Over the holiday break, we made a quick trip to visit my Dad in sunny Hallandale Beach, Florida.  It used to be exciting to visit Florida when I lived in NY, but going to Florida from Houston is just trading one warm, muggy locale for another.  But the mountain won’t come to Mohammed . . . .

Dad was ready with some artfully arranged snacks for us when we got there, which were wolfed down pretty quickly:

Our main entertainment there was dining, and we ate every meal out during our short stay, as a treat for Dad.  We discovered Sardelli’s, a really fantastic (but pricey) Italian restaurant, all the more fun because not only had Dad never been there, he’d never heard of it.  Sardelli’s is located in an attractive 4-story townhome that the family built using their life savings.

Sardelli’s

 Pull up a stool for a cocktail at the bar

Kitchen action 

The food was nothing short of delicious.  A few of the highlights of our meal, in addition to steaks, salads, and pastas, included an appetizer special of lobster scampi:

Clams in a tomato broth with a couscous-like pasta:

And a giant ravioli filled with ricotta and spinach and a soft egg yolk, served with a pancetta and brown butter sage sauce:

Sardelli’s was our hands-down favorite restaurant on this visit, and if you’re in the area, it’s worth a visit.