Dining out at RUMRUNNERS

By Ann M. O'Phelan
September 1, 2008

Cape Coral has a beautiful waterside destination where you can stroll through art galleries and boutiques, eat at wonderful restaurants and markets, enjoy the views and escape the day-to-day with a walk along the docks.

One of the jewels at The Marina at Cape Harbour is Rumrunners, where a friend and I recently had lunch with our kids.

The upscale restaurant has a kids' menu and great food. In addition to its indoor dining, it offers several outdoor patios, so there are plenty of places to sit without worrying too much about kids making noise. We opted to sit dockside on the patio, so we could enjoy the view and the kids could wander along the dock without being tied to the chair - or being a pest to other dinners.

Rumrunners' lunch menu, served until 3 p.m., is filled with soups, salads, burgers and pasta. If you're tracking your dollars more carefully these days, the lunch menu is a great option. Also take note of the daily specials and children's menu.

Our kids chose grilled cheese with fries, and pasta with butter ($5.95 each). I chose a spinach and blue cheese salad ($7.99), while my friend had the Cuban wrap ($8.99). We all drank water, and my friend and I ordered iced tea ($2.50).

We ate light because we were saving room for a gelato at Run Agrounds, a shop in The Marina that offers premium coffee, desserts, smoothies and to-die-for gelatos.

The kids quickly gobbled their food - partly because it was so good, and partly because they wanted to get back to searching for "big fish" swimming under the dock.

Our adult meals were big enough to satisfy, but not oversized. The salad was fresh, topped with croutons, tomatoes, a nice bit of caramelized Bermuda onion and just enough cheese. The wrap, stuffed with sliced pork, ham and Swiss cheese, came with a perfectly seasoned side of beans and rice.

Our waitress was prompt, and she seemed to like kids - always a plus.

If you decide to try dinner at Rumrunners, the menu includes Crispy Thai Chicken, Seafood Potpie and Caribbean Bronzed Salmon. Entrées ranges from $7.99 to $23.99.

On certain days and evenings, you can also enjoy special events at The Marina, including a farmers market on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. You can find a schedule of events online at capeharbour.com/events.