Appetue

This restaurant no longer exists.

I have been walking around with a
coupon since August 2011 and finally had the opportunity to head east and find the restaurant open. It was very cozy and inviting with neutral colors, textured brick walls, decorative pieces on the wall and some very cool chandeliers. The seating was very inviting & comfortable. The large table had lovely leather chairs at each end. If I was to come in with 6 – 8 people, it would be an ideal spot to share a meal. We sat down and ordered a glass of red & white wines which cost $ 6.00 each. Without knowing the brand, the wine was delicious & chilled perfectly. My boy-​friend enjoyed his red. The waitress placed a platter with a bowl of olives dressed with capers, a morrocan spice mix-​harissa & fresh rosemary with toasted flatbread that we found out to be gluten free. I would have never known! We ordered an appetizer to share, Beef Wellington rare (with mushrooms & foie gras pâté’) and it came out perfect! While we were eating, the owner, Kat (Katrina), stopped at our table and we had a lively conversation about food, foodies & the restaurant business. She told us that if she had the food in house, she would prepare us off the menu items if possible. She also promoted other businesses, «The Hog» and gave us a coupon. My boyfriend/​dining companion is also opening a restaurant in March 2012 and she took his website and promised to visit. Note she also does catering and is planning another restaurant in Pompano Beach in 2012. All in all, a very nice experience. I look forward to our next visit.

Being in the restaurant business, I refrain from negative reviews as I know how hard it is to guarantee a good experience every time. However, after reading Wanda’s review and seeing it was almost an identical experience two months after our visit, the owners need to know that they need to change the direction of the business or give up on it for the public’s sake.
We also waited an hour for three of our four meals, then the fourth meal took an additional 45 minutes. There were two other tables, a two-​top and a three-​top, and we were four. I’ve cooked for four times as many people at home in less than half the time. Restaurants require people with certain skills who have a desire to please the public. This restaurant is breaking down at that most fundamental level.

Small, easy-​to-​miss spot in a little strip with a few parking spots in front. Appetue is an unusual venture for Ft. Lauderdale/​Pompano, a restaurant that specializes totally in small plates and dessert. Not tiny appetizers nor the normal big honking entrée, their dishes are just like the sign says outside, «light fare». Everything runs around the $ 8 – 10 mark, and it’s easy to mix and match starters, soups, salads and entrée choices to make a truly satisfying meal.
The level of potential creativity is a cut above, with such surprising (and often changing) selections as an addictive pumpkin bisque, a curiously delicious no-​lettuce salad composed of cucumbers, grape tomatoes, mango, onion and chopped peanuts, and clever presentations of beef, lamb and duck with tasty grilled veggies, potatoes etc. Nice selection of unusual micro brews and imported beers, decent wines, and complementary herbed olives/​capers with fresh grilled pita triangles when you sit down.
That said, some caveats from me:
Their uneven and often heavy hand with salt. A couple times it’s pushed right past the borderline between enough and unpalatable.
Consistency has been wildly variable on ‘entrée’ dishes. First time my wife’s veal was great; second time almost inedible. First time my pot roast, veggies & potatoes were spot-​on, second time one big tough hunk of meat and no veggies whatsoever.
It’s an extremely friendly (but slightly spacey) crew, just two in the kitchen and a waitress for the front, and gives off just a pretty good neighborhood hang-​out vibe.
I don’t think Appetue has been open very long, they don’t have a big budget or much advertising, but I’m really pulling for them to keep this little experiment among the noisy trough-​feed places going, but they really need more serious commitment.