14 NOVEMBER 24-30, 2022 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | 1819 79th Street Causeway, North Bay Village, FL 33141 • 305.866.1570 Voted Best Outdoor Restaurant in Miami — New Times Best of Miami® 2022 Visit us at the Happiest Place on the Water! 11/24/22* cocktails, inventive small plates, and beauti- fully appointed marble tables embraced by blue velvet banquettes. Dishes flex both tech- nique and creativity, designed for grazing and meant to pair perfectly with the bar’s spirit- forward cocktail list. A perfect meal here: the foie gras “Old Fashioned” — which weds a bourbon-cured terrine, Luxardo gastrique, and Angostura mascarpone to thick slices of Demerara brioche — and an espresso martini as dessert, here topped off with a housemade French-toast whipped cream. Rustic Inn Crabhouse 4331 Anglers Ave., Fort Lauderdale 954-842-2804; rusticinn.com Once an old roadhouse saloon, the Rustic Inn has spent more than six decades channeling Old Florida and is any local’s go-to hole-in- the-wall fish house. The dining room is draped in a thick, seafaring rope; tables are covered in butcher paper, and sinks shaped like wooden barrels are scattered throughout the restaurant, stocked with paper towels and soap. After more than 50 years in business, the cavernous restaurant overlooking a canal has become the perfect place for diners to re- lease their aggression on the backs of blue crabs. Most come here to savor the signature dish of garlic crab — piles of steamed blue, golden, or Dungeness sautéed in garlic-in- fused oil. Steak 954 401 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort Lauderdale 954-414-8333; steak954.com At Stephen Starr’s Steak 954 in the W Hotel on Fort Lauderdale Beach, a slider is not just a slider. It’s Kobe beef topped with sweet cara- melized onions and sandwiched between rounds of buttery brioche. A bone-in veal chop is juicy; Mediterranean branzino, served with a jewel-like array of vegetables, is as light and delicate as any fish that ever swam. Even a tuna and foie gras taco (weird as it sounds) is a luscious flavor pairing. Since opening in 2009, the massive indoor/outdoor restaurant, which features a mesmerizing 15-foot jellyfish aquar- ium at its entrance and an oceanfront locale, creates a seductive vibe that’s worth savoring. Takato 551 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort Lauderdale 954-414-5160; takatorestaurant.com Takato, meaning “in a state of extreme happi- ness” in Japanese, will deliver just that. This year-old establishment has quickly become one of the jewels of Fort Lauderdale beach. Here, executive chef Taek Lee’s upscale menu of sharable small plates and entrées shows off his approach to Japanese and Korean fusion. Signature dishes include braised short ribs served over a nest of sweet potato noodles and a Wagyu skirt steak topped with a wasabi- spiked chimichurri. It’s not unheard of to see traditional dumpling makers kneading and filling dough from scratch before delivering fresh batches via sleek rolling carts or catch a glimpse of diners enjoying table-side wasabi, cocktail, and culinary presentations. The res- taurant has launched its own omakase lounge, offerings guests a more intimate experience. [email protected] North Stars from p13
