Nervous about Nervous Nellies, but how could we resist live reggae?

A Saturday with no work is a blessing. So this past Saturday, we woke up whenever and took our time getting moving. Eventually we headed out to Fort Myers Beach to meet up with our friends Jen & Josie at a rented beach house.

The day was sunny & gorgeous. To us, this is paradise! We took our time as we drove up US 41 and took Bonita Beach Rd up to Estero Blvd. We stopped at doggy beach and talked to a few people about Camp Bow Wow. Then as we approached Downtown Ft Myers Beach, we tried to decide on where to eat. 

Dominic had a craving for "coconut shrimp". He had suggested The Beached Whale, but the only time we ate there, I thought their fish was very salty and not fresh. Parking around that area was also a concern so I headed over to Matanzas Inn where we've had amazing "coconut shrimp". Since the parking entrance at the Matanzas Inn is confusing, I ended up in the parking lot of Nervous Nellies. As we approached the restaurant, we could hear the sweet melodies of live reggae. We were a bit hessitant because it looks a bit too "Margaritaville" but the menu gave us a big indication that the owner of Nervous Nellies used to own Icabod's (in the Old Dwyers Castle on US 41 in Fort Myers).

"This could be good or bad" we said to ourselves. We had eaten at Icabod's once during a concert and the food did not impress us. In my opinion, the owner finds a great location, puts together a HUGE menu, provides quality entertainment and promotes the establishment throughout all forms of media. But that big menu is VERY confusing and I wonder how the kitchen staff can "perfect" over 200 dishes!

Our waitress, Deana (I think) was wonderful. She tried helping us make choices from the menu and she told us that the "house beer" was good so we ordered a very tall glass (22oz?)  for $3! She also brought us a basket of complimentary "corn bread". I was initially disappointed because I wanted it to be warm, but even though it was room temperature, it was sooo delectable!

Of course we ordered "coconut shrimp" which came out lighting fast. They were big and juicy, but hardly tasted like coconut. The dipping sauce was ok, but we were just too disappointed by the lack of coconut.

Then we decided to split the "Chicago Beef" since Deana said it had a "kick". Wow! ENORMOUS! We're so glad we split it! It was very very very good. The fries were seasoned so nicely that we didn't want any ketchup. In the background, No Way Jose played good music by the water.