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