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

Yard House Boca

I should preface this review by confessing that I knew ahead of time that this place was going to be like Tap 42 on steroids. However, I was able to find a few positives that Tap 42 doesn't even come close to.

The Beer:

I bet you didn't guess that all the positives about the Yard House have to do with beer! They have a huge list in comparison to Tap 42 (but they still don't have World of Beer beat), and even though I spotted a few 6-packs in their keg room, I think they either have everything on tap or pour glasses based on size regardless of the vessel it's poured from, since the menu only lists pricing for 'Shortys, Goblet/Pint/ or Half-Yards'. That last one is a questionable choice: I understand it's the gimmick the whole franchise rests on, but in a place that tries to sell high-end food (see below), a bunch of dudes carrying around giant tubes of beer in that environment makes you think your country club was just crashed by a frat house. No sensible man would order a quality craft beer in such a vulgar container.

And of course I'm still waiting for someone to start a beer-variety place that DOESN'T waste tap space on Bud,  Miller or Michelob. One can dream, can't they?

The Food:
Eh. That's my gut reaction. I had the grilled artichoke appetizer, the Vodka Shrimp Pasta  plus had a classic ranch salad on the side.


The artichoke was actually fantastic, but it came with a rather boring garlic aïoli sauce. Doesn't matter though... the artichoke itself was seasoned and perfect without any sauce at all.


I substituted the Ranch dressing on my salad because I have a deep-seated  hatred of it. The dressing I chose was a wasabi vinaigrette, but it was almost tasteless. I then asked for their wasabi soy 'dressing' on the side, and man was that good. However, its literally the same soy-wasabi mixture you might make at a sushi restaurant, so it has a hell of a kick.


I ordered the smaller portion of the shrimp pasta because our server said the regular portion was only slightly smaller than a Cheesecake Factory portion, and that's just ridiculous. It came in what I thought was too big a bowl, and clearly had zero effort put into presentation. The sauce wasnt particularly flavorful, the shrimp were somehow the size and shape of a marble (did they chop them up or just serve the tops of them? I couldn't figure it out.), and I was unable to detect the 'dusting of parmesean' promised on the menu.

That being said, the pricing wasn't outrageous. I think it was maybe even cheaper than Tap 42, although Tap 42 definitely puts time and effort into presentation and their food is better and more creative.

The Staff:  
Even though there was a 45-minute wait at 7 oclock, we walked right up the a totally packed bar and were asked if we had been helped yet by not one but two bartenders while a third was already getting our order.

I was a little off-put by a practice of denying me a pint glass for a high-ABV beer simply 'because of the alcohol content'. If I order a pint of a beer on tap and you basically tell me that I am not responsible enough to handle a large glass of strong beer (but you're be totally OK with me ordering a second smaller glass of the same beer at the same price as a pint) then guess what?  I'm also irresponsible enough to be OK with using your tip money to pay the difference.

The Info: Overall, it was better than I expected. The beer pricing would be considered reasonable anywhere, and therefore SURPRISINGLY reasonable for Mizner Park (unlike Tap 42). The food tried to deliver, but I wouldn't risk ordering a proper steak there if a bad steak ruins your whole evening like it does for me. Great place to people watch, maybe even better than Uncle Julios. Try it at least once if you need someplace new but not too adventurous.

Recommended For:
Seeing and Being seen, Happy Hour, Warming up for Cougar Hunting season at Blue Martini later on, meeting a group of friends, TV sports at the bar

Contact:
Phone: (561) 417-6124
http://www.yardhouse.com

Location:
201 Plaza Real
Boca Raton, FL 33432

Sonny's Gelato Cafe

We FINALLY went to Sonny's after passing it countless times throughout college and many times after. It was after dinner at the Yardhouse (I'll pass on that next time), and seeing a rather boring dessert menu. Definitely will return here to try the food. If the fare and decor don't convince you of it's authenticity, the group of old men at a table speaking Italian surely will!.

The Food: Apparently, they have a full Italian menu in addition to gelato... who knew?! The gelato selection is large and plentiful, and VERY good. I  tried the Nutella out of curiosity but was already decided on the amaretto liquor before I even arrived. I ordered a medium but definitely should have had the small... there was only a $0.50 difference between them but I barely finished the medium - don't get me wrong; I finished every bit of it - I would have had plenty ordering the small though too.

The Staff: The staff here was friendly and welcoming, but our only interaction with them was ordering and paying. However, they definitely recognize that tasting is part of the gelato ordering process, and even the large group of samplers in front of us did not appear to frustrate the server.


The Info: We went late on a Friday night and it was pretty well packed with people but the staff is friendly and efficient... a party of 9 just ahead of us that wanted to taste everything only delayed us 2-3 minutes. They have a drive-through window behind the service counter, but I cant imagine a situation where you  would be in such a hurry. Gelato (like the residents of Italy themselves) cannot be rushed!

Recommended For:
Casual outdoor dining, dinner or an after-dinner stop on date night, people-watching, top-notch gelato, practicing wearing socks with loafers, trying to learn Italian by eavesdropping

Contact:
Phone: (954) 748-6088
http://www.realgelato.com

Location:
2151 North Federal Hwy.
Boca Raton, Florida 33431