The Perfect Caper

Charlotte County's Gold Standard in Fine Dining

I may not look old enough to remember 1987, but at that time a sprawling river-front restaurant called Pepin's was where those who needed to wine and dine did so. Then came Chantelle's, a former "burger barn" adjacent to Gators, where Chef David used a galley kitchen for his French-inspired food, delivered with white glove ambiance once you blocked out the beer and wings next door. David taught many locals, including myself, the efficient intricacies of fine food preparation, but competition from across the river and a hurricane named Charley brought Chantelle's to its end.

That competition from across the river that David never managed to step up to was Jeanie Roland, a brilliant young "CIA" - the cooking school, not the intelligence organization - trained chef and two-time James Beard semifinalist (2008 and 2009). Jeanie and her husband, James, had served as private chef and maître d' on IMPAC's corporate yacht, the Tai-Pei, sailing the South Pacific with Jeanie and James entertaining IMPAC executives and heads-of- state. After living on the seas, the couple decided to make their home in Charlotte County and open The Perfect Caper, blessing us with Jeanie's imaginative and creative culinary skills.

The original Sullivan Street location was an open Bistro-style restaurant that quickly became popular with local professionals and high-end tourists. Now located on East Marion Avenue between Nesbit Street and U.S. Highway 41 North, The Perfect Caper thrives thanks to Jeanie's inventiveness, talent and enthusiasm for providing the gold standard in fine dining in Charlotte County.

The Perfect Caper's appeal has since broadened to include businessmen and physicians as well as a much wider scope of our residents thanks to a prix fixe menu that allows everyone to experience their dishes at a very reasonable price, two courses for just $25. While the prix fixe menu offers a nice sampling of the menu, I urge everyone to at least venture a glance at the full, extensive menu of gourmet selections.

I've often wondered how chefs can decide between constantly changing their menu to take advantage of both their creative imagination and fresh, seasonal offerings, or maintaining a stable menu that allows customers the opportunity to return for their favorite dishes. Jeanie has compromised by maintaining 60–70 percent of the menu while offering monthly specials that reflect the change in season and availability of the freshest ingredients.

On my most recent night of dining, Jeanie highlighted some of her menu's newest additions. First up were two new salads. The first, a confit of duck over a salad of baby greens, wild mushrooms and aged parmesan tossed in a delicate truffle vinaigrette, would serve as an excellent start to any meal. The duck was crisp and perfectly complimented by the earthy flavor of the mushrooms. The second salad was a seemingly more traditional iceberg wedge. But true to her culinary style, Jeanie tops her wedge with only the best: Maytag blue cheese, heirloom tomatoes and two large, thick slices of smoky bacon. It was excellent.

No visit to The Perfect Caper would be complete without a "warm goat." Yes, you read that right. A staple on the appetizer menu for years, this dish features warm, herb-crusted goat cheese, a bulb of roasted garlic, kalamata olive tapenade, Caponata and roasted red peppers served with toasted bread crisps. With so many flavorful combinations available on one plate, there's simply no way you can go wrong with this dish, whether you include a little bit of everything in one bite or simply spread the sweet, roasted garlic on the crisps like butter. The warm goat, along with a generous serving of one of their many wines by the glass, is an excellent way to end any day or start any meal.

Jeanie also treated us to a salmon crab tower consisting of fresh, raw Atlantic salmon and pulled crab fried crisp in a tower of filo and served with greens and a remoulade-type sauce. The combination of the fresh flaked seafood snuggled in the crisp filo made for a very light and delicious appetizer.

One of Jeanie's newest entrees is a pair of honey roasted quail served atop wild mushrooms and parsley gnocchi. The generous portion of mouth-watering quail was extremely moist. The delicate flavor was an excellent contrast to the rich buffalo chop I often order. It's worth noting here that all meats served at The Perfect Caper are prime and cooked to order.

Caper are prime and cooked to order. Next up was a presentation of jumbo prawns that Jeanie refers to as Texas tempura. The prawns were lightly crusted and served "tails up," reminding me of a crown, in a delicate citrus sake sauce. And I can very safely say that these tender prawns were as good as any available in all my world travels. Never hesitate to try their fish and seafood specials whenever they're available, because it means Jeanie's found something unique and has devised a delicious way to present it.

No meal at The Perfect Caper is complete without dessert. In fact, if you ever find yourself with an insatiable craving for something sweet, just stop by some evening for a glass of wine and one of Jeanie's delectable offerings. On this particular evening, I enjoyed a ginger bread ice cream sandwich and something I would call "death by chocolate." I have literally heard women gasp when the wedge of towering chocolate layers is placed before them. The ginger bread ice cream sandwich is my personal favorite, but in nine years I've never known Jeanie to serve a dessert that I didn't thoroughly enjoy.

Although I often lament on our lack of serious fine dining choices in Charlotte County, James and Jeanie Roland continue to make The Perfect Caper the best in specialty dining from Sarasota to Fort Myers.

The Perfect Caper is located at 121 East Marion Ave., #121, in Punta Gorda. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m. Lunch is served on Thursday and Friday only, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The lounge is open Tuesday–Saturday beginning at 3:30 p.m. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, The Perfect Caper offers live jazz music. Call (941) 505-9009 or visit www.theperfectcaper. com for information.

HARBOR STYLE would like to thank James and Jeanie Roland and their entire staff for providing our reviewer with such an exceptional fine dining experience.