SHADE-O-METER RATING
4 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “SHE GAVE GOOD FACE – SHE SERVED IT”
What’s Casablanca Café? It’s restaurant that’s in the Jova House. The Jova House—circa 1927—is the oldest remaining structure on Fort Lauderdale Beach. The house was converted into a restaurant in 1993. How was the maître d’? No complaints. There always seems to be someone there. What was the décor like? Fabulous. The owner(s) smartly preserved the Mediterranean Revival architecture.
What was the seating like? There is indoor and outdoor seating, both upstairs and downstairs. There’s limited seating in the piano bar area as well. What was the atmosphere like? Casual, with about a 50/50 mix of tourists and local. Some people are dressed up in afternoon attire, and some people are in bathing suits.
How’s the cruising? Not really present. However, for the guys, there are a fair number of queens there. When was happy hour? Monday through Friday, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. What libations were ordered? We got a Bloody Mary, a cucumber martini and a “Casa Basil” drink. They were between $10 and $13. Were they served timely? Yes.
How were they? The Bloody Mary could have been a little more pungent, the cucumber martini was a little too sweet and the strawberries and the basil in the “Casa” drink should have been muddled. They’re also a little stingy with the pourin’ of the liquor. however, overall, the drinks are good. What was on the menu? We went for lunch, which was served until 4:30 p.m. They have their traditional Menu, and there’s also a few specialty drinks and entrees.
What was ordered? A baked brie appetizer and an ahi tuna appetizer. For the entrees, a fish taco, a seafood linguini, and a snapper entre (which was the catch of the day). The appetizers were about $14 and $15. The entrees ranged from about $15 to $19. Was the food served timely? Yes. The wait was appropriate for this type of restaurant.
How was it? The brie appetizer is basically a deconstructed salad, which is interesting concept. The blueberries in it were perfectly ripe. The tuna appetizer had picked kimchee (cabbage) in, which was a nice touch. Regarding the entrees, the snapper dish was a tad too salty. But the roasted tomatoes and the parsley-infused olive oil in it were complementary and pleasing. The coleslaw in the fish tacos needed more dressing, but the fish was very fresh (which is paramount). The seafood linguini was served with lobster cream sauce, as opposed to the more common red sauce. There was a modest amount of seafood in the dish.
How was the service? Attentive. What stands out about the place? The décor and the view. Regarding both, it simply doesn’t get any better. however, I’m sure that no one appreciated the irritating noise from periodic motorcycles. What could be improved? The wait staff removed the plates from two people while the third was still eating. This is a no-no. What was surprising? The inside windows on the second floor don’t open.
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