Canyon Southwest Cafe

Cute little modern American cafe in Fort Lauderdale. My DH and I went with a friend on Tuesday night for dinner.


What we had:

We all shared small plates.

Indonesian spiced bison medallions with scotch bonnet blueberry crema and anjeo tequila roasted corn salsa. This was a great dish, with perfectly mid-rare buffalo, and a well-balanced sauce. The blueberry didn't come through, but the overall fruitiness of the peppers did. The spice rub wasn't my DH's favorite thing in the world, but that isn't his thing on red meat, either. I liked it and our third had no complaints.




Wasabi ginger marinated beef with soba, carrots, scallions, cilantro & crispy wontons and a fermented brown rice vinegar soy sauce. A nice dish, if a bit on the oily side, with juicy steak nuggets that we all clamored for at the bottom of the plate.

Blue corn fried oysters with toasted sweet corn, mixed organic greens, cascabel chili vinaigrette and cilantro cream. These were the best fried oysters I have ever had. The oysters were perfectly, barely fried, still briny jewels. The salad was a great accompaniment, cutting the fat of the fried corn oyster coating and sauce nicely. This was also my DH's first time eating oysters, and I'm kind of sorry the bar got set so high. Really happy we got to taste them, but now the standard of what a fried oyster should taste like is going to be impossibly high.

Pork & shrimp dumplings. Aside from pasted shrimp and pork, the dumplings were bursting with flavor from fresh ginger, garlic, scallion, and an unidentifiable "wow factor" ingredient. These tasted better and just more than pork dumplings have a right to.

White truffle manchengo cheese potato chips. When they came out in a mini fryer basket, we just couldn't help but smile. These were great little chips, with a nice saltiness from the cheese and richness from the truffle. Addictive.


Décor:

Tiny and cute in warm golds and icy purples. Be forewarned: this place is very cozy. The plate choice must also be mentioned here, because they were large and fun.


Service:

Good service, especially considering the servers have to battle their way from the kitchen or bar.


Overall impressions:

This was a great find. We went on recommendation from another FTL-based foodie friend, and she hit the nail right in the head. I'm also glad we arrived when we did--at 7, we snagged the next-to-last table and by the time we left (on a Tuesday!) it was standing room only, with bar patrons waiting to get in. This is a happening little spot, and as they warn 10 times on their website, they don't take reservations.


Rating:

4 out of 5 salamanders





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Shing Wang Bubble Tea House

A fast casual locally owned & operated Asian restaurant specializing in banh mi sandwiches and bubble tea.


What we had:




I had the Thai Chicken Banh Mi--moist chicken with nice spicy coconut curry, great crispy vegetables and light, flavorful mayo on crusty, chewy French bread. Served with a side of crispy vegetable fries. This sandwich had a perfect taste balance between bright and fresh and satisfying from the rich coconut and a great balance of crunch to chewiness. My only gripe is the same gripe I have with every banh mi sandwich; the cilantro sprigs are always on top and they are always near impossible to keep in the sandwich past the first few bites. A small gripe, to be sure.




My DH had the Chicken Lo Mein--light garlic sauce with juicy chicken and a nice mix of mushrooms, bamboo, carrot, bok choy, pea pods, bean sprouts and cabbage. His dish was huge for a lunch plate and had a good taste profile. Not too salty and everything tasted like it was prepared with care and attention.

We did not try the bubble tea, though the menu for it was impressive--they even carry reduced sugar varieties upon request.


Décor:

Cute, stripped-down decor. Nice and sunny.


Service:

Order at the counter or at your table and they bring it to you. We were the only customers in the restaurant when we ordered and we ordered at the counter. As the place filled up, customers ordered at their tables.

Very friendly service from the enthusiastic greeting at the door.

We were also brought table water in a nice glass bottle, which is always a nice touch.


Overall impressions:

A great find and we will definitely be going back for a grocery day lunch next time I need to swing by the Asian market.

The clientele was nicely mixed, which is always a good mark of quality, especially when your establishment is right next to the market; a table of middle aged and older Chinese speaking table came in next and a few tables of different round eye varietals came in after.

Shing Wang also offers Free Wi Fi.


Rating:

3.75 out of 5 salamanders





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