Not too long ago, I was lucky enough to visit Pine Island, a place of enormous Old Florida beauty. While it attracts visitors,  it's not the big, sandy-beach variety. The island is surrounded by mangroves – going over to Pine Island and the little town of Matlacha (say "matt-la-SHAY") is a great way to spend the day – Matlacha is made up of colorful little cottages-turned-businesses, many of which house art galleries. (In fact, during the winter months, the busy months here, Matlacha has its own "First Friday" every month, where you can sip some wine while viewing the art in town. Keep an eye out for future schedules on the  Events calendar.)

This is a place where you can still get yourself some fish caught hours before you are shopping for it. We stumbled upon The Olde Fish House in Matlacha, owned by Jessi and Tom Skorupski. If you're hungry right now, walk up and order some fresh fish: blackened, broiled, fried or grilled. A side of hush puppies is probably in order, and it's only right that this dish gets some coleslaw, too. Move out to the back patio overlooking the water and the marina where the boats that likely caught your meal dock.

The fish comes in the requisite red and white paper "baskets," and is as good as it gets. There's just something about enjoying a meal like this in the open air, isn't there?

The day I visited, Jessi and Tom had some fresh-caught grouper and a big old bag of clams. I went home with both and had a fine time cooking up some great Florida seafood.

The Olde Fish House, 4530 Pine Island Road, Matlacha
239-282-9588 (Restaurant); 239-282-9577 (Market)
Call ahead for hours. When I visited they were closed Sundays and Mondays.

Barb Freda, VISIT FLORIDA Dining and Entertainment Expert
Babette Feasts (blog)