The Cheesecake Factory-owned restaurant is slated to debut its fourth Florida location on Nov. Just when we thought the Cheesecake Factory’s menu already served every pasta dish conceivable, here comes North Italia, a casual chain devoted to wood-fired pizzas, grilled branzino and other Italian fare. A hub for fresh local fish and greens (they source from Triar Seafood in Hollywood and Swank Specialty Produce in Loxahatchee), the second location will serve stone crabs and house-smoked fish dip, beer-battered spiny lobster bites and conch beignets, and larger entrees including an adult crab grilled cheese (with brie, truffle, blue crab and apple butter), clams carbonara and grilled local swordfish. This is the owners’ second foray into Fort Lauderdale: the flagship Even Keel began its life on North Federal Highway under the mast of restaurateur James Dean Max before it jumped ship to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea in late 2020. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)Ĭhef-owners Dave MacLennan and Brad Phillips are setting sail for ritzy restaurant row Las Olas Boulevard with the second location of their seafood spot later this fall.

John McCall/South Florida Sun SentinelIn this archival photo, Brad Phillips works the raw bar at Even Keel Fish Shack in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. The focus, of course, will be brisket by the pound and in sandwich form from hospitality veteran Kevin Rodriguez (The Doral Yard food hall) and pitmaster Orelle Young (The Beast by Todd English in Las Vegas), who competed earlier this year on Food Network Canada’s barbecue competition series “Fire Masters.” The 45-seat counter will also turn out ribs, chicken, pulled pork and turkey, along with sides of mac ‘n’ cheese, baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw and cornbread. This 2,500-square-foot pit stop devoted to Texas-style barbecue will smoke up Sistrunk Boulevard sometime this November. The restaurant joins outposts in Boca Raton (which debuted in May), North Miami and Davie. The restaurant will specialize in dumplings of every ilk - xiaolongbao, pan-fried and steamed - along with noodle and rice bowls, scallion pancakes and squid salad, and dim sum from shrimp siu mai to braised chicken feet. Registered to franchisee Yang Ruyun, the shop expects to debut this winter in the Plantation Commons strip mall. Replacing the former “fast-fine” restaurant Ovlo Eats, which shuttered earlier this year, is the fourth South Florida location of this dumpling franchise.

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