Sukho Thai, Fort Lauderdale: where tradition meets quality and price

CLOSING

Sukho Thai

Gateway Plaza

1930 E. Sunrise Blvd.

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

954-764-0148

Dinner: Sunday-Thursday – 5-10 p.m.; Friday – Saturday: 5-10:30 p.m.

Lunch: Monday-Friday: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Takeout also available

http://www.sukhothaiflorida.com/

By Jane Feehan

Tucked away in the Gateway Shopping Plaza, Sukho Thai may be easy to miss. An unassuming entrance belies the charm of its interior and the yum factor of its food. Working hard to please patrons since 1990, owner Susie Komolsane and son Eddie Watana reign as consummate hosts over this pearl of a Thai dining experience.

The kitchen presents all the elements of Thai cuisine – sweet, salty, spicy and sour – in an array of dishes that appeals to those seeking a traditional Thai jolt. A selection of spicy curry sauces complements seafood, meat and vegetables. For those who shy away from spicy fare, the menu also offers a wide choice of palate-pleasing sauces infused with plenty of flavor without the fire: baby corn, broccoli, sweet and sour, garlic, cashew, peanut …

Sweet and sour chicken and vegetables with a hefty serving of rice for me and chicken and vegetables with basil (each for about $8) for dining partner was more than we could eat on a recent lunch visit. Spring or summer rolls and a variety of rice noodles, soups, salads and traditional deserts at reasonable prices places Sukho Thai at the top of Thai restaurants to dine at in Fort Lauderdale.

To “sweeten” the Sukho Thai dining experience, summer specials include $2 price cuts on many food items as well as a daily Happy Hour (5- 7 p.m.) with 2-for-1 drinks (beer, wine and sake) and “your favorite bottle of wine” at half price.

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See Bobby Flay's recipe for Thai Red Curry Mussels

Tags: Fort Lauderdale Thai restaurants, good Thai food in Fort Lauderdale, casual Thai cuisine in Fort Lauderdale, Happy hour dining in Fort Lauderdale, summer dining specials in Fort Lauderdale, 2 for 1 summer specials Fort Lauderdale

"Ode" to lunch at Carmine's LaTrattoria - Palm Beach Gardens

Lunch at Carmine’s La Trattoria and Pizzeria

2401 PGA Blvd.

Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410

561-775-0186

http://www.carmines.com

Lunch served daily until 4:30 p.m.

By Jane Feehan

Lunch it was this visit to Carmine’s La Trattoria;

mid-day meal, I opine, is their best of the dia.

Salads, soups, sandwiches for less than ten dollars

may draw some fans with good-natured hollers.

Chicken meatballs and marinara on Italian bread

was more than one could eat before turning red.

That and the Milano, a grilled chicken with earthy roll,

induced us both to follow lunch with a long stroll.

Good food for two, great service for less than a twenty,

Will bring me back often while I shout out to many,

that lunch at La Trattoria is a better buy

than their disappointing dinners that leave one asking why.

Tags: Lunch in Palm Beach Gardens, Italian restaurants in Palm Beach Gardens

H2O Café - Offers more than a good view of Fort Lauderdale Beach

H2O Café

101 South Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

954-414-1024

Open daily: 7:30 a.m. – 11 p.m. (12 a.m. weekends)

http://h2ocafe.net/

By Jane Feehan

As with the other Peter Beck eateries - Aruba Beach Café and Casa Blanca Café  - H2O Café claims a beachside spot with a great view of the Atlantic - here from what’s left of the 1930s art deco Lauderdale Beach Hotel. With a self-described “modern Italian” menu, sophisticated interior bar and dining room and expansive patio, H2O is a cut above the other two restaurants in the Beck collection.

Breakfast (until 11:30 a.m.), lunch and dinner are served daily with the same menu available for the afternoon and evening meals. On my visit, they offered a two-pound lobster for $19; for $5 more it came stuffed with crabmeat - excellent. Warm and cold antipasti from $9 to $13 can stand in as mini meals with choices such as Shrimp Cipria - shrimp sautéed in cognac with cherry tomatoes, pine nuts and mushrooms. Sandwiches, including a Little Havana Cuban sandwich of pork, ham, cheese and pickles, are all served on toasted Cuban bread – a welcome alternative to boring buns.  

View from the patio

A variety of pasta and risotto dishes round out the Italian offerings and join a good selection of steaks and chops, chicken and fresh seafood.  Their full bar, good wines and a great view make H2O a perfect place for a sunset drink or evening out. Good service. Garage parking is available with access to the restaurant – good for those humid, rainy days.

 Tags: Fort Lauderdale Beach dining, Fort Lauderdale waterside dining, Italian dining in Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale's Bahia Mar Yacht Lineup

Yes, they're here even during summer ...

For more Fort Lauderdale yachts, see: http://tinyurl.com/8wnkcl5

For Bahia Mar history see:
http://tinyurl.com/czth5wg


Tags: Fort Lauderdale, boating, yachts

Kelly's Landing, Fort Lauderdale ... ice cold or boiled Maine lobster & things Boston

Kelly’s Landing

1305 SE 17^th Street

Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33316

Open Monday-Thursday: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.

Friday, Saturday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Sunday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Sunday Brunch: 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

954-760-7009

http://www.kellyslandingseafood.com/

By Jane Feehan

Kelly’s Landing, serving New England seafood, is proof that good food can overcome a not-so-good location. This eatery opened nearly 25 years ago at the west end of a shopping center on SE 17^th Street. It remains when other businesses, including restaurants, have closed or moved. If you didn’t know it was there, facing Cordova Road, you'd miss it.

Kelly’s has built a huge following serving up Maine lobster, chowders, Ipswich clams, scrod dishes and, well, all things Boston, including Boston sports TV.

I lunched on a lobster roll ($16), served with piping hot fries and a generous helping of excellent cole slaw. The scoop of lobster was fresh, ice cold and tossed with a minimum of dressing, a good thing. Dining companion ordered a fresh and tasty mahi mahi sandwich (about $10) with the same sides.

The caveat for dinner is to stick with the lobster and fried seafood dishes. A broiled Kelly's medley of scrod, shrimp and scallops was watery (once frozen) and fairly tasteless. They also don't know much about blackened fish or scallops--clearly not their specialty.

Kelly’s also entices repeat customers with beef, chicken and pasta dishes.  When I visited, daily specials included a prime rib hoagie. Neighboring diner, a regular, was pleased with a comfort meal of meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

Other specialties, averaging $20, include fried seafood platters, sea scallop scampi, chicken scampi, and clam bake. Prices range to fit different budgets; there are lunch specials and appetizers under $10 to lobster scampi at $25 and Maine lobster at market prices.

Wait staff told me Kelly’s is a great place to work; it shows in their friendly, excellent service. It’s not surprising, then, that both customers and staff know each other by first name here … where Boston accents run thick.

Bar serves wine and beer.

Tags:  Maine lobster in Fort Lauderdale, New England seafood in Fort Lauderdale, Boston sports bar in Fort Lauderdale