Navigating the happy hour scene on Fort Lauderdale beach is no easy task. The choices of where to go are endless however the scene once you get there is the same -- salacious meat markets, skeevy (but kind of wonderful) dive bars, and South Beach bar wannabes commingle on the weather-beaten A1A strip. If you've grown weary of being surrounded by leathery barflies, ostentatious executives, and glittery gold
diggers, East End Brasserie's happy hour may be more your speed.
Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the East End Brasserie,located in
the Atlantic Hotel and Spa in Fort Lauderdale, invites you to try happy
hour Francophile style. The French bistro, which opened last October, is
helmed by Chef Steve Zobel,
previously the executive chef at Triomphe, an upscale French restaurant
in Manhattan.
Sneak a glance at wide-eyed
tourists, closet-hipsters, and the jet set as you peruse East End's menu.
Happy Hour appetizers range from $7 to $14 and feature small bites like bacon-wrapped jumbo shrimp with soy glaze, grilled Louisiana oysters, and Tequila oyster-shooters. Dinner prices start at $19 and up for items such as Moules Frites, a traditional French mussel dish,
coriander-crusted rack of lamb, or the restaurant's maple-glazed
venison. Those with a few more Hamiltons in their pocket can feast on a
Plateaux de Fruits de Mare, an oyster and shellfish platter, which
starts upwards of $78 for their smaller Coastal Tier plate.
In the lounge area, midnight-black, wood
floors and a glossy, marble bar are illuminated by giant orbs of light
which hover overhead. Ease into over-sized, faux-crocodile skin chairs
and sleek, yet inviting, leather couches. Pick your poison from a dizzying array of spirits, that neatly
line the mirrored shelves; drinks are buy one get one from 4 to 7 p.m.. If hard living isn't your thing, choose from one of the restaurant's many French and Italian wines that
eagerly wait to be uncorked.
If you've had enough of the Tiki bars, sports taverns, and pretentious watering holes on A1A, East End Brasserie may have that certain je ne sais quoi that you've been missing.
Salut!
Happy Hour : 4p.m.- 7p.m.
