Burgers king at Burger Bar in Palm Beach Gardens

Burger Bar by Chef Allen

4650 Donald Ross Road

Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418

561-630-4545

 By Jane Feehan

Fried pickles brought me to Burger Bar – that and high praise for its trendy grub at its other location at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Joining a growing legion of gourmet burger restaurants, Chef Allen Susser’s Palm Beach Gardens airy eatery is a welcome addition to the Palm Beach County market. It was a good move as gourmet burgers joints have little competition in that arena.

First the highlights. Burgers are outstanding, with USDA Prime Certified Angus beef and fixings they’re juicy, ample and cooked just right. The lineup of choices (from $8.50-19) presents more than beef; there’s tuna, turkey, Portobello mushroom and chicken. The Southern Fried Chicken Burger met the standard set by the burgers. The buttermilk fried chicken breast could be cut with a fork and was easily chewable through a perfect bun seared with the Burger Bar logo. There’s also a selection of fish sandwiches, grilled cheese, hot dogs, and mac n’ cheese and a great selection of salads, desserts, floats and shakes.

A Mississippi (where fried pickles flourish) transplant to Jupiter suggested I visit Burger Bar because they served fried pickles. They were a disappointment.  Overpowering fluffy beer batter (more like a tempura coating) diminished the tartness of the pickles ($5). They would have been more authentic and tasty had they been cooked in a buttermilk batter. We also ordered White Truffle fries, decorated more with its fancy name than flavor.

Burger Bar provides a sophisticated, yet fun atmosphere for all ages. Family friendly. Food takes awhile to be cooked, so patience is a virtue here. It’s worth the wait.

Tags: Gourmet burgers in Palm Beach County, Palm Beach Gardens restaurants, Jupiter gourmet burgers, Juno gourmet burgers, burgers in Florida

Coconuts breaks away from tourist fare in Fort Lauderdale

Coconuts

429 Seabreeze Blvd.

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

Open daily at 11:30 a.m.

Catering available

Sunday Brunch: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

954-525-2421

http://coconutsfortlauderdale.com/

By Jane Feehan

Set a block or so off Fort Lauderdale’s beach and adjacent to Bahia Mar Marina, Coconuts entices patrons with its view and consistently good food. 

Owners Elliot Wolf and Merv Jonota know what it takes to cultivate both Fort Lauderdale and tourist

clientele. I’ll return for the fresh crab cake served as a sandwich or atop a salad, hefty beefsteak tomato drizzled in balsamic vinaigrette or the Lobster Benedict (an item at Sunday brunch). Daily fresh fish, lollipop pork chops, strip steak, lobster roll or pan seared chicken with a side of sage and sausage stuffing provide a tempting lineup. It’s a cut above many eateries along the strip and its environs that pack customers in during winter season in spite of insipid food and sit empty during summer. Coconuts fills tables year round.

Wolf and Jonota bought Coconuts from restaurateur and musician John Day (of Mango’s on Las Olas) about five years ago. They recently opened G&B Oyster (next to Coconuts) and The Foxy Brown on Broward Boulevard; I look forward to visiting both.

Coconuts welcomes friendly pets, provides excellent service and complimentary valet.  Steel drum player on weekends. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan.

                                                

Tags: Fort Lauderdale waterfront dining, casual dining Fort Lauderdale, Maine lobster Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale restaurants along the water, Sunday brunch Fort Lauderdale 

Tipico Café - a well-earned reputation in Fort Lauderdale

Tipico Café

1910 East Sunrise Blvd.

Gateway Shopping Center

Fort Lauderdale, FL

954-463-9945

Monday-Thursday: 11 a.m.-  10 p.m.

Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.

Sunday: 11 a.m.- 10 p.m.

By Jane Feehan

The wood floors and partially paneled walls of Tipico Café transported me for a few moments to another place - perhaps Magazine Street in New Orleans or along lower Westheimer in Houston where one may encounter an individually-owned, quaint dining gem. Tucked away in the Gateway Shopping Center, Tipico Café has grown in reputation over the past 11 years with its flavorsome traditional Mexican and Spanish American dishes.

Portions are not huge, but meals are ample. Lunches average $9 and that includes a soft drink or iced tea. Their menu offers pork, chicken or beef dishes, and Mexican combos of enchiladas, tacos, and burritos.

 For Tex-Mex lovers, a few combos include a chile relleno.  For those with American tastes, Philly cheese steak sandwiches and burgers are available. A basket of tortilla chips with sauce greets customers at each table.

The dinner menu, with entrées from $11 to $14, features an array of Spanish favorites,  seafood, empanizados  (thin strips of pounded steak), pollo a la plancha (chicken with onions), costillas de puerco (pork chops) and more. Salads as starters or meals are served as well as vegetarian dishes, and some tasty side orders of guacamole, and plantains are available.

Tipico Café sells beer, wine, and sangria at reasonable prices. It’s casual, the service is very good and this eatery provides a welcome departure from the large, corporate entities serving similar food.

Tags: Spanish-American dining, Fort Lauderdale Tex-Mex, casual Mexican food in Fort Lauderdale, casual Spanish-American food in Fort Lauderdale

Sand Bar and Grille - a slice of heaven on Fort Lauderdale beach

Sand Bar and Grille

Sun Tower Hotel (north of the Pelican Grand Resort)

2030 N. Ocean Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33305

954-565-5700

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days 8 am- 9 pm

By Jane Feehan

A little slice of heaven, the Sand Bar and Grill provides an intimate setting atop the beach in Fort Lauderdale. Not many eateries sit as close to the shoreline as this place, which is located on a terrace at the family-owned Sun Tower Hotel.

The food is basic breakfast, salads, burgers, sandwiches, but they work hard to please patrons. There are

just a few tables; the ambiance is similar to that of dining at a private house. An indoor bar with booths provides a respite from the hot weather if breezes don’t kick in.

Their cocktail hour draws locals and visitors from all over the globe. It’s now high on my list of casual places to recommend to Fort Lauderdale visitors who want to dine inexpensively with a great view of the surf  ... without sitting on the sand.  Next door to Pelican Grand Resort ... Parking tight here. Metered or ask the hotel front desk if there are unoccupied guest spots.

Copyright © 2012/2019 All rights reserved. Jane Feehan.

Tags: Fort Lauderdale seaside dining, casual dining beach side Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale restaurants, waterside dining Fort Lauderdale, breakfast  on the beach in Fort Lauderdale

15th Street Fisheries Dockside Cafe - Fort Lauderdale: Touristy

15th Street Fisheries Dockside Café

1900 SE 15th Street, Fort Lauderdale

954-763-2777

Open for lunch daily at 11:30 

http://tinyurl.com/88xak5r

By Jane Feehan

If a tourist asks a cabdriver where to go for seafood in Fort Lauderdale, 15^th Street Fisheries tops the list. So do its prices because it draws mostly visitors. Lunch at its outdoor Dockside Café is a better match for the plebeian purse.

I ordered their signature Lauderdale Marina salad ($14), which was gargantuan. But artichokes, tomatoes, heaps of lettuce, a good vinaigrette and half a hardboiled egg couldn’t make up for the unappetizing mound of soft, soggy shrimp; frozen they were - not a hint of fresh. An abundance of crab meat helped remedy the

Not so good ...

meal but next time I’ll try something else. I would have sampled the fish and chips but they use tilapia, one fish I don’t eat. Prices run from $9 to $21 for sandwiches, fish, lobster rolls, steak, chicken, alligator and shrimp, a sautéed seafood medley and more.

Sights and nautical ambiance provide enough reason for visiting the Dockside Café. Mega yachts gas up at the adjacent Lauderdale Marina where kids of all ages (including adults) can buy food to feed the tarpon splashing a few feet from diners.  Also, a view of Pier 66 with its bevy of yachts across the Intracoastal provides a slice of quintessential Fort Lauderdale.

Service is very good. Full bar. Family friendly. Dogs allowed at perimeter tables. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan.

Lola's Seafood Eatery - Fresh seafood, stellar concept - Palm Beach Gardens

Lola’s Seafood Eatery

4595 Northlake Blvd.

Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410

561-622-2259

Open for lunch and dinner seven days

Mon-Thurs: 11 a.m. – 8:30 pm

Fri and Sat: 11 a.m. -  9 p.m.

Sun: 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.

TAKE OUT AVAILABLE

By Jane Feehan

If I hadn’t heard heaps of praise for Lola’s Seafood Eatery, I probably never would have stumbled upon it. Lola’s is hidden behind a large hedge off Northlake Boulevard in a small shopping center once the home of Joseph’s Classic Market.

Set up like a fast food eatery, Lola's is much more. It's order at the counter (they deliver to the table) but part of the menu changes frequently with catch-of-the-day specials.

With seafood galore and more, Lola’s serves a somewhat authentic fried shrimp po’ boy - not piles of shrimp like Gulf coast sandwiches where shrimp is cheap - but a pared down version, which was tasty.  Sides – fries, cole slaw, black bean and corn salsa – are packed with flavor and stand as exceptional complements to a  menu that includes New England style rolls - lobster, clam strip, or oyster and more elaborate fare such as seafood paella, a number of seafood salads, crab cakes, fish tacos, pasta bowls and chicken dishes. 

The best of Lola’s could be the three-course meals for $18 or less that feature fresh fish like scrod or wild salmon – a seafood bargain. Chef’s suggestions for these three course meals change daily. Dinners include soup or salad, fish entrée, and a dessert which could be a beignet, crème brulee or brownie. An ample selection of modestly priced wine and beer is available to top off a meal.

An attractive patio draws diners when the weather cooperates.  Expanding to a third location in Saint Lucie West (another operates in Stuart), Lola’s offers an excellent alternative to expensive fresh seafood dining.  It’s a winning concept that’s sure to catch notice. Family-friendly and very casual.

For additional restaurants in Palm Beach Gardens, see:

 http://janesbits.blogspot.com/2010/11/dock-boat-at-intracoastal-restaurants.html

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Tags: Palm Beach Gardens seafood restaurants, casual seafood in Palm Beach Gardens, lobster in Palm Beach Gardens, clam strip rolls in Palm Beach Gardens, fresh seafood Palm Beach Gardens

Florida: Dim lights, it's May ... turtles are on their way

Rescue recovering at Juno

By Jane Feehan
  

Each year, between May and November, thousands of sea turtles come ashore in Florida to build nests and lay their eggs. Before the heavy development and population of the coastal areas, turtle hatchings found their way back into the ocean by instinct, following the silhouettes of dunes and vegetation and light from the sky.

Today, many of these habitats are overshadowed by towering condominiums or other edifices of densely populated areas that cast artificial light, disorienting turtle hatchlings as they take their first steps. Instead of trekking back into the ocean, they head inland and succumb to dehydration, fire ants, ghost crabs – or cars.

This may be the reason – scientists are not sure – that the loggerhead species of sea turtles are threatened and green sea turtles and leatherbacks are endangered. To protect these sea creatures, lighting ordinances have been adopted throughout the state of Florida since the late 1990s.

Rescued turtle recovering in Juno

Ordinances attempt to diminish or redirect artificial lighting, though turning lights off is the simplest way to deal with the issue. If that isn’t an option, there are three rules or guidelines to keep artificial lighting to a minimum:

• Keep it LOW - mount the fixture as low as possible to minimize light trespass, and use the lowest amount of light needed for the task.
• Keep it SHIELDED - fully shield the light so bulbs and/or glowing lenses are not visible to minimize light trespass.
• Keep it LONG - use long wavelength light sources (ambers and reds) in the appropriate lighting fixtures.

There is also no solid data on the efficacy of lighting ordinances to protect turtles. Though lighting ordinances have been controversial over the years, many Florida residents have come to accept them. Residents often adopt protective lighting as a way of life for safety.

For more about where turtles recover from illness and injury in Juno Beach, see: http://janesbits.blogspot.com/2010/10/saving-sea-turtles-one-by-one.html

For  more information, visit: http://myfwc.com/media/418417/SeaTurtle_LightingGuidelines.pdf

Could turtles dim the Hillsboro Lighthouse? See  http://tinyurl.com/846le3u

Tags: sea turtles, Florida turtle lighting ordinances, turtle eggs, turtle hatchlings, protecting turtles

Underwater grace: Mermaids at Fort Lauderdale's Wreck Bar

MeduSirena Swim Show

Wreck Bar 

The Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach (formerly the Yankee Clipper)

1140 Seabreeze Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 http://www.sheratonftlauderdalebeach.com/

www.medusirena.com

By Jane Feehan

There are only a couple of bars remaining in the United States with four portholes to a pool and Fort Lauderdale is lucky enough to claim one of them (there used to be several in this city). It’s the Wreck Bar located on the first floor of the B Ocean Hotel,* once known as the Yankee Clipper Hotel (for history of this landmark, see http://janesbits.blogspot.com/2011/06/florida-history-fort-lauderdales-yankee.html).  

I stopped in recently to see MeduSirena, a sub-surface water act headed by retro-performance artist and mermaid-in-chief, Marina Duran-Anderson.  It was 30 minutes of oohs and ahhs from the audience, many of whom were standing in the packed room. I highly recommend the colorful spectacle; it’s sophisticated, beautiful -- and unique.

Held on Fridays, 6:30-7 p.m., this Las Vegas-caliber performance is a great way to start an evening out on the town. It’s also free (please tip!).  Call to confirm the show will be held that night before heading over. The Wreck Bar opens at 6 p.m. but arrive by 5:30 p.m. to stand in line to get a seat. It’s worth it. If you can’t make the show, visit the Wreck Bar for a drink or light meal; it's a piece of Fort Lauderdale history.

See medusirena.com for more information about Ms. Duran-Anderson, “The Fire Eating Mermaid” and the shows she presents throughout Florida and the US.

* As of early December 2014, the hotel was acquired by the InSite Group and will operate in affiliation with B Hotels and Resorts. Renovations are planned and many hope they maintain the Wreck Bar with this notable show. 

Tags: Things to do in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale nightlife, Yankee Clipper Hotel, mermaid show, Wreck Bar, porthole bar, bar with windows to the pool, Gill Hotel, entertainment in Fort Lauderdale