15th Street Fisheries

Date
3/9/10

Location
Fort Lauderdale, FL
1900 SE 15th Street, Fort Lauderdale

What I ate
Grilled swordfish with mushrooms, potatoes, and broccolini

What Kelly ate
Seared diver scallops with parmesan risotto and sweet onion marmalade
Trio of creme brulees - coffee, vanilla, chocolate-tarragon (I helped!)

Who went
Kelly, Grandma, Grandpa

Website
http://www.15streetfisheries.com/index.html

Thoughts
My grandparents have started the transition to being actual snowbirds, so Kelly and I met up with them when I was down in Florida for a visit.  Spending most of my time landlocked, I can't pass up the opportunity for fresh seafood and this place looked like it would fit the bill.  They embrace the nautical theme and have a bunch of seafood options.  That said, take a look at the menu before you go.  If you aren't that fond of seafood, there are limited options.  There are no vegetarian entrees.  Still, if you've going for fish, it has what you seek.

Note - I'm writing this review a few months after I actually ate the food, so my memory isn't quite as vivid as some other posts.

Simply put, the food was really good.  I probably could've used a slightly larger piece of fish, but that's being picky.  It was well-cooked and seasoned, and the sides were good complements, albeit unspectacular on their own.  I wish they had given me some of Kelly's onion marmalade instead; that was awesome.  I sampled a little and, honestly, the taste of that and the chocolate-tarragon creme brulee (more on that later) are the two tastes that stand out the most in my memory.  Everyone around the table spoke highly of their dishes, especially Kelly and Grandpa, both of whom had the scallops.  About those creme brulees - I need to get a set of ramekins and learn to cook them.  I've had a few flavored with herbs that seem like an odd idea but just taste great.  The chocolate-tarragon was no exception.  That said, the other two stood up really well, too.  The vanilla was classic, the coffee was the tastiest, and the chocolate-tarragon was the most interesting.

As far as the non-food aspects of the dinner, they were varied.  Our waitress was friendly and made good conversation, but she was a little pushy when it came to desserts.  They were quite good and I can understand why they were proud of their newly-hired dessert chef, but I prefer to make that decision with less prodding.  Being from out of town, I don't have a good handle on the prices.  They seem expensive, but that could just be because I don't live in a city and that's what things really cost.  Even still, it wasn't outlandish; I would still go there for a nice dinner out, but I wouldn't go there too regularly.  The dining room is upstairs and overlooks the water, with a view of things across the way.  After dinner, Kelly and I walked along the dock and admired the gaudy yachts.  Some day...

Recap
Pros - delicious food, great view
Cons - limited non-seafood menu (no vegetarian option)
Overall - Definitely worth the trip.  The food was great and it was pretty cool to overlook the water.  Maybe the novelty isn't there for non-tourists, but it sure worked for me.  It's certainly not a place to visit once a week, but if you're in the area and looking for a nice dinner out, give it a thought.