Express Lunch at Etaru Las Olas is a Three-Course Affair

Since its opening less than one year ago, Etaru Las Olas has enhanced the downtown Fort Lauderdale dining scene with distinguished Japanese flavors in everything from fresh sashimi to crispy tempura to perfectly cooked dishes out of its robata grill.

Now, the upscale Japanese eatery has debuted a new express lunch menu with three combination options designed to offer on-the-go diners a comprehensive taste of the restaurant's menu.

"When building out the idea for these express lunch options, we really kept in mind our location," said Rifici. "Downtown Fort Lauderdale is a metropolitan neighborhood and home to hundreds of offices within walking distance of the restaurant. We wanted to give our neighbors an elevated lunch experience while keeping in mind their busy schedules."
 
A concept by Zuma's co-founders Rainer Becker and Arjun Waney, Etaru is located inside the Icon Las Olas residential tower and is set in an industrial-chic atmosphere. The restaurant offers indoor and outdoor dining spaces, where, for $17, guests can enjoy the new express lunch of white miso soup, beef and ginger dumplings, and an entrée choice of pork belly ramen with grilled bamboo, Yakisoba with mixed vegetables and a fried egg, or the Etaru Burger with tomato, onion, shiitake, and fries.
There's also a Robata option, which includes white miso soup, green beans with asparagus and lime dressing, and a choice of salmon teriyaki, spicy glazed pork ribs with tobanjan sauce, or grilled chicken with spicy lemon miso ($19). The version for sushi aficionados is crafted with white miso soup, seaweed and watercress salad with honey sancho, and a sushi selection with yellowfin tuna, seabass, and salmon sashimi, along with salmon tartar with yuzu den miso with crispy nori, and avocado and cucumber maki with wasabi peas ($22).

Guests can also get a solid lunch break out of Etaru's lineup of a la carte options, which has also been expanded. Highlights include the grilled salmon wrap with avocado and sweet soya ($16), a flatbread with tuna, onion and tofu cheese ($16), and a spicy yellowfin tuna maki with cucumber, chives and tempura flakes ($12.50). New robatayaki dishes on the menu include the grilled chicken with spicy lemon miso ($16) and the spicy glazed pork ribs with tobanjan sauce ($19.50).

Etaru. Lunch service Monday through Friday from Noon to 3:30 p.m. at 500 E. Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale; 954-477-8068; etarurestaurant.us.