Etaru adds Fort Lauderdale spot
Etaru
500 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 954-477-8068, EtaruRestaurant.us
The owners of a year-old oceanfront oasis in Hallandale Beach have unveiled an urban version of the upscale contemporary Japanese restaurant in the Icon Las Olas residential tower.
“Being in downtown, it’s a bit more cosmopolitan,” says Hamish Brown, executive chef for the group linked to the Zuma empire. “We have offerings like an express lunch menu for the office workers who are short of time. Each of the restaurants has their own different, distinct feel and atmosphere while maintaining the same quality of food and service. Customers can choose where to go based on the vibe they are looking for and the occasion.”
Lunch highlights are yakisoba with vegetables and fried egg ($14) and pork belly ramen ($18). Dinner offers paperthin kampachi sashimi ($16), seaweedwrapped raw Wagyu with caviar ($19) and charcoal-fired robata selections such as Korean lamb cutlets ($24) and yuzu miso black cod ($36).
Finales feature chocolate cake with green-tea lava ($11) and a frozen globe of smoked coconut parfait oozing passionfruit ($9.50).
Cocktails are Japanese twists on classics, such as the Lychee and Blossom with cherry blossom-infused vodka ($12).
Lunch and dinner are served daily amid a neutral-toned, industrial-chic ambiance with stonelike walls, sushi bar around an open kitchen, dark-wood latticework and a lounge. Soaring floor-toceiling windows lend a dramatic effect to the semicircular space. Fountains line the wraparound landscaped patio.
Sunday brunch ($55) begins Aug. 19.