Cascades restaurant, located at downtown Fort Lauderdale, is a huge restaurant that brings fine dining to the guests. Measuring 25,000-square feet, this restaurant is large enough to accommodate a big group of people. The design is quite impressive and would be the ideal place for a party or other special event.
The outdoor tables offer a good view of the water and the world as it passes by. Although the seating is not elegant in style, the view makes up for the less than perfect seating.
The raw bar is good, with a good variety of oysters ($1-$2 each), clams ($1.25), mussels ($6 a dozen), and several solid preparations of each in various types of broth. The ceviche ($9) is also a wonderful choice. Most items are available in appetizer portions or for a little extra price, larger portions can be purchased. You will also have the option of choosing form the mini crab cakes ($7/$9), tiny lamb chops that are well cooked and have an enhanced flavor the olive tapenade ($7/$9), fried calamari ($9), and succulent sea scallops with a cornmeal crust and capers ($7/$9). Regardless of what you choose from the menu, you will be pleased.
Macadamia-crusted mahi-mahi is nicely cooked at Cascades and it is totally enhanced by a sweet, syrupy sauce and sweet potatoes on the side. The pan-seared chicken breast with a sour cherry sauce provides a touch of sweetness but the seared salmon with dry, tough squares of goat cheese polenta, sweet potato salsa, and butter sauce is an overly rich blend of Florida flavors. Everything on the menu is a beautiful creation from a very talented chef.
The bar at Cascades is a large and friendly spot. The menu is augmented by a reasonably priced wine list. Wine lover's flock to the restaurant to get a special taste of Penfold's Grange, Australia's greatest red wine, for $40 off the wine list. Normally, this bottle of wine retails for $200 and seldom shows up on wine lists, so when you see it, know that you are getting a real bargain. These are just a few examples of the mouth-watering dishes you will find in beautiful Fort Lauderdale!
