New co-owner Steve Sponder likes to grab a mike and lead singalongs at Fort Lauderdale's Sublime.
Sublime
- 1431 N. Federal Hwy.
- Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
- 954-615-1431
- http://www.sublimeveg.com
- Report an error
- $$, $10 - $20
- Vegetarian
- Reservations
- Menu
A lot has changed since Hurricane Wilma battered Sublime, which closed for six months, not only to be repaired but remodeled and ''retooled,'' reopening with new vigor and perhaps a new mission.
We were savoring Sublime's healthful cuisine on a recent Saturday night when out of the blue, servers handed out cards printed with the lyrics to What a Wonderful World. We were clueless until Sublime's new co-owner, Steve Sponder, grabbed a mike. Soon everyone in the dining room was belting out the Louie Armstrong classic.
Who says only carnivores know how to party?
OK, singalongs don't happen every day, but a lot has changed since Hurricane Wilma battered the Fort Lauderdale restaurant in October. Sublime closed for six months, not only to be repaired but remodeled and ''retooled,'' reopening with new vigor and perhaps a new mission.
''I was a customer at Sublime before I was a co-owner,'' says Sponder, now a business partner of Sublime co-founder Nancy Alexander, an animal-rights activist. ``And it was a very serious place. I wanted to make it more fun to eat here.''
Lunch was added and prices slashed. There's now a piano bar and private events room. The kitchen uses more organic produce and has added faux meats to the menu. There's an expanded list of organic cocktails, like the green-tea martini, and nearly a dozen of the 60 wines are organic.
Sublime remains casually elegant, with a wall of cascading water, Italian glass tiles and soothing sage hues brightened by bold new accent lighting.
The culinary focus also remains: No animal products are used -- no meat, eggs, butter, cheese or other dairy products, not even honey, though Sponder shuns the ''vegan'' label. (Most people ''don't identify with it,'' he says.)
That translates to gourmet-quality fare like tempura cauliflower, lemongrass-studded stir-fry and chocolate truffle with fresh berries. With 250 seats, Sublime aims to broaden its appeal as a destination for ''natural,'' ''healthful'' dining.
Labels aside, who can resist a welcome that includes warm rosemary biscuits and a friendly staff. (Apparently not Paul McCartney, who dined here with his now-estranged wife, Heather, last year.)
Our favorite starter was a timbale of puréed sweet potatoes stacked atop buttery avocado and quinoa with a roasted tomatillo dressing. Spring rolls are also terrific, light and crisp, served with fragrant peanut-ginger and sweet chili dipping sauces.
The bountiful Sublime chopped salad is big enough to share, but the smoked ''bacon'' bits got soggy, and the organic blue ''cheese'' dressing lacked the characteristic sharpness.
A walnut-based Parmesan cheese substitute was surprisingly good on Sublime's delicious flatbread pizzas. The forest mushroom is a knockout, topped with wild mushrooms, shallots, roasted garlic and spinach. The Rocky Mountain's slices of grilled faux steak jive with rosemary-roasted potato slices, mushrooms and caramelized onions on the thin, snap-crisp crust.
Two popular new entrees, Sublime piccata (with garlic-mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach) and Sublime Marsala (with pasta and broccolini), feature grain- and soy-based cutlets in the traditional lemon-caper-white wine and sweet Marsala sauces.
I wouldn't mistake them for chicken, but they came close enough that my vegetarian friend felt uneasy about eating them. (Many pasta- and vegetable-based entrees skip the meat substitutes.)
I liked the cutlets better as strips in the flavorful pad Thai, the light rice noodles tossed with an array of vegetables, nuts, garlic and ginger.
With no animal products, desserts are cholesterol-free. Dig into warm chocolate truffle, carrot cake or ultra-tart Key lime cheesecake. What a wonderful world, indeed.
Hours
5:30-10 p.m.Tuesday-SundayDetails
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Location
- Current 82.4 °F
- It's a club night
- Find an outdoor dance floor
