Cafe true to French-Italian roots: Bistro in Vivo builds following in Cape

French tarts, apricot oreillettes and quiche are handcrafted at Bistro in Vivo in southeast Cape Coral.

The French-Italian coffee cafe opened in May at 4825 Milton St., near the Sweetbay store off Cape Coral Parkway.

Veronique Frelier co-owns the shop with her mother Canelle. They relocated to the area from France this past year.

"We came to be close to the sea," Frelier said.

A family tree on the wall of the eatery showcases the restaurants, pizzeria and other ventures the family has owned in France and Italy. Their first restaurant has been in the family for three generations. This is their first cafe venture.

Bistro in Vivo serves breakfast and lunch along with dinner on Fridays.

All the entrees have a French influence.

Quiches are filled with goat cheese and spinach or brie cheese and sausage.

French baguette sandwiches and paninis delight customers with names from regions of France and Italy. French specialities of crocque monsieurs and madames, crepes and a croissant au jambon can also be found on the menu.

Bo Kagan dined on a croque monsieur, a hot ham and cheese sandwich served with bechamel sauce, for lunch. He said the food is fantastic. She's done a great job bringing in authentic French food, Kagan said.

This is his second visit and he plans on coming back.

"(I'm) real eager to try the other things that they have," Kagan said.

Fridays feature special sunset pricing. For iced drinks and frappes it's 5 percent off the first drink, 10 percent off two drinks and 15 percent off three drinks.

Frelier said that even though she's seen a dip, her cafe opened to strong numbers.

"It's a low season," Frelier said. "It's true that July is slower than others."

She said she looked at other locations in Fort Myers and on Sanibel but ultimately chose the Cape.

"There is nothing like this in Cape Coral," Frelier said.

She said she likes the area because it's quiet, safe and the city wants to improve.

"They try to make it nicer and grow this city," Frelier said.

Hot pink hued walls and large windows give the cafe an inviting feel. French posters and images of the Eiffel Tower create an eclectic vibe.

Chyrsti Castillo said the colors drew her in to the cafe.

"The atmosphere is very intimate, not like anything we have here. A taste of Europe," Castillo said.

Frelier said in the winter the cafe will have longer hours. She also hopes to have special dining of French and Italian specialties on Friday and Sunday evenings during season.