13 November 24-30, 2022 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | MusiC | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | North Stars The ten best restaurants in Fort Lauderdale. BY NICOLE DANNA F ort Lauderdale’s culinary prowess has long been overlooked by foodies who seek the area’s most highly touted restaurants in cities like Miami, Boca Raton, and Palm Beach. The 954 has seen its fair share of new and old in recent years. While many of its tried- and-true restaurants continue to impress, newer establishments have a habit of shuf- fling in and out, making it hard to keep tabs on what’s hot — and what’s not. From longtime favorite haunts that have stood the test of time to the flashy newcom- ers filled with promise, the ten best restau- rants in Fort Lauderdale are listed below in alphabetical order. Cafe Vico 1125 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale 754-399-4021; cafevicorestaurant.com Cafe Vico chef-owner Marco Rodriguez has enjoyed more than 20 years of quiet success among the city’s plethora of upscale Italian restaurants and remains one of the area’s best standbys for Northern Italian cuisine with a romantic ambiance. Origi- nally no more than five tables, Cafe Vico has slowly ex- panded over the years to include a stunning piano bar and a second loca- tion (3496 N. Ocean Blvd, Fort Lauder- dale). Like many old-school joints, the menu has all the signposts of a tradi- tional Italian restaurant, with a few unex- pected twists. Rodriguez has given several traditional dishes an unconventional — yet generally successful — departure from the norm, tweaking them just so. You’ll find black cherries in the chicken ravioli. The piccata — be it chicken, veal, or fish — offers a creamy lemon and caper sauce finished with artichoke hearts. And the calamari ap- petizer is available steamed or grilled. Don’t miss the chef’s signature lasagna bolognese. This longtime favorite marries a rich Parme- san béchamel layered between sheets of hand-cut egg noodle pasta with lean ground beef and a touch of fresh San Marzano cherry tomato sauce. Canyon 20 S. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale 754-779-7199; canyonfl.com Located in Fort Lauderdale’s Rio Vista neighborhood, Canyon has stood the test of time as one of Fort Lauderdale’s most beloved restaurants. For more than 27 years, the establishment has been a go-to for all things Southwestern but recently relocated to a larger space. A reimagined menu continues to serve a stellar take on American artisanal cuisine with Asian, South, and Central American undertones. Today, new crowd- favorite menu items include the crispy pork tacos topped with manchego cheese, mashed avocado, cabbage slaw, and pico de gallo dressed in cilantro cream or jumbo sea scallops with poblano-lime plantain hash and chipotle-honey glaze. There’s also a 20-seat tequila bar where longtime patrons can still partake in Canyon’s famous pink-hued, prickly pear margaritas. Coconuts 429 Seabreeze Blvd., Fort Lauderdale 954-525-2421 coconutsfortlauderdale.com Given its location in the thick of the Fort Lauderdale Beach chaos, where A1A and Sea Breeze Boulevard meet, Coconuts might seem like another tourist-themed restaurant, but if you pass up this longtime local favorite, shame on you. This is Florida dining at its finest, from the expansive out- door patio with uninterrupted views of Fort Lauderdale’s Intracoastal waterway to the menu of Floribbean classics — with a few unexpected twists. The menu sports the requisite South Florida blackened Mahi Sandwich, smoked fish dip, and conch frit- ters. But there are also a few surprises, from the lobster club sandwich and crab empana- das to a massive slab of Danish baby-back ribs smothered in a chipotle-pineapple bar- becue sauce. Pair any of them with a cock- tail, and you’ve just found your new favorite beachside haunt. Dune by Laurent Tourondel 2200 N. Ocean Blvd., Fort Lauderdale 754-900-4059; dunebylt.com For years, celebrity chef Laurent Tourondel — best known for BLT Steak and BLT Fish in NYC — hoped to create a restaurant that was as much a feast for the eyes as for the palate. When the Dune space became available, perched atop actual dunes that offer one of South Florida’s most desirable oceanfront restaurant experiences, it felt like the perfect venue. Today, the chef’s signature interna- tional influences, reminiscent of his LT Steak & Seafood and the Alley (both at the Betsy Hotel in Miami Beach), offer guests his Asian and Mediterranean-inspired take on seafood alongside some Italian favorites. Take the grilled Spanish octopus, impeccably seared and curled atop a bed of chickpeas and cho- rizo. Or a seafood ravioli, mascarpone-filled pockets rife with tender shrimp and scallops. If the views fade with the nighttime horizon, soak up the sun over the newly launched “Rosé All Day” Sunday brunch. Dishes take a tropical — if hedonistic — turn from the cav- iar and blue crab served over an open-face croissant with a spicy citrus mousse to the rich and decadent buttermilk-coconut pan- cakes topped with flambéed banana and a creamy piña colada sauce. Greek Islands Taverna 3300 N. Ocean Blvd., Fort Lauderdale 954-568-0008; greekislandstaverna.com The signature kalamata olive-spiked La- doregano sauce at Greek Islands Taverna is so popular the restaurant had to bottle it. The family recipe smothers nearly everything you can think of on the menu, from the signature lamb chops, shrimp, and ribs to the family- size salads and massive mezze platters. There’s plenty to love about this beach-adja- cent Greek restaurant, which keeps patrons coming back for hearty, authentic Greek fare. Brothers Sam Sotiri and George Kantzavelos offer the kinds of dishes locals, tourists, and Greek natives can all appreciate. The Katherine 723 E. Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale 754-216-0690 thekatherinerestaurant.com The idea behind the menu at the Katherine, named for Miami chef/owner Timon Balloo’s wife, is simple: an edible ode to the dishes the two recall from their travels. While Balloo’s eponymous Miami restaurant taps into his Chinese-Indian-Trinidadian heritage, his Fort Lauderdale establishment gives fans a chance to explore the chef’s personal favorite dish hit list. Eating off mismatched china in a bistro- like ambiance, guests are served a variety of seafood, vegetables, and comfort foods fla- vored with his signature touch. Take the clam chowder fries, a nod to Balloo’s childhood in the San Francisco Bay area plus part of his ca- reer working in Belgium, and sprinkled with his wife’s love of clams and French fries. Or the delicately spiced jerk chicken thighs — crisp on the outside and tender on the inside — that pay homage to Balloo’s Caribbean roots. No Man’s Land 666 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale 954-368-2616; nomanslandftl.com A passion project from hospitality veteran and Big Brother reality-TV star Memphis Gar- rett, No Man’s Land is the new kid on the block, offering locals and visitors an experi- ence unlike anything else in Fort Lauderdale. The sultry cocktail parlor and kitchen check all the boxes with exquisitely crafted ▼ Café Photo courtesy of Takato Takato offers a mashup of Japanese and Korean flavors in Fort Lauderdale. EXECUTIVE CHEF TAEK LEE’S UPSCALE MENU SHOWS OFF HIS APPROACH TO JAPANESE AND KOREAN FUSION. >> p14
