15th St. Fisheries, 1/20

Since it was a beautiful day today, we decided to sit outside on the dock at 15th St. Fisheries Dockside Cafe. www.15streetfisheries.com
I didn't get my usual, the crab cake sandwich. Instead I ordered the Tuna Salad sandwich with steak fries, $8. The fries were great as always but the tuna was rather tasteless. Not awful, but just bland and plain. Pictured below is 1/2 the sandwich. Next time I'm going back to the crab cake sandwich for sure. Great weather and atmosphere made the lunch worthwhile though. 6.0/10 for today.

Gilbert's 17th Grill 1/19

I went back to Gilbert's 17th St. http://www.gilberts17thstgrill.com/ in the Harbour Shoppes today. (Previously reviewed). I had heard they have some really good hamburgers, so I had one today. I got the Cheeseburger, medium rare, with sweet potato fries. $8.50. The burger came out a perfect medium rare, which was great because so many places are afraid to serve it that way. It was very juicy and not one of these thin little patties like is served at so many places today, like 5 guys. The sweet potato fries were also quite good, though they needed some kind of dipping sauce other then ketchup. Overall, a very good and juicy burger, served just the way I prefer them. 8.0/10.

Maguires Hill 16, 1/15

I stopped in for a quick lunch at Maguires Hill 16 on Friday. A well know happy hour place with the courthouse crowd 535 North Andrews Ave.Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301. They have an extensive menu with many quality items. Today I was looking for something a little lighter so I went with the Maguires Salad, which is a tradition Chef's salad with ham, turkey, cheese, hard boiled eggs, onions, and cucumbers over mixed greens. They make their own salad dressings. I had the honey dijon, which was quite good. Overall a quality salad. I've had a number of their other menu items in the past. As I recall, I didn't care for their corned beef, but their other traditional Irish Bar/Pub items were fairly good. 7.5/10.

Waxy O'Connors 1/14

I went back to the always solid Waxy O'Connor's today. 1095 SE 17th St, Fort Lauderdale.

Yes, it is more then just a bar. They have a really nice menu with plenty of choices including all the traditional Irish Pub fare and a number of sandwiches and salads.

Today I was feeling like eating particularly unhealthily, so I went with the traditional Fish and Chips, pictured below. It comes with excellent fries (chips), and fresh green peas. Although the meal was extremely greasy as expected, it was also very tasty. The fish was battered and cooked nicely and not overdone as is often the case with fish and chips. Overall a nice, but heavy lunch. I'll be eating something light for dinner tonight for sure to balance this out. 7.5/10

11th St. Annex

I finally made it to the 11th Street annex for lunch today. 14 SW 11th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL, right across from the Trinity Lutheran Church, off of Andrews Ave.

How had I never heard of this place in all the years I've been working near the courthouse? It is truly a great discovery. They only have about 6 tables and it fills up quickly at lunchtime, but the food was great. It feels like you are dining in someones living room. They don't have a set menu, instead they have 4-5 daily choices, usually consisting of a soup, 2-3 sandwiches, an entree or 2, and a dessert. I had the Japanese style lightly fried turkey breast topped with Seaweed salad. It came with a side of macaroni salad, $9. My friend had the Chicken Curry with Roti, $9. Both were excellent. (pictured below)

The only negative of this place is the limited seating and since they only seem to have 2 or 3 employees, it isn't the quickest of places. The great food and cozy atmosphere more then makes up for it though. I will certainly be coming back here many times. 8.0/10

What's the infatuation with La Spadas Hoagies?

I went to La Spada's Hoagies this weekend for the first time in about a year. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures. Anyway, the reason I went back there this weekend is that in the 2010 South Florida edition of Zagat's, La Spada's was rated as the BEST food in all of Fort Lauderdale. I kid you not..... I wanted to try it again to see what the infatuated is. I've eaten there a few times in the past but not recently, but I never understood why people thought they were so amazing. Don't get me wrong, they do make a very good sub, but, it's just a sub and not really any better than any number of places, like My Market for example. I had the "Monster", which is Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef and cheese. $10.75 for a large. It was quite good and was enough for 2+ servings. But again, it was just a sub. No exceptional or interesting toppings, just your standard lettuce, tomato, onions, hot and sweet peppers, etc. Was I happy with the sub, yes, but the best food in Ft. Lauderdale? Come on. Can someone please tell my how anyone can think this is the best food in Fort Lauderdale?

Jack's Old Fashioned Hamburgers. 1/2

I went back to longtime favorite Jack's Old Fashioned Hamburgers, located at 4201 N Federal Hwy Oakland Park, FL 33308. They also have a location in Pompano. Jacks grounds their own beef freshly each day and serves old style fried/MacDonald's style hamburgers. Although in my opinion, Jack's pales in comparison to places like Charm City Burger Co (Deerfield), or California Burger (Near the Galleria Mall), they still make a nice, old style burger, as long as your body can handle all the extra grease. Their fries are just OK and it would be nice if they offered some additional toppings, but its still a great place to try when in the area. 7.5 out of 10.

12/30 Isabella's Pizza and Pasta

Isabella's Pizza and Pasta is located at 1571 S Federal HwyFort Lauderdale, FL 33316, it is in a small strip mall near the Dunkin Donuts and the Hair Cuttery, off of Federal between Davie Blvd and 17th St.
I had the Chicken Bleu cheese salad and my friend had the chicken Parmesan, (pictured below). The salad was quite good and featured a nice amount of grilled chicken and crumbled bleu cheese on top of a traditional green salad. It also came with garlic rolls which were fairly good. My friend said the chicken parm was solid and it certainly was a large portion for lunch.
On a previous visit here, I had 2 slices of pizza, which were good, but the slices where a little on the small side compared to other place. The chicken salad was better then I expected and I certainly will return. 7.5 out of 10.

1/8 Update, Anthony's Runway 84 from 12/23

I've been really slacking off on here lately and I'm going to try to be a bit more consistent with the posts in the coming year. I am running out of local places so any suggestions are greatly appreciate. Also, comments are welcome. Shout out to the JAAB Blog http://jaablaw.com/ for the recommendation to try Saigon City. I'll be sure to stop by in the coming weeks.

Anthony's Runway 84

Before the holidays, we hit Anthony's Runway 84, near SR 84 and Andrews. This long standing Fort Lauderdale Landmark recently started serving lunch. The last time I ate here, was probably with my Grandparents when I was like 10. I've mostly avoided it for dinner over the years due to the long waits. There were 3 of us for lunch so we decided to split 3 of there most traditional appetizers and a sandwich. (Pictured below in order) We had their famous meatballs, which were quite good, but not as awesome as I expected them to be, the rice balls, which were stuffed with meet and cheese and where fantastic, and the sausage and broccoli rabe, which was also fantastic. We also ordered a chicken panani (not pictured), which we probably could have skipped. It was nothing special. The 3 appetizers would have been enough for lunch. They had a few other items that looked interesting, including a seafood salad, which I'll try next time. Price wise, the lunch menu is very reasonable. The apps were about $8-9 each and the panini was like $10 I think. Overall, lunchtime is a great opportunity to dine at this historic Fort Lauderdale landmark for a reasonable price with none of the usual waits or favorable treatment for tables. 8.0 out of 10

12/30 Update

New posts coming after the new years. Anthonys runway 84, Isabellas Pizza and Pasta, and others

12/7 Update

I got a new puppy last week who requires a ton of attention, so I've been going home around lunchtime every day to take him out and have been eating at home. I should have some new updates coming sometime next few weeks.

15th St. Fisheries, 12/1

I went back to the downstairs, casual area, of 15th Fisheries at Lauderdale Marina 1900 SE 15th Street, Fort Lauderdale. While I don't particularly care for the supposedly fancy, upstairs dining area, the downstairs area by the dock is a great lunch place for this time of year when its not to hot to sit outside.I had my usual favorite, which is a crab cake sandwich $13,(pictured below) with excellent steak fries, served with a creole mayo. Top notch as always. The crab cake had the right amount of crab and not that much breading and filler. Although $13 is a bit more then I like to spend for lunch, this is worth it, given the food and the great setting right on the water. My co-worker had the chicken sandwich, pictured below, which was also very good. 8.5/10.

Don Arturo's 11/24

I ordered the 1/4 chicken with rice and beans and plantains today at Don Arturo's, a local courthouse favorite, located at 1198 SW 27th Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL. Previously reviewed a few months back. The food here is always solid, fast and they have a great waitstaff. Ask for the Chimicuri and Jalapeno sauce. Both are great on everything, especially the cuban bread.

Waxy O'Connors 11/20

For what most people just think is an Irish Bar, Waxy O'Connors also serves great lunch and dinner. The have a lot of the traditional Iris Pub fare but also a number of specialty items. Everything I have ordered their has been freshly prepared and I've never been disappointed.

Waxy's is located off of 17th Street Causeway, about a 1/2 mile east of US1.

Today I ordered the Ham and Cheese Toasty, which was a ciabatta roll with melted Cheddar cheese, ham, tomato and onions and came with a large portion of long freshly cut fries. Everything was good. The fries where just how I like them. Just a little crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. One of the better and most surprising lunch choices in the area. 8.0/10

Quick Coffee Suggestion

I'm not much of a coffee drinker but occasionally I'll grab a decaf in the morning on the way to work. This suggestion came from my mother and I tried it out today and it was really good.
7-11 stores have recently stepped up their coffee service and now offer many choices and flavors of good quality coffee and accompaniments. They also offer pre-made cappuccino. Fill your coffee cup about 1/4 of the way with the pumpkin spice cappuccino from the machine, then fill the cup the rest of the way with their regular coffee or decaf. Then add splenda and milk or whatever sweeteners you prefer. I think the 16 ounce coffee was like $1.49. Compared to Starbucks it's a steal.

photos 11/18

I went back to Joe's Diner in the the Harbour Shoppes off of 17th St. Causeway today and got the California Chicken Sandwich, pictured below. Everything from this place is always solid. Certainly not the fanciest place, but as previously reviewed, it is good typical diner fare. I've also included some photos of items I've eaten the past few weeks that have previously been reviewed. 1. California Chicken Sandwich with Avocado and Bacon from Joe's Cafe. 2. Asian grilled chicken salad from Gilbert's 17th St. Grill. 3. Tacos Al pastor from Taqueria Dona Raquel in Pompano.

Charm City Burger Co. 11/16

I had to go up to the Deerfield area yesterday, so after I was done, I stopped in at what I consider the best hamburger place in all of South Florida. Charm City Burger Company is located right off of Hillsboro Rd, just east of US1 at 1136 E. Hillsboro Blvd. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. It is a small, nondescript place that you could easily pass and drive by it all the time without ever noticing it. That would be a huge mistake as their hamburgers are fantastic. I was told the chef has worked in a number of high end restaurants and they do have other sandwiches on the menu besides hamburgers. I ordered the double cheeseburger, pictured below (Half eaten). For most people, the regular cheeseburger would be fine, but the double just brought it to another level. The fries are very good too. 9.0/10. That makes charm city the highest rated lunch place I have reviewed to date I believe.

Vito's Gourmet Pizza South 11/17

Today I went to Vito's pizza, which is located off of 17th St. Causeway in the same shopping center as Office Depot and Ross. They offer a few lunch specials and both regular and sicilian pizza slices. I've had the slices before and they are pretty good. Today I got the vegetable roll/stromboli. It was freshly made so it did take a little long to make, but that is understandable. It was stuffed with spinach and fresh tomatoes and came with a fountain drink for $5.95. As you can see from the photo, it was quite big and I actually only ate about 2/3 of it and took the rest home. I was very happy with the roll and will certainly be back again. 8.0/10

11/12 Update

I'm taking a short break from posting but I should be back in the next few weeks. I've been running out of good local lunch places to review. PLEASE LET ME KNOW OF ANY GOOD PLACES THAT I HAVEN'T YET REVIEWED.

Week of Nov 1

I only went to a few previously reviewed places this week so I'll just include some pictures:

1. Veal Milanese Sandwich from Giorgio's on 17th St. Excellent

2. Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Cole Slaw on top from Gilbert's 17th St. Grill. Very good

3. Large Deluxe Chicken Chop with yellow rice from the Natural Chicken Grill in the harbour shoppes. So so.