The Fort Lauderdale Strip. There was a time when it meant T-shirt shops, teen-agers cruising in jalopies, hordes of college students on Spring Break, cars parked on the beach, bikini contests and more T-shirt shops. That time is no more.
After a three-year, $26 million development project by the city, the Strip has a whole new look – and image.
Fewer lanes of car traffic in some places, a wider pedestrian walkway made of pink brick and lighted by cast-iron street lamps, a bike lane, a rambling white stucco beach wall with a fiber-optic strip that changes colors at night, more palm trees and more off-beach parking have made this a much more inviting (and exciting) place to visit.
The Strip, which stretches along State Road A1A from Las Olas Boulevard to Sunrise Boulevard, also features more foot (and Rollerblade) traffic than in years past. To take advantage of that, just about every eatery along the way has set out tables and chairs so patrons can enjoy the passing parade and ocean view along with their meals.
Even the venerable Elbo Room and not-so-venerable Candy Store have gotten into the act, placing tables and chairs on the sidewalk. Trendy new places, such as the Mediterranean bistro Mistral, have opened up. And the old Marlin Beach Resort is being leveled so a Mediterranean-style dining/entertainment/shopping complex can be built in its place.
Sitting in any of these restaurants, you’ll hear tourists speaking a variety of languages. But while the area is becoming hipper (there are plenty of people clad in black Spandex), the Where the Boys Are look prevails: Shorts, bathing suits and muscle shirts are standard attire.
For those who haven’t been to the Strip since they cruised it as a teen-ager, we decided it was time to check it out. So put on your walking shoes (or in-line skates), bring your appetite and come along.
Restaurants with outdoor eating areas are listed by location from Las Olas Boulevard north to Sunrise Boulevard; hours are for outdoor food service. And be forewarned: Some of the restaurants add a 15 percent gratuity to your bill.
— The Elbo Room, 241 S. Atlantic Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 305-463-4615. Serves food from 11 a.m. to about 1 a.m.; breakfast, lunch and dinner; no credit cards.
Opened in 1938 and featured in the 1960 movie Where the Boys Are, the Elbo Room became a Fort Lauderdale tradition in the era of Spring Breakers. Today, the Elbo Room has matured and you’ll find people of all ages enjoying a light meal under a green awning over the sidewalk. Small tables and plastic chairs make dining here crowded and uncomfortable. But a hospitable waitress made up for them (she even offered to snap a group picture of some people on holiday). Napkins are paper, but the utensils and glasses are more substantial. The food – prepared in a postage stamp-sized kitchen – is simple. A chicken breast salad ($6.75) was a small green salad with lots of chopped carrot, tomato, cucumber, green pepper, celery, red onions and an anemic-looking sliced boneless chicken breast on top. Despite its appearance, the meat tasted pleasantly grilled. This came with a choice of ranch, blue cheese, oil and vinegar or Italian dressings. The ranch tasted processed but passable.
Avocado Crab Luis ($8.50), described as containing “crabmeat,” actually contained imitation crab. It came in a rich (almost too rich) mayo-based dressing that was pleasantly spicy hot (you could see specks of cayenne). It was served on a thick slab of hearty pumpernickel bread in a bowl. This “salad” was ringed with avocado slices.
A corned beef sandwich ($5.75) came on a choice of whole-wheat, French, rye or pumpernickel bread. We chose the French, which proved dry and tough. The medium-sized portion of meat was fairly lean. The sandwich came with lettuce, tomato and a few chips.
The best thing we sampled was the Fish Dip and Crackers ($5.50). This creamy, rich, smoky dip made from yellowfin tuna was delicious spread on the assorted crackers that came with it.
The Elbo Room doesn’t serve dessert but our waitress recommended the cookie dough ice cream served at Baskin-Robbins just up the street.
Our recommendation: Go for a drink, the experience and a bit of fish dip. Then move up the Strip for your meal.
— Mistral, 201 S. Atlantic Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 305-463-4900. Serves food from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; until 12:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; serves lunch and dinner; accepts MasterCard, Visa and Discover. Live music Friday and Saturday from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.; if you park in the lot off Poinsettia Street behind the restaurant, your parking ticket will be validated.
The owners of Mistral are planning to open a restaurant this fall on Mistral’s south side. Seating 250, it will feature Creole fare and an oyster bar.
Serving “sun-drenched cuisine” in a Mediterranean-style setting, Mistral is the place to see and be seen in Fort Lauderdale.
Owned by the same people who run the popular and dependable Sage French Cafe in Fort Lauderdale, Mistral attracts a hip crowd. Since it opened late last spring, it has had a few problems, ranging from poor service on weekend nights to inconsistent food to a high noise level. But recently, things seem to have settled down. Service was good on a weeknight visit – although we had problems getting water and bread refills – and the food, excellent. To cap it all off, prices were reasonable.
We sat outside at a faux marble table with metal chairs. The table was too small for our party of three and the chairs weren’t the most comfortable. If comfort is key, a better bet would be the “indoors” area with French doors that open onto the sidewalk and lots of ceiling fans. Here, tables are roomier and armchairs offer more padding. But either place, the people-watching is superb and the view of the ocean stunning.
With our wine we received individual baguettes of French bread standing on end in a wine glass. They are buttery yet crusty, perfect with the complimentary black bean puree that is nicely flavored with garlic and a touch of hot seasoning.
For an appetizer, we opted for goat cheese, olives and sun-dried tomatoes rolled in crisp phyllo leaves ($5.75). It looked like a pair of spring rolls. But the pungent creamy cheese filling made them unique. The plate was garnished with grapes and strawberries on a bed of shredded lettuce.
The baby artichoke and sun-dried tomato lasagna ($6.75) featured the leaves and bottom of a tender artichoke. These were layered with a garlic puree, pungent sun-dried tomatoes and lots of creamy mozzarella cheese. Then the dish was topped with a light yet rich cream sauce.
For an entree, we sampled one of the gourmet pizzas (there are eight to choose from; $6.75 to $8.95). The thin crust was crisp yet tender. Ours came topped with lots of mozzarella cheese baked until melted and golden brown, slices of ripe plum tomatoes and fresh basil ($6.75). Delightful.
We also had two skinless boneless pieces of chicken breast ($11.50) lightly dusted with crumbs and fresh herbs before being grilled. These came topped with melted brie and a light, somewhat sweet champagne sauce. Although the different parts of this dish were flavorful, they competed too much.
This was served with dry couscous studded with pine nuts and raisins and the fresh vegetable of the day – sauteed carrots, zucchini, red onions, yellow and green bell peppers and pea pods doused with lots of black pepper.
We were happier with a special of the evening: grouper Veronique ($14.50). The moist grouper fillet was served with a velvety lush dark sauce nicely accented with rum as well as succulent grapes, blueberries and raspberries. This came with yellow rice as well as the vegetable medley.
For dessert, we opted for plump fresh berries with light sabayon ($4.25) and an apple dumpling ($4.50a cored apple stuffed with nuts and brown sugar, wrapped in puff pastry and baked. This included creme Anglaise with a bit of raspberry sauce and cinnamon. The apple was still a bit crisp, making a nice counterpoint to the rich pastry.
Our recommendation: Go to see, be seen and have a good meal. If you don’t mind crowds, visit on weekend evenings and stay for the jazz.
— Baskin-Robbins (305-767-4645; open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; cash only) and McDonald’s (305-522-0796; open 7 a.m. to midnight; cash only) in the Lauderdale Beach Hotel, 101 S. Atlantic Blvd., Fort Lauderdale.
These chain outlets both offer outdoor eating areas. Enjoy an ice cream cone at an umbrella-covered plastic table for two on a wooden deck. Or, go next door where you can have a Big Mac at a cement composite picnic table with benches on a raised patio overlooking the beach (the patio is open during the daytime only). There’s not much shade here, so you may want to bring the sunscreen.
Our recommendation: Stop here for the usual icy sweets and dependable fast food – and enjoy the same lovely view as you would at the pricier neighbors.
— Ocean Cafe in the Econo-Lodge, 1 N. Atlantic Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 305-779-7778. Serves dinner only from 5:30 to 10 p.m.; accepts American Express, Visa and MasterCard. Live music begins at 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
This used to be The Candy Store, a place that built its reputation on hot-bod, belly-flop and wet T-shirt contests. But, after being purchased by Econo-Lodge a few months ago, it’s trying to change its image and plans to totally redo the outdoor dining area.
It needs it.
The signature candy stripe awning is faded and worn; the two bars are seedy; the plastic furniture looks tired; and the radio music (live on weekends) is loud. It all detracts from the food, which is actually very good (but not cheap).
Now, there is no printed menu. Our waiter, Minio, described what was available on a recent visit. He made it sound as if he’d be stepping into the kitchen and whipping up these items himself. And as it turned out, he does do some of the cooking.
Besides a prime rib special ($9.95), there were a number of Italian fish and pasta dishes. The sign out front says a complete prime rib dinner is served from 4 to 8 p.m., but when we ordered it at about 6:45 p.m., Minio explained he hadn’t put the roast in until late (it looked like rain so he didn’t expect many guests) and it wouldn’t be ready until 7:30 p.m. We decided to sip some wine from the limited list and wait.
There were no munchies available other than a shrimp cocktail, which we passed on. Instead, Minio brought us bakery-made but tasty rolls and a simple house salad of iceberg lettuce, cucumber, green pepper, carrot, red cabbage and tomatoes with commercially prepared ranch dressing. These are included with most meals.
As we asked about the other specials, Minio apparently realized we were interested in dining well and stepped up the level of service. A pink tablecloth appeared (admittedly a bit soiled) to cover the plastic tabletop, cloth napkins were brought to replace paper, a slice of lemon came in our water refill, he lit my friend’s cigarette and carefully replaced used ashtrays, and he poured the wine.
Suddenly, this was becoming a fine dining experience. (Minio said that because of rain clouds overhead, they hadn’t set up the outdoor dining facility ahead of time. But we noticed people at neighboring tables weren’t getting the same level of service we were.) When the main courses arrived 15 minutes earlier than promised, we were duly impressed. My platter included shrimp and scallops in a chunky, spicy marinara sauce served over nicely al dente linguine ($18.95). The combination also included a moist fresh salmon fillet topped with the same lovely homemade sauce heavily studded with fresh garlic.
My friend’s inch-thick cut of somewhat chewy prime rib ($14.95; the $9.95 complete dinner special includes the thinner English cut) was done a bit more than the medium rare he ordered. But it tasted good. It came with undercooked fresh broccoli and a nicely done baked potato with sour cream on the side.
For dessert there is apple pie, cheesecake ($3.25) or homemade key lime pie ($3.75). The key lime pie proved too mellow to be made from real key limes and came garnished with non-dairy whipped topping as well as a few squirts of canned whipped cream. However, Minio did divide a piece for us to share instead of just handing us two forks.
Our recommendation: Wait for the Ocean Cafe to redecorate and lose its Candy Store image. Then go for a good meal with a great view.
— Cafe Al Mare in The Sheraton Yankee Trader Beach Resort, 303 N. Atlantic Blvd., 305-467-1111. Serves food from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; breakfast, lunch and dinner; accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Carte Blanche and Diner’s Club. Free parking available in the ramp out back.
Open only a few weeks, Cafe Al Mare is a new concept for the Sheraton Yankee Trader. “We wanted to enhance the outside area and not just make it an extension of the indoor dining room,” says food and beverage director Amil Ferraro.
The Sheraton’s patio has always been one of the nicest along the strip. Built up from the street, it is edged by a clear wall for privacy. Plastic tables and chairs with umbrellas as well as a canopied area protect patrons from sun and rain. And the area is nicely landscaped with large palm trees and sea grapes. The patio dining area used to be called The Trader Cafe and used to serve a four-course continental meal. But now – following the change of concept – the menu features simple Italian fare such as salads, pasta, chicken and veal entrees and pizza.
Recently, Italian flags were added in keeping with the new theme. And other changes are slated to make the patio look like an Italian street scene: a new red-white-and-green awning, colorful chair cushions, a small waterfall in a corner and a caricature artist sketching Friday through Sunday afternoons and early evenings.
Although the food and service need some fine-tuning, this bistro is headed in the right direction. Our waiter seemed unfamiliar with the food and wine list, and our dishes arrived a little too slowly, but these problems will probably be remedied as the staff gets used to the new menu.
The best thing we sampled was a grilled portabella mushroom ($5.95) appetizer. The five-inch mushroom cap was sliced on the diagonal and had the meaty, smoky taste and fatty texture of a good piece of grilled beef. Garnished with sun-dried tomatoes and pieces of creamy fresh mozzarella cheese, it was terrific (I highly recommend this for vegetarians looking for a meat alternative). Less exciting were fried artichokes ($5.95) – the canned variety dipped in batter and deep-fried. These needed a sauce to give them some flavor; the strongest taste was the brine from the can.
The linguine calamari ($6.95) was tender pasta (a tad overcooked) tossed with fresh tomatoes and plum tomatoes, scallions and lots of chopped garlic as well as tender calamari rings and tentacles. We ordered this dish spicy and received it that way. But we had to ask our waiter for a bit of Parmesan to sprinkle on top – a good addition.
This came with a choice of Caesar ($2.95 a la carte) or house salad ($1.95 a la carte). The Caesar was overloaded with dressing that was pleasantly heavy on black pepper. This salad included only a few croutons. The house salad was a mix of romaine and iceberg lettuces with shredded carrot and red cabbage, tomato and cucumber slice. We ordered it with creamy Italian dressing, which was passable.
The calamari also came with two garlic rolls, your basic dinner rolls covered with garlic butter. Not as satisfying as a chunk of crusty bread.
A Quatra Sesone pizza ($7.95) sounded good (it came topped with mushrooms, black olives, artichokes, prosciutto, plum tomatoes and mozzarella). But the crust was undercooked and doughy. Also, instead of distributing the toppings evenly over the entire crust, each topping had its own little wedge-shaped space.
For dessert, the menu lists cannoli ($2.75), spumoni ($2.95), Amaretto cheesecake ($2.95), tiramisu ($3.50) and a dessert tray brought to your table ($1.75 per piece). There’s also ice cream ($1.50) and a waffle ice cream sandwich ($1.95), which our waiter said was the only one that was homemade. It tasted like two toaster waffles sandwiched with ice cream and capped with a swirl of canned whipped cream. It definitely needed a sauce of some kind.
Our recommendation: Give this place a month or two to work out the food and service kinks, then give its Italian bistro fare a try.
— The Deck in the Bahama Hotel, 401 N. Atlantic Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 305-467-7315. Serves food from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; breakfast, lunch and dinner; accepts Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover, Carte Blanche and Diner’s Club. Live music begins at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
The Deck is just that: a raised wooden deck in front of the Bahama Hotel fronting the A1A strip. A clear wall around its exterior helps block wind and traffic noise. White plastic chairs, faux marble tables, candlelight in the evening, a blue canopy and a few blue canvas umbrellas add to the pleasant surroundings.
Unfortunately, the atmosphere is better than the food.
The spicy Buffalo chicken wings (10 for $3.95, although we got 11; 18 for $5.95) were fried until crisp, then soaked in butter (when we broke them in half, they squirted butter – or maybe it was the grease from frying). The wings came with a commercial blue cheese dressing and celery sticks, which were swimming in the butter collecting at the bottom of the basket. Luckily, the waiter brought extra napkins and wet wipes.
The menu features fish, beef, chicken and pork entrees, fajitas, a few Italian specialties, sandwiches, salads and a children’s section.
An entree of grilled fresh swordfish ($10.35) proved too overcooked and dry to eat. It came with choice of french fries, baked or twice-baked potato. The twice-baked was a square of the stuffing served by itself, not tucked back into the potato skin. It was like eating extra-rich mashed poatoes. The fish also came with a teeny-tiny garnish of carrot, broccoli and yellow squash and a more normal-sized salad.
The salad consisted of iceberg lettuce, grated carrots and tomato. The Parmesan peppercorn dressing we selected was salty. With dinner you also receive bread and breadsticks.
The Chef’s Special Chicken Breast ($9.95) was much better, at least is seemed so at first. Two boneless skinless chicken breast halves were served atop rice with a sauce of tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, green and red bell peppers and carrots. The sauce was fresh and tasted good. However, when I took half of this entree home – it came in a big portion – I discovered in the light of my kitchen how oily it was.
Bakery-made desserts ($3) are brought to the table on a tray so you can see what you are selecting. We passed on the Boston cream pie and the apple pie, opting instead for a slab of carrot cake that was moist and dense with rich, gooey cream cheese icing. The portion was big enough to share.
Our recommendation: Save The Deck for after dinner when you can enjoy coffee and a rich dessert, watch the moon rise over the ocean and listen to the live music on Friday and Saturday nights.
— Cafe Riviera in the Riviera Hotel, 505 N. Atlantic Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, 305-563-1649. Serves food from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; breakfast, lunch and dinner; accepts Visa, MasterCard and American Express.
This is an attractive place, with a coral-colored awning, flowers painted on the stucco wall in the back, hanging plants and ceiling fans, a tile floor, a white metal fence around the edge of the patio, and globe lights and palms along the street. But you can’t help noticing the four lanes of cars moving quickly along A1A – there’s nothing to block the sound.
The evening we dined, the host explained that the waiter servicing tables on the outer edge of the patio was overworked and that we’d have poor service. So he seated us at a small table in the back. Then when a table in another section opened along the front, he moved us there at our request. Despite some inconsistencies in the food, we had a pleasant time at The Riviera.
You can skip the breaded and fried calamari ($4.75) appetizer – it was so bland and tasteless it made me think these rings were a frozen product. However, the homemade marinara sauce for dipping was fresh and flavorful.
Given that this Italian touch was so good, we decided to try a pizza ($6, small; $8, medium; $10, large). Our small pizza was big enough for two. Its homemade yeasty crust came topped with cheese, just the right touch of sauce and our choices of olives and sausage ($1 per extra ingredient on small; $1.25 on medium or large).
We were less impressed with one of the nightly specials, grilled tuna steak ($13.50). The fish had good, smoky flavor but was overcooked and tough. It was splashed with garlic-studded butter that added nice flavor and much needed moisture. This, like most of the meals, came with choice of french fries, baked potato or rice. The baked potato was done just right; it came with sour cream on the side.
Entrees also include vegetable. The evening we dined, we were surprised to see it was red cabbage – a strange selection. But tossed with lots of butter, it provided a nice change of pace.
Most meals also come with a salad of iceberg lettuce, a cucumber slice and tomato wedge. The creamy Italian dressing, the house offering, was passable. A loaf of brown-and-serve bread rounded out the meal.
For dessert, we sampled the key lime pie ($2.75), the only homemade dessert on the menu. Although it was good, it wasn’t tart enough to make me believe it was made with key lime instead of Persian lime juice.
Bakery-made options include cheesecake ($2.75) and apple pie ($2.75).
Our recommendation: This is one of the prettier and better places to dine along the Strip. Go for the pizza and a pleasant evening. — Gold Coast Cafe in the Gold Coast Hotel, 545 N. Atlantic Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 305-564-4361. Serves food from 7 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday; to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday; breakfast, lunch and dinner; accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diner’s Club, Carte Blanche, and Discover.
The same food served at the Gold Coast Cafe is available next door at the Sand Bar in the Merrimac Beach Resort Hotel, 551 N. Atlantic Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 305-564-2345; serves food from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 2 a.m. Sunday; accepts MasterCard and Visa.
The Gold Coast Cafe is a tiny eatery with a big menu. A few plastic tables and chairs are scattered on a number of different levels along the hotel driveway. At the foot of the drive, four lanes of traffic whiz by, so this is not the most esthetic location. But a pleasant waitress and some good food make this spot worth a visit for a casual meal.
And I do mean casual. The flatware and dishware is plastic and the napkins paper.
If you are going to imbibe, stick with the beer. Jug wine is sold by the glass ($1.50), carafe ($7.95, a plastic beer pitcher) or half carafe ($4.50). The red proved too sweet and was served chilled.
An appetizer of 10 buffalo chicken wings ($4.25) ordered “hot” was just that. The crisp, moist wings were liberally doused with hot sauce. They came with a cup of passable blue cheese dressing for dipping, all served on a bed of iceberg lettuce.
The soup of the day ($2) was beef vegetable: a pleasant broth nicely studded with pieces of yellow squash, carrot, potato, mushroom, celery and tender bits of beef. It was surprisingly good.
Other appetizers include mozzarella sticks ($4), fried chicken fingers ($5.25), nachos with cheese ($3) and potato skins ($4.25).
Our entrees took a while to arrive, but my guess is the kitchen took time to cook the pasta a la minute for the Fettucini Alfredo ($8.75), which our waitress had recommended. I was concerned the pasta would be mushy from being cooked and reheated, but it actually proved a little too al dente. There was just enough sauce to accent the pasta rather than drown it. And the sauce was nicely flavored with cheese and black pepper. This came with a brown-and-serve roll generously spread with butter that had the harsh taste of raw garlic.
The fresh-tasting fillet of Cajun grouper ($9.95; also available grilled, broiled, deep fried or sauteed) was heavy on commercially blended Cajun spices – read that “hot and salty.”
This was supposed to come with french fries but we didn’t complain when we got a flavorful baked potato with sour cream on the side instead. There also was a serving of cole slaw made from romaine lettuce, cabbage and carrots in a pleasantly sweet, light dressing. The slaw was sprinkled with lots of celery seeds.
Desserts ($2.25 each) include key lime and apple pies or homemade cheesecake. That last was a mere sliver of gummy cheesecake with whipped cream from an aerosol can. Skip it.
Our recommendation: For such a tiny place, the Gold Coast Cafe’s menu is surprisingly varied and some of the food, surprisingly good. Sit back with a pitcher of beer and enjoy.
— Horizon Deli and Tiki Bar in the Horizon Hotel, 607 N. Atlantic Blvd., 305-564-5211. Deli is open from 7 a.m to 11 p.m.; food is available in the bar from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; breakfast, lunch and dinner; accepts American Express and Traveler’s Checks.
Step inside the Horizon Deli and you’ll find super-friendly help ready to take your sandwich or salad order. Then you can decide to dine on the small utilitarian deck outside (they pass the food through a window), where there are a few worn plastic tables and metal chairs. And where the view of the hotel driveway has little to recommend it.
Or, you can venture into the Tiki Bar at the other side of the hotel, where someone from the deli will bring you your meal. Or, if you prefer, you can have them pack up the food so you can take it to the beach.
A seedy-looking crowd kept me from eating in the Tiki Bar one evening. However, it was fine at lunchtime (although we did see a tiny mouse cavorting on the deck by the bar).
The bar, at one end of the pool area, offers a few plastic chairs and metal tables. A young man from the deli promptly brought us plastic trays with plastic silverware, paper napkins and our food on paper plates. All our food arrived at once.
The Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich ($5) was a moist and tender boneless, skinless chicken breast on a toasted sesame bun with a few slices of ham, melted cheese (tasteless, alas; mozzarella, perhaps?), sliced tomatoes, iceberg lettuce and thick, chunky pineapple preserves. This sandwich tasted good but the bottom half of the roll was soggy with mayonnaise and sandwich juices.
The turkey sandwich ($4.50) included lots of sliced white meat with sliced tomato, red onion and lettuce. The menu says you have your choice of white, wheat or rye bread or kaiser roll. We weren’t asked and got white bread. However, we did ask for the mayo on the side and got it that way.
Both sandwiches came with crisp chips and dill pickle slices even though the chicken was supposed to come with pasta salad.
A ripe tomato stuffed with creamy tuna salad ($2.75) arrived on a plate of iceberg lettuce garnished with more tomato slices, sliced red onions and a hard-boiled egg. Crackers rounded out this entree.
For dessert, there are doughnuts, cookies and killer chocolate cake ($2.50). Too bad the cake tasted like it had been in the refrigerator a little too long. Although virtually black with chocolate and very moist, it had an off flavor.
Our recommendation: This deli’s sandwiches are perfectly acceptable for a quick meal or to take to the beach.
— Shipwreck Sally’s Patio Bar and Grill in the Sea Club Oceanfront Hotel, 619 N. Atlantic Blvd., 305-564-3211. Serves food from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; lunch and dinner; accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Diner’s Club. Set high above the street, this covered outdoor dining area offers a good view of the street and the surf. Trouble is, it’s dominated by a bar, with only a few tables providing a good view. Most of the tables overlook a side street.
Green patio furniture with pink cushions, glass-top tables, terracotta pots filled with shrubbery and pink globe lights suspended under the green awning make this a pretty place to dine. But Shipwreck Sally’s is first and foremost a bar. The bar staff waits tables, so service is sporadic. And the limited menu offers only simple food simply served.
A boneless chicken breast ($8.95) marinated in herbs and oil and then grilled was flavorful if a bit dry. A grilled fresh mahi mahi fillet ($8.95) was moist and tasty, having been nicely seasoned with black pepper.
Both selections came with a choice of potato or rice (the baked potato was brown from sitting too long in the steam table; bits of the rice were still crunchy).
The “salad” included with all meals proved to be a garnish of tired iceberg lettuce, a tomato and cucumber slice and an onion ring served with a choice of commercially prepared dressing. A bakery-made roll came on the plate, too.
The only dessert was a bakery-made eclair that is not worth $2.95 unless your sweet tooth is absolutely desperate for a fix.
Our recommendation: Only visit if you can get a table with a view or if it’s raining (the canopy affords plenty of protection). If nothing else, it’s a good place to enjoy a drink.
— Banana Joe’s on the Beach, 837 N. Atlantic Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 305-565-4446; serves food from noon to about 8 p.m.; lunch and dinner; cash only.
Banana Joe’s is a throwback to a time when men tried to prove their manhood by chugging beers while bikini-clad babes cheered them on.
Inside, it’s crowded, dirty and noisy. Outside, it’s just dirty and noisy. But, hey, this is the beach.
Plastic tables and chairs offer a view of the sand, and colorful windsocks hung from the cantilevered canopy add a bit of color. The food, prepared in a tiny kitchen in back, isn’t bad (and it’s cheap). You order it through a little window at the back of the bar and the sweating cook delivers it to your table with silverware and napkins. (At other times, waitress service is provided.)
Forget about courses – all the food is ready at once.
Even so, we recommend the Sea Gull wings ($3.95 for 10; $4.95 for 16; available mild, medium or hot). These are Buffalo chicken wings that are deep-fried and, when ordered hot, slathered with lots of Tabasco sauce and butter.
For another part of your meal, the Barnyard Special is a bargain. For $3.25 you get a quarter chicken (we got thigh and leg) coated in commercially prepared barbecue sauce. The meat was tender and moist; the pedestrian sauce dyed the meat pink. This came with excellent french fries.
A crock of chili was chunky with beans and some ground beef. It was pleasantly heavy on chili powder but a tad too greasy.
Pat’s Special Chicken Caesar Salad ($4) consisted of fresh romaine tossed in a light flavorful dressing with lots of Parmesan cheese. It came topped with commercially prepared croutons that reminded me of cheese puffs (they were coated with the same neon-orange cheese flavoring) and chunks of white chicken meat. It was large enough for a meal or for two to share with an entree.
No desserts are available.
Our recommendation: This is the place for a quick, cheap meal and a few brewskies after you leave the beach.
— Tony’s Beach Pizza Shack, 901 N. Atlantic Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 305-566-2614; serves food from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.; breakfast, lunch and dinner; accepts Visa and MasterCard. Live music starts at 6 p.m. on Friday, 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
We have finally reached the northern end of the Strip. But, folks, we haven’t saved the best for last.
Grubby, worn plastic tables are set out on a busy street corner in an unattractive cramped area under some stairs. Here your view is more likely to be of newspaper vending machines and a mailbox than the beach or sidewalk traffic. And the food isn’t much better than the decor.
In fact, the best thing about this restaurant was the friendly, helpful waitress who served us.
Other than that, go for the pizza ($10.50 for 14-inch; $13.44 for 18-inch). It comes on a thin, crisp homemade crust with just the right amount of marinara sauce and plenty of cheese on top. You also get your choice of extra cheese, onions, green peppers, pepperoni, mushrooms, sausage, ham or salami ($1.50 per item). We opted for mushrooms (they proved fresh) and sausage. Both were good.
A scoop of smoked king fish dip ($4.25) was passable, but don’t order it unless you like this fish’s strong taste.
Less pleasing were conch fritters (8 for $4.49), which were heavy, doughy and inexplicably sour tasting. They came with marinara sauce for dipping, which also proved sour.
Worst – and most overpriced – of all was Shrimp Scampi ($10.99). A tiny portion of dried-out spaghetti (the menu promised linguine) came topped with four tiny shrimp (that’s almost $3 a shrimp) and lots of garlic. The best thing about this dish was that the sauce seemed to contain more broth or pan juices than oil or butter, so it wasn’t greasy. This came with two pieces of passable garlic bread.
Another problem – which could be the fault of the kitchen: All our food arrived at once. Forget about pacing.
There’s ice cream and ice cream sandwiches for dessert.
The size of the sidewalk dining area doubles on Sunday afternoons when there’s very loud live reggae music.
Our recommendation: Order the pizza but only in a pinch.
