Audio By Carbonatix
This morning, Clean Plate Charlie’s sister site, Short Order, reported on a change of guard at 15th Street Fisheries in Fort Lauderdale. Here’s Short Order’s Jackie Sayat:
Shrimp
and grits; clams with green lentils, chorizo, and plantain chips;
mussels steamed in beer with blue cheese and homemade thick cut French
fries; wahoo with red quinoa risotto and lobster broth; Kurobuta
pork short ribs with balsamic-glazed Brussels sprouts and braising
juices; and a 16-ounce rib eye with fingerling potatoes and homemade
pineapple Worcestershire.
These
dishes read like a new American seafood restaurant, exactly what
Executive Chef Daniel Serfer has in mind for 15th Street Fisheries,
where he assumed the helm
on September 4. Testing these and other daily specials, Serfer is
giving the historic Fort Lauderdale Marina restaurant a thorough
dusting-of
f, developing a new menu that will debut in November and focus
on local
seafood and affordability. The chef arrives from a five-year stay at
Chef Allen’s Modern Seafood Bistro in Aventura, where he was most
recently chef de cuisine.
“It was a huge part of my life,” says Serfer. “Allen taught me so
much. Each day that I’m not there, I realize more and more what I
learned.”
Attracted to 15th Street Fisheries for its rich, 32-year legacy on
the marina, Serfer explains that the establishment was originally owned
by late FIU hospitality professor Michael Hurst. The current
proprietors are the family that has owned the marina for about 60
years.
“I’m really excited about this place,” he says. “I feel a
connection to it, like I do with Allen’s. It’s what attracted me to
the opportunity. I grew up eating here with my parents. It’s one of
Fort Lauderdale’s most-beloved restaurants.”
The restaurant has a boathouse feel, with real nautical items and
photos that the owners have collected over the years on the waterfront.
Downstairs is casual, serving your typical seaside cafe items, like
hamburgers, fried calamari, and Cuban sandwiches, while upstairs is
more refined.
“Every single seat has an ocean view,” says
Serfer. “It’s right on the water so people can park their boats. We
have a giant tarpin school that comes up to the dock. We feed them fish
trimmings.”
And if Serfer has it his way, these feisty fishies are
the only local seafood that won’t have to worry about ending up on the
new menu.
954-763-2777
1900 SE 15th St.
Fort Lauderdale
