The Katherine Restaurant — Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale

As restaurant owners, we look for fellow restaurateurs who are passionate about scratch food and customer service when we travel. We love to support them, and James Beard nominees are at the top of our list. As such, we looked forward for months to visit The Katharine. Upon sitting, a server informed us that he was training a new server, to his right. We perused the menu and ordered drinks and an appetizer straight away. As I always do, I asked about the providence of some of the items. Not only am I considered when I order meat, but part of our passion for eating out is learning about the local purveyors. I asked the server if he could tell me more about the meat and poultry. He seemed very confused, so I stated that, for example, I preferred local farms, and grass-fed meat. He seemed further stumped, so I said, “I don’t eat commodity meat.” He retorted, “It IS commodity meat.” I asked if he could clarify with the chef as that seamed odd for a James Beard nominee. He came back and said, “The fish IS farm-raised”, confusing me more. I asked for clarity, that I had not even asked about the fish. He seemed more confused, so I asked if we could speak with the chef. He went and returned and said, “The chef is busy. The pork and beef are from Georgia.” I asked if he knew what farm as I finally thought we were getting somewhere, and he seemed more flummoxed than ever. I said, “With all due respect, we feel like you aren’t clear on your answers. Is this commodity meat? I will just order something else if so.” He said, “It IS commodity meat,” clearly still not understanding that that wasn’t a selling point. We had ordered an appetizer and drinks, and it had been 15 minutes, so I inquired where they were. The trainee returned with the drinks. (They were very actually very well-made. My husband asked if we could speak to a manager. The server came back and insisted, “I AM a manager.” I said, “It seems as if you aren’t clear about our questions and have little interest in finding out an answer, to be honest.” He then stated, “WELL YOU CAN LEAVE IF YOU WANT!” and walked away. We were both pretty incredulous at this point. So we sat there for a good five minutes, not sure if we were to stay, go, pay or wait for the appetizer. Everyone seemed to avoid us until we waved “the manager” back over to try and pay. He dismissed us with a “you’re good”. So we left. But we weren’t “good”. On the way out, the trainee made an effort to say good-bye and thank us. Ironically, the brand new trainee made us feel the most welcome. In decades of eating out all over the world, this was the most bizarre and unwelcoming dining experience we have ever had. It’s okay if servers don’t know the answe. But to evade and make us feel as if our questions are frivolous misses the point of a serious dining experience entirely. I tried to deal with our issues at the restaurant, and hate resorting to a public review. But I know if our restaurants were ever fortunate enough to garner a James Beard nomination, I would do my utmost to ensure my servers could answer such basic questions. Good luck to this charming restaurant. They...

The Katherine. Creative Cuisine that will Tantalize 💥 Your Tastebuds 👅.

What a wonderful restaurant to enjoy a great dining experience! The Katherine, located at 723 E. Broward blvd in Ft. Lauderdale is an amazing place that will expand your mind 🧠 with freshly designed recipes that will make your mouth 👄smile ☺️.

The decor offers a casual, retro rustic vibe with hints of greenery 🌱 that is the backdrop for the neon purple lit sign that bares the name “The Katherine” at the entrance. It has both indoor & outdoor seating 🪑 , great music 🎼, and a staff which is attentive & polite.

The food 🍲 is fantastic! Every dish & recipe is creatively crafted to bring a lively blend of flavors that are extraordinary.

Our starters:

The crispy tuna 🍣 rice 🍚. Lightly chopped fresh tuna lay neatly on a cube of crispy rice and topped with spicy 🌶️ mayo, sweet soy, and a touch of fresh chive 🌿. The smooth texture of the tuna with the crunch of the crispy rice was a delight.

The next was the clam 🦪 chowder 🍲 French fries 🍟. What a combo! It’s a must. Fresh steamed clams in the shell 🐚 with a creamy thick chowder was topped with Crispy fries 🍟. A masterpiece!

The Thai style charred cabbage 🥬 salad 🥗 with crispy fried pork 🐖 was so interesting. Tossed in a tangy sweet & sour dressing with fresh herbs 🪴, this salad 🥗 offered a refreshing brightness to our meal.

Our Main Entrees. The short ribs orecchiette pasta was soothing comfort food. 🥘. The creamed sauce gave a velvety coating 🧥 to the dish while the balsamic glaze added a sharp contrast. It was a mouth watering experience.

The all day burger 🍔 was special as well. A double patty burger 🍔 seasoned well with melted cheese 🧀 and a sweet pickle 🥒 remoulade was delicious again offering a blend of flavors.

My favorite dish was the Thai red curry 🍛 Branzino 🐟. It was the best branzino 🐟 I have ever had. Typically, Branzino 🐟 is a mild fish that is simply grilled. Well not this fish! 🐠. Sautéed in a red curry sauce with a side of coconut 🥥 rice 🍚 and garnished with a shredded papaya slaw, this dish danced 🕺 on my tongue 👅. A symphony 🎶 of flavors that I couldn’t get enough of.

Our Vegetables 🥗.

We ordered the crispy Brussels sprouts 🌱 which were charred in an orange 🍊 soy glaze which was as expected.

The marinated jerk beets was served with a curry aioli, arugula 🥬, radish, and walnuts 🌰. It was a welcomed earthy addition to our meal.

Dessert:

Yes, we had to share one. lol 😂. The caramel coated French toast 🍞 cake was topped with vanilla bean 🫘 ice cream & seasonal fruit 🍑 compote. The Carmel was sticky at the bottom so you could scrape it off the plate 🍽️ like candy 🍬.

If you couldn’t tell yet, we loved it and highly recommend going soon. You will definitely 👍 enjoy The Katherine if you appreciate fine food.

Lastly, they did get their liquor 🥃 license now. I had the snazzy jazzy which is their take on an old fashioned. It was smooth.

Put this on your list as a “Must Go!” Item. Hope you enjoy it as...

We were excited to try The Katherine. So many great comments, a family owned spot, and a S. Fl 2023 James Beard finalist... They know food.

We started with the crispy tuna, cabbage with pork and whipped ricotta. What we liked the most about all three is how different all of the flavors were and how everything works so well with a medium Pinot noir. The crispy tuna is on a crispy cube of rice, finally diced and offers a great combination of texture. The cabbage doesn't taste like cabbage and has a beautiful acid and sweetness balance. The whipped ricotta with pumpkin seeds was so light and balanced. They use bread from @zakthebaker and the grilled sourdough was a star in the dish.

For the main entrees we had the fish of the day, short rib orichette pasta, and the jerk chicken.

The pan seared wahoo was the only thing that disappointed on the table. The flavors were lacking in salt and acid, and while the fish was cooked correctly it tasted more oily in the loose polenta then it should have. Compared to everything else it was totally bland...

The pasta was perfectly cooked and al-dante with a super tender short rib, it's a bigger portion and definitely worth sharing. The jerk chicken was one of our favorites, very slightly spicy, but balanced. The chicken thighs are tender and perfectly cooked with a great composition. I would order it again any day! If you're looking to juice the menu item that really defines what they do well and is different from other places, this is a good dish.

We didn't have a chance to try and dessert because we were full but the chocolate pudding is a permanent menu item and if you haven't had homemade pudding in the last 30 years is the place to try it!

Our server was Chad and he was attentive and ended some fun to the dinner, the wine menu has plenty of choices by the glass, we opted for the Pinot noir by the bottle and it is priced very fairly.

This little addition to the Fort Lauderdale Las Olas scene is great. The menu is changed seasonally and I can't wait to see what the spring menu holds! Definitely make a...