FOOD AND DRINKS GALORE

Whether it's fine dining, burgers and barbecue, Mexican, Jamaican or Cajun fare, or just beer and dancing, it's all available in downtown Cape Girardeau.

The Royal N'Orleans Restaurant, 300 Broadway, Mollies Cafe & Bar, 11 S. Spanish, and Whitfields, 220 Independence, offer fine dining experiences with choices of a-la-carte menus that range from filet mignon, prime rib, lobster, barbecued shrimp and other seafoods to frog legs and you-name-it.

A number of downtown establishments offer specialty foods and some have night-club atmospheres.

Port Cape Girardeau, 19 N. Water, specializes in hickory smoked barbecue, prime rib and catfish. The restaurant also includes a fine-dining area.

Port Cape provides live entertainment in the downstairs bar each Thursday and occasionally books live entertainment at the River City Yacht Club above the restaurant, which offers party facilities.

Griffin's Cafe and Spirits, 118 Themis, offers luncheon and evening specials with inside or outside dining. The restaurant offers live music Fridays and Saturdays and karaoke Thursdays.

Papa Bear's Daiquiris and Grill, 2 N. Main, and Broussard's, 120 N. Main, offer Cajun specialties and full-service bars. Papa Bear's features a mixture of 40 flavors of frozen daiquiris, darts and pool. Papa Bear's will start karaoke Tuesday. Broussard's provides live entertainment with bands Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The Bell Aire Bar & Grill, 24 S. Spanish, offers burgers, home-made chips, and Jamaican pulled chicken and barbecue, featuring outside and inside seating.

LaBamba, 123 N. Main, offers a selection of Mexican foods -- tortillas, tastada, fajitas, tachos, and more.

Phoenicia Restaurant, 1000 N. Sprigg, specializes in dishes traditionally served in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions -- gyro meat and low-fat, low-calorie vegetables and salads.

Phoenicia offers fried vegetarian patties called falafel, which is made of chick peas, garlic and a menagerie of Mediterranean spices. For meat lovers, Phoenicia offers shish kabab with everything from chicken to lamb to kasta -- minced meat or ground beef mixed with parsley or onions.

The River's Edge on North Main is open each night for dancing and occasionally provides live entertainment.