and I were both in the restaurant business for many years). The atmosphere was wonderful and the menu is extensive. They have something for everyone's taste and you'd be hard pressed to go there with a party of twenty and not have each guest not find something to their liking. The Island Cow serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and they offer fish, seafood, steaks, pasta, sandwiches, burgers, meatloaf, duck, BBQ, quesadillas. gator, gumbo, and much more! 

One of my complaints with many of the touristy restaurants in Florida is that when you order fish, the server typically asks, "Do you want that fried, grilled or blackened."

Ho hum, so boring!

Well, take a peek at The Island Cow's choices:

You can find their complete menu here.

Plus, you just know that The Hut loves a cow dressed in a grass skirt and sporting a lei!

The Island Cow alone is worth the drive to Sanibel, but with it you get the best shelling spot in the United States. Oh yea, I was in paradise! This chair says it best…

Well, I've been talking about it all week and you can believe me when I tell you, that I'll still be talking about next week! Stay tuned — I have seashells, thrifty finds, The T-Shirt Hut and a story about one Sanibel proprietor who wasn't too pleased that Karen and I were in his store! Until then, have a wonderful weekend and remember that…

I "shore" do love ya'll!

Disclaimer: Shellbelle's Tiki Hut was not compensated in any way for this review.