Julie F.
Yelp
We came for our anniversary based on a recommendation by Mike Mayo, former food writer for the Sun-Sentinel. We've been to a lot of places locally and were looking for some place new and upscale to celebrate.
The restaurant is located on the third floor of the Four Seasons hotel which is in Fort Lauderdale across from the beach. They have valet parking at the hotel. And they do validate ($5 off) for the restaurant, and the only negative was that this costs about $25 plus tip even after the discount. We didn't find this out until after we'd dined, and luckily the excellence of the dining experience took some of the sting out of this additional cost.
The restaurant gives you a view of the pool area and the ocean beyond. It was a bit busy here on a Saturday evening. That being said, we had very good service.
We were directed to our table (they said happy anniversary as we checked in at the hostess stand) which was a nice booth right by the window. We were comped a glass each of sparkling rose wine from Lebanon, as an anniversary gift.
We then received an amuse bouche. This was a sweet date stuffed with creamy goat cheese and topped with a few pomegranate seeds.
After looking over the intriguing menu, we decided to have their peach fatoush salad. It was delivered in a small bowl with peach slices and watermelon radish slices on top. The colorful salad had tiny pieces of crispy pita, lettuce, tomatoes, dill, and pomegranate -- all in a light vinaigrette dressing. It was very good, big enough to share, and a nice starter.
For our main meal, we chose one of the sharing large plate entrees -- their beef tagine. And added a side of harra potatoes. The entree was served in the traditional tagine shaped dish and dramatically opened. Inside was the tenderest, huge, beef short rib. The fall off the bone (there was one very large bone) meat was atop a grain called freekeh. I'd never heard of this one, but it reminded us of quinoa. Absolutely delicious! We couldn't believe that the side dish of potatoes was equally as fantastic. Probably the best potatoes I've had. The description says these are spicy but actually they are spiced with garlic and cilantro, and I think (though not mentioned) harissa. They are thinly sliced but kept together in large cubes. The cubes are then crisped in oil. I'm probably not doing a good enough description. Suffice it to say get these as a side dish.
As it was a "celebration", we just had to order dessert. My husband's favorite flavor, passion fruit, was in the description of the tropical fruit pavlova so he was sold. The fruits mixed well together over a center of creamy sorbet. I'm more of a chocolate person, so I chose the dark chocolate pave. This was rich and satisfying. Another creative dish, it had a cookie like short bread bottom layer topped with ganache and a touch of sea salt. There was shaved bits of halva on the top.
We were extremely happy with our entire meal. There were a number of other items that we considered -- like their lamb and the salmon. And even their beef skewers. We saw several tables get the whole branzino -- which they presented then deboned, etc., and plated table side.
If you're looking to celebrate any occasion, I'd highly recommend this place. It's not overly fancy -- as there are hotel guests dressed casually as well as a few families mixed in. And it's a bit noisy. The food is the star here. Come and treat yourself.