Six days a week, you’ll find the Naples resident in constant motion at his new pizza and pasta place in Fort Myers.
“I retired two years ago,” Tony Madkour said, adding fresh green peppers and sliced onion to the steak sizzling on the griddle. “I couldn’t sit still, so here I am.”
“Here” is Tony’s New York Pizza & Pasta in the movie theater-anchored Luxe Plaza on Winkler Avenue, near the Edison Mall. It took over the spot Pizza Lab occupied for less than a year and Chicago Calzone held before that.
“I was looking for a place in Naples,” Madkour said. “But a guy called up and said come on in. Now I’m here.”
Gone is the red, black and dog-themed decor from the previous tenant.
“I freshened it up,” Madkour said of his first business in Florida after owning others in Massachusetts and New York. “People come in and like to sit. They’re discovering us by word of mouth. We have a lot of repeat customers but we’re seeing more new faces now.”
The space looks brighter and larger with three oversized aprons adorning one wall and a lightly textured grey wall complementing it across the dining room.
Pizza from scratch
Madkour, who grew up in New York and Connecticut, is “not a chef who went to school to learn.”
“I taste flavors in my head,” he said. “Food is something I’ve always loved. I’ve loved to cook since I was a kid.”
Everything here is homemade, “except for the olives.”
“I make my own dough,” Madkour said. “The sauce is basic Italian, but I do it my way. I use all fresh ingredients. The cheese — I use Grande Cheese, it’s excellent. There are no additives.”
I even cook my own bacon and sausage.”
Pizzas come in 12, 16 and 18 inches with an array of toppings, from artichokes and anchovies to shrimp and salami.
“I play with the (dough) recipe every day to perfect it,” Madkour said.
He’s already tweaked the menu twice since opening six months ago.
“I had a white clam pizza just like at (Frank) Pepe (Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven, Connecticut),” he said. “I took it off the menu but I may put it back. We make it if someone asks. We don’t say no to anything unless we don’t have the ingredients. We’re here to serve the public. If we have it, we make it.”
Basic cheese and pepperoni, which “cups, it’s nice,” are best-sellers, as is the meat lovers, one of a dozen signature pies offered.
Those pizzas include the Grandma, a traditional thin NY-style, and the thick, rectangular Sicilian.
“All done my way,” Madkour said.
Pastas and more on the menu
Although pizza is the main draw here, it’s not the only thing getting attention.
“Pasta does very good,” Madkour said. “Fettuccini Alfredo is a great seller. And the chicken parm, veal parm with spaghetti.”
You’ll also find homemade lasagna, ravioli, shrimp scampi and eggplant parmesan too.
Subs include all the favorites — from an Italian and sausage, peppers & onions to veal, chicken, meatball and eggplant parmesans.
Appetizers, burgers, hot subs and sandwiches, calzones, wings, fresh salads, fajitas, quesadillas and kids meals round out the menu.
Daily specials include two cheese slices and a can of soda for $7.50 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Beer and wine are also served.
Orders can be called in, placed online or in person at the counter.
“We serve customers quickly,” Madkour said. “We know how to prep and be ready. We turn dishes out quick.”
With decades of cooking and creating, Madkour is proud of what he serves.
“I have the best pizza around,” he said. “In all of Florida.”
And whenever you go, Tony will be there.
Tony’s New York Pizza & Pasta, 2215 Winkler Ave., Unit B, Fort Myers; open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; (239) 337-4646; tonysnypizzaandpasta.com and on Facebook and Instagram
Robyn George is a food and dining reporter for The News-Press. Connect at rhgeorge@gannett.com
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