Sept 27: Autumn Eateries

This is a wonderful time of year to eat in Greater Fort Lauderdale. You'll remember that I was talking in my previous blog about the arrival of autumn - and what fall means in South Florida. One thing it has brought us during each of the past few years is a major bargain on high-end dining. From October 1 - November 11, a six week period, you can try out full dinners at some of the finest restaurants in South Florida. And do it without breaking the bank. Nearly 40 restaurants (ok, 38 restaurants to be exact ...) will be part of the big Dine Out Lauderdale promotion starting on Friday. For just $35, you'll get to savor specially created three-course menus at any of these hot spots. And if you think I'm exaggerating about the quality of the restaurants, I assure you that I'm not.

How about a $35 meal at Via Luna, the Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale's excellent new Italian restaurant situated with a perfect seaside view? Or how about paying that same amount for dinner at the usually very pricey Capital Grille?

Other well-respected eateries taking part in Dine Out Lauderdale include da Campo Osteria, run be celeb chef Todd English at il Lugano, as well as 3030 Ocean at the Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa and Trina at the posh Atlantic Hotel. Or maybe you'd like to finally sample the food at Morton's The Steakhouse or the Mai-Kai or By Word of Mouth. But the restaurants aren't only in Fort Lauderdale of course. There are lots of other choices spread around Broward County. Such as? Well, such as Aizia at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood. And such as Le Bistro in Lighthouse Point and Galanga Thai Kitchen & Sushi Bar in Wilton Manors, Café Maxx in Pompano Beach and Ireland's Steakhouse in Weston's Hyatt Regency Bonaventure. Among many others. I've enjoyed Dine Out Lauderdale meals in the past and always had first-class experiences. That includes a memorable night at the Ritz-Carlton's restaurant, which was located where Via Luna is now. Great spot to watch the moon rise over your appetizer. This website has the full list of participating restaurants: http://sunny.org/dineout. You can click on any of them to see their menus for yourself. How's some pan-roasted snapper sound to you, with mussels, clams, mushrooms and red onion in a white wine tomato broth? Mmmm. You can find that among the Dine Out entrees at SoLita Las Olas. I wish I had room here to tell you much more about the menus at these restaurants. But I don't. Like I said, you can easily check out the details online. Once you see some of the meals available for $35, you're likely to feel like I do after writing about all this. Hungry.