Coconuts - Great Food With an Even Greater View

By Tim Slivinski

A light breeze ruffles your hair, the setting sun throws splashes of color over the Intracoastal, and a friendly server has just delivered your favorite libation from the bar. You must be sitting at an outdoor patio or deck table at Coconuts, one of Fort Lauderdale’s best dining spots on the water. Located just a little south of Las Olas on Seabreeze Blvd, Coconuts offers flavorful, eclectic, savory food in a casual and comfortable atmosphere with some of the nicest staff in South Florida. The restaurant’s motto is, after all, “be nice.” And at a place like Coconuts, it’s hard not to follow those two simple, but oh so important, words.

On our beautiful late winter, early spring days and nights, be certain to request an outdoor table. You can sit directly on the Intracoastal on the lower patio or on the raised, covered deck overlooking the waterway. Either way, you will have a spectacular view of the water. Coconuts offers a full bar as well as a wine list that gives patrons some choices that move beyond some of the typical restaurant wine list offerings. Order a glass of Semler Cabernet Sauvignon or treat yourself to a bottle of Landmark Chardonnay. Note, too, that all wine bottle purchases on Monday and Tuesday, all day, are 50% off the menu price. You just can’t go wrong with that.

Begin your meal with one of the starters on the menu, but be certain to ask your server about any featured appetizers. If the mussels happen to be featured, don’t hesitate, just order them. Perfectly steamed, they arrive at your table tender and swimming in one of the most flavorful broths you will ever taste. The addition of chorizo to the broth gives it a little kick, and you will want to ask for extra grilled bread, which they will gladly bring you, to enjoy every last drop. The spinach and artichoke dip is another favorite, served with warm tortilla chips. It is a mellow dip of creamy, gooey deliciousness. Guacamole is different every place you order it, but Coconuts housemade guacamole is just chunky enough and not overly garliced. There won’t be any left in the bowl, trust me.

Entrees run the gamut from chicken to seafood to steaks to ribs to sandwiches to dinner salads. Again, be certain to take note of the feature board as you walk in. If you forget, however, your server will be happy to go over them tableside with you. See, that’s just how nice they are; how can you not be nice in return?  Truthfully, I am a not a rib eater. In most restaurants I find them too sweet, too cloying, too tough, or too smoky. However, the Danish babyback BBQ ribs on the menu I return to again and again. The sauce, a chipotle bbq sauce, has just the right amount of tang, zip, and zest without being too much of any one of them. They are so tender and perfectly cooked, the meat nearly falls off the bone. The portion is more than ample, and I always  claim I can’t possibly devour all of them, but I do. They are accompanied by two sides that you select. I like them with the Mac + Cheese (who wouldn’t?) and the cole slaw.

Special feature entrees on any given evening may be a potato encrusted snapper, perfectly crispy on the exterior with a moist and flavorful interior; a cowboy ribeye steak served with blue cheese butter that arrives at your table in perfect grilled doneness; or a whole yellowtail snapper that will dazzle you with its tender, flaky , savory goodness. All of them are satisfying in their simple complexity of flavors. If you happen to dine at Coconuts on a Tuesday or Friday evening, you will be greeted with the mouthwatering aroma of a large paella being prepared on the deck.  It is a heavenly mixture of shrimp, fish, chicken , sausage, and savory rice. It is oh so good, and the generous portion may just carry you over to lunch the next day.

On Sunday mornings, beginning at 10am, Coconuts features a Sunday brunch menu until 1pm with all kinds of interesting dining choices. Once again, be certain to ask your server about any brunch features as they are sure to tempt your palate with their creativity.  Sitting on the deck sipping a mimosa and just enjoying the breeze and the view are a great way to get your Sunday moving, and I guarantee you will not leave hungry.

Coconuts is a place you will want to return to again and again once you discover it. It also a great place to take your out of town guests for a fantastic al fresco dining experience. “Be nice.” Two simple words, but at Coconuts they are, and if you dine there, you should be too. Trust me, it won’t be difficult!