Harat's by the Sea

Let me start off by saying this place has potential, but I’m going to be honest with our experience. My husband and I just moved to Lauderdale by the sea temporarily. We decided to go to Harat’s on our first day. The atmosphere was nice and the service was great! No issues there. We started out with the ceviche. It tasted okay but the portion was enough for a toddler. Also, they didn’t serve crackers or chips with the ceviche, which was disappointing. We ate it in four bites. For entrees, I ordered the crispy salmon and my husband ordered the burger. The burger was okay, but the fries were fabulous! However, the salmon dish was the worst thing I’ve ever had. I was previously a waitress, so I didn’t want to bother our server and tell her that my food was inedible. First, the salmon was anything but crispy. I slid the soggy skin off to hopefully redeem the taste, but it did little good. The salmon was mushy and flavorless. Don’t get me wrong, I love a rare salmon, but it was way undercooked in a weird way and the texture was off. Only 1/4 of it was good to eat. Covering it in lemon did not salvage it. I should have asked the server for the chef to cook it longer, but it was tasteless either way. The description mentioned cream of the sea. I might be off on what that was supposed to be, but instead of a cream sauce, there was mushed avocado next to the salmon with the consistency of baby food. At that point, I thought I could manage to eat the vegetables. Nope. Worse than the salmon. The vegetables consisted of raw beets and another unknown raw veggie in angel hair form. Now, I like raw vegetables, but this was awful. Beautiful presentation, awful taste. It was like putting beet flavored hair in my mouth. My husband gave me the stink eye as I was trying to fill my belly with his fries. We eventually left so I could go to Publix to eat food, as I was still hungry for not eating barely any of my meal. Now, maybe the other food options are better, I’m not sure. However, after working in the restaurant industry for over 5 years, I can say that dishes like the salmon need to be improved, because nobody in there right mind would order it a second time. I hope this restaurant is successful, as I can see potential with their location and service.