J.Mark’s is a neighborhood favorite for a reason
J.Mark’s has a great reputation and it’s easy to see why. Ever since it’s opening over 5 years ago in Pompano Beach and the opening of its second location in Fort Lauderdale, the establishment has stuck to a winning formula: phenomenal American fare, great Happy Hour specials in a friendly atmosphere.
Perfect for a business lunch, a brunch with friends or a romantic date, J.Mark’s has items for every taste. The establishment is owned by a gay couple who have been extremely involved in the GLBT community. Recently they participated in Dining Out for Life, an annual country-wide fund-raiser for those living with HIV/AIDS. They donated 100% of their sales raised at their busy dinner time to Broward House.
On a recent Sunday, I took my fiancé J out for brunch at J.Marks. What followed was a huge sampling of cocktails and a combo of favorites and new, exciting menu items.
We had been at J.Mark’s before and have enjoyed choosing from their diverse menu and having a drink and some appetizers on their spacious patio. We were excited to try items that we’ve never had before, which wasn’t going to be hard since J.Mark’s offers 60 menu items!
Our server Patrick, was witty and helpful, and, along with knowledgeable general manager Danny Shively, started bringing out dish after dish. I know – it’s a tough job, right? I love it.
We started with some warm rolls with butter, which were pillowy soft and helped soak of some of the alcohol.
We started off by trying some of their brunch items. Their Brunch Menu is available on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Their Toasted Blue Cheese ($10.99), served with roasted colossal garlic, kalamata olives and toasted rosemary crostinis, was great to snack on. Blue Cheese lovers will love the strong, in a good way, flavor of the dip. I am always appreciative of roasted garlic that can be spread onto crostinis or bread like butter.
Next, we went a bit healthier with their Honey Mustard Kale Salad ($11.99). The tower of chopped kale was topped with mustard dressing, chopped peanuts, avocado, mint and red peppers. It showed that healthy doesn’t have to be boring and we were so impressed with it that I am going to try to reproduce the salad at home for a great dinner.
Next we sampled J’s favorite –Skirt steak ($22.99). J is very picky about skirt steak and is always apprehensive about trying it at a non-Argentine restaurant. I am happy to report that he practically knocked my fork away to get to the tender steak, which was marinated for 24 hours in Heineken and garlic marinade and topped with salsa verde. Luckily, I did get to try some and it is definitely sensational. I will be ordering this again.
Their Miso Style Salmon ($25.99) which was pan seared with a carmelized miso glaze and served over a beurre blanc sauce was perfectly cooked. I loved the sweetness of the miso glaze paired with the creamy beurre blanc sauce.
What impressed us the most about J.Mark’s was the way they worked their magic with all kinds of ethnic food as well. In addition to the American fare, their did Asian, Latin and Italian influenced fare with panache.
We are lucky to have such a great establishment as J.Mark’s in the center of Fort Lauderale (and Pompano). It really does fulfill every craving.
J.Mark’s
1245 N. Federal Highway
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 954-390-0770
and
1490 NE 23rd Street (Copans Road)
Pompano Beach. FL 33062 954-782-7000