Brunch in Fort Lauderdale

This post will be a little different than my regular travel lifestyle blog posts but it can be interesting especially if you’re a foodie like me (so hungry!)

So I’ve been dying to find a great place to go out for brunch in the Fort Lauderdale area and I actually am looking for a place to check out after my graduation ceremony so here it goes:

Kristof’s Kafe

8912 W State Rd 84

Davie, FL 33324

I’ve been to try this place for the longest since I pass by almost everyday.  This might actually be my number one place to try at the moment. The stuffed French toast seems to be a hugely popular item on the menu followed by the egg benedict. Prices range from $11-30.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/kristofs-kafe-davie

Coconuts

429 Seabreeze Blvd

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

Coconuts is the top listing on yelp for Ft. Lauderdale brunch spots with over 900 reviews. It is located right by the water and if you sit outside you can get a beautiful view. The menu features classic American breakfast items but also features a lot of seafood items such as shrimps, lobster, and conch. You can actually bring you’re own catch and they will cook it however you’d like. The conch fritters and fresh donuts seem to be popular items. Prices range from $11-30.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/coconuts-fort-lauderdale

Old Fort Lauderdale Breakfast House/ O-B House

333 Himmarshee St

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312

The portions here are known to be large and filling so one plate can actually feed multiples. The pancakes seem to be the most popular item (if you’re into having desert for breakfast) since they pack their pancakes with all sorts of fruity and chocolaty toppings. The only thing that seems to be holding this place back is the service. Prices range from $11-30.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/old-fort-lauderdale-breakfast-house-o-b-house-fort-lauderdale

Diner By-the-Sea

215 Commercial Blvd

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308

It is a small and charming restaurant. It is a classic American dinner with some German food selection. They recently created a separate German menu and an additional Brazilian menu, which is a little exciting more foodies who want to experience something different. Prices are under $10.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/diner-by-the-sea-fort-lauderdale

Tap 42

1411 S Andrews Ave

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

I absolutely love this place but have never been here for brunch. This place is known for its craft beers but also has a delicious menu. The brunch menu consists of eggs, burgers, and mac and cheese! Definitely no healthy options but this is the place to splurge. They supposedly also have wonderful fruity mimosas. Prices range from $11-30.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/tap-42-fort-lauderdale

Jet Runway Café

5540 NW 21^st Ter.

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309

This little restaurant is tucked away at the executive airport. You actually have a great view of the airport and can watch planes depart and land. The breakfast stakes are popular along with the egg benedict. Fried bread putting also comes with breakfasts and it’s a nice little desert. Prices range from $11-30.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/jet-runway-cafe-fort-lauderdale

The Foxy Brown

The second most rated brunch spot on yelp with over 300 reviews.  First off, they are especially known for their fruity mimosas that come in a variety of flavors. The coffee offered is also locally grown! Breakfast is not quite the healthiest but great if you’re willing to splurge. Some of the items are pretty creative such as the banana bread grilled cheese and short rib egg benedict. It definitely intrigues me to try these odd combinations. Prices range from $11-30.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-foxy-brown-fort-lauderdale

I mainly used restaurant websites and Yelp
Check out my personal Yelp for great bookmarks and reviews: JessicaCaval.yelp.com

Also you can check out some more of my foodie posts: Finka Table & Tap

Florentine Cuisine

Some of the most popular Florence cuisine I’m excited to try:

Antipasti

Meals in Florence usually begin with antipasti (appetizer), which typically include bruschetta, or crostini di fegato and consist of croutons covered in a liver spread (veal, chicken, goose, duck etc.) mixed with chopped anchovies, onions, and capers.

Ubiquitous bread

Bread is a huge part of the Florentine and Tuscan diet. It mostly appears within sandwiches and antipasti but also is included in soups and salads. Tuscan bread is called pane sciocco (bland bread) and it baked in a wood oven.

It consists of a distinctive thick crust and contains no salt. The recipe dates back to the Middle Ages when a fight between Florence and Pisa cut off the supply of salt to the city of the Medici. There are also claims that in the medieval times salt once became heavily taxed and the average person could not afford it.

Ribollita & pappa al pomodoro

Is Tuscany dry bread is appreciated. It usually in featured in hearty soup recipes such as the Florentine specialty, ribollita (meaning “reboiled”). Ribollita is made from a local variety of black cabbage, beans (usually cannellini), tomatoes and other vegetables and stale, reboiled bread. Another soup called pappa al pomodoro combines tomatoes, basil, garlic, and stale bread and olive oil.

Panzanella

Panzanella consists of diced tomato, stale bread cubes, onion, basil, olive oil, and vinegar. It is basically a salad version of pappa al pomodoro.

Bistecca alla fiorentina

For the secondi piatii (main course) bistecca alla fiorentina is a popular main course meal. This is a thick porterhouse cut of beef weighing anywhere from two to eight pounds and made from the local Chianina cattle bread. It is typically served well-roasted on the outside and red and bloody on the inside. The T-bone steaks are usually cooked on the grill with salt, pepper, olive oil, and a lemon wedge.

Other popular meat dished include stracotto (beef stew), arista di maiale (pork roast with rosemary sauce and garlic), and the pollo alla fiorentina (chicken with ricotta, parmesan, spinach, and lemon)

Trippa alla fiorentina

This is one of the city’s classic dishes. It features tripe, sautéed in olive oil, onions, tomatoes, and a lot of Parmesan cheese.

Lampredotto

This is another way of serving tripe. The tripe is sliced thin and it is cooked in broth and served on a plate or in a sandwich. Lampredotti are typical street food and can be bought by street vendors or in public markets. It is sometimes topped with a sauce include red sauce (spicy) or green sauce (herbed). People also sometimes order it with bagnato (wet bread with a gravy)

Pappardelle sulla leper

Meat is a staple in Florence but pasta is also. A typical recipe for pappardelle (a long, wide, and flat pasta) includes a sauce made from hare. Other meats such as goose or rabbit are also used.

Cantuccini

These are almond biscuits that are usually accompanied by a glad of wine or desert wine (vin santo) or along with a side of coffee.

Schiacciata alla fiorentina

This is best described as a pastry style sponge cake covered with vanilla and lemon scented sugar. It is popular during carvinals.

Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and Beans)

This hearty soup is a traditional bean and tomato based soup that is simmered in seasoned water for hours over very low heat. Pasta is then added.

Biscotti / Cantucci 

These are small almond based cookies that is twice baked and shaped like a crescent moon.

Schiacciata con l’uva

This sweet grape bread is made by sprinkling fresh grapes with sugar and then baking them between two layers of dough. It is also seasoned with olive oil and rosemary.

To check out more of my travel lifestyle blog posts of European cuisine check out: Paris Cuisine and Venice Cuisine

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Florence Adventures

Florence, the English translation for our “Firenze,” is a beautiful place whose name conveys the idea of this flourishing city of art, which was the cradle of the Renaissance, the cultural movement that spread throughout Europe in the 14th century.

Here are the top things I’m interested in doing while I’m there:

Duomo - Cathedral of Santa Maria dei Fiore

This is Florence’s most known landmark. The gothic duomo began in 1296, made holy in 1436, and holds 20,000 people. The building was initiated in the early Italian Renaissance and completed during the high Renaissance period. The exterior is made of green, pink, and white marble. Inside, Brunelleschi's Dome is a masterpiece of construction. Ghiberti designed the set of doors that faces the front of the Duomo in the early 1400s, and a young Michelangelo thought they were so beautiful that they could be the Gates of Paradise. The steep 414-step climb up the 85m-high campanile, designed by Giotto, is accompanied by one of the greatest views of the city.

Baptistery of San Giovanni (Battistero)

During the 11^th century the Christians used the foundation of a Roman building to develop a Baptist church using a Tuscan Romanesque style. The Baptistery was being remodeled to create a Cathedral with the space enough for a large crowd to attend the administration of baptisms. The Cathedral was dedicated to the patron saint, John the Baptist, which Christians celebrated on June the 24^th.  The Baptistery throughout the 11^th – 14^th century was in development with many artists leading its unique construction. The mediaeval building contains tombs of individuals who have died in Florence. Among the tombs Pope John XXIII, who was buried inside the Baptistery of San Giovanni.

Piazza della Signoria

Piazza della Signoria is the origin and history of the Florentine Republic. The Piazza della Signoria also known as the Palazzo Vecchio is the origin of the political capital in the city of Florence. It’s the meeting place of tourists as well the locals for political events. The L square platform was a lack of development around the surrounding buildings during the 13^th century when the guelphs and Ghibellines were in battle for the control of the city.

Pitti Palace

During the Renaissance, Pitti Palace was the resident of the grand dukes of Tuscany as well as the king of Italy; Now the Palace stores important collections of sculptures, paintings, porcelains, and a costume gallery. The Palace provides the Italian Renaissance history through its art that extends to the Boboli Gardens also famous for its agriculture and large fountains.

Uffizi Gallery

The Uffizi Gallery is one of the most famous museums in the world for its artworks and masterpieces displayed from the Renaissance period. In the center of Florence, Italian artists Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raffaelle are in the Uffizi Gallery. The Uffizi Gallery is near the Piazza della Signoria in a narrow building that was the offices of magistrates in the Grand Duch of Tuscany. Grand Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici turned it into a gallery and it was completed by the architect Bernardo Buontalenti in 1581. The long corridors after completion were used to display the Medici family’s art.

Palazzo degli Uffizi

Was built between 1560 and 1580 to house government offices. The Medici family gave the collection to the city in 1743 with the condition that it will never leave Florence. It contains some of Italy’s best-known paintings; including Piero della Francesco’s profile portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino and Sandro Botticelli’s La nascita di Venere (The Birth of Venus). The world-famous collection is displayed in chronological order and spans art history from ancient Greek sculpture to 18th-century Venetian paintings but its main attraction is the Renaissance collection. “Allow enough time to savor the world’s greatest gallery of Renaissance art—and don’t forget to look up at the marvelous frescoed hallway ceilings.”—Louise Fili, author, The Civilized Shopper’s Guide to Florence.

Accademia Gallery

The prince of the Lorraine family that ruled over Tuscany for over a century, the Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo, united in 1784 all the Florentine drawing schools into one “Academy.” He founded the gallery to exhibit painting to help the studies of the Acadamy’s students. This gallery features giant marble sculptures created by Michelangelo and also features the original statue of David by Michelangelo. The Accademia has less crowded halls and allow visitors to really experience the art symbols and painting techniques.

Church of Santa Maria Novella

The main attractions here are the Crucifix by Giotto, Masaccio's Holy Trinity and the Crucifix by Brunelleschi.

Mercato Centrale

Offers a wide selection of typical local food and drinks. Here, you have the unique opportunity to taste the best that Tuscany has to offer.

The Basilica of San Miniato al Monte

The basilica in Florence, resides on top of one of the highest points in Central Italy. Its Romanesque structures are known to be superior in Tuscany and one of the most viewed churches in Italy. The Basilica name comes from a Christian martyr St. Minias who was known to be a merchant, or Armenian prince who left his home to begin a pilgrimage to Rome. He stayed in Florence and lived as a hermit.

Ponte Vecchio

Ancient photogenic bridge, first built in Roman times, and then rebuilt in the middle Ages. It crosses the Arno River and makes for an evocative stroll.

Piazzale Michelangelo

Piazzale is a famous center square with a wide view of Florence, Italy, and is a tourist destination in the Oltramo district of the city. The Piazzale was created to be a monument dedicated to Michelangelo’s famous artwork. Sculptures from both Michelangelo and artists from the Renaissance were used to design the Piazzele.  His many chapel sculptures are displayed during the 19^th century became a part of the present day restaurant tourists come to. The famous artwork, Italian food, and view of the city attract all visitors.

Il Gelato Vivoli

One of the best well known gelato shops in Florence. It is said to be the oldest gelato shop in the city, founded in 1929.

Museo del Bargello

Set during the 13^th century, it was placed with many Renaissance sculptures and Michelangelo artworks. The Museo del Bargello resides as the National museum of Florence. The palace was first the headquarters for the city; the palace later in the sixteenth century became the Bargello, which is the head of the police. During the 18^th century the Museo was used as a prison. In the mid-19^th century, the sculptures, and minor Gothic decorative arts were displayed and were used as the National Museum.