Tarpon Bend

Tarpon Bend Restaurant Review:

This spacious, casually stylish resto-lounge is intended by its three owners (who also run Broward’s Himmarshee Bar & Grille) to evoke the vacation-time vibe of a fishing trip --- fresh fish included, just not the fuss of fishing for them. Actually, the hangout is more famous for its camaraderie and creative cocktails (like the Mamasita Martini, a vodka-based strawberry-sour apple concoction) than for its food. While the grown-ups' menu at this Tarpon Bend is similar to that in the Gables, featuring simple seafood dishes plus salads and several meat items, the selection of bar bites is smaller and slightly less sophisticated; fried calamari, for instance, comes with the usual marinara and a tame garlic aïoli rather than a spicy Szechuan sauce. We'd stick with the savory smoked fish dip or reliably fresh raw oysters. If you're here for a full meal rather than bar bites, the best policy is to focus on the daily-changing catches on the blackboard. Desserts include brownies, Key lime pie and, the winner, an old-fashioned apple cake that's more like à la mode warm bread pudding. Wine and beer lists are limited, but include bargains like import brews priced the same as domestics.