An image of devastation looms large over the otherwise bright and airy Lauderdale Grill restaurant. A huge photograph of downtown Fort Lauderdale taken after the 1926 hurricane stretches across one massive strip of wall. Among the ruins in the picture is a building called Maxwell's Arcade, a building that now houses theDowntowner Saloon -- a popular restaurant and watering hole that once belonged to John Baker. The man himself, dressed in a shirt from the 50th anniversary of Where the Boy's Are event, reminisces about his childhood dream of running a restaurant in that location, which he did for many years, and then turns his attention to discussing the philosophy behind his newest venture, Lauderdale Grill: "I want people to experience old Fort Lauderdale through the pictures and I want them to have what I call "real food". We make our food and our sauces every day from scratch. I want for the food to be spectacular. That's the concept, and it shows."
The restaurant, he says, has its seafood and produce delivered fresh every morning and smokes its own prime rib, turkey, pork, ribs and, occasionally, salmon.
Restaurants built with this kind of love stand out from restaurants that are built for all of the other reasons that people go into the business. Extra touches, such as the blue cheese-stuffed olives at a make-your-own bloody mary bar speak loudly. But what do they say? They say, "Attention to what might please your palate went into this operation. If blue cheese isn't your thing, try the garlic-stuffed olives, the plain olives or the pickled okra." Other garnishes, such as jalapeño peppers and celery sticks come with the $4 price tag for a double shot of vodka at the restaurant's Saturday and Sunday morning bloody mary bar.
The menu includes a variety of light-dining items, such as Tuscan and Pesto Chicken flatbreads, Florida fish dip, and sandwiches such as the blackened prime rib sandwich and the ahi tuna club (This is what I had, and I highly recommend it. I ordered the tuna rare. The sandwich came on multi-grain bread with arugula, beefsteak tomato, avocado and basil mayo and a side of crispy french fries.) Lauderdale Grill also serves up surf and turf entrees, such as the Key West Seafood Sampler (grilled shrimp and scallops atop blackened mahi with key lime cilantro white wine sauce) and the Twin Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon (apple bacon wrapped 4 oz. filets flame broiled with gorgonzola cheese).
Lauderdale Grill's food and drink specials and weekly events allow you to plan a visit around your culinary and nightlife tastes. For example, the outside patio, with its Florida Keys tiki bar vibe, hosts a Burgers & Beers cookout from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday afternoons with $4 Angus burgers, $3 rum runners and $2 beer specials. On Wednesday nights, ladies receive free house wine and 2-4-1 martinis from 7 to 10 p.m. Saxophonist Brian Wesolowski performs while ladies sip on their drinks of choice. On Friday evenings, the restaurant and bar hosts an eclectic mix of '80s, rock 'n' roll and jazz. Juanita Dixon and Jeff Prine perform on Saturdays. Wine lovers, put down Lauderdale Grill's four course wine pairing dinner on your calendars for the last Monday of each month. Also, the family-friendly restaurant has a small arcade area for kids and the NFL package for sports fans. Lauderdale Grill is located in Harbor Shops -- a shopping center off of Cordova and 17th Street Causeway with a Publix, Total Wine and several restaurants.
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