Naples Restaurants & Food Markets

by MJ
(Naples, FL)

First let me thank you for reading and considering my dilemma.

Originally from Chicago, we had an unlimited variety of restaurants and markets/grocers not only the usual American type but also of every ethnicity.

I'm searching for a true German or Cantonese restaurant in Naples and an authentic Greek restaurant and food market and have not found any. I've tried just about every Chinese or Greek establishment I could find and they aren't even fair, I would never go back to any of them. Three of the four so-called greek restaurants I've found are not even owned or run by greek people and have no greek cooks or chefs??!!

The only food type I've found comparable to the Chicagoland area fare is in the Italian restaurants. They seem to be plentiful here and I've found many very good choices. And even though it's far, I found a beautiful Italian market in Bonita; DeRomo's Gourmet Market & Restaurant. They make their own mozzarella, pasta & breads and they have so many meats, cheeses, olive oils, prepared foods and shelf goods....I'm like a kid in a candy store when I go there. If I could only find a greek market with the same quality as their Italian market!

I don't mean to sound like a snob, I'm by no means worldly or some type of food connoisseur but growing up in a family that owned several diners and a restaurant and having had parents and grandparents, family friends and neighbors who were from Europe and who cooked authentic foods, I am sadly disappointed with the choices here. I even find it hard to find ingredients needed for the recipes handed down to me so I can make my own dishes.

I truly did not know until moving here that restaurants and markets would be SO different and so limited. I'm embarrassed that I did not appreciate what I had when I had it! Publix has the market cornered here and they are nothing to write home about. We had a variety of many chain stores similar to Publix but one fabulous chain called Mariano's plus a variety of family owned markets everywhere with farm fresh veggies, fruit, handmade cheeses you buy from a counter by the pound, handmade sausages,.....etc.
And I'm yearning for a great Egg Roll or Crab Rangoon and some old fashioned beef chop suey - not something loaded with ginger and garlic. I love garlic but not when it hides every other flavor in the dish. And ginger is a great addition to many things but the Chinese/Cantonese food I had growing up never seemed to have ginger in it - if it was - I sure could not detect it.

Oh and if I may add, did anyone ever notice at some of the individual stands at the Farmers Markets here, there are stickers on the fruit and veggies? Which in my mind means they more than likely purchased them at the same supplier that Publix buys them from.
PLEASE HELP!!!
(p.s. I don't want to have to type this all over again so I'm going to copy & paste this for other food bloggers, so if you see it again you'll know why it's exactly the same)