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Fort
Lauderdale Guide
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Restaurants
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Shopping
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| Restaurants |
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| Top
7 Most Popular Places to Enjoy Food |
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Gordon
Biersch
ph:
(786) 425-1130
1201
Brickell Ave- Miami
American
- Moderately Priced
The Scene
The cavernous space is divvied up into both a restaurant and a bar.
The dining room is done in soothing earth tones with comfy seating
and the requisite exhibition kitchen. The bar is all hard surfaces
with a dozen or so televisions turned to various sporting events.
Root, root, root for the home team.
The Food
Don't expect slimy Buffalo chicken wings or big piles of prefab
nachos. You can get Gordon Biersch's signature breath-perfuming
garlic fries and crisp, greaseless onion rings about the size of
manhole covers but otherwise, you don't eat, you dine. Take your
pick from fork-tender filet mignon with portobello-infused demiglace,
seared raw ahi with zippy ponzu sauce, or lamb chops imbued with
Moroccan spices and served with tomato-cucumber raita. For dessert,
two words: bread pudding. Tastes great, more filling.
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Tom
Jenkins' Bar-B-Q
ph:
(954)
522-5046
1236
S Federal Hwy
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316-2067
American - Affordable
The Scene
If the aroma of beef, pork and chicken grilling over red oak and
hickory doesn't pull you in, then the sight of folks lining up out
the door should tell you this place is worth a visit. This humble
country shack is decorated with a mix of music memorabilia and
country trinkets, with seating provided by picnic tables, both
indoor and outdoor.
The Food
It's Southern comfort food at great prices. Spare ribs, baby back
ribs and chicken are all grilled perfectly over wood and doused with
a molasses and honey sauce developed from family recipes of the two
owners. Side dishes, such as macaroni and cheese and collard greens
are homemade and definitely not low fat. Save a little room for the
sweet potato pie.
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Canyon
Southwest Cafe
ph:
(954)
765-1950
1818
E Sunrise Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304-3040
Cafe-Desserts
The Scene
Santa Fe chic. The L-shaped dining room features low lighting,
wrought-iron fixtures and a distinct lack of Southwestern kitsch.
The bar, home to a large selection of aged tequilas, takes up a wall
near the entrance. Don't go here for quiet conversation, though; the
noise level can get pretty high, especially after a round of
margaritas.
The Food
Start with the smoked salmon tostada, which artfully blends smoked
salmon, red onion, goat cheese and a habanero reduction. The
habanero, one of nature's hottest peppers, only packs a small punch
in the subtle sauce. Entrees include a surprising amount of seafood
for a landlocked cuisine. The chef obviously takes advantage of
local ingredients, in addition to shipping in the chipotle and red
chiles. For meat eaters, the filet mignon with poblano-pesto goat
cheese tastes as good as it sounds. Skip the pecan pie, which is too
dense and lacks the sticky sweetness this Southern dessert should
have.
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A
Fish Called Avalon
ph: (305)
532-1727
700
Ocean Dr (Avalon Majestic Hotel)
Miami Beach, FL 33139-6220
Northwestern American -
Moderately Priced
The Scene
Pure South Beach, in all its exciting, enervating, energizing glory.
There's a handsome dining room with a large bar that's probably the
place for those who want a calmer dining experience. But for a real
taste of the never-a-dull-moment Ocean Drive scene, snag a table on
the outdoor patio or in the heart of the crush on the sidewalk.
Luckily, one thing about Avalon that isn't pure South Beach is the
personable, non-attitudinal service.
The Food
The seafood-oriented menu trots all over the culinary globe, from
Frenchified dishes like salmon wrapped in puff pastry (surprisingly
light and quite good) to Japanese-style seared/raw tuna with ponzu
sauce and stir-fried veggies (fresh-tasting but tending toward
bland). Snapper with black bean salsa and orange sauce is solid
Floribbean cookery and fun to eat. Start with spicy, succulent
"Bang Bang Shrimp" or a fine tropical calamari salad; end
with a suave key lime pie.
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Left
Bank
ph: (954) 462-5376
214
S Federal Hwy
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301-1939
French - Affordable
The Scene
The stark, drab dining room gets a needed (if minimal) boost from
paintings, curving wood and metal accents, and separate sections
that encourage intimate dining. Creamy leather banquettes are
comfortable but lack style. Service is efficient and friendly but is
more "Howdy, pardner" than "Oui, monsieur."
Sharing charges ($3 for appetizers, $6 for entrees) up the tacky
factor.
The Food
Chef Jean Pierre Behier has moved on, but the Left Bank still
specializes in healthy French dishes and has even added some tasty
Asian inspirations. For starters, sherry-imbued forest mushroom
bisque wins hands down over caper and sun-dried tomato-topped
portobello "carpaccio," which lacks a marinade's zing. Sea
bass enhanced by a fiery Thai peanut sauce is skillfully executed,
as is balsamic-glazed salmon with a tart peach mirin sauce. Bland
chocolate-coated tuile does nothing for the fruity sorbet nestled
inside, but flourless chocolate-mocha torte with molten espresso
cream center is a big yum.
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Pizza
Rustica
ph: (305) 674-8244
863
Washington Ave
Miami Beach, FL 33139-5802
Italian
The Scene
Italians often scoff at the way the Americans have mangled their
recipe for pizza. But at Pizza Rustica, even the Italians marvel at
these thin-crusted gourmet meals within a meal. This is the real
deal--no thick, doughy, greasy concoctions here. If you want that,
go to Pizza Hut. Instead, Pizza Rustica features several delicious,
huge slices of gourmet, authentically Tuscan pizza.
The Food
Spinach and Gorgonzola cheese are in harmony with a bit of olive oil
and garlic on a slate of the delicious, crispy dough. There's also
four-cheese, arugula and rosemary potato, among others. If ever
there was a designer pizza, this is it.
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Piola
ph: (305) 674-1660
1625
Alton Rd
Miami
Beach, FL 33139
Italian - Moderately Priced
The Scene
This is not your typical pizzeria and it doesn't attract your
typical pizzeria crowd. Hungry students, slumming foodies, wandering
tourists, curious Italophiles and those who just love good pizza jam
Piola's chic, bi-level dining room, drawn by its pies' winning
combination of quality, value, size and creativity.
The Food
Piola does pizza the Italian way, so expect crusts to be
cracker-thin and pleasantly blistered from the wood-fired oven.
Expect toppings to be applied judiciously, reflecting the sense of
balance that characterizes Italian cuisine. More than three dozen
pies are offered; among the best are quattro formaggio (Parmesan,
brie, gorgonzola and mozzarella), a savory melange of delicate
prosciutto and earthy porcini mushrooms, and an opulent
"designer" pizza with smoked salmon and caviar. There's
more than just pizza, though: hearty white bean and tuna salad,
decent carpaccio and better than average gnocchi.
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