Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Check out chef Richard Sandoval’s new restaurant
The name itself is a mouthful, but when Le Meridien Dania Beach at Fort Lauderdale Airport officially opened Feb. 12 (after a soft opening in January), the hotel brought some culinary clout to the ocean-side city.
The new hotel was formerly the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Airport and Cruise Port Hotel, which was snapped up by real estate developer Charles S. Cohen in 2014. The Le Meridien, with 245 guest rooms and suites, is a partnership with Marriott
International. The hotel was originally scheduled to reopen in 2017.
In addition to the usual resort snacking options poolside as well as the lobby and media center, Le Meridien’s signature restaurant is Toro Latin Kitchen, a pan-Latin and Asian concept by restaurateur Richard Sandoval.
“We’ve been surprised with how busy the restaurant has been,” says Sandoval, who was born in Mexico. “We opened little over a month ago. It’s a little off the beaten path, but it’s right off of I-95, near the airport, so the people are there.”
Toro’s chef, Fabrizio Garofolin echoes that, adding, “We thought we’d be doing like five to 10 covers in the beginning. The last couple of days we’ve been doing 85 to 95 with 75 percent being locals. Friends telling friends, that’s helping us a lot.”
Garofolin, who emigrated from Peru 13 years ago, says that so far some of the most popular dishes include:
Spanish octopus skewers with aji panca sauce and Peruvian potato salad (aioli, citrus lime and Mexican chili powders) for $13.
Four different cuts of Wagyu beef at market prices.
A side dish of crispy Brussels sprouts with raisins, Mexican cheeses, peppers and sherry vinaigrette for $10.
Sandoval, who did a stint on Bravo TV’s “Top Chef Masters” back in 2013, also owns Toro Toro in the InterContinental Miami and two eateries in Tampa. Sandoval lives in Sunny Isles and credits traveling with his banking family and later as a tennis pro for his worldly palate. Although he still travels much of the year to visit the 45 restaurants around the word owned by his company Richard Sandoval Hospitality, he adds that he is “looking to expand” in South Florida. “We’re looking at some future projects.”
Tequila Library
Next to Toro, Sandoval also has La Biblioteca de Tequila, as the name implies, a tequila and mezcal bar.
“I think Toro has the largest tequila selection in South Florida and we’re still working on it,” says Razvan Netcu, the beverage manager. “We have 200 tequilas and I’m working on getting 100 mezcals. It’s a big trend all over the country right now.”
Netcu adds that the bar has personalized lockers where clients can store their own collections purchased from La Biblioteca de Tequila.
“You can store your bottles and keep [them] in a locker for up to a year,” he explains. “You can have a few friends that have access. This started in New York. This is the second one. It’s been very popular.”
Constellation Café
Constellation Cafe offers French/European fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It also serves as the hotel’s room service kitchen.
According to Marcos Flores, the executive chef for Le Meridien, the favorite menu items so far are “… pan-seared snapper, short ribs are super popular. One of the side plates that’s selling is the roasted cauliflowers.”
Flores, who is from Venezuela and moved to South Florida 20 years ago, says the menu includes pizzas, flatbreads, ceviches and the usual array of soups and salads.
“It’s Florida comfort food and at the same time approachable to anybody no matter where they are from.”
If you go info
Le Meridien is at 1825 Griffin Road, Dania Beach. For more information, call 954-920-3500 or go to Marriott.com.
To reach the Toro Latin Kitchen and Tequila Library, call 954-686-1200 or go to ToroDaniaBeach.com.
Toro is open 5-10 pm. Mondays-Wednesdays; 5-11 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and is closed on Sundays.