Las Olas Wine Café: Wine, Food, and Friends

The combinations of food and wine are paired perfectly at Las Olas Wine Café. The Las Olas Wine Café is a great place to try new wines, get great food, and enjoy the casual atmosphere. Come in and check out the bar with the state of the art wine dispensers. Be adventurous – try a taste before getting a glass or bottle. If you plan on staying for lunch or dinner, why not go to the outdoor terrace, decorated with wrought iron tables and chairs? The menu is eclectic, with a great selection of small plates, sandwiches, tapas plates, soups, wine plates, and salads. Ask the friendly wait staff for help in deciding which wine to order with your food, but be ready – there are a lot of choices! Las Olas also host a number of wine tastings throughout the week.

Las Olas Wine Café
922 E Las Olas Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
(954) 760-1882
http://www.yelp.com/biz/las-olas-wine-cafe-fort-lauderdale

Looking for a Romantic Date Spot? Look No Further Than Casablanca Cafe

This Fort Lauderdale institution is widely regarded as one of the most romantic nightspots in town, with spectacular ambience, service, and cuisine. Located in a remodeled historic home with an open patio that overlooks the water, there’s not a bad seat in the house, with plenty of alcoves for an intimate meal. The lighting is soft, the seats are comfortable, the music is great—all of the ingredients are in place. Of course, you’re at a restaurant to eat, and Casablanca Café doesn’t disappoint in that regard. Executive Chef John Schupbach has total control over his kitchen, serving up spectacular meals with uniformly high quality. Regulars rave about the massive wine list, one of the best in the state. For an appetizer, don’t miss the great calamari and the amazing ceviche. Seafood is a specialty here, but carnivores have plenty to love on the menu as well, including perfectly-seared steaks cooked to order.

Casablanca Café
3049 Alhambra Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
(954) 764-3500
www.casablancacafeonline.com

Cap’s Place: True Waterfront Dining in Lighthouse Point

Cap’s Place is Broward County’s oldest restaurant that dates back to the 1920s when the eatery was used as a casino and rum-running speakeasy. Today Cap’s Place is a bit of a tourist trap, offering casual waterfront dining that’s a short ferryboat ride away (provided by the restaurant). Food at Cap’s showcases locally caught fish and seafood including a raw bar with fresh, shucked clams and oysters and selections like stone crab claws, Florida lobster, classic shrimp scampi, crab cakes, and grilled salmon. The broiled or sautéed seafood platter is by far the most popular meal on the menu featuring an assortment of shellfish and chunks of the fresh caught that morning. And if there’s room for dessert, Cap’s offers their “famous tangy homemade lime pie.”

Cap’s Place Island Restaurant
2765 NE 28th Court
Lighthouse Point, FL. 33064
(954) 941-0418
www.capsplace.com

Calypso Restaurant and Raw Bar: Caribbean-Inspired Seafood Delights

Calypso Restaurant and Raw Bar is a tropical influenced fish house that combines Caribbean-style food seasoned with traditional island spices, eccentric décor, and unforgettable music. Aside from the fun, festive ambiance, however, Calypso takes great pride in the fact that the majority of their dishes use sustainable foods. At first glance, conch fritters jump off the appetizer menu at Calypso, a sweet Caribbean favorite served with seasonal vegetables and dusted in spices. Lunch platters are filled with popular Jamaican items like the obligatory jerk chicken sandwich, 8 oz. burgers, and a char-grilled conch sandwich marinated in Caribbean spices that looks way too interesting not to try at least once. For dinner, check out the restaurants chalkboard reserved for the fresh catch if the day or stay on the menu for specialties like the baked stuffed dolphin fish filled with seafood and vegetables.  Between hearty portions of Caribbean favorites, and a welcoming island feel, guests travel from all over south Florida for Calypso’s delights.

Calypso Restaurant & Raw Bar
460 South Cypress Road
Pompano Beach, FL 33060
(954) 942-1633
www.calypsorestaurant.com

Christina’s Cafe: A Hidden Gem in Pompano Beach

A cute little place on Atlantic Boulevard, Christina’s is a somewhat hidden gem that churns out authentic Mediterranean and Greek dishes to eat in or take out. Online ordering is also available for quick and easy take out without a phone call.  Popular appetizers like hummus or tzatziki with warm pita bread constantly receive stellar reviews, and the tabouli salad is another favorite starter. Gyros platters and sandwiches are another popular Greek staple at Christina’s, and dinner specials like chicken or beef kabobs and Christina’s shrimp sautéed in champagne sauce and served over rice and vegetables leave patrons wanting more. At affordable prices, and with the owner, Christina, there to greet you at the door —another sparkling aspect of this restaurant—Christina’s is a spot you shouldn’t pass by.

Christina’s Café
2201 E. Atlantic Boulevard
Pompano Beach, FL 33062
(954) 782-2160
www.christinas-cafe.com

Bluefin Sushi & Thai Grill: Boca’s Answer for Serious Sushi

If you are looking for the finest sushi in Boca Raton look no further than Bluefin—now in its third year serving a combination of innovative Japanese and Thai cuisine. Set in a contemporary designed space, the restaurant features an open exhibition kitchen where guests can watch Thai specialties prepared as well as a sushi bar where sushi chefs craft creative rolls like the signature Lobster Bomb, a roll topped with spicy sauce and filled with enormous chunks of lobster tempura, avocado, asparagus, scallions, and roe. The roll options are seemingly endless, so sushi lovers will have plenty to choose from. House specialties also include a host of Thai-inspired seafood dishes like lobster tail sautéed with ginger and a variety of vegetables, and Bluefin’s “Seafood in the Red Sea,” a curried seafood dish of shrimp, lobster tail, scallops, squid, mussels, sweet peas, sweet potato, and onion simmered in red curry and coconut milk. Bluefin also offers Sushi Making Party events, where you can learn the basics of the art of sushi making from a master sushi chef!

Bluefin Sushi & Thai Grill
861 Yamato Road
Boca Raton, FL. 33431
(561) 981-8869
www.bluefinsushi.com

Get Your New York Deli Fix at Too Jay’s

An authentic New York deli with locations all over Florida, Too Jay’s is a little slice of the Lower East Side. Critics have weighed in on everything from the thin-sliced corned beef and the generous portions served daily to the friendly service, and all have found nothing lacking about this café style eatery. The deli is open for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner and serves everything from veggie and cheese-stuffed omelets to griddle favorites like French toast, blintzes, and Belgian waffles. Lunch at Too Jay’s includes heaping sandwiches filled with freshly sliced turkey, corned beef, roast beef, as well as classic deli staples like the Reuben, smoked fish platters and sandwiches, and Too Jay’s ultimate brisket sandwich on rye with onions, horseradish, and melted muenster cheese. Dinner at Too Jay’s includes an eclectic mix from grilled London broil and home style meatloaf to chicken marsala and roasted Norwegian salmon. Want to know how healthy your favorite meal is at Too Jay’s? If you’re watching your waistline, check out the Too Jay’s website for nutritional information by menu item. On another note, check out Too Jay’s most famous dessert, Killer Chocolate Cake—it's as absolutely sinful as its name.

Too Jay’s Original Gourmet
www.toojays.com

The Fountains
801 South University Drive
Plantation, FL 33324
(954) 423-1993

Polo Shops
5030 Champion Boulevard
Boca Raton, FL 33496
(561) 241-5903

Regency Court
3013 Yamato Road
Boca Raton, FL 33496
(561) 997-9911

Glades Plaza
2200 West Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431
(561) 392-4181

10300 West Forest Hill Boulevard
Wellington, FL, 33414
(561) 784-9055

Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza: 800-Degrees of Pizza Satisfaction

The right mix of ingredients in tasty recipes combine with a successful dining concept to make Anthony’s an experience to remember. Proprietor Anthony Bruno was the first person to introduce coal fired pizza to South Florida in 2002, and since then the popular Zagat-rated restaurant has expanded to include several locations across Florida and beyond. "We've introduced the 'old world' art of making pizza in a coal-fired oven and we're happy to report that our customers can't get enough of it," Bruno proudly explains. Each pizza is cooked inside an 800-degree coal burning oven until it reaches the well done flavor that customers have grown to expect. Order your pizza white (with ricotta, mozzarella and Romano cheese); try the Eggplant Marino, which is named after frequent customer and former Miami Dolphins Quarterback, Dan Marino; or choose your favorite fresh ingredients. For another coal oven specialty, indulge in the flavors of Anthony’s coal-oven-roasted chicken wings topped with caramelized onions. Heaven.

Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza
Click here to find the nearest South Florida location
www.anthonyscoalfiredpizza.com

Tee Jay Sushi: Thai Specialties and Japanese Favorites All Under One Roof

Tee Jay Sushi brings fresh seafood creations to Fort Lauderdale, producing authentic hot dishes that rival the raw ones. Creating an inviting atmosphere to enjoy your meal, whether you’re in the mood for artful sushi creations or Thai specialties, you’re in luck. Take a seat at the sushi bar or grab a table in the dining room and start with one of Tee Jay’s Thai and Japanese-inspired soups, salads and starters—like miso soup, Thai garden salad with peanut dressing, or gyoza dumplings. On the Thai side of things, prepared specialties of the house are highlighted by hot and spicy snapper topped with a kicked-up red chili sauce and a variety of curries, while Japanese entrees come in the form of stir-fries and grilled dishes of vegetables, meat, and fish. If you’re a sushi fan, however, try one of the many rolls, ranging from traditional maki to creative favorites like the house signature, the Tee-Jay Roll, packed with shrimp tempura, cream cheese, cucumber and asparagus, and topped with tuna, salmon, and Tee-Jay’s special sauce.  The menu also features sushi and sashimi entrees as well as sushi boats to share with your entire party.

Tee Jay Sushi
5975 North Federal Highway
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308
(954) 771-4447‎
www.tjthaisushi.com

Cafe Seville: A Fort Lauderdale Tradition for Spanish Cuisine

They say that more than half of all new restaurants close after their first year. It’s never a sure thing, no matter how good your food and service is. Fort Lauderdale’s Café Seville has been in operation for a staggering 22 years, providing incredible Spanish-influenced food to an appreciative audience of locals, so they must be doing something right. This small bistro, nestled into a cozy storefront, is decorated with a wall mural of Seville and bullfighting posters. On Saturday nights, a live flamenco guitarist plays to appreciative diners as well. It can be very hard to get a weekend reservation, so plan a trip in advance. It’s well worth it, though, as the food here is top notch. Regulars rave about the flavorful paella, which is packed to the brim with delicious seafood, chicken, and sausage. The tapas are also great, and the wine list has won awards year after year.

Café Seville
2768 East Oakland Park Boulevard
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306
(954) 565-1148
www.casablancacafeonline.com

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