America’s Best Restaurants Roadshow to visit three Cape Coral restaurants
‘Mouth-watering food’ to be showcased nationally
A trio of Cape Coral eateries are slated to be featured by a national company that tells the story of unique food and independently owned restaurants.
House Of Omelets, Oda Pizzeria Bistro and Grado’s Pizza will be paid a visit from America’s Best Restaurants this weekend.
ABR, a national media and marketing company focusing on bringing attention to local, independently-owned restaurants, will bring its ABR Roadshow to the restaurants on Feb. 21 and Feb. 24. Popular dishes will be highlighted, along with an extensive on-camera interviews with owners and key staff about each restaurants’ special place in the community. The episodes will be aired extensively on social media channels at a later date.
As for what viewers can expect to see, ABR’s Chief Energy Officer Matt Plapp said, “Their story. How they started the restaurants and why. To see their passion and emotion come through the screen and to understand more than ever why it’s important to support these local mom-and-pops over national chains. And of course, their mouth-watering food.”
The owner of House Of Omelets and Oda Pizzeria Bistro is Tony Deda. He arrived in the United States from Albania over a quarter-century ago, and worked his way up from dishwasher positions to being a chef and restaurateur, often learning about the industry from television shows and library books. Deda has owned and operated several restaurants in the United States and in Canada, where he lived for a time.
House Of Omelets has won Best of Cape Coral 11 years in a row, and offers 28 different versions of omelets, as well as skillets and bennies, pancakes, crepes and waffles, soups, salads, wraps, sandwiches and burgers. Deda also serves specialties popular in other parts of the country, from pork roll to scrapple. Popular menu items that may be featured on the episode include the biscuits and gravy, crepes, and, of course, the omelets, with a side of potatoes which are cooked, peeled and shredded all in-house.
Deda noted that top-notch customer service and serving a wide assortment of homemade dishes in large portions are what keeps people coming back.
“Great food, great prices,” Deda told ABR. “We do lots of different stuff. Everybody from our restaurant leaves with a box. Sometimes people yell at us ‘why are you giving me so much food?’ And my answer is, ‘I want you to (be reminded) of me in the afternoon when you open that fridge and you see the box from us, and bring you back tomorrow.'”
There are three House of Omelets locations in Southwest Florida, with Cape Coral being the original (opened in 2013). Other locations are in Naples and Fort Myers.
Deda opened Oda Pizzeria Bistro in the same plaza as House of Omelets in January 2024. The name comes from an Albanian word meaning “a space for welcoming and meeting people”.
Oda’s Pizzeria Bistro has a modern, stone-and-wood interior with a focal point of a wood-fired pizza oven. The menu showcases Mediterranean specialties from hearty entrees like lamb chops, steaks, veal, pasta dishes, and paella to unusual appetizers such as saganaki, smoked bone marrow and grilled octopus. A popular dessert is the baklava, made by Deda himself, and the complimentary homemade cotton candy for every diner.
Grado’s Pizza showcases a menu of traditional items. Patrons can enjoy hot and cold subs, appetizers such as meatballs served with house-made marinara and topped with ricotta cheese, and a variety of specialty pizzas named after boroughs or other New York iconic locales. From the Brooklyn Meat (pepperoni, ham, bacon and sausage, Queens White (mozzarella, garlic, ricotta, romano and oil) to the 5th Avenue, topped with mozzarella, mushrooms, garlic, tomato, fresh basil, and balsamic reduction. Build-your-own, by-the-slice, calzones and stromboli are also available, as is catering.
Owners Beth Acklin and Antonio Grado previously owned The Pizza Cutter in North Fort Myers, and Grado grew up working in his family’s restaurants.
Acklin says that people who visit the area from New York and New Jersey tell her that her menu “tastes just like home.” She is hopeful that the restaurant’s showcase on the Roadshow will bring in more business and get them some recognition.
“I (would like to) just to try to let people know, like, where we are; just to kind of get our name out there a little bit, bring in new customers,” she told ABR.
Restaurants featured on the ABR Roadshow are selected based on their customer reviews, menu items, social media presence, and level of involvement with their community.
“They are community nominated, apply, or are found by our team,” Plapp said. “They must be thoroughly vetted to ensure they fit what we are looking for; we do ask for a nominal fee to cover production expenses and travel.”
As for why each of the restaurants were chosen, Plapp said: “First, all three are independent restaurants doing a lot of things right. That’s what we look for first. On top of that, there are the stories like Mr. Deda coming to America from Albania and working his way up from washing dishes to the American Dream. And then you have Beth Acklin and Antonio Grado, growing up in the pizza business and now thriving in the community.”
Plapp added that ABR tries its best to travel through each region of the U.S. Two to three times each year to highlight independent restaurants.
Episodes air typically eight to 10 weeks after they film at the restaurant. All episodes air on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
House of Omelets is open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is at 900 SW Pine Island Rd #122.
For more information, visit www.houseofomelets.com.
Oda Pizzeria Bistro is open daily from 3 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and is at 900 SW Pine Island Rd #102.
For more information, visit www.odapizzeriabistro.com.
Grado’s Pizza is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sunday 4 to 9 p.m., and is at 1242 S.W. Pine Island Rd.
For more information, visit www.gradospizza.com.
For more information on ABR, visit www.americasbestrestaurants.com
Oda Pizzeria Bistro at 900 SW Pine Island Rd #102.
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House of Omelets at 900 SW Pine Island Rd #122.
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Grado’s Pizza, a specialty slice
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Oda Pizzeria Bistro, lemon chicken
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House Of Omelets, one of 28 omelet options
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To reach CJ HADDAD, please email cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com