Las Olas Cafe served the South Florida community for two decades as a destination dining spot and was every year voted as one of the most romantic eateries in the southeast.  In May 2010, they were forced to close their doors on Las Olas Boulevard due to the landlord’s refusal to renew their lease.  After the initial shock to them and to hundreds of local and national patrons, they decided to open another restaurant with a slightly different cuisine, but with the same dedication to quality of food, service, atmosphere, and “family owned” style of running our business.  

Paula Pace, Scott Kraft, Ernesto Rado (Executive Chef at Las Olas Cafe for years) a are excited to offer you their rendition of “upscale comfort food.”  They offer favorites such as chicken pot pie made from scratch, walnut crusted mahi mahi, Janice’s Meat Loaf, fried green tomatoes, the best french onion soup in town (gruyere cheese, of course), plus some newbies like brussel sprouts with pistachios - amazin’.

Scott and Paula are also partners in their sister restaurant - Wilton Wings. Stop in to sample some of the best wings, salads, and handcrafted sandwiches in town.  

All at The Mason Jar Cafe hope to see you soon. They're just like Las Olas Cafe – just a little different.

The Mason Jar Cafe

-Reviewed by Mark

If you are in the mood for some serious upscale comfort food then look no further than The Mason Jar Café.  Located just south of the Oakland Park Boulevard and North Federal Highway near the new Depot Cabana Bar, this is the perfect spot to drop in when you do not feel like cooking - or even moving after dinner.  I am surprised they do not have a family room set up with sofas and a television for you to relax in before your dessert arrives. 

If you are looking to take a friend out for something wholesome to eat, or have family visiting, The Mason Jar Café should be top on your list of places to eat in Fort Lauderdale.  The Center Cut Pork Chop was perfectly prepared and about the size of three portions of meat I would normally cook for myself. The pork chop came with a sun dried cherry sauce that tastes exactly like the name would lead you to believe.  I almost asked if they bottled it.  The Skirt Steak was served with an ancho chili sauce, and with their South American Chef, there was just a hint of spice that gave the meal a South of the border flair.  

Since the weather has cooled down, we decided to try a bowl of soup. The French Onion came with enough of a gruyere cheese hug to make you cheese a grin from ear to ear.  The menu says that the Fried Green Tomatoes are “even better than the Whistle Stop Café” and, as a movie buff I just had to try them out.  They were served with a side of Greek Tzatziki sauce

Even the menu at The Mason Jar is a little tongue-in-cheek “countrified.”  Their Appetizers are called Snack Time and feature items that as adults, we wish we could enjoy at a restaurant.  Take for example, Pigs in a Blanket.  Where can you find that on a menu?  Their Fried Pickles are batter dipped and as tasty as mom’s. Instead of a category for Salads they serve Rabbit Food with selections like a Chopped Cobb, Pear & Apple, and a Turkey Salad with cranberries. These healthy options give someone not interested in Janice’s Meat Loaf something to think about.   The Chicken Pot Pie is said to be world famous and the recipe is “classic since 1877”. The Chicken Pot Pie is just one of the items that were brought over from The Las Olas Café to this new location.

Even if you think you are going to split right up the middle, you must try one of their desserts.  For a very reasonable price they offer a sampler platter that includes a Strawberry Chocolate Pie (with a layer of cheesecake), a Frozen Fudge Pie from a recipe created by the owner’s mother and a creamy Frozen Lemonade Pie that you wanted to have a pie eating Contest with. Believe it or not, we also tried the molten Chocolate Bomba cake with vanilla ice cream and ate the whole thing too.

If you are seriously hungry or simply in need of southern style comfort food then drop by The  Mason Jar Café and tell them the gang from Mark’s List sent you!