Author Archives: Strawberry Jam

FTLC Takes On The O-B

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Like most, we’ve been excitedly waiting for O-B House to open.  Though the prices on their all-breakfast menu seem a little high, we were eager to see if their mouth-watering descriptions could make it worth it. Read on for the FTLC breakdown of Saturday brunch at the new O-B House.

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O-B Oven Pancake $9

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O-B D-Clawed $14

Appearance

Old black and white photos of South Florida and some maritime decorations adorn the otherwise somewhat minimalistic green walls of O-B House.  (It’s a bit of a small space so it looks just right).  The dark wood tables looked like mostly 2-tops and each had their own single, fresh flower- Gerber daisy, perhaps?  It’s super clean and obviously everything has that brand new feel to it.  There is also an area for outside seating with speakers, which, when we were there, seemed to probably be playing a Jack Johnson Pandora station of sorts- Sublime, Michael Franti, DMB, and the like were heard.  O-B House definitely is trying to get some laid-back sea vibes out- servers even wear some type of boat shoe.

Service

Our server was really friendly and followed standard restaurant procedure in a timely manner- greeting, drink order, check back after our food was out, etc. She even gave us unwrapped straws by holding them with a napkin!  Our food didn’t take very long at all (probably under 10 minutes) but there were only a handful of tables at the time. Either way, she was on top of it and if there’s one thing the semi-hefty prices might get you it’s at least great service.

Food

We decided on the D-Clawed, the O-B Oven Pancake (both pictured above), and 2 cups of coffee (which brings you to about $28 after tax).  The D-Clawed (soft, fresh, free range egg O-B omelet filled with jumbo lump crab, cream cheese, fresh, chopped cilantro, and served with O-B oven roasted Yukon golds or cheese grits and O-B toast) was very tasty but a little underwhelming in size. We went with the 6-grain toast and was very fresh and hearty.  The omelet was quite simply almost crepe-consistency and had the crab, cream cheese, and cilantro rolled in the middle.  Though the menu does state the omelet is “filled” with the ingredients, I was kind of expecting them folded in instead of wrapped. Nevertheless, it too tasted fresh and did it’s job without leaving you feeling grossly overly stuffed. We should also note everything was nicely buttered but in a non-greasy diner way. The O-B oven pancake is just as it is described on the menu: a thick and fluffy, cast-iron baked 8″ buttermilk pancake made with organic flour, sour cream, and fresh, free-range eggs, served with real Vermont maple syrup.  If you want pineapple pecan, banana, blueberry, or strawberry, it’s $3 more, and if you want an extra side of syrup that’ll also cost you $3. Technically, it could cost you $15 for this pancake, but if you go for the basic (pictured below), you will not be disappointed.  It’s huge, light but filling, and truly tastes homemade (if you bake your pancakes in the oven, that is).  It came to our table steaming hot and fresh, and a perfect harmony of moist center and crispy edges. Honestly, it’s so good you may not even need to put syrup on it.

Price

If you haven’t already noticed, O-B House isn’t exactly going to get us in the door with their prices.  But if you’re looking for an occasional splurge on breakfast, and/or excellent service, this place is for you.  And while we make a stink about their That’s-not-Folgers-in-your-cup coffee policy, it’s still pretty reasonable that $2.50 (that includes a 50 cent refill of the small cup) get’s you two cups of coffee.

The Old Fort Lauderdale Breakfast House is located at 333 Himmarshee St, FTL and is open 7 days a week from 7am-3pm Mon-Fri and 8am-3pm Sat-Sun.

Dania Takes One More Step Into Uncertainty

In May, we posted about the sale of Dania Jai Alai, said to be finalized in September.  With the pending sale, the fate of the game is unknown, though it can’t be a good sign the venue has recently stopped jai alai altogether (and their dollar beer Wednesdays) until September 1st.

In continued efforts to give a sort of face lift to the city, Pirates Inn and Lounge is in the process of being demolished (see picture below) after being deemed unsafe and sitting unoccupied since 2009.  The city has already built a $6 million 440-spot parking garage in hopes of enticing developers to build in the area, and demolishing what many call an “eyesore” is just another tactic they hope will attract new business to the area.

Bottom line: as Dania hopes for the best and tries to figure out how to attain it, the future of Jai Alai still remains uncertain. So you better get your vintage sport-watching in before it’s too late.

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Dania's Pirates Inn being demolished July 2011

 

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A previous aerial view of the Pirates Inn

3 New Restaurants In FTL

Fort Lauderdale tap 42Coming soon: Tap 42 (pictured above) is set to open off of Andrews Ave. and SW 14th St in September. They recently took part in the Seminole Hard Rock Rock N Roll Beer B Que (pictures here) and seem to already have a following, considering this is “just two brothers who are opening a new bar, and want to make it a cool place for you, and us to hang out”, according to their page on Facebook.  The venue will have 42 beers on tap and 100+ bottled (largely crafts), live music nightly, food, and an outdoor patio. A quick visit to their website and you can sign up for their mailing list and send over your personal beer suggestions.   Sounds like Tap 42 is making a genuine effort to become the area’s newest neighborhood bar.  Located at 1411 S Andrews Avenue, FTL.

Open: In the spot that used to be Barbara Young Bake Shop, and a different cupcake place before that, East End Eats has opened up.  The cafe has breakfast, lunch, sandwiches, pastries, coffees, and more and is open Monday through Saturday 8:00am-5:30pm and Sundays 8:00am-3:00pm. East End Eats is at 1523 Las Olas Blvd, FTL.

Coming soon: The much-anticipated, and needed since Bluejays’ closing, Old Fort Lauderdale Breakfast House that we posted about in June will be opening Friday, August 5.  Where Village Pie never opened, O-B House is just about ready to go with their breakfast menu and plan to be open 7 days a week.  While a little pricey and no coffee refills, they do have some interesting choices such as the “D-Clawed”: soft, fresh, free range egg O-B omelet filled with jumbo lump crab, cream cheese, fresh, chopped cilantro, and served with O-B oven roasted Yukon golds or cheese grits and O-B toast ($14). Located at 333 Himmarshee St, FTL.

We Were At…

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The 6th Annual Red Eye Has Arrived

Tonight, ArtServe in Sunrise will be lending its 20,000 square-foot space to host the 6th annual multi-platform art event known as Red Eye.  View  live painting, bands, body painting, spoken word, 175 pieces of art, a graffiti challenge, short films, fashion,  and  various eats including three food trucks, all for a $5 donation.  Below is a taste of what you might see (click on the photos for more artist info):

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Live painting by Kazilla

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Henna Tattoos By Lori

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Watercolor By Tatiana Suarez

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Grilled Cheese From Ms. Cheezious

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Graffiti By Virginia Cuellar

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Body Paint By Way Wicked Art

Red Eye Main Event is Friday, July 22, 2011 from 6-9pm.  It’s $5 and is at ArtServe which is located at 1350 E Sunrise Blvd., FTL.  Free parking at ArtServe, War Memorial Auditorium (800 NE 8th St), and St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church (815 NE 15th Ave.)