Good buzz circled around Blue Coyote Business & Social Club when it opened last October, and after a recent visit I can see why: top-shelf food, flawless service and charming ambiance.

It's rare lately to find restaurants worthy of four stars across the board, but Blue Coyote does indeed have it all. What gives it that extra boost into truly stellar territory? The creativity of chef Mike McClugage, formerly of Peter's La Cuisine.

His sauces and pairings add pizzazz to seemingly ordinary entrees like pork chops and fish. Even chicken breast sounds appetizing served with spiced bananas, cardamom rice and mango-apple chutney.

Proprietor Mitch Schwenke — former owner of Blackhawk Cafe — opened Blue Coyote as a private dining club, but the public now is welcome to give it a try, too. (You have to call ahead, though, unless you're a member.)

Tucked away within Caloosa Yacht & Racquet Club, the restaurant contains a comfortable, lounge-like dining room as well as a screened patio with a waterfront view. We arrived in time to watch the sun set.

Indoors, elongated blue bottles transformed into lamps dangle from the high ceiling. They don't shed much light, so darkness descended on the dining room once the sun disappeared.

Still, it didn't hamper our appreciation of the food's presentation.

My citrus-crusted tuna appetizer, for example, arrived in a lovely golden-and-brown swirl of spicy Asian mustard and sweet soy sauces, the perfect illustration of the dish's name: Yin & Yang. It was a bonus having two contrasting sauces to dip the perfectly cooked (medium-rare) tuna in.

A nearly baseball-sized crab cake also was plated by someone with a keen eye for color. Roasted yellow pepper coulis and golden mango chutney created a nimbus of edible sunshine around the crab cake, with chunks of freshly picked crab-meat arranged around the perimeter like a sundial. As for flavor, this was the epitome of a good crab cake: meaty, moist and not augmented by tons of unnecessary filler.

Salads were included with our meals, and both the house version and the Caesar were above average in freshness and toppings. (They weren't even stingy with the anchovies.)

Service throughout the meal was well-timed and inconspicuous. The brief interludes between courses allowed space for conversation and reflection on the food, so we didn't feel rushed through the evening. The staff did not push extra drinks or desserts on us, as many restaurants do, and the manager was gently solicitous of our satisfaction.

There were no disappointments here, especially when it came to our entrees.

The Coyote Chop was one of the best pork chops I've ever eaten. More than an inch thick, it was coated with rosemary-spiked panko (coarse Japanese bread crumbs) and pan-cooked so that the crust browned nicely while meat within remained remarkably moist. A pineapple-rum sauce added a zesty kick. On the side were tender, sweet collard greens and creamy mashed potatoes. All in all, a great plate.

Ditto the Coconut N' Curried Mahi. Fillets of perfectly grilled fish were wrapped around a mound of jasmine rice infused with coconut milk and complemented by a refreshing mango-strawberry salad. What a delight!

The rapture culminated with desserts of divine Key lime pie and a buttery tart topped with a variety of berries.

The only disappointing thing about Blue Coyote? I'll have to wait at least two years to review it again.

— Jean Le Boeuf is the nom de plume of a local food lover who dines at The News-Press' expense. Send comments to Le Boeuf in care of Lifestyles, P.O. Box 10, Fort Myers, FL 33902 or fax them to (239) 335-0265. Send e-mail to jle-boeuf@news-press.com