Aloha, Lunch
Poke House, 666 N Federal Hwy., 754.200.4555, thepokehouse.com
The casual Hawaiian cuisine called poke – a kind of fish salad pronounced po-KAY – is now on offer at several local locations. The Poke House is the second poke place to open in central Fort Lauderdale in recent months. One recommended dish is the Venice Beach California Poke. It’s marinated in salsa verde, served with avocado, baby heirloom tomato, red onion, crispy lotus and seaweed nori, served over white rice. Other dishes include poke nachos and mini tacos. The Poke House menu offer a variety of drinks including a selection of sake, wine on and Big Island microbrew beers. If that doesn’t satisfy you, complete your meal with sweet treats including chocolate mousse with Reese’s chips, vanilla whipped cream and shaved chocolate, or Poke Sweet Fruit – sake infused fruit, poke sweet gelée, coconut foam and hazelnuts.
Italian Modern
Giannino Restaurant & Café, 218 Commercial Blvd., 954.530.8270, giannino.us
This slickly modern Italian restaurant serves up favorites such as flatbreads, pasta and salads. Seafood lovers might want to check out the Zuppetta Di Mare Mediterranean mussels, clams and octopus sautéed in a fresh tomato sauce served with crumb of scented bread. The menu also features a winelist that starts with Italian and then ventures off all over the globe – Argentina, Spain, France, South Africa. And yes they have beer as well. If you’re not up for an alcoholic drink, try something off the coffee menu.
Dal Contadino Trattoria, 2275 E Oakland Park Blvd., 954.900.2714, facebook.com/dalcontadino
This family friendly restaurant serves traditional Italian cuisine with pasta, salads and desserts – along with big plates if you’re hangry. For meat lovers, Bistecca Alla Fiorentina, a three-to four-pound steak served with in-house mushroom sauce with a side of veggies, will fulfill your appetite. And there’s no better way to complete an Italian meal than by indulging in an Italian dessert such as a decadent Limoncello Tiramisù. This restaurant features happy hour specials and serves Italian beer and wine. And if the wine or limoncello loosens your lips, the trattoria also does karaoke.
