By: Gillian Birch
If you get a craving for tasty American Fusion/Eclectic cuisine, Cielo is the place to find it. This white-cloth restaurant raises the bar for gourmet cuisine on Sanibel Island, Florida thanks to the experience and dedication of Chef Neil Griffin who sources fresh fruit, vegetables, sustainably caught fish and grass-fed beef to make his specialty dishes.
Cielo is Italian for “the sky” and it is the perfect name for this elegant restaurant where the sky’s the limit when it comes to quality, taste and service.
Dine beneath the stars with a table on the veranda or choose a table in the intimate setting of the Art Deco-style dining room.
This upscale restaurant recognizes that ambience and service are as important as good food. It provides live background piano music and well trained waiters to ensure your meal is an all-round success. The dress code is appropriately smart casual i.e. collared shirts and no beachwear or shorts.
American Fusion Menu at Cielo Restaurant
Forget pizza, piccata and parmigiana and make the most of your dining experience by choosing one of the more unusual fusion choices on their menu accompanied by one of their handpicked Italian wines.
The freshest salad ingredients are combined to start your meal on a high, awakening the tastebuds with beautiful combinations of flavors such as pear, goat’s cheese and toasted almonds in a ginger white balsamic vinaigrette in the popular Artisan Green Salad.
Fresh fish dishes are cooked to perfection and are certainly never boring. Try the Grouper topped with Blue Fin Crab Meat and served with a Chili Sauce, or succulent Mussels with Fennel in broth. Other specialty dishes include Pistachio Crusted Colorado Rack of Lamb. It tastes as good as it looks!
Desserts to Die For!
The dessert is the pièce de résistance in Italian dining, and Cielo makes sure your meal ends on a high note. The chocolate espresso bombe is highly recommended, or how about the divine sticky toffee bread pudding. Old favorites take on a new twist, such as the Crème Brulee which is cooked to crisp perfection.
With prices reflecting the gourmet menu, Cielo ensures that the quality of food, presentation, service and exquisite chef-prepared dishes make every meal deliver value for money. However, if you want to get the same wonderful experience and service for a little less, consider the signature small plates menu and two-for-one House wines that are offered daily at Happy Hour from 4:30 to 6 pm. with late night Happy Hour from 9 to 10 p.m.
If you are looking for somewhere a little bit special to celebrate a birthday or other event, Cielo will provide that perfect setting for enjoying a wonderful meal and pleasant memories that will linger long after your meal is over.