On Saturday night, my husband and I decided to venture out on the town a little further from home. Typically we dine anywhere that’s within a 10 minute drive. We decided to head down to Fort Lauderdale to see what was new and good. We consulted with Yelp.com of course and Google maps. After reading some reviews of places we wanted to try I read about Market 17 that someone mentioned in their Yelp review of another restaurant. I yelped Market 17 then jumped over to their website, they had me at local, organic, and farm-to-table(!!). They also have an outstanding happy hour 4:30-7pm seven days a week, so my husband was willing to check it out.

We arrived around 6pm and there was one other couple at the bar. That worried us a little, but we decided to at least stay for a drink and appetizer, why not for half off! Creative cocktails and a beautiful ambiance set the mood for a wonderful evening, we ended up staying a few hours . By the time we left around 9pm, there restaurant was quite full! We were surprised more people did not arrive early for their outstanding happy hour specials.

Here’s a photo of the mostly devoured charcuterie we ordered. You can get 3 items for $15, 5 for $25 and 7 for $32. It was absolutely delicious, almost forgot to take a picture! We ordered the chicken pear sausage (my favorite), andouille sausage (Heman’s favorite), and chocolate stout cheddar (Heman really like this one, no cheese for me). The chicken pear sausage was juicy, sweet, and a little crispy on the outside, I loved it! My husband preferred the andouille sausage, it was flavorful but not too spicy as sometimes andouille can be. He really liked the cheese as well, the chocolate stout was different but the flavor combination was delicious. Drink pictured below is the Partridge in a Pear tree made with pear vodka and pear nectar, I asked them to hold the fennel syrup. We also sampled the M-17 (a take on an Old-Fashioned), and Prickly Passion Martini, fruity but not too sweet.

On the side of the menu, you can see where your food comes from…veggies, meats, cheeses, eggs, seafood, it’s all there!! This aspect of Market 17 had me jumping up and down. To top it off, the meal was amazing with kind and generous service. Very impressed and happy we ventured down to Fort Lauderdale to check this place out!

Menu with starters, salads, charcuterie, entrees (petite and regular portions, which I love), and sides/snacks.

The menu changes often, check out their website for the latest and greatest: http://www.market17.net/menus.htm

Gorgeous ambience at Market 17. We dined at the bar, there are high top tables in the bar area as well. Dining available outside and, indoors next to glass doors so you can feel like you’re outside. They have another dining area as well away from the windows with dim lighting. This restaurant is fairly large so they can accommodate larger parties. Decorations are beautifully done!

Complimentary bread served with dinner. Butter with garlic and chives.

My husband ordered the Pan Roasted Guinea Hen (regular portion) with aged cheddar grits, rainbow carrots, heirloom tomatoes, and kale. Heman loves grits and said the meat was tender and perfectly cooked, and he said the tomatoes were very flavorful as well. Typically he only like pasta sauce or salsa, so the tomatoes were definitely tasty enough for my picky eater.

I enjoyed the Grilled Grassfed Beef Striploin (petite portion – 4 ounces meat) with braised greens instead of the yukon mashed potatoes (since they contain milk and butter) along with roasted cauliflower and sauteed kale. This dish was incredibly good, I love a high quality piece of meat with greens – my favorite! They had me at grassfed beef and it was quite tender and perfectly medium rare as requested.

We finished the evening with espresso and then headed home having fully enjoyed this dining adventure.

If you are really adventurous, they have a food event called Dining in the Dark. You can call to reserve and the concept is exactly that, dining in the dark. You tell them your likes and dislikes and notify them of any food allergies. They create the menu and you dine in the dark, not knowing what is on the menu. It’s a way to expand your palette safely in a gourmet meal. This method is to heighten your other senses while eating, rather than just eating with your eyes. Smell, taste, texture play a bigger role when dining in the dark. Call 954.835.5507 to make your reservations.

Good Bye and Good Night Market 17, we will be seeing you again soon!

Market 17

1850 SE 17th Street

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

Located on the SW corner of the 17th St. Bridge, parking next to the Convention Center.