Look up.
From different vantage points around Fort Lauderdale — from the beach and the port to the canals and drawbridges — you can see Pier Top.
The rotating lounge atop the 17th floor of Pier Sixty-Six has been the crown jewel of the resort and a visual highlight since its tower opened in 1965.
And now, as part of Pier Sixty-Six’s $1 billion major makeover taking just over three years, Pier Top has reopened, once again beguiling guests with a moving 360-degree view set to gracefully whirl around every 66 minutes.
Thanks to the facelift, the craft cocktail and “elevated bites” lounge has a sumptuous look with lots of jewel-toned layered patterns and textures gleamed up with metallic finishes, giving the space a tongue-in-chic youth injection.
Hotel manager Kevin Ives described the new look and vibe as wow-inducing.
“As soon as those elevator doors open and people see it unfold in front of them, everybody has the same reaction: They kind of stop in their tracks and go, ‘Oh my God. Like this is amazing,’” Ives says. “There’s definitely a nod, from a design standpoint, to the history of the space in that kind of like mid-century design, but in a very sexy and sophisticated, modern way.
“There’s this air of sophistication and sexiness that just permeates the entire space. You want to sit down and have a cocktail and look at beautiful people and enjoy cityscape. It’s incredible. It’s awe-inspiring.”
Management expects soon to add entertainment — with burlesque, magicians, live music, deejays.
The offerings have been carefully planned to blend with the eight other food & beverage spots throughout the iconic 32-acre property: Calusso, Sotogrande, Garni Cafe (opening April 2), The Nectar Room, Saltbreeze, Windows on 66, Pelican Landing (opening in October) and Elate Market Café.
“Pier Sixty-Six as a complex is a canvas,” says chef Aldo Novoa, the resort’s director of culinary. “It’s all about having something different, and how the guests have different options. So you have … Garni Cafe, a kind of a French American bistro per se concept. Then you have these fine-dining French and Italian Riviera concepts, where you have something really special when you want to have dinner in Calusso. Then, if you want a little bit something more communal dining, a little bit more relaxed, that is still elevated but more about traditional flavors from Eastern Mediterranean, Spain and North Africa, you go to Sotogrande, right?
“Or if you want Latin bites … you can go to Saltbreeze,” Novoa continues. “If you want something Asian, you’re going to go to Nectar Room. … [In Elate] you have a beautiful pastry display case where you have everything, like kind of a French bakery, right? And going to Pier Top, it’s different. It’s not your typical bar.”
Here’s more about Pier Top in comments, edited for brevity and clarity, from Ives and Novoa.
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THE FOOD & COCKTAILS
Aldo Novoa: “From the food standpoint … it’s a place that you can be playful. It’s a fun menu. We call it ‘elevated bites menu,’ where you can find something as simple as potato chips that are dusted with a pizza seasoning, right? And then for those that are more adventurous, we call it a Foie Gras PB&J, right? We have a caviar service. We have oysters. We’re gonna have a Floating Tuna Tartare. When you see the tuna, it’s served on a beautiful crystal bread that is hollow in the center, so you see the tuna on top … with a kimchi base, which gives a different flavor profile to it.
“Also, the names on the menu, I think, are very creative. So you have one of them, Got A Hot Date. It’s cool. You have a piquillo pepper sauce. The dates have chorizo on the inside and are wrapped in bacon. It’s just a warm bite, but it’s definitely something that is memorable. … If you’re into vegetables or you want something light, we have one that is called, Eat Your Veggies, right? It’s a Green Goddess dressing and you have these beautiful vegetables in different shapes, presented on crushed ice. … [Another dish] is called Pie’s The Limit. It’s pretty much a pie, but it’s a pie that has 4 ounces of caviar on top. And it’s a shareable. It’s a showstopper. When it comes to the table, you see it … some gold leaves on top, some house-smoked salmon, crème fraîche. It’s definitely something that is not that common to see.”
Kevin Ives: “On both the food menu and the cocktail menu, aside from everything being delicious, there’s this really visually stunning and striking presentation of things. We wanted there to be a lot of drama in the space. So between the selection of glassware and then the coloring and presentation and garniture and all those things, it’s all been very thoughtfully crafted together. So that you’re sitting in the space and somebody’s walking with the tray of cocktails or the food, and you’re going, ‘Oh, wow, what is that like? That’s amazing. What’s happening at the table next to me?’ There’s all this drama happening in the space.”
Novoa: “You have some of the most creative drinks that we’ve ever had … everything from a traditional cocktail —like you have your margaritas, you have your Old Fashioned — but you also have something like my favorite, The Smoke & Mirrors, that is kind of a different take on the Old Fashioned. It’s just a way that it’s presented (with tomato shrub, olive brine, watermelon cube). It’s a showmanship. There’s a large array of bubbles, of course, and wines.”
THE LORE
Novoa: “When I went over to Pier Top was pretty much when it was still in construction. It was just an empty space. But what you noticed right off the bat is just amazing views that you have, 360 degrees of Fort Lauderdale. It’s just magic. … Everybody that I speak to has some memories about Pier Top — either a prom, a wedding, a brunch. Now I understand why this is a landmark. I understand why it’s so important to people, to the history of Fort Lauderdale.
Ives: “You know, I’m a Florida boy. I was born in South Florida. Pier Sixty-Six has always been one of those cornerstones of the industry. So to see, sort of the flagship space, the thing that is most recognized in the community, and see it in that raw of a state, was pretty remarkable. There’s this sort of renaissance of the community happening right now, and you could really kind of see what this property, this opening kind of means as part of that transformation and part of that renaissance. … There’s a deep sense of pride for me to be able to be part of bringing this to life and seeing it. I feel very fortunate that I was able to join the team at a period where it was still very much in its infancy, at least from a construction standpoint.
Pier Sixty-Six is located at 2301 SE 17th St., Fort Lauderdale. For more information, visit piertoplounge.com or call 754-318-6991. You can also visit piersixtysix.com or email piertop@piersixtysixresort.com.
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