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The Joint joined Rumrunners last year at the growing Cape Harbour community in southwest Cape Coral. It's a more casual dining spot offering small plates for sharing, gourmet pizzas and a handful of sandwiches.
The vibe is a little more young and hip — South Beach to Rumrunners' Coconut Grove, if you will. The walls are variously painted vibrant red, orange and yellow; wavy stainless steel tubing artfully divides spaces; wire chandeliers with a rainbow's array of lamps hang over tables.
The kitchen is open, so you can watch food go into the wood-fired oven. Around the rim of the kitchen, the bar offers stools and high-top seating; regular tables sit further away and outside overlooking the marina.
The Joint was jumping on the weeknight we visited, with diners of all ages creating a convivial buzz.
From a lengthy cocktail menu, we selected a blueberry martini ($7.51) and passionfruit margarita ($7.95) to get the party started. Perfectly blended and chilled, the martini was a lovely amethyst hue. The margarita had the distinct tartness of passionfruit, but the tequila kick was watered down.
The by-the-glass wine list is not extensive but offers some out-of-the-ordinary selections. The Sagelands Merlot from Washington boasted more complexity and fruit than your usual merlot, and was a steal at $6.50 a glass.
We had three in our party, so we were able to sample a wider range of dishes.
We started with a few from the "nosh" section, small plates designed to be shared and priced $5.99 to $16. We received only three of the four I ordered; I suspect the waitress just didn't hear me because we weren't billed for the fourth. Service otherwise was accommodating and efficient; the staff is prepared for diners to add to the order throughout the meal.
Served in a small cocktail glass, the scallop and shrimp ceviche was lovely and refreshing. Fresh lime juice added zing to the seafood, and creamy avocado contributed contrasting texture and flavor. Freshly toasted tortilla chips were provided for scooping.
The vegetable plate of the day consisted of grilled yellow squash, zucchini and asparagus. Each was perfectly cooked and nicely caramelized. We also liked the fluffy walnut-Gorgonzola polenta served on the side; the cornmeal mellowed the usual pungency of the cheese.
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Our favorite of the three was a cedar-plank roasted Arctic char, a fish rarely seen here that's related to salmon and trout. Its pearly pink flesh was perfectly moist and flaky and well-paired with a warm cucumber-dill sauce. It was served on a bed of tender wild rice pilaf.
The Joint offers eight pizzettas, or medium-sized pizzas, so we figured we should try one. We liked the toppings of the Fra Diablo — pepperoncini, salami, fresh tomato and mozzarella — but there was some disagreement regarding the thin, crisp crust. My companions liked it fine, but I thought it lacked flavor and bite.
On to the next round — sandwiches.
The idea of making sliders out of Kobe beef might sound outrageous; the meat sells for upwards of $50 a pound in some markets. But The Joint's version is no thin patty overwhelmed by a bun (ala Steak & Shake). The trio of burgers were a couple of inches in diameter and at least an inch thick. Juicy and packed with beef flavor, they were topped with caramelized onions and Swiss cheese.
The teriyaki tuna wrap contained a good amount of medium-rare tuna and was paired with a crisp Asian slaw.
We were getting close to gustatory overload but decided to split a dessert anyway. The chocolate torta landed somewhere between brownie and fudge — a delectable place to be. A scoop of cherry gelato on the side left us wanting a little more.
Menus that encourage ordering multiple dishes can be a good way to experience the full breadth of a restaurant's repertoire. It can also prove expensive if patrons overorder. The food portion of our bill came to about $70 — about the same as three $23 entrees.
Considering all the dishes we enjoyed, not a bad tradeoff.
— Jean Le Boeuf is the nom de plume of a local food lover who dines at The News-Press' expense.
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