Day 41 on Captiva, continued

We spent the afternoon on the beach watching the dolphins and boats.  This was the most beautiful afternoon on the beach and there were many boats of all kinds sailing in the gulf.  I made several pictures of the boats passing by. 

 

Here are some other photos from the beach visit:

This is the view looking behind us on the beach.
 

Tonight was a special dinner at one of our very favorite restaurants The Mad Hatter, a wonderland of New American Cuisine. The food is divine, the view is spectacular and the experience is unforgettable. Chef Kurt and Michelle Jarvis are in charge of this cozy, romantic restaurant on the beach with its well-deserved reputation and unbeatable sunsets.  The ever-changing menu features flavors from around the world.  This was one of the first restaurants that we visited on our very first trip to Captiva Island so many years ago. It has changed ownership a couple of times but has now been restored to its original greatness.

We had 5:15 reservations, a bit early for us, but it turned out to be a good time.  We had a great table by the window and a great server.  We ordered glasses of wine and were served complimentary blue crab claw appetizers and olive tapenade.  We shared a Strawberry Salad-mixed organic baby greens, red onions, cherry tomatoes, and fresh strawberries lightly tossed in a shallot and  red wine vinaigrette, topped with Maytag Blue Cheese, drizzled with an aged balsamic reduction.

Al ordered Rack of Lamb which was pan seared, oven roasted Free Range Australian Rack of Lamb with walnut and cherry pesto crust, finished with a rosemary and port wine demi-glace served with potato gratin and asparagus.

I dined on Blue Crab Cake-panko crusted jumbo lump crab cake crowned with tropical fruit salsa and yucca chip finished with mango cream beurre blanc and served with asparagus, risotto, and fried plantains.

 We splurged on dessert served with French Pressed coffee.  The dessert we chose was Espresso Crème Brulee -  baked custard with a caramelized raw cane sugar crust served with crème anglaise, whipped cream and  mint.

This was a fantastic dinner...the best of the 6 weeks that we were in Captiva.  We really should start our trip with a meal here as well as end our trip here. 
Note: Photos of Mad Hatter and their menu items were taken from the internet.