Taste Of The Town: Ft. Lauderdale Staple Serves Up Southwestern Fusion
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FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) -- They call it an oasis of inspired southwestern fusion at Canyon, a Fort Lauderdale staple for 22 years located on the east side of Sunrise Boulevard.
Canyon is a longtime favorite for locals and tourists alike. Executive Chef Chris Wilber has been there since day one and is now also a co-owner.
"We have a lot of nice customers that come straight from the airport. They come to Florida for a week at their summer home or winter home and they come here first," Chris said.
The vibe is relaxed with warm tones, simple décor, and small fully stocked bar.
Chef Chris said there's an easy answer to why this hidden gem has been a favorite to so many for so long.
"Honestly, I think it's the consistency as a whole. The food, the service, our Prickly Pear Margarita is our signature drink," he said.
The Prickly Pear Martini is famous in these parts.
"So literally 10 people have told me about this prickly pear margarita," said CBS4's Lisa Petrillo just before taking a sip. "Let's give it a shot. Oh yes, that's all I have to say. It hits the spot, it's refreshing, juicy and delicious and tequila is top tequila."
Back in the kitchen, Chef Chris prepared Petrillo's seared tuna while his sous chef created another canyon signature dish - an appetizer known as a smoked salmon tostada.
"It's one of our signature tostadas, been since day one. It's a crispy tortilla with thin sliced smoked salmon, goat cheese, capers and we make our own scotch bonnet tartar sauce," Chef explained.
"The goat cheese on top lined with fresh Scottish salmon, it's like a party in your mouth .A perfect appetizer and honestly I can take all these and make it a meal,'' Petrillo said.
Next up was Chef Chris' seared tuna that sat on top of a wasabi boniato mash ,topped with Asian pear cucumber slaw with a ginger vinaigrette.
"It's so fancy and delicious, but there's a comfort food happening because the boniato mash gives it a feeling of a warm hug. The fish is super tender and fresh," Petrillo said.
And finally, it takes flaming berries to prepare Canyon's decadent dessert known as white chocolate bread pudding!
"The white chocolate blends in with this cake, the fruit is divine and it's dangerously decadent," said Petrillo
Canyon is open 7 days a week dinner only. They do not take reservations. Click here for more info.
CBS4's Lisa Petrillo would love to hear from you. Please send us a suggestion for your #HiddenGems spot at tasteofthetown@cbs.com. You can also contact Lisa through Twitter or Facebook.