This place likes to call itself a neighbourhood bar, but its neighbourhood seems to cover most of the city; nearly everyone in Fort Lauderdale eventually stops in to this Intracoastal Waterway spot. A surprisingly well-rounded menu for a bar, it offers salads, wings and a variety of sandwiches. To wash it all down, choose from more than 50 beers on tap. The décor is casual with the latest sports on 18 televisions, pool tables and a darts room rounds out its credentials as a real sports bar. There is valet docking for boaters.

Listed among the nation's top restaurants by some critics, this outstanding Italian restaurant features more than the usual pasta selections. Applying itself successfully to such options as veal roasted in a wood-burning oven, seafood treated to delicate Italian spices and, of course, exemplary pastas, Casa D'Angelo also features a notable wine list. Drawing casual but discerning diners intent on eating well, Casa D'Angelo occupies quarters in an unprepossessing strip of shops along this busy highway. Inside, however, are cozy quarters with linen napery and a romantic intimacy.

Next door to a now famous bakery of the same name, the same Quebec family opened a tiny cafe that offers a few tables for dining on such treats as a Bechamel croissant stuffed with ham or spinach and mushrooms with a Swiss cheese sauce and topped with grated cheese. Even a hot dog's different here. They're wrapped in flaky pastry dough and served with tangy French mustard. They'll make whatever you want from a deli that stocks pate, prosciutto, roast beef, tuna salad, ham, turkey and imported cheeses. Quiches are on the menu in various varieties, and a pizza on French bread dough with fresh tomatoes and mushrooms atop it tempts many.

This popular, two-storey spot on the sands of Pompano Beach has been a mainstay of the northern Broward County beach area for more than 20 years. It serves seafood fresh and innovatively prepared: grilled and served with a touch of Caribbean flavor, be it black beans or ginger, spices or accompaniments. The bouillabaisse is light and lemony and filled with tender-light fish and shellfish. Make reservations or be prepared to wait. The full bar can make that wait easier.

If you ever want to have something other than the typical burrito or taco, pay this trendy restaurant a visit. This friendly and flavorful spot creates Mexican selections that you're not likely to see at your local taco joint. Tempting items include Mexican crepes stuffed with a light, white cheese and topped with a squash blossom sauce. The innovative, playful menu is matched by the sophisticated surroundings.

While Fort Lauderdale sports fewer Cuban restaurants than Miami, the center of Florida's Cuban community, there are enough in this city to keep folks feeding on picadillo, ropa viejo, lechon asada and the like. Las Vegas is one such restaurant, with Cuban music playing softly in the background, Cuban decor and plenty of Cuban favorites on the plate, with the occasional "foreign" flavor from Argentina or one of the other Latin American nations playing counterpoint.

That word "steak" is in the name but everyone comes here for the seafood, which is fresh and inexpensive. Best of all it's served with big bowls of pickles and coleslaw, both of which are worth the trip. Good as those side options are, however, it is the bargain seafood that lures people here and you can usually count on finding a lobster special with a one-pound pincher. Plenty of other seafood options are available, too, including the usual scallops and shrimp, plus red snapper, tuna and dolphin, among many others. The daily specials offer the best options, if you're adaptable.

Luring crowds here and to a sister operation in Palm Beach, Charley's Crab gets 'em and keeps 'em with both the waterside setting with covered terrace, overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway. Shellfish and seafood in a variety of contemporary presentations, as well as old favorite treatments, are abetted by a satisfying array of steaks, chops, pastas, good salads, soups and desserts. A Sunday brunch is served here, too.

Wienerschnitzel and sauerbraten will get you yodeling at this German-influenced restaurant that holds forth in a strip mall, but you can also opt for some less foreign fare in the form of steaks and seafood. Despite its rather unpretentious location, this restaurant has been a popular spot for many a year. A dark and intimate dining room makes this a cozy restaurant in which to enjoy a private discussion, which has turned The Ambry into a popular business lunch option.

Ompahpah, schuss. The Alps come alive as you dine in this tiny spot that does its best to evoke an Alpine village tavern. Waitresses in dirndl dresses serve up hearty, rib-sticking fare typical of the Hungarian Alpine region. Options range from veal goulash to chicken paprikash, accompanied by spaetzle, which is a tasty dumpling/noodle-like side dish. Your dinner may end with a tempting apple strudel if you are weak of will.