Stan’s Idle Hour, Goodland, Florida

Stan’s Idle Hour is a Southwest Florida institution. It’s in Goodland, the fishing village that provides the fresh fish that makes dining in Marco Island such a pleasure, and nowhere is the fish fresher than at Stan’s. And Stan’s almost always has live entertainment. Sunday afternoons are amazing. Stan’s sets up a bunch of additional bars and the place is flooded with hundreds, at times thousands of customers — I hear tens of thousands for the annual Mullet Festival. You have to go there on Sunday at least once. Maybe only once. It’s an experience, but Stan’s is at its best on a weekday.

I went for lunch with Joyce Deroy on a Thursday while Nancy was busy playing Mah Jongg. We sat at the bar, where we enjoyed the shade and the truly amazing performance of the bartender.

He wasn’t twirling bottles or doing anything fancy, just juggling a steady stream of multiple-drink orders. Someone would order, say a Corona and a gin and tonic, and in one movements he’d grab three Coronas and prepare four gin and tonics and a vodka tonic for various other waiting orders. He was a wonder, a real craftsman.

Joyce and I split a dozen oysters. I wish I’d taken a picture. These were big fat Gulf oysters, cold and briny, the oysters of my youth. I did photograph my grouper sandwich (Joyce got one, too).

So good! The photo doesn’t show how thick the piece of grouper was, or capture its that-morning freshness or the practiced, perfect cooking. The Tartar sauce is homemade and very nice, and the beans and rice were good. All in all a simple but truly great meal.

Weekdays at Stan’s are special. It’s always busy, but without the crush of Sundays. The food is excellent, the beer is cold, and everyone is friendly. The weather is great and the live music, a mix of country and rock, is perfect vacation music. Go to Stan’s, and enjoy life.

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