Fort Lauderdale is called the “Venice of America” for its 165 miles of canals — and it earns it. Here's what we'd do with a free afternoon.
Fort Lauderdale's sports playground and our favorite way to sweat out a vacation day: book a pickleball court, talk trash, settle it over lunch. The kitchen is no afterthought either — Florida Room, from Top Chef alums Jeff McInnis & Janine Booth, does serious fried chicken.
Wide, walkable, and lined with the famous wave wall. The promenade from Las Olas to Sunrise Blvd is a perfect morning stroll.
Hop on near the hotel and cruise past mega-yachts and mansions. It's transportation and sightseeing in one — get the all-day pass.
A quieter stretch of sand south of the main drag — calmer water, fewer crowds, and great shelling at low tide.
Forty-five minutes west and a world away. Airboats, alligators, and the river of grass — book a morning tour and be back for lunch.
Our actual shortlist — the places we take visiting friends. Two of them are in the Michelin Guide; all of them are worth planning an evening around.
Elaine will tell anyone who listens that Lawrence makes the best steak she's ever had, so she almost never orders one when we eat out. Daniel's is the one exception: Florida-raised beef good enough to make her break her own rule. Start with the wagyu tartare and the Floridian oysters Rockefeller, then commit to a steak. Our splurge-night spot — book well ahead and dress up.
A strip-mall gem on North Federal serving the fiery, herb-packed cooking of Thailand's northeast, from family recipes. Order the yum naem khao tod (crispy rice salad with fermented sausage), the Isan sausage, and mango sticky rice to finish. No reservations — it's worth every minute of the wait.
A Thai spot that does its namesake, khao man gai, beautifully: silky poached chicken over rice cooked in rich chicken broth, with a punchy ginger sauce on the side. But the dish we dream about is the Panang curry with fried chicken: a rich, nutty, coconut-laced curry poured over a shatteringly crisp cutlet. Don't leave without it.
A cozy, family-run Indonesian spot in downtown Hollywood — the chef is from Lombok, and the menu reads like a love letter home: lemongrass, kaffir lime, and coconut milk everywhere. Get the beef rendang, or go all-in on the rijsttafel. Everything is cooked to order, so settle in.
Our favorite dumpling spot, period. We used to make the trip to New York just to chase the perfect soup dumpling; now we just drive to Coral Springs. Lao Hu Tong hand-rolls them paper-thin every day, alongside pan-fried dumplings with a crackly lace skirt and proper scallion pancakes. Order more than you think you need — you'll finish it.
Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, NSU Art Museum downtown, and the Riverwalk arts district if you want a break from the sun — plus the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, one of Elaine's projects.