When in Florida, do as the Floridians do

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When travelling to new cities and/or countries one of the first things one Googles is places to eat because most (normal) people love to eat. Traveling to new places and eating your way around those new places goes hand in hand. Like a match made in heaven. And, when we are not fortunate enough to know someone in the area who can show us around and take us to those sought after local joints, we have to rely on ratings websites to guide us. The worst. Cue: us. We’ve stepped in. We’ve got our people on the ground in Fort Lauderdale who have helped us curate a list of local must-eateries while you’re visiting ‘merica for the first Major stop of the season.

So here are it is, hopefully it’s a delight for your mind and your taste buds…

1. The Le Tub Saloon

The owner of this eclectic eatery purchased the property in 1974 and spent every day for four years collecting (and filling the property with) flotsam, jetsam (basically treasures from sunken or sinking ships) and other ocean borne treasures.  There are a few bathtubs… hence the name (well that’s our deduction anyway). If dining amongst old, disregarded ceramics doesn’t convince you, then this will: they were voted The Best Hamburger by GQ Magazine AND they were featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Boom. 

Our recommendation: The Sirloinburger with cheese (always with cheese).

Bath tubs strictly for decorational purposes. Photocredit: boatingtimesftl.com

 

We are here for the famed slow-cooked Sirloin Burger! 🍔 (10 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die) Steve, Le Tub's owner and burger cook, knows exactly what makes his hamburgers so special. "We use fresh-ground sirloin," he says. "We never freeze anything—it's all fresh!" Secret seasonings also help make these slow-cooked burgers a big hit. That is very, very, very good! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #winefoodtravel🇨🇿 #letub #hamburger #hamburgers #cheeseburger #cheeseburgers #hamburguesa #гамбургер #бургер #hamburguer #burgery #beefburger #バーガー #クッキング #レシピ #おうちご飯  #dobrouchut #夜ごはん  #ディナー #おうちカフェ #burgers #burgerking #burgerporn #burgerbar #burgertime #burgerlove #burgerday #burgerlover #burgernight #burgerjoint . . . . . . . . . . .

A post shared by 🇨🇿 Wine Food & Travel (@winefoodtravel.cz) on Jan 9, 2018 at 2:35pm PST

We couldn’t resist. LOOK at that! Photocredit: winefoodtravel.cz

2. Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar

Guys – let’s just have a moment of silence and thank the higher powers for Mexico, Mexican food and Tacos. This trendy urban Mexican American restaurant takes fresh local ingredients and creates a selected yet diverse menu. The attention to detail can be seen in the fact that their corn tortillas are made from scratch in-house. What is also really awesome, and what separates them from the run of the mill taco restaurant is that they make exotic tacos using ingredients such as Chorizo, Korean beef and pulled pork. Tell your inner hipster that it’s never too late to die and go to heaven. They also have a meagre 425 varieties of tequila and we say … challenge accepted.

Our recommendation: Guacamole – you’ll be in for a real treat as its made tableside. And of course – an exotic taco along with a margarita made with one of those 425 tequila varieties.

Salivating. Photocredit: gfinorlando.com

Guac Attack. Photocredit: Greg Matthews for bizjournals.com

3. Warsaw Coffee Company 

Located a stone’s throw away from the offbeat, on trend Fat Village (Fort Lauderdale’s art district) – the Warsaw Coffee Company blends together great coffee and artisan baked treats – all baked fresh and in-house (our best kind of house). They refer to coffee making as crafting – so the coffee is goooood. And on that craft note – they also serve up craft beer for those so inclined. You can say one of two things: ‘Take my money!’ and ‘Get in my belly!’

Our recommendation: A slice of the chocolate fudge caramel pecan pake (the meeting of two of the world’s greatest things – pie and cake) with a cuppa coffee.

Wanted to post a pic with the pake slice but ate it all, so here’s some bread. Photocredit: onthegrid.city

4. Sushi Rock Café 

Well guys, we’re in Fort Lauderdale right? Why is a sushi restaurant even on this list you ask? I will just say that it’s not just any sushi restaurant. It is a rock and roll themed sushi bar. Actually the only reason you go there is for the band themed sushi rolls – AMAZING. The Red Hot Chilli Pepper hand roll is heaven - read the reviews and you’ll understand why. The walls are strewn with old vinyl records and you’ll feel like its 10pm inside there even when the sun is beating down just outside. Eating there feels as though you’ve stumbled upon one of Fort Lauderdale’s best kept secrets. You could almost picture Led Zeppelin and Jimmy Hendrix (if they ever ate sushi) meeting for a pre-show snack, writing down the lyrics to their most famous songs on a serviette. Boom.

Our recommendation: The Red Hot Chilli Pepper hand roll. How long how long will I slide? 

All for me? Thank you, thank you very much. Photocredit: Pinterest.es

5. Wawa

There will come a time when you find yourself too busy to sit down and enjoy a meal, that’s because you will probably be busy doing all the touristy things you can do in Fort Lauderdale, or maybe you’re in the mood for something that you can just have on the go – we’ve got you covered. For delicious, made to order: hoagies (subs), toasted Paninis, flatbreads or just a good old fashioned sandwiches – Wawa is the place to go. Fresh bread, fresh ingredients all sandwiched together to create mini little bites of heaven. Grab an ice-cream while you’re at it or a fresh coffee – or both. 

Our recommendation: A classic 10-inch meatball hoagie or a spicy turkey club sandwich with a mac & cheese bowl all together with a mocha frozen cappuccino – go big or go home and you can never go wrong with the classics.

Am I dead? Is this what heaven looks like? Photocredit: Pinterest.com

6. Terra Mare

Let’s kick it up a notch. On one of our evenings we need some effortless sophistication, we would like to dress up for dinner, we would like our dinner paired with wine recommended by an actual sommelier. We want fresh ingredients, we want simple food that’s packed with flavor. We want magic. We actually don’t want to eat food – we want to eat artwork on a plate and we need to eat said artwork whilst overlooking the ocean. We would also like to share these delicious eats with our dinner company – shared plate dining. We would also like that all topped off with fantastic service. Is that even possible? Yes all that and more can be found at Terra Mare. Terra Mare means land and sea in Italian – so you’d best believe that their meat and seafood are on point.

Our recommendations: Order a few small plates, one of which should be the grilled octopus, remember – shared plate dining so share.

Get in my belly! Photocredit: Amy Beth Bennett / Sun Sentinel – taken from southflorida.com

So, that concludes our little taste of Fort Lauderdale – get it – ‘taste’. We hope you enjoy eating your way around the little gem in the sunshine state in between catching all of the must-see matches at our first tournament of the year. 

Here is a poem:

Food be always proud, because some have called thee

Mighty and delicious, for thou art so.

For those whom thou think’st thou dost fatten up

Eat less, for food, nor yet canst thou fill me.

From cooking and eating, which thy pictures be,

Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,

And soonest our best men with thee fills

Rest their bellies and tummy’s satisfaction.

Thou art slave to herbs, spices, seasoning and trained chefs,

And dost with pastries, cakes and tarts dwell,

And chocolate and wine can make us eat well.

And better than thy steak, why brag’st thou then?

One short pan-fry, we grill eternally

And blandness shall be no more. Bad food shalt die.