It’s been a whirlwind few months for Shawnee and Davide Mistretta.
At the end of May, they closed Marko’s Diner in Fort Myers after six successful years.
“The lease was up,” Shawnee said of the restaurant on San Carlos Boulevard, just north of Love Boat Ice Cream. “We had to move out.”
With their popular breakfast and lunch joint closing, the couple had to scramble.
“We knew in January or February that something was up (regarding the lease),” Davide said. “So we started looking.”
There were some leads, but nothing had panned out.
After removing all the equipment from Marko’s and shutting it down, they decided to get away for a bit and vacationed in Shawnee’s home state.
“We were on our way home from Pennsylvania when we got the call,” she said. “We got great news. They were willing to sign a lease with us to rent here. I cried all the way home.”
“Here” just so happens to be the previous site of Crave Restaurant — the breakfast and lunch place on McGregor Boulevard that closed in December.
“We are really fortunate to rent this place,” Shawnee said.
“We took six weeks to get it clean,” Davide said. “We put new fabric on all the benches, painted. scrubbed the walls, cleansed the ceiling and light fixtures.”
“We bought 205 light bulbs,” Shawnee said. “Some people had said the restaurant was dark before. We put in all these light bulbs. There are 60 in (the main dining room) alone.”
Welcome to The Morning Bloom
And on Aug. 13, just six weeks after signing the lease, the Mistrettas opened The Morning Bloom, next door to 3 City Pizzeria and a few doors down from Cibo in Bridge Plaza, across from The Landings.
There are two doors to get in — the left one leads to the large (and bright) main dining room and the other to Crave’s former meat market. That side now features an inviting bar and more intimate seating (and can be used for private parties, event space and special events when needed). You can sit on whichever side you prefer.
The Morning Bloom, like Marko’s, serves breakfast and lunch, seven days a week.
“I think people appreciate having something here again,” Davide said. “And it being a family breakfast and lunch place in the neighborhood.”
“This month, they’re really starting to realize we are here,” Shawnee added.
Swing by and you’re pretty much guaranteed to see both of them.
While Shawnee works the front, Davide is doing the cooking.
“I come out to every table,” he said. “I like to chit-chat and brag about the food.”
“And he gives out zeppole as a thank you,” she said.
Everything, like those deep-fried bites of joy, is home-made at The Morning Bloom.
Breakfast and lunch served anytime
“We get lots of compliments on our pancakes and French toast,” Shawnee said. “Nothing is from a bag or box. It’s all made fresh. The cinnamon rolls, muffins. He bakes every morning.”
The breakfast side of the menu is full of skillets, omelets and egg platters, plus egg sandwiches, breads & bowls and those griddle items. “You can smell the bacon from outside,” Shawnee said.
Benedicts and breakfast flatbreads (topped with three scrambled eggs and anything from meat, mushrooms, corned beef hash and more) are big hits too.
The flatbreads come in lunch versions too, only these ditch the eggs and feature buffalo chicken, Philly steak, veggie, chicken pesto, BLT and Reuben among other options.
Burgers, sandwiches, wraps and a variety of salads fill out the lunch menu.
“We added a cappuccino machine and that’s doing very well,” Shawnee said.
Mimosas, bellinis, bloody marys and beer are also served.
Everything on the breakfast and lunch menus is available from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“If you want a cheeseburger at 7, you got it,” Shawnee said.
And if you’d like to modify some of the items to your liking, feel free.
“We like to accommodate everyone,” Davide said. “We give customers what they want. If you want to make changes to a dish, we do it.”
“We’re here for the customers,” Shawnee said. “We want them to come in and come back.”
And those customers have been coming, many from the neighborhood and regulars from Marko’s.
And speaking of Marko’s …
The Mistrettas purchased the former Pastabilities & More site right after Hurricane Ian.
“We bought it with the intent to move Marko’s over there,” Davide said. “We plan to remodel it and open Marko’s Diner & Pizzeria there within a year.”
It’s a few doors down from the old Marko’s Diner, on the south side of Love Boat.
“That will be breakfast, lunch, pizza, sports bar,” Shawnee said. “Pizza is where Davide’s expertise is. His family owned pizzerias in Pennsylvania.”
For now though, they’re all in on The Morning Bloom.
“We’re still learning here,” Shawnee said. “But it already feels like home.”
The Morning Bloom, 12901 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers; (239) 204-9172; follow on Facebook
Robyn George is a food and dining reporter for The News-Press. Connect at rhgeorge@fortmyer.gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: New breakfast, lunch restaurant brightens up Fort Myers dining scene
Reporting by Robyn George, Fort Myers News-Press / Fort Myers News-Press
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