Best Restaurants for Foodies in Lauderdale by the Sea

It was a a cool evening to dine outdoors but with the portable gas fire torches, my wife and I were comfortable. We were only looking for a light bite so my wife ordered the edamame and a California roll. I ordered Miso soup and a sampling of nigiri. The edamame was fresh with a light snap when biting and perfectly, lightly salted. The Miso broth was hot and hearty. Perfect on this cool Florida night. She told me she loved her California roll and I thought my nigiri was delicious. Dock fresh with brilliant colors. I chose the tuna, yellowtail and golden eye snapper. I'd order the same thing again in a heartbeat, but there were so many other items I'd like to try next time. She ordered a glass of champaign (by the glass) and didn't particularly care for it. Too dry she said. I chose a drink that is their spin on an old fashioned. (I forget the name) but it had ginger in it and it was delicious. Small side note, the brand of still water they serve is Mountain Valley. You don't see this brand very often but it was fantastic. So refreshing and crisp mouthfeel. I LOVE Acgua Panna and keep it at home but I may switch it up and try this brand of spring water if I ever see it in a store or online. We had a great experience at Takato and look forward to our next time here.

I had an amazing birthday dinner with my son. Cafe Maxx never disappoints.

This is the first time we dined at Spice Thai. We had seen a review that said parking was tight. We arrived after 5 for a 5:30 reservation and there was plenty of spaces since the restaurant doesn’t open for dinner until 5pm, but as we waited in the car, cars started piling in. There were about 5 spaces left when our friends arrived. There was a sign stating additional parking in rear but we didn’t check that out. When our party arrived they sat us in a nice booth. The place seems pretty big. Definitely has nice atmosphere. Our server came over and explained all the specials and took our drink order. Then he came back and took our appetizer order. We had the vegetarian spring rolls. Two per order. They were served hot and tasted very good. Then he finally took our dinner order. Everyone ordered something different. I requested my Beef with Mixed Vegetables to be medium spice level but they didn’t add spice. I do have to say that the beef was very good, probably the best I’ve had in a Thai restaurant. Everyone else’s had the correct spice temperature. The portions were large and we all took home our leftovers. I would say that the server was not as attentive in the latter part of the meal maybe because the restaurant was very busy. Overall it was very good.

It was beyond crowded and hard to get to the food. I enjoyed the food and service but the noise level was very high and it made it difficult for conversation.

We ate dinner ate dinner at the chefs table. While it is very pricey, it was well worth the experience. The food was spectacular. There is a reason that the chef has Michelin stars and there is no doubt they are coming for MAASS as well. Our host Nathan was awesome. If you get him talking music, you get a show with dinner. He was great giving us a great education on what we were eating while allowing us to enjoy the expereince. Highly recommend doing their wine pairings with the dinner. The artists in the kitchen have created an exceptionally special menu. Can’t wait to see what spring brings. Will definitely return.