Salt Life Food Shack

EDITORS NOTE: Groupon is to blame for me discovering this new hangout in Coral Springs (as well as several other reviews on this site. If you haven't already discovered it, GO SIGN UP NOW! Your average dining discount is about 50%, and there are very rarely any exclusions or conditions for redemption.
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When I saw this place listed in my daily Groupon email, my first thought was 'Isn't that the same font from those stickers from a clothing company on every car in town? That seems like a lawsuit right there.' It turns out a lawsuit is unlikely since it's actually officially endorsed by the original company.

They have company stores and offer franchises, which may explain the unusual spread of locations (land-locked Coral Springs, Jacksonville, and coming soon to Stuart). While I'm quite adverse to any stickers on my car (a car dealer once almost lost a sale to me because they wouldn't remove their sticker before I left the lot), I do truly love 'the salt life' so I figured I'd give it a try.

The Beer:
The usual, plus some well-informed craft & import offerings like Wells Banana Bread. No competition with a proper pub (or World of Beer) but impressive for the casual dining restaurant that aims to be.

The Food:

My first impression was that the suspiciously low price point for their varied menu with creative ingredients was a bad sign; either the food would be bad or the portions terribly small. It turned out that it's closer to the latter but still plenty of food. There were obvious signs of cost-cutting however. Having enjoyed (and smuggled home) proper Bahamian conch chowder made in the Bahamas, as well as some very good local bowls (Ernie's BBQ on US1 in FTL), Salt Life Food Shack's recipe is watery and shows more cost-cutting evidence in the form of lots of potatoes and small threads of conch.

Also, I felt that my Seared Mahi Poke Bowl with fresh vegetables did not have enough seared mahi  in relation to other ingredients (while I was unable to finish my dish because I was full, giving me loads of admittedly delicious, sushi-style sticky rice is kind of cheating in my opinion). Also, true Hawaiian poke should contain raw fish, and I was disappointed to discover my 'seared mahi' was actually well cooked all the way through

The Staff:  

Bright, eager, and helpful. eThe hostess apparently had the seating availability memorized; we requested an indoor table and without looking at a sheet she said she thinks one just became available and went to confirm. Even though it appeared packed, we were seated immediately.

Overall, the staff seemed quick and happy to resolve issues, although my server did argue with me briefly and then blame the bartender for a drink mistake- it is a HUGE annoyance to me that bartenders get blamed for mistakes in drinks that my server personally delivered to me, which provided them the chance to confirm the accuracy all the way to my table from the bar. I ordered a margarita with salt, which was brought to me without salt. Not a big deal, but when I pointed it out the mistake, she stated it's 'hard to see' salt on the rim and when I tasted it to confirm the omission she said "well I put it on the ticket, the bartender must have missed it."She then had it corrected (the salt is quite visible on the rim of their glasses, as it turns out...) and even became quite an entertaining and welcome part of the meal and all was forgiven, but for a moment I wasn't very pleased at all.

The Info:
Despite any negatives I might have mentioned above and my general poor impressions of all chain restaurants, this one is still small enough to have good food and ingredients. I will definitely be back for lunch regularly. I am kind of expecting the quality to decline as time goes on, especially after watching the video on their site and seeing the guy in charge tell me that the whole thing was inspired by a phrase that became a drawing that became a tattoo that became a brand, but until that actually happens I'll continue to 'buy into the concept' (the teenage waitress in that same video says that it really makes a difference when you do!)

Recommended For:

Middle-age couples/singles who haven't become homebodys, Family dining, Drinks/appetizers with friends, Business Lunches, Weeknight Dining

Contact:

Phone: (954) 340-7258

www.saltlifefoodshack.com

Location:

2660 N University Dr
Coral Springs, FL 33065

World of Beer

Many of my friends will wonder why I didn't review WOB sooner. The answer, frankly, is that I didn't feel the need to: I already tell everyone I know to go or join me there - people often text as they are heading over to see if I'm already there! However, I recently became a member of the WOB "50 Club", so I felt it was probably time.

The Beer:
With several 400ish draughts and bottles on the menu, it's hard to think you could learn about beer or get proper recommendations from your server. In fact, even the youngest of their staff have been educated about their product and have rarely steered me wrong (and in fact have pleaded with me NOT to try something they knew I wouldn't like; I didn't listen, but they were totally right.)

The Food:
What makes my friends and I drool over owning a World of Beer franchise someday is the fact that they DON'T serve food. They host a book filled with menus from the local resturants, many of whom will even deliver food right to your table inside World of Beer! This means you aren't limited to one style of food, you can eat something different every visit, and the WOB staff can focus on what they're good at: BEER!

The Staff:
Fun, friendly, knowledgeable. At my local one, I am recognized regularly and greeted warmly.

The Info:
I have been to World of Beer in Orlando, Viera, Port Orange, and Coconut Creek. They are generally located in upscale, outdoor shopping centers with several restaurants within a moment's walking distance (the exception so far being the oddly freestanding Port Orange location). Live music is the rule not the exception, and the atmosphere is upbeat and friendly. Tables can be hard to find, so getting there early and making an evening of is is the best plan.


Contact:
(954) 984-0300 (or see contact info for all their locations)
http://www.wobusa.com

Tap 42 Bar & Kitchen

I have to preface this review with the following disclaimer: I REALLY wanted to like Tap 42. It's located in an under-rated (and for me, nostalgic) part of town, and has a random, hot-spot feel like lots of high-end, local-knowledge places in Miami. However, while it was full of the same self-important people who were busy self-importing themselves to anyone who would listen, they seem to have created something hard to describe... I think the closet I can come to describing the atmosphere is Nikki Beach meets TGIFridays: a high-end, exclusive target-rich environment with an attempt at whimsy (without nailing stuff to the walls).

The Beer:
Their marketing attempts to capitalize on the craft beer craze (and anyone who knows me knows how much I like World of Beer!). However, while they have 42 craft & micro brews on tap,and a hundred bottle varieties, on our visit they were out of at least one draft and 3 bottles... of just of the ones we'd asked for! Also, they have a questionable overall selection of beers, seemingly geared more towards the uneducated novice than the discerning beer connoisseur. They do get high marks for dedicating a large percentage of the draft menu to Florida-native beers, but why the balance is taken up by the full line of Sierra Nevada and a smattering of "mainstream imports" like Hoegaarden (for $9!?) remains a mystery.

The Food:
Tap 42 has the best looking food in Fort Lauderdale. While that sounds like a bold and unlikely statement, the key words are "best looking". While everyone was satisfied with the food and no one would say the food anything but good, it just looked so great that the taste had no choice but to be a small letdown. The veggie burger was deemed great, and the Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner burger with fried green tomatoes was quite a challenge.

The Staff:
Another issue we had, contrary to other reviews we have read post-visit (I try never to read reviews before I try a new place to avoid pre-judgement), or waitress was NOT any sort of expert on beer... we asked for a bottle of Young's Double Chocolate Stoudt (to mix with a Wells Banana Bread beer), and she said it was out back, unchilled...but she could bring it to us anyways if we'd like. WHAT?! Can you imagine choking down a beer than's so dark & dense it has it's own gravitational pull.. at room temperature? Other than that, everyone (our waitress included)was friendly, eager to please, and efficient.

The Info:
Do not dine here if you are in a hurry (we waited an hour on a Wednesday night), or if you are on a budget. For impressing a date, I really can't think of a better place, since it's got that cozy feel and suggest's one is in-the-know about our town's hidden hot spots. It's a little loud for a business meeting, but if that's not a deterrent, it's a perfect place to plan an IPO or a Ponzi scheme.

Phone: (954) 463-4900
Web: http://www.tap42.com

Location:
1411 South Andrews Ave.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

Have a Whale of a Time In Deerfield Beach!

I have to confess that I knew of this place for far too long before finally going. I even had been to the Flanigans next door. Now that I've been there though.... I'll be back, and Ill never go to the Flanigans again.

The Food:
The food here is unexpectedly complex and delicious for a casual dining restaurant. Everything is fresh to order; the fried dolphin sandwich isnt beer-battered until you order it that way. Thier fries are cut in-house and seasoned addictively. For a place sharing a wall with a Flanigans and having a similar price range, Im honestly surprised the Flanigans is still open. Given the choice, I'll go here 100% of the time.

The Staff:
Staff here are friendly, engaging, and knowledgeable about their menu. They are also in no particular hurry. That isnt to say your food won't be right out, it comes out surprisingly fast when you think that thye make much of it fresh. They will, however, have extended chats with anyone who has something to say, so don't expect your attempt to get your server's attention to work the very first time. I have zero problem with this, of course. If you're in a hurry, go to Taco Bell, right?

The Info:
The Whales Rib has been featured on the Food Network show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. The episode specifically focused on their Oysters Rockefeller dish... its an interesting twist on the traditional recipe. Here's the segment on YouTube, and here's the episode page on the Food Network (includes the recipe for their famous Oysters Rockefeller).

Recommended For:
Entertaining guests, beachside lunches, beachside dinners, good times.

Contact:
(954) 421-8096

Location:
2031 Northeast 2nd Street
Deerfield Beach, FL 33441-3816

Directions [MAP]:
From 95, take Hillsboro and go east to A1A. Go north and around the bend; it’s on your left next to Flanigans. Parking is limited here, so parking across the street or in the public garage just before the bend may be required.

Best Burger Around - The LeTub Saloon

Here's the best kept non-secret burger joint in South Florida (or in theentire US, if GQ Magazine can be trusted)! Plus, it's even on the Intracoastal!

The Food:
Don't go here and order a salad. Yes, I know it's on the menu. And yes, I'm sure it is delicious like everything else here. But there's no way I'll ever find out, at least as long as they still have that 13oz seasoned sirloin burger on the menu. Charbroiled to your liking, this is the buger voted best by GQ Magazine and featured on the Oprah Winfrey show....and you know Oprah loves her some good burgers!

The Staff:
The staff is part of the fun here... last time I went here, I witnessed the same server get fired by the cook twice...after each, the server cursed the cook out and went right back to work! You're gonna wait a bit for your food, but you're lucky to have the chance to eat here, so you'll wait and you'll like it!

The Info:
No children allowed after 8pm! Everything here is ala carte, so don't forget to order fries with your burger, IF you think you can handle all that food. Last time I went here, it was cash only, so prepare accordingly! Soda is served by the can, and acompanied by a cup and a straw.

Recommended for:
Non-finicky guests - seating is outdoors (but some of it's under a roof of sorts.), lunchtime dates, after-party food (They're open noon-4am daily, weather-permitting!)

Contact:
954-921-9425
http://www.theletub.com/

Location:
LeTub Saloon
1100 N. Ocean Drive
Hollywood, Florida 33019

Directions [MAP]:
LeTub is located on A1A, 50 Yards South of Johnson Street in Hollywood, Florida.