Get Liter Beer Steins and Crowler Cocktails When Township Fort Lauderdale Opens Friday

If you've missed Tarpon Bend's tuna burger with wasabi aioli and pickled ginger since the Fort Lauderdale restaurant's closing earlier this month, you'll be happy to know you can find it — and many of your favorite menu items — at a new establishment set to pay homage to the downtown area's longstanding nightlife staple.

The Restaurant People (TRP), creators of Yolo, Boatyard, Rooftop, TRP Taste, and S3, have announced their latest concept, Township, will open Friday, June 29, at 219 S. Andrews Ave. in the space formerly occupied by Tilted Kilt.

"When we closed Tarpon Bend we weren't sure if we wanted to renovate the old space or offer something completely new," says TRP cofounder and CEO Tim Petrillo. "We decided to take the key elements of what made Tarpon Bend so successful and incorporated them into Township. The concept brings something fresh to downtown, while keeping a piece of the old venue alive through its offerings."

Township stands as a sister venue to the brand's location in Tallahassee, which opened in November 2016. According to Petrillo, Township Fort Lauderdale will replicate the style of the original location with communal seating, but unlike the first location will offer seated table service in place of walk-up counter service.

Township's menu will focus on communal dining with street food dishes and classics from bratwursts and house-baked pretzels to burgers and mac 'n' cheese. The concept's shareable plates ($7 to $12) include vegan tacos, pork banh mi buns, and bulgogi sliders. Several salads ($10 to $15) include three of Tarpon Bend's most popular offerings — the Cobb, Mediterranean, and chicken tortilla — served up alongside new roasted vegetable and baby spinach selections. Main plates ($12 to $21) offer grilled mahi tacos, pretzel-crusted schnitzel-style pork, shrimp and grits, and salmon or tuna noodle bowls.
For drinks, a large selection of craft and domestic beers will be served from 72 taps at two bars, all available to order in third-, half-, and full liter steins ($4 to $16). A crowler machine won't serve beer to go, but instead offers a unique twist on beer cocktails ($16), served in the form of portable, 32-ounce cans. Choose from Mr. Zog's Gog, a combination of RumHaven rum, grapefruit juice, and mango witbier. Or the Tequiling Me Softly, made with Herradura tequila and cranberry juice, lime, and Founder's Rubaeus raspberry ale.

The new eatery and bar will incorporate Tarpon Bend's most popular elements, from many of the 18-year-old establishment's original staff members to menu favorites and its two-for-one happy hour deal. (The restaurant will also accept Tarpon Bend's wooden drink chips.)

Township will also offer a number of new promotions and items unique to the area, including men's and women's stein lifting competitions. "Beat The Bell" will offer guests specials on select beer; prices start low and move to full-price as the day goes on. "Flip the Chip" will let you bargain those happy hour drink "chips" with the bartenders: land on the tarpon side and get two complimentary drinks (miss it, and you'll pay for your second drink).

To celebrate the opening Friday, Township will offer a complimentary draft beer to each customer from 4 to 5 p.m., a special that will kick off Township's weekday happy hour featuring two-for-one beers, house wine, and well drinks served from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. During the weekend, a Savage Sunday brunch takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (launching July 8) featuring $20 bottomless mix-and-match beer, bloody marys, beermosas, and mimosas served in half-liter steins.

"We're always trying to stay ahead of the curve and create new concepts that fill a void or may be lacking," Petrillo says.

Township. 219 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 954-338-4070; townshipftl.com.