My world is usually one of dashed hopes and tamped-down expectations, particularly when it comes to restaurants recommended by others. And also with boozy Fort Lauderdale eateries featuring forced themes and mixed-up menus (crab Louie, rigatoni and sushi?). I went into Good Spirits Fifth and Fed expecting disappointment.
Instead I got a treat, a place with remarkably composed dishes and polished service in a comfortable setting that works. And then I went back to make sure. And then I went back a third time, not to reconfirm any impressions, but simply because I wanted to eat more food.
The plates coming from the kitchen of chefs Jonathan and John Alex Jimenez, Colombian-born brothers, are that good. Pretty and satisfying, too.
“I feel like we hit the Lotto with these two,” co-owner Frank Zaffere says in a followup interview after my visits. “Every plate is a work of art.”
Nearly every dish was a balanced study in flavor and texture, with surprises along the way. The collard greens accompanying sliced pork tenderloin ($24) were steeped in cuttlefish ink. Cauliflower soup ($14) was a white sea of truffle-infused cream with green dots of basil oil, edible flowers and half-submerged buoys of charred purple cauliflower. The braised short rib appetizer ($16) had a puddle of crimson demi glace, a mound of jalapeno-cheddar grits and a covering of quail egg and crunchy potato strings.
A retro salad of crab Louie ($21) was served on an oversized glass plate, a head of baby iceberg from Mr. Greens produce in Miami topped with jumbo lump crab and surrounded by purple circles of watermelon radish and lustrous yellow hard-boiled egg. Every component was right. Lightly grilled grape tomatoes were kissed with smoke. The crab meat, although from a can, tasted fresh and was free of any cartilage or shell. Microgreens were scattered on top. The creamy dressing “royale” at the bottom (what we used to call Russian, back in the day) looked sparse, but it lasted for every swipe.
I didn’t see this coming. Not after I shuddered when I first looked at the mishmash menu. And not after allowing Good Spirits to slip from my radar since it opened a year ago. The restaurant has its address in its clunky name, but it is hidden from Federal Highway, blocked by another building and actually one short block east of Federal on North Fifth Street. I had not seen it while driving and had not heard anything about it until my dermatologist told me to go. I trusted him with my basal cells; turns out he knows seared scallops, too.
When Good Spirits opened at the base of a gleaming new development it had been billed as a “Mad Men”-inspired lounge. The buildings that have been sprouting along Federal Highway near Victoria Park and Flagler Village can feel as soulless as the canyons of Madison Avenue, but there didn’t seem to be anything retro about the place. The sidewalk tables feel like something out of Seattle or Portland, relaxed, comfortable and modern urban. Aside from a front lounge with mid-20th century furnishings, the rest of the $2 million build-out feels very contemporary, with wooden walls, high ceilings, a backlit liquor wall above the sushi bar and an open kitchen.
Still, the menu ventured boldly into the past with rarely seen classics such as chopped steak, chicken cordon blue, oysters Rockefeller and crab Louie, a salad that was all the rage a century ago in San Francisco.
Somehow the restaurant pulls off the marriage of old and new. The boxy room features a square bar and 90 seats, with another 70 outside. The interior is large and well-spaced, with nooks and semicircular banquettes in the back dining area. Surrounded by high top tables, the bar can get lively, but the open-air restaurant never got too loud, refreshing these days. When the sliding doors are closed during summer, it may be another story.
Good Spirits also features a sushi bar for those who want to eat light, and more modern dishes such as pork belly, braised oxtail and beet salad with goat cheese. Next month will bring the introduction of more vegan and plant-based dishes.
The restaurant is from Old School Hospitality, a group that also runs the regional Quarterdeck chain and Beach Bar at the Newport Pier in Sunny Isles. The group includes Paul Flanigan and former Notre Dame classmates Frank Zaffere and Joe Zebrowski. They built Good Spirits Fifth and Fed to be their showcase property, but also wanted it to have a relaxed, neighborhood feel.
The opening chef was Joseph Parsons, a restaurant veteran who once owned JoJo’s Tacos in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. Parsons left after a few months, and the Jimenez brothers, who worked with him for years, took over. Jonathan Jimenez says he and his brother never went to culinary school, just learned on the line as they worked at many South Florida restaurants, including Nikki Beach. They get all the fine points right, such as the spiced pumpkin seeds atop the “Southern Swine” pork tenderloin dish, a perfect crunch to go with the pork, greens and sweet potato mash. Too bad the pork was overcooked to medium well (I requested medium).
My biggest complaint at Good Spirits was with some of the pricing, which felt aggressive. That cauliflower soup special was good, but I didn’t think to ask the cost and was unpleasantly surprised when I saw the $14 price. Classic cocktails were good but in the $12-$14 range. Customers might be more prone to order another round if they were a few bucks cheaper.
Still, I found much of the value to be fine, including a properly cooked, pan-seared mahi-mahi ($21 at lunch). The plump fillet came atop an orange mound of smoky, pepper-infused mashed potatoes and were surrounded by crunchy green beans and dollops of sauce with sun-dried tomato. Chicken cordon blue ($19 at lunch, $23 dinner) featured a crisp chicken cutlet topped with a layer of ham and smothered in baby Swiss and Parmesan cream (and topped with a cheesy French flag toothpick). It was heavy but refined.
I was so intrigued by these throwback dishes that I didn’t delve into the sushi. The sushi bar is headed by chef Chang Jin, better known as “Sushi Mike,” who has worked with the Old School Group since they brought sushi to a restaurant they once owned in Jupiter and to the Quarterdeck chain (the Dania Beach Pier location has some surprisingly good sushi). Considering the area’s health-conscious demographics and warm weather, it is smart — although somewhat discordant — for Good Spirits to offer sushi. Zebrowski says the sushi items account for nearly 25 percent of food sales.
One day, perhaps. For now I’ll stick with crab Louie and a Manhattan.
Good Spirits Fifth and Fed
476 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale
954-523-2580, or GoodSpiritsRestaurant.com
Cuisine: American and sushi bar
Cost: Moderate to expensive. Appetizers, soups and salads cost $9 to $21, sandwiches $16-$20, entrees $20-$38, sides $7-$8, sushi $3-$25, desserts $10-$11
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-1 a.m Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Saturday-Sunday (kitchen closes earlier, usually 10 p.m. weeknights and 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday)
Reservations: Accepted
Credit cards: All major
Bar: Full liquor with craft cocktails, beer and wine
Noise level: Lively at bar but tolerable, with well-spaced tables and nooks inside
Wheelchair access: Ground level
Parking: Free lot and garage
mmayo@sunsentinel.com, 954-356-4508. Follow my food adventures on Instagram: @mikemayoeats. Sign up for my weekly dining newsletter at SunSentinel.com/EatBeatMail. Join the conversation at Facebook.com/groups/LetsEatSouthFlorida.