The Grateful Palate

I miss this place. Adam. Chef Hector. Isabelle. Rene. My teammates. You guys put this place on the map! Best job I ever had — so far! Lol

I logged into my Unilocal account to find a mostly completed review that I’d started around three years ago, but I still remember how much we enjoyed this restaurant so I figured it was still worth sharing. Here’s what I’d written:
From start to finish, ours was an enjoyable experience. We were promptly seated at a comfortable couch-​table in the corner. Our server brought a dish of olives and offered us fresh bread (which we found out you usually have to request). The house wines are whatever the house feels like opening on that day. In my case, a delightful Sancerre that complimented the eggplant soup and «lambchop lollipops.» the soup was surprisingly delicate and the shrimp inside provided contrasting taste and texture. My medium rare bavette steak was serene. with an earthy peppercorn sauce. The pan-​seared potatoes were flaky outside and tender inside.

The service was excellent, ambiance excellent, menu excellent, food superb and drinks excellent. Ms. Dani the hostess made you feel at home and was attentive to our needs. The setting was very intimate. We would definitely recommend to other friends and family for all occasions. To make a long story short the overall experience was EXCELLENT!
From: Cathy Smith

We walked in around 10:30 on a Friday. At the end of our meal, we ran up to the chefs and gushed to them about how delicious our food was. One went back into the kitchen, and the other one I was so overwhelmed with that I hugged him. The entire thing — the entire meal, the experience, the people, the MUSIC, the everything — it was amazing. I couldn’t believe it. We couldn’t believe it.
We almost went back to Miami for the night because we wanted to go out to a nice dinner — we wanted a fancy shmancy place where we could look nice and drink some red wine. We found that place and it wasn’t it Miami. It was at the Grateful Palate, which was literally one mile away from our hotel.
That chef, we fell in love with him through his food. Seriously.
We had the special appetizer — a lobster in a red sauce with cheese baked into a pastry (there was a beautiful fancy name for it but all I know is that it was ridiculously good in my mouth) and the charred wedge salad which came with figs, blue cheese and some kind of citrus vinaigrette that I wasn’t expecting but that I was obsessed with. Then we had filet’s and the special yellow eye fish. Our plates were cleaned. We were stuffed but we knew that we had to have dessert because if the meal had been so amazing the entire time, the dessert was bound to follow suit. We were right — it was all homemade — mango sorbet, coconut ice cream, PASSION FRUIT CURD?, and a brulee’d merengue. It was obviously amazing.
The meal was worth every penny and even an additional tip — seriously. The service, the people, the décor, everything was great. It was even open for late dining and the menu said Wednesday’s ladies can come drink free for happy hour in the lounge!
I’m sad I’m from Chicago because I won’t be abe to come back to the Grateful Palate for some time. When I come back to Florida, whatever part, I am coming back here.

Delicious food, great service and fun, charismatic employees! I’d love to try more of their menu but I think I might go broke eating here too often — not the greatest place for those of us ballin’ on a budget. Definitely try it out if you’re going out for a splurge night!

This is one of my favorite restaurants because it has the 3 factors I look for: quality food, excellent service & a nice atmosphere. All together equals perfection & this place has it. We had a cucumber & mint martini, nice & refreshing without being overbearing. Then had the pan seared scallops and lobster mac & cheese. Presentation was pure & clean and the scallops were cooked to perfection. I believe there’s an art to making the scallops just right & they’re hard to find. The mac & cheese was good with that comfort food factor baked in. I wanted a glass of white with dinner and our server was kind enough to bring different glasses for me to try. An added bonus was the ceviche tasting spoon they brought over… delicious!!!

Found this restaurant while in town for business (after seeing that everyone was giving it great reviews on OpenTable, Unilocal,etc.) and was SO glad I did! What a lovely evening… Sat at the bar with Tim and Hayley and was impressed with them throughout the entire dining experience. They were attentive, über-​educated on the wine/​food menus and gracious hosts. I actually felt like a «regular» on my first visit, which is what I’m always in search of spending ¾ of the year on the road.
And the food! Wow. Tim promised me that the salmon tartare would be the best I’d ever had and he did not lead me astray. DO NOT miss it when you visit. I also thoroughly enjoyed the bison sliders, which were extra delicious with crispy bits of pancetta inside. I finished up with an assortment of sorbet, white peach being my favorite.
Needless to say, I’m looking forward to my next trip to Fort Lauderdale– if for no other reason than to hit up The Grateful Palate again!

If you ever want to go out to a restaurant/​bar that gives you a creative culinary experience, great boutique wine variety, and a staff that makes you feel you are in your own home, this is the place. The bar area lends itself as a great place to meet new people and serves a great Happy Hour from 5pm to 7pm Monday through Saturday with tasty tapas dishes and a variety of wines to choose from. Starting last October Grateful Palate started offering a full bar in addition to wine and beer. Hard to find a place that doesn’t nickel and dime you for every taste of wine in order to choose what you would like to drink by the glass or the bottle. Hector, the Head Chef varies the menu each week with new creative dishes. Highly recommend trying this experience if you haven’t already.

I would normally give a restaurant like this 4 stars since they have good food and a nice atmosphere BUT we went on a night that they were out of half the things on their already small menu, so they I had to go with 3 stars.
I am not sure if this is common for them, but on a Friday night at 7pm (not very late), they were already out of scallops, steak and a few other items. We had slim pickings for our options. I ended up getting shrimp mac and cheese, and my husband had salmon. Both were very good dishes, with some minor mishaps. For one– it is not shrimp mac and cheese… it was a very good bowl of mac and cheese and very good pieces of shrimp on the side– not combined. As far as the salmon, good salmon with WAY too much mustard on it.
The drinks were good, although I do not remember what specifically I ordered, I just remember thinking it was good. Reservations were pretty easy– in fact we made them about 10 min before going, so I am not sure how much they are really needed.
One extra tip– it was very air conditioned aka cold inside.

The food and service here are top notch. The atmosphere is not stuffy and actually makes you feel as if you are in your living room being served amazing food. Now, the food — WOW. I had the mango scallops — absolutely amazing. The scallops were cooked perfectly and the mango salsa served with it went extremely well. Dessert was their berry cheesecake which was lighter than most cheesecakes, has an excellent presentation and was even surrounded by delicious berries and passion fruit seeds — wow!
This place is definitely a culinary treat, if you fancy yourself as any kind of «Foodie» you really need to come here, you will definitely enjoy it.
The only complaint I have is the music during dinner time. It seemed more appropriate for a dance club in the 90’s (which, trust me — I love this genre) than the music you would want to listen to while having a lovely meal. Seriously GP, turn off the dance music and put something else on please!

The service and attention — and comfortable couches put this place over the 4 star mark for me.
Perfect spot for an intimate dinner for 2, or a fun dinner party out with friends. If you enjoy good food, lovely presentation, and some serious sommelier action, you need to come here.
Each dish on the (small) menu came with a wine pairing suggestion, but our fab Australian sommelier/​waiter gave us many more options to taste — all fantastic: From a surprisingly tasty Chardonnay alternative to the a unique white port after dinner. Prices are moderate to expensive– but very fair given the quality of the food, the extremely attentive service, and warm ambiance.
We were given a very tasty amuse-​bouche soon after we sat down, and that set the tone for the entire evening. Deelish. We enjoyed salad and fish and short rib lollipops. Our palates were not only grateful, they were positively giddy. Oh yes — and lots of generous pours. We only sent back one glass of wine we didn’t care for. It was replaced by something delicious.
If you are visiting the Fort Lauderdale area, please make a trip here before you overpay for a mediocre meal on Las Olas. If you are a local– bookmark this joint and become a regular.

Best restaurant in South Florida.
Everything from the ambiance to the food to the staff is incredible. We didn’t have reservations on a busy Saturday night, so we chose to sit at the chef’s bar– Which gave us a birds eye view of the kitchen. It was an amazing experience. Not only did we get to sample dishes as we chatted with the executive chef, but we were able to witness how the kitchen operates and the levels of perfection that they try to attain with every dish.
We started with the cheese plate, which was a tasty concoction of brie, port cheddar, danish blue and Manchego, with a mango chutney jelly/​honey that was to die for.
The Conch sliders were unique and inventive. Filled with flavor and in between two perfectly fried plantains. The best method to eat these gems is to squeeze the plantain chips. The conch tasted great with hints of lime and onion in combination with salty plantain and occasional sweetness that seeps out.
We were given samples of scallop ceviche and pork belly in a basil /​parsley oil sauce. Both amazing.
Both main courses were great. My fiancé had Sea Bass which was cooked to perfection with a mushroom ragout, while I had a tenderloin with chocolate mole sauce and a bacon infused polenta that tasted more like a biscuit full of goodness.
After the fairly large meal we were ready to burst, but since we were sitting at the chefs bar/​table, we were offered two additional desserts on top of the one we ordered. The indulgence stole the show with various flavors of ice cream topped with melted meringue that resembled a marshmallow. The chef also recommended Lavender ice cream, which we passed on. However, a large scoop was brought out with dinner. Simply amazing. I never thought a fragrance such as lavender would go so well in a dessert. Finally, we were given a bread pudding in a date sauce which was simply to die for.
Overall, I would rank the experience a 10 out of 10. Sitting at the chefs table was a culinary treat. I will be going back soon.

Soon as you walk in, you’re relieved from the Floridian summer heat by the A/​C. Next you’ll notice the ambiance– dimly lit venue with a classic yet contemporary feel. Neutral, black, and cognac décor, tables adorned by oil candle lights; relaxing and romantic ;)
The set up is abundant with variety seating. Feeling casual? Sit along the bar or the stool tables along side the windows. They also offer small tables with much larger seats– ideal for business meetings. They also have booth tables of varying seat counts.
The ambiance thus far is excellent! Music is lounge set at medium, more audible by the bar– perfect! Behind the bar hangs a flat screen to watch the latest games.
Waiting for my food…
Baby Octopus on vegetable medley: ³⁄₅
The octopus is rather chewy, which the bartender checked with me on. I suppose they are already aware of this. According to them it is a hit or miss sometimes. Personally, I will not order this again for the following two reasons: 1. Eating the baby octopus was a big kid workout for my mouth, 2. The vegetable medley was a little too saturated in balsamic vinegrette
BBQ Pork Empanada: ⁵⁄₅
Amazing! Eat it while hot. My good gracious it’s delicious. I love BBQ! This dish comes with a guava BBQ sauce. I think I want another one… So amazing. Must try!
Time for dessert! Options run a little tight but they’re all made in house– even their ice cream and sorbets. Lots of choices here; I’ll be having a scoop each of the…
Ice creams:
orange basil–
Different. And I like it! Orange with a hint of basil. One of my favorite cocktails are mojitoes. I like that leafy, near herbal/​spice taste.
apple caramel–
Very different. First few bites are great. A lot less sweet than I anticipated. Good to try but least favorite among the three I’ve selected. Additional choices available but I can only eat so much!
Sorbet:
Coconut–
Excellent! Lighter than coconut ice cream, sweet enough, small pieces here and there. Loved it!
Service is attentive yet relaxed. Fits well with the ambiance. Waited not very long for my food, I am quite pleased as I’ve enter here hungry.
Great place for a date, business, or catching up in a more trendy setting without the pretentiousness.

Though I’ve enjoyed a lot of the good food catered by the Grateful Palate aboard some Lauderdale’s finer private yachts, it’s been a while since I’ve stopped by the Grateful Palate itself, and I wasn’t disappointed. As restaurants go, the Grate Palate is a way cool sort of place with subtle lighting, trendy intimate seating, kicky Swedish Lykke Li background music and superlative, attentive table service.
It’s one of the few restaurants that serve a real foi gras, an Ossetra (actual Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) caviar appetizer or, as I had on my Caesar, a white anchovy which is basically to say that dinning here, though causal, is rather a first class act in casualness.
Though there basic menu is rather limited each has a suggested wine pairing and they always have several specials, which specials I would suggest trying since they are usually, though simplistically presented, innovatively prepared.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a new favorite restaurant.
Yet another amazing restaurant nestled in a strip mall that is unexpectedly doing things just right.
Arrived on time for a 7pm reservation and got seated right away. We had the choice of a regular table or a sofa «booth». We chose the booth. It’s really a sofa with a table and a couple of chairs in front of it. The sofa was a little too low for me so I had to use a pillow to prop me up (no shorty jokes please). It was very comfortable.
We were greeted right away. Service began and ended on a great note. It was just the right amount of attention. Corkage was $ 25.00 for the wine we brought.
We ordered the grilled shrimp lollipops with a guava BBQ sauce and the gourmet cheese platter to start. While we waited we were served their warm bread. Ahhhh, it’s like they know me! They then brought us an eggplant tapenade for the amuse bouche. That was the perfect bit to kick everything off with.
Everything delivered was incredible and went great with our cab. I wanted to bottle up that guava BBQ sauce! Didn’t care too much for the crackers served with the cheese but I was using them as vessels to have more of the BBQ sauce. The drunken goat was my absolute favorite of the cheeses (the other was manchego). We also tried their special scallop wrapped in smoked Canadian bacon. It was just one but good enough to try out. It was great as well.
For our main course we split the 15oz rib eye. They were nice enough to split that for us into a medium and a medium rare including the sides. It was cooked to PERFECTION! We also split their shrimp truffle mac and cheese. The portion is smaller than most restaurants but just right. It went perfectly with our steak.
Nothing in the dessert menu actually looked appetizing so we asked our waitress to bring whatever their most popular one is. She brought over the «Indulgence». This is a concoction of mango and coconut sorbet topped with meringue in a passion fruit sauce. This is not my usual type of dessert. I usually go for rich, cake like sweets. This, however, was really very good. My husband doesn’t even like mango and was loving it.
At some point we ran out of our wine and we ordered one by the glass. We asked her to choose one for us which I ended up not liking and she did not hesitate to bring me another to try. The second one was great.
Ended it with a cortadito (which they know how to make) and we were two happy campers.
The décor is cozy and elegant. The kitchen is open to the bar and quite small. You can see everything as they make it. They must have a wonderful ventilation system because you cannot smell any of it in the dining area. There is a section by the entrance which is a wine bar with lounge type chairs and a second bar.
I am completely in love with our experience here and will be running back as soon as I can!

The first night that I spend in South Florida was at my Fiancé’s Christmas party in Boca Raton, at the Boca Beach Club, a very nice and elegant resort. I was excited to get to know new local people and learn about the area. One of the first people I talked to at the party told me that I was going to love South Florida, but I was going to have to get used to eating at nice, and good restaurants that are in strip malls. Although I have not been out to a wide variety of restaurants in Ft. Lauderdale yet, I had this experience last weekend.
Driving by and looking at the Grateful Palate from 17^th street, I thought that it was a cooking school in a strip mall next to Bank of America. However once you step inside of the restaurant, it feels like you are in a café in Nob Hill. My local friends took me here and I am so grateful. The décor was loungey and comfortable; the service was prompt, professional, and personable. One detail that I thought was pretty cool was the wine taps on the wall in the wine bar. I have not seen this outside of San Francisco before, and was pleasantly surprised.
We chose to sit at the bar, where the bartender poured us a complementary wine tasting to help us choose our wine to go with our meal. He pored mostly California wine, which of course I appreciate, and made recommendations from the menu for us. We had the conch sliders, duck breast, and bacon wrapped scallops. I had never had conch before moving to Florida, and I feel mixed about conch in general. However, these sliders were to die for. I could go back and get a takeout order of them. The buns used were backed plantains, and were delicious. The scallops and the duck were also very tasty, but a little salty. Overall this dining experience was totally worth it and I would go back in a second.

Everything about Grateful Palate, from the fabulously cozy overstuffed seats to the dim-​lit ambiance to the incredible food left me wanting more. My husband and I snagged a last minute reservation at Grateful Palate in Ft. Lauderdale last Saturday evening and couldn’t wait to hear if all of the hype around this place was really worth it, and we found out that it absolutely was. Besides the fact that we became best friends with our over the top friendly server, we will most definitely be coming back for more.
After we had been sitting for a few moments, we were greeted by the sommelier. He was a down to earth guy with a real knowledge of the wine list. Yes, we enjoy a nice glass or two of wine with our meal, but we don’t wish to spend more than $ 30 – 40 for it. Along with our server, the two of them came up with a fabulous French bottle of white wine called Roche du Lune that not only fit the bill perfectly, but complimented our meal spectacularly.
When it came time to order, we were sure we were going to have the SeaBass and the Truffle Mac n Cheese special of the evening, and after we chatted with our server we ended up ordering the Scallops and the Duck Breast as our main courses with a small side of the Mac N Cheese as well as the Thai Beef and Conch Slider appetizers.
The Thai Beef appetizer, served with cold marinated vegetables and Udon Noodles, was nothing spectacular but it quenched my taste for medium rare beef and tangy Udon Noodles. There was little to no heat in the dish, but the flavors were still enticing.
The Conch Sliders, served between two plantain cakes, were a highlight. The conch inside was prepared with a sweet and tangy sauce that made the flavors pop. The plantain chips were soft, and maintained in tact with each bite, making the slider extremely easy to eat.
One of my frequent critiques when I order scallops at any restaurant is the «chewiness» of the scallops. Yes, a scallop is inherently chewy because that’s the way nature made scallops, but a good chef can limit the «chewiness» of scallops, leaving their natural flavor to really shine through. At Grateful Palate, the chef did just that. These scallops were prepared to perfection. They tasted incredibly fresh, minimally chewy, and extremely large. When it comes to scallops I very rarely leave behind any, because they are such small portions. However, at Grateful Palate, these scallops were so big that I left almost half of an entire scallop for Carl to finish off. They were delectable in every sense of the word. I highly recommend these to any scallop enthusiast.
Carl ordered the duck breast. Let me first state, I am hit or miss when it comes to enjoying duck. I have had duck several times and it has gone ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ as far as my like for it. Let’s just say that when Carl ordered the duck I was a little bit upset because I didn’t think I would like it. Boy was I wrong! This duck was prepared impeccably. Each taste had a consistency more reminiscent of a filet than of poultry. The true flavor of the duck was a highlight, although the way in which the duck was prepared left a sweet aftertaste. It almost tasted like a breakfast sausage suited up for dinner. It was served atop a mixture of squash and zucchini. I had to apologize to Carl for taking so much of his dinner, as it was irresistible
Our server, as I mentioned before, was fabulous. We heard her mention the truffle Mac ‘n Cheese with shrimp special of the evening and our mouths immediately began watering. However, Mac’n Cheese is always a tough main course. It’s so rich, especially once truffle is thrown in, and we worried it would simply be too rich for a main course. Our server told us she’d be happy to bring a side portion of the Mac ‘n Cheese so we could at least taste it. We happily agreed, and both laughed about how the side of macaroni and cheese would likely set us back $ 12. When we got the bill, the server had charged us less than $ 5.00 for the side dish. We were thrilled, because not only was the price right but the creamy Mascarpone cheese mixed with the truffle flavor made this Mac ‘N Cheese some of the best «fancy» macaroni and cheese I have ever tasted. I wish I could contract The Grateful Palate to make me Truffle Mac ‘N Cheese every week to eat alongside my dinners at home!
Anyone looking for a wonderfully prepared meal at a middle of the road price should definitely make a reservation at the Grateful Palate located on 17^th street just east of the 17^th street bridge. It’s perfect for a romantic date night, but it’s also perfect for a night with the girls to enjoy some wonderful dining.

The Grateful Palate is my favorite restaurant! The food is amazing and it doesn’t matter what you order… it’s all good.
A better than average wine selection and excellent, knowledgeable service!
The name of the restaurant certainly suits the experience!
I HIGHLY recommend it!

Went here on 07 February with colleagues. A good small meal. A good bottle of wine. But the prices just seem too high for what is on the table. Even worse, the credit card i used at this location was compromised within hours of the meal. So overall the rating must be low.

So I was upset when they revamped this little place. Use to have a market and make deelish sandwiches but it’s truly stellar still.
If you have a special occasion call ahead and set up a reservation and ask about the wine tasting. I always smile when I think of the memorable events that have been hosted here.