Side Bar

I’ve eaten at PL8 Kitchen a number of times but, silly me, never wondered inside to checkout the Side Bar. Fortunately this time I happened to do that and was really pleased. Not only do I have the benefits of good small bites of PL8, I also have a bar with some great mixed drinks, beers, a delicious dark IPA on draft and some really great, friendly service. Better yet, when doing my Unilocal check in, up popped a nice little lagniappe giving me my first drink (beer or cocktail) free… so Unilocal does have its benefits, privileges and customer benefits!
There’s a lot to be said for Side Bar. It’s cozy, gets a good night crowd and generally tends to be an «in» and happening place with a location right in the heart of the Himmarshee District.
So, great location, good food from PL8 kitchen, super attentive service and Unilocal friendly! That makes for a great package in that one could hardly ask for more than that.

I heart the Himmarshee Area! Awesome Ambiance!
Had a small get-​together here to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Our server said the chef is experimenting with the desserts, which was why there was no dessert menu. We took a chance on his «confectionstein» creations and ordered the chocolate cake, which was richer than the Real Housewives of Miami and the pineapple upside down cake tasted like it was made by Hawaiian cherubs in Heaven.
Two desserts and a couple drinks (beer & a glass of wine) cost us close to $ 70 so it definitely wasn’t cheap. But, we did have the best seats in the house on the outdoor couches — perfect for a little party.

We came here for the first time as part of the UYE pub crawl for April Fool’s day. I had been wanting to come to Himmarshee for a while to try their food, but this time we only had drinks since it was so late.
The overall atmosphere was fantastic. We walked in, no cover, and went straight upstairs to check out the second floor. They have a nice-​looking bar up there with an outside patio that overlooks all the bars and clubs on Las Olas Riverfront.
We were already pretty messed up due to 3−4−1 at our previous stop (Capone’s) but, somehow, a glass of wine magically appeared in my hands. We sat outside in the patio and enjoyed the weather and cool atmosphere.
The second floor is mainly to chill and have a conversation with your friends and to meet new people. The first floor is more of a dance floor and they were playing great music that night.
In all, we’ll definitely be coming back next time we’re in Fort Lauderdale and hopefully we’ll come early enough to catch dinner (which seems to never happen).

This was my first trip to the downtown area and while the tables outside of the restaurant were very inviting, I have to admit, I was reeled in by the ‘brunch’ sign they had outside along with their drink specials. What followed was a terrible case of anticappointment… When we finally caught the attention of a waitress, we were seated and handed a menu which contained very meager selections for ‘breakfast’ and ‘lunch’ — nothing on ‘brunch’…
Disappointed by the lack of choices, I decided to try the crab cake eggs benedict. Someone should have explained to the kitchen that ‘eggs benedict’ often (if not all the time) include an english muffin. One of the eggs was overdone and as such, I didn’t get that mixture of yolk with hollandaise and the crab was overpowering — it was just a lump of crab meat, too, not the crab cake they list on the menu. I wonder if they sent the dish without finishing it? I had to order a side of bread to feel like my dish was complete. I’m not a purist by any means, but I’ve enjoyed a few eggs benedict and I know how they should be prepared — and this was not it.
My husband ordered a burger and requested the meat ‘medium’…what came to our table was an almost burnt patty with cheddar that looked like it had been melted yesterday — I can only imagine what it would have looked like if he had asked for it ‘well done’…The service was ‘meh’…The outside sitting area was lovely, the weather was great, but the prices were a bit over the top for the quality of the food that came out of that kitchen.
We all have an ‘off’ day, but I certainly won’t return to find out.

The short version: If you’re going here in hopes of eating before a theater performance, READ THIS FIRST. Terrible service turned excellent food (the only reason this place gets even two stars) into a disappointing and frustrating experience.
The long version: We made reservations for dinner before a show with another couple. Our reservations were for 6:15, which we thought and were told was plenty of time to eat and walk the couple blocks back to the theater.
Our waiter began by assuring us that because of the show, a limited menu was being offered to ensure that we would be served and done in plenty of time for us to make the show. He promised on several occasions that we should have no worries in that regard.
We soon had plenty. At 6:55, we still hadn’t received our appetizers, and noted that the couple at the adjoining table, as well as others, all of whom had arrived after us, already had theirs.
We finally got our appetizers shortly thereafter, and were AGAIN assured that the entrees would quickly follow. At 7:25, they hadn’t. In the absence of our waiter, we summoned the hostess, who promised to check on it. The waiter came apologetically, saying the kitchen had gotten «backed up,» and that our food would be out shortly.
«Shortly» turned out to be 7:37, just «shortly» enough for us to have to wolf down our food. The waiter also volunteered to send the manager to speak to us. That didn’t happen quickly either.
When the manager did come, he offered desserts and coffee, apparently oblivious to the fact that we had no time. We politely asked him under the circumstances to comp the meal, to which he clearly replied, «Yes.»
Another lady then brought out a cake, and when we repeated that we had no time for cake or anything else, she snootily replied, «Just trying to be NICE.»
Our waiter then presented us with the FULL check. I advised him that the manager had told us he was comping the meal. The server took the check back, and returned with it reduced, but only by the price of one entrée. This is not the response that we were promised, nor that we deserved. With no other choice, we paid the bill.
As we left, we turned to the waiter and told him, «That was not right.» He admitted, «I know.»
Now you do too.

Thanks to the Ft. Lauderdale/​Miami Unilocalers for recommending this place for my mom’s 70^th birthday dinner. Food, ambiance, and esp. service were very good. Our server told us the restaurant is usu. packed before a show b/​c it’s convenient to the theater. That was the case when we went — the restaurant was packed at 5:30pm. Definitely make reservations. And be sure to sign up for their email club — FREE entrée if you purchase another entrée of equal or same value :) Thanks to my Unilocal friends for that tip!
GRILLED HEARTS OF ROMAINE — $ 8
Great salad — «Crisp hearts of Romaine, flash-​fried grilled & dressed w/​garlic-​anchovy dressing, grated pecorino, petit brioche croutons, sherry-​pepper gastrique.» I’d definitely order this again. My parents had gotten one order but planned to share (their usual thing — so they don’t spoil their dinner) — the restaurant was kind enough to split their order on two separate plates … we wondered whether they actually gave them two orders (for the price of one) or if one order salad is really two hearts of romaine b/​c if that’s the case, definitely share w/​another person.
HONEY-​SOY GLAZED SALMON — $ 25
Mom ordered this, and I think it was my favorite dish of the evening. This was one of our server’s two favorite dishes, too. The salmon came w/​fried kimchee rice (yes, kimchee!!), and cucumber-​seaweed salad w/​ginger-​coriander vinaigrette. Delicious!
HALF-​GRILLED CHICKEN — $ 21
Another very good dish that both my dad & sister enjoyed very much. The chicken was served w/​parmesan risotto, porcini, preserved lemon gremolata, and dark chicken jus.
VEAL CHEEKS — $ 26
Had no idea what veal cheeks were but ordered it b/​c this was our server’s other favorite dish. I love veal so I figured I would love veal cheeks, too. Well … decided that night I didn’t like cheeks, at least not the veal kind. It tasted fatty to me, and I just wasn’t fan of the texture — I shared my feedback w/​the server, and she said that’s what veal cheeks taste like … she compared them to short ribs which is spot on. The dish also came w/​a carrot purée (very good), oranges, pistachios, wild arugula, and balsamic veal jus.
GRILLED SKIRT STEAK — $ 28
Brother-​in-​law got this dish but had to attend to his toddler son so I got try some of his food. It came w/​a shrimp & gouda cheese stuffed yucca croquette (too cheesy for me), creamless corn (pretty good), and sherry chimichurri (just a drizzle — needed more). Honestly I didn’t like the steak all that much b/​c my brother-​in-​law ordered it well-​done (to feed his son). I’m sure it would be good otherwise.
GRILLED CHEESE & FRIES — $ 6
They have a kids’ menu, too — ordered grilled cheese which smelled good but I didn’t get a chance to take a bite. It looked like your standard cheddar cheese grilled sandwich.
FYI — parking lots are available about a block away. They were charging $ 5 around 5:30 but the price went up to $ 10 when we left around 7pm. It was interesting though b/​c the back entrance of that same lot was charging $ 7.

My fav place for tapas, dinner, and unique drinks in Downtown Fort Lauderdale.
Must haves:
Butternut Squash Purses
(Butternut Squash filled Ravoli like apps with brown sugar and nuts)
Mango Jalapeño Cocktail
(made with a little tequila and jalapeño to spice up a happy hour)
Pork quesadilla
(can’t go wrong with this one)

A 3.5 rating than a standard 3. Pretty nice yet small trendy spot with great service. My servers name was Amy and she was very sweet and accommodating. I ordered the ‘Crisp Fried Whole Yellowtail Snapper’ which was not bad but on the saltier side and it also came with a lot less vegetables than I expected or anticipated. My entrée presentation was lovely but taste is just as important to me and unfortunately it did miss the mark. I am not wowed however I did like this restaurant enough to try them again another time. On my next visit I’d be very inclined to move it up to a 4 star rating if I really enjoy what I eat here next time…
My company did enjoy their entrees… making me wonder if perhaps my salty fish dish was just a fluke experience. A friend of mine ordered the ‘Honey-​Soy Glazed Salmon’ and another friend ordered the ‘Greek Salad’ with a special request to add chicken strips on top of it and they were both happy with their food.
The restaurant offers a warm chic décor with a laid back relaxed feel. We ate here on a Friday night around 7:30−8ish and the restaurants’ bar next door was playing loud music but it did not disturb us being able to carry on a pleasant conversation.

I have been here a couple times recently for lunch, so I will combine them into one review. By the way, this is a really good place for lunch, and they have free wi-​fi if you want to do a little work while you eat.
As far as the food goes, I had the stout burger and the short rib sliders. They were both tasty, but if I had to choose one of the two, it would be the stout burger. However, it will probably be a while before I have either one again, as this is the type of place where everything on the menu is good, and I look forward to trying as many different things as possible.
For dessert, you absolutely must try the apple cake. It is served with cinnamon ice cream, and the entire dish was delicious.

After reading the reviews on Unilocal,we decided to make a drive to this place to see what it was all about. It’s located right by the Las Olas Riverfront, which makes for a nice night out with a date or friends. It was very welcoming when we entered the restaurant and we were seated immediately. We made a reservation in case there was a crowd when we got there. We got started off with some bread with some awesome topping that consisted of some kind of garlic and spinach. Of course, we had a drink, which my husband had the usual captain and ginger and I had a strawberry mojito. The mojito was simply divine! We had the open face pork quesadilla. It consisted of two portion sized tortillas that was stuffed with fresco cheese topped with pork, guacamole, a squeeze of lime, and corn salsa. It was great! I would of had this the whole night if we didn’t get a main entrée. I decided to try the baby back ribs, which was not on the website menu. I assume they must change their menu for certain items, which is not neccessary a bad thing. Surprises can be great. My other half got the sirloin steak burger. We were amazed on how much we got for our meal. I got a full rack of ribs that was glazed in some kind of honey and caramel sauce with a kick of bbq. OH SOOOO GOOD! I asked for green beans instead of slaw, but I’m still giving this place five stars on the service and how excellent the food was. I had the gouda mac and cheese for another side and I was in more heaven when I took the first bite of that. It consists of ham that was a little crispy and the gouda was deliciously creamy. My husband loved it too when he took a bite of it. The ribs were one of the best that I ever had in my life. The sirloin burger that my date had was huge and he enjoyed it. We had to take the leftovers home with us since we didn’t want to leave anything behind. We didn’t get a dessert since we were so stuffed!
We headed over to the side bar, which is next door to the restaurant and had a couple drinks a piece. Very convenient since walking after eating a meal like that wasn’t probably the best idea! :)
Definitely a must go to if you are in the Fort Lauderdale area.
A bonus perk: You have to sign up on their email club. It was a nice surprise getting a gift from them and they didn’t even know me. Now, that’s a 5 star service! ;)

Himmarshee is FAB!!! The food is creative and well-​prepared. The waiters are super friendly and helpful.
I had the grilled mahi mahi with smoked gouda mac and cheese (minus the ham, upon request). The fish was cooked well and the mac and cheese was delicious (I’m a mac and cheese fiend). My friend got the fried yellow snapper, which was fantastic! The meat was so tender and juicy. Yumm. We also tried dessert — the apple cake and the espresso crème brûlée. Both were pretty damn good.
We finished up dinner as they were converting the place into Side Bar. The music was fun (mostly 90s throwbacks) and the crowd was nice, but we didnt stick around too long.
I highly recommend Himmarshee!

This review is imcomplete, obviously, since I haven’t eaten a whole meal here but having attended the Unilocal Event I wanted to put down my own impressions as related to the space and staff.
Easy for GPS to find, and once found — relatively easy parking — very important to consider. Very close to Las Olas riverfront so you can always wander over there before, or after …
Nice décor, cool and hip without seeming pretentious. Warm earth shades — a bit dark but not off-​puttingly-​so. Friendly people who open the door for you to come in each and every time.
Very cute, flirty and friendly bartenders who were just so charming and smiling.
Also, they have a second level upstairs, both with an inside and outside section. Nice for a quieter change of pace from downstairs.
All in all a place I intend to try for a whole meal in the near future …

Was car shopping up in Broward last Wednesday, and I’d always heard about this place. My trusty Unilocal iPhone app showed me to be 1.9 miles away, so we drove over for lunch.
Given that this is located in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, and that I went in the middle of a work day, parking was somewhat challenging, but we eventually found a spot in a nearby garage.
Décor was not at all what I expected. For whatever reason, I was expecting a fairly large, somewhat raucous Old Florida-​themed bar & grill… like a Flanigans facsimile or something. The restaurant was actually rather small, and decorated in a tastefully minimal manner. It was more Urban American West Hip than anything else, it’s the kind of cool little bar & grill I’d expect to find on Pearl Street in Boulder, CO, Breckenridge, Park City, Whistler-​Blackcomb, (insert favorite Western ski town here).
We started out with the smoked gouda mac ‘n cheese. Definitely split this with someone, as it is very decadent. The bowl is not your typical huge bowl of mac ‘n cheese, but that’s fine — trust me, you don’t need *that* much of it. You’ll be near-​full after a few bites, anyway. Get it, split it, thank me later.
I went with the veal & pork meatball «sandwich.» I write that in quotes, because it’s an open-​faced sandwich — basically a few thick slabs of garlic bread slathered with veal and pork goodness, ricotta and pesto. Again, very rich and decadent — I could tell the ingredients were of high quality, too.
Names can be deceiving. I really thought this would be the kind of place that serves chicken fingers, boring grilled chicken sandwiches, hamburgers and cheap beer. This was not at all the case. In fact, it’s more of a foodie gathering-​place than anything else. Prices are not bargain-​basement, but I found them reasonable based on the amount and quality of what you get — I was satisfied with the bill.
I don’t make it up to Broward too often, but I would come back.

I went here for a Belgian Beer dinner hosted by Whole Foods.
The food was fantastic. It wasn’t anything from their menu, but it was prepared by their chef.
The service was friendly.
It seemed like a pretty chill little place, and I plan on going back and eating off their standard menu.

After looking up reviews by Las Olas area. My friend and I Decided to give it a try of this place; which rated with 4.5 stars.
This time I was disappointed.
I ordered:
free range chicken & fettucine carbonara & Asian Calamari.
Both did not taste good to me :(
Either I ordered the wrong things from the menu.
But I started wondering if their menu is so small and I don’t like both dishes I had selected.
Will I like the rest of the items?

Had dinner here many moons ago… possibly in 2007… and still can’t get over how awesome it was. The ambiance was great, the food was out of hand, and the service was awesome.
Can’t wait to go back… hope it’s still as good as I remember.

Another winner… Just a great atmosphere… get there right before 10, and BILL!, Tina & Shannon will give you the biggest smile and make you feel like you have come home.
Let me also say you have an award winning mixoligist (god, who knows if I spelled that right) who has traveled the country sharing his secret blends… See what he has in store for you… Cheers!
Last, but not least, you get to meet really fun people!!!

I may be biased here because we have had such incredible times in this place. Good friends, good drinks and good food– wow, what a great place to warm up before you hit the local night clubs.
We have really enjoyed this place, and the service has been pretty darn good as well.
Check it out folks, I think this place works.

Last night was our first time here. We came to celebrate a friends laid back beach wedding. They had booked the Side Bar to have drinks and Hors d’oeuveres with their closest friends and family.
Starting with the service, it was very good — friendly. The staff seemed pleased to have us and treated us kindly.
When the food started to drift out the waiter told me to keep my eyes open for the Summer Squash purses that they were delicious. He was RIGHT! Sweet and salty with just the right amount of both. The Chicken Satay was fantastic but hands down my favorite was the Mushroom (empanadas?) — I can’t remember the name but they were little fried dough with a Portabello Mushroom filling.
Oh My! Nyum nyum they were absolutely delectable.
The drinks had the right amount of Vodka to the Tonic.
Definitely a place to go back to.

While traveling for Spring Break or laying on the beach, Fort Lauderdale is known for its loud, drunk, sometimes underage, visitors whom love to trash the streets like New Years in Times Square.
Venturing west, normally a $ 10 cab ride, away from the beach towards downtown, you’ll find Second Street which is the main spot for getting your drink on! Bars, bars, a few restaurants and more bars await you.
Tucked between the trashy bars like Coyote Ugly and a pizza joint, you’ll find upscale Himmarshee Bar & Grille. Servers welcome you even before you get to the host stand! You enter and candle lit tables and romantic lighting/​décor amuses you. The main room is lofted with a view of the upstairs dining above you and through a side «way» is another part of the restaurant called Side Bar which is very hip and cozy.
*******The Food****
At Himmarshee, you’ll find amazing cuisine with a Contemporary American twist. Starter dishes include sauteed mushroom ricotta cheese gnocchi, a corn/​pancetta/​arugula salad or Prince Edward Island mussels with crushed red peppers and chorizo. Main Entrees may include mac ‘n cheese with crab meat, peppercorn yellow fin tuna or a filet mignon with red wine sauce/​gorgonola and crispy onions.
Do not be upset if any of the items have changed and/​or not on the menu. Chef Youssef changes the menu weekly or sometimes daily!!!
Be willing to spend $ 40 alone on food, not including another $ 40-​$ 100 on wine or drinks.
It you don’t want dinner, go around 11ish and the restaurant/​Side Bar will be transformed into massive night club (only on weekends) with a live DJ.
Overall, the restaurant has amazing versatility from fine dining to night club vibe. A must when traveling to Fort Lauderdale!