Some restaurants you see for the first time and know they’re going to make a splash. Perhaps literally.
Olive & Sea already has the waterfront location, location, location going for it, perched on a rooftop overlooking the entertaining intersection of the Intracoastal and the SE 17th Street Bridge in Fort Lauderdale. Step out of the private elevator from the valet, past the open kitchen and into the 156-seat indoor/outdoor Mediterranean-influenced restaurant and you know it’s going to be the place to be seen during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.
Deals will be concluded over dinner plates of Chef Miguel Toro Franco’s charred octopus, Branzino Al Ha’esh and Za’atar Spiced-Chicken. Tall, seafaring tales will be spun at the 14-seat bar, where captains, crews and the inevitable brokers may look out over their Mediterranean Old Fashioneds (Bulleit rye, date syrup, walnut bitters and orange) and see the very yacht they rode in on tied up at the dock.
A place to see, be seen and maybe eavesdrop a bit while you wait for a smoked duck, olive, fennel and date pizza from the brick oven.
Not that Olive & Sea’s sandy colored decor, with “woven rope light fixtures, marine-grade rope materials…[and] wood-look porcelain floors inspired by finishes found in luxury sailboats,” will appeal only to yachties. They’ve probably seen enough of those details.
Locals will want to bring their friends and families from more landlocked locations to soak in the South Florida views, while they let the bread and pita soak in freshly made hummus and baba ghanoush. Some may even be staying in the adjacent Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, which means they could meet their out-of-towners for breakfast as early as 7 a.m., watch the sun rise and be on a Water Taxi by 9. Or take the ride back for a Turkish espresso martini (Ketel One, Turkish Coffee Liqueur 43 and Canton) up to 10 p.m.
There’s even a Water Taxi stand just by the bridge a few steps from the entrance to Olive & Sea. Just watch your step to avoid any literal splash.
Olive & Sea, 1881 SE 17th St., Fort Lauderdale, 954-527-6716, oliveandseaftl.com.
