American Social
Reviews
Name: Vanessa Pages
Occupation: Realtor
Lives In: Miami
Restaurant Pick: American Social
Reviewed: American Social
From the moment you enter the restaurant and are seated, you are taken care of. The food is excellent and the service is great. The Fried Goat Cheese appetizer is served as cheese bites over arugula and drizzled with a light sweet sauce. Delicious, fried to perfection. The Lobster Grilled Cheese was perfectly cooked. The sandwich has lobster, tomato, arugula and cheese. The lobster tasted fresh and was nicely presented. The White Chocolate Bread Pudding is served with ice cream and drizzled with caramel. This is one of the best bread puddings I have ever tried. So flavorful! The food tasted excellent. Everything was fresh and delicious. The seating is extremely comfortable and relaxing. The booths are the most comfortable seating I have ever experienced at a restaurant. The throw pillows give it a homey feeling. There are TV’s hanging over the bar and 54 beers on tap. This is a sports fan dream restaurant/bar. A true hidden gem.
Name: Laura Golden
Occupation: Major Gifts Officer
Lives In: West Palm Beach
Restaurant Pick: Malakor Thai Cafe
Reviewed: American Social
We found the restaurant very easily on the Las Olas main street. We parked in a metered spot just across the street. When I entered the restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised by how upscale and clean it was. The decor felt like a New England bar with dark wood and nostalgic Life Magazine posters on the walls. The friendly hostess quickly seated my husband and me at one of their comfortable lounge seats which face the bar and the televisions. I noticed that other tables had taps actually at their tables which is pretty unique. We were greeted again by a friendly server who gave us beer recommendations and allowed us to sample to make sure we got one that we liked. They have a huge beer selection, and I was happy that they had quite a few pumpkin beer options during the Fall season. For our appetizer, we ordered the soft pretzels which are freshly baked, warm and delicious. They’re covered in salt and delivered with three dipping sauces - ranch, mustard and a creamy, rich beer cheese sauce.
For main courses, I had the Mushroom Flatbread which was tasty with a sweet balsamic sauce drizzled over the goat cheese, caramelized onions, mushrooms and mozzarella. My husband had the Miami Heater Burger which, according to our server, recently won a Fort Lauderdale Burger Challenge contest. He was very impressed with the meat quality, the taste of the jalapeno, bacon and cheese, and the soft bun which held it all together very well. Instead of fries, he ordered brussel sprouts which we shared. They were my favorite part of the meal, roasted and covered in an Asian red chili sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Finally for dessertwe had the Brownie a la Mode which was two warm freshly baked chocolate chip brownies covered in chocolate sauce and served with vanilla bean ice cream. The entire meal was a very reasonable price, the service was impeccable and the atmosphere was relaxing and inviting. As a vegetarian, I was very pleased by the meatless options and would like to go back to try other menu items and their cocktails.
Name: Zelick Gimelstein
Occupation: Musician
Lives In: Miami
Restaurant Pick: Le Patio Restaurant and Wine Bar
Reviewed: American Social
I am not a huge fan of areas like Las Olas or South Beach in general, since I hate looking for parking and dodging tourists. Finding parking on a Thursday night wasn't TOO bad, only had to circle the block once and found a spot about a block away…. metered parking, but I got lucky to find a meter that already had an hour on it. Good thing I always have tons of change in my car too! Found the restaurant very easily as it's right on the corner with a huge storefront. We walked in and waited a couple of minutes for a hostess who seated us right away at a 4-top right by the bar and hostess stand. Our waitress, Hannah, I can't say enough good things about her. She was one of the best servers I've had in South Florida in a long, long time. Maybe it's because she was from Maine, lol. She brought our menus and we asked her a couple of questions about their seasonal selection of beers. She was extremely knowledgeable about their beer list and suggested a beer for me that I really enjoyed. We also asked her about some of her favorite apps and she knew a lot about the food, as well. Very well trained staff.
We ordered some seasonal Shipyard Pumpkin beers which came in brown sugar coated rim glasses which I thought was a really nice touch. It didn't take long, maybe 5 minutes for our jumbo pretzel appetizer to come. You can't really screw up soft pretzels but what we really enjoyed were the dipping sauces that came with it. Four nice sized pretzels came with a housemade beer cheese sauce which was phenomenal and a housemade ranch which I don't think I'd seen before and was also really good. Hannah came by again to see if we wanted anything else, and the glutton I am, I ordered a 2nd app, Short Rib Mac N' Cheese. I was surprised at how quickly that came out (which can either be a really good thing or a really BAD thing). Another side note: their food running staff is also excellent and VERY friendly.
I wasn't a huge fan of this appetizer. While it certainly wasn't BAD, I think the dish is way too ambitious. They could have done without the roasted red peppers in the dish as it just over-powered the simple beauty that is Mac N' Cheese of course, it was weird enough as it is to have Mac N' Cheese as an app, lol. There was plenty of short rib in the dish and the pasta was cooked perfectly. It's just a shame that their awesome beer cheese was overpowered by the red pepper. The portion size was quite large, more than enough to share for 3 or even 4 people. I expect nothing less of American bar food, though. Hannah came by again to check on us and take our dinner orders shortly thereafter.
I ordered the Miami "Heater" Burger which was touted on the menu as the Best Burger in Miami... they weren't far off, seriously. An awesome blend of ground chuck, brisket and short rib stuffed with Boursin cheese and wrapped in jalapeno bacon... WHAT?! Topped with shitake mushrooms, pickled goodness, and some magical pesto sauce. This was a no-condiment burger, eat it as it comes. This burger rocked! The combination of flavors made this burger taste like a hot dog AND a hamburger at the same time which I thought was genius. I substituted my french fries for a side of their roasted chili peanut Brussel sprouts (I am a sucker for those) and these were very good and different. The peanut sauce was a LITTLE heavy, but the flavor profile was one I hadn't experienced with Brussel Sprouts before. It made total sense to me though as BS are nutty in flavor as it is. They could have eased up on the peanut sauce would be my only suggestion. I was a huge fan of the burger though. My wife ordered the Short Rib BBQ flatbread (see a pattern here?). It was good but typical and certainly not as mind-blowing as the burger. This flatbread could actually do WITHOUT the BBQ sauce in my opinion. It was a great portion, enough for two actually. Not really much to say about this one other than it looked pretty, but wasn't impressive. I do like how the entrees are served on wooden planks, very rustic.
Restaurant Information
Location: 721 E Las Olas Blvd, Fort Lauderdale
Parking: Yes
Phone: 954-764-7005
Website: americansocialbar.com
Restaurant Owners: Rick Mijares and Paul Greenberg
Executive Chef: Chris Palmer
Sous Chef: Tyler Spute
Type of Cuisine: American
Signature Dishes: Pretzel, Mac and Cheese, Burgers and Salads
Vegetarian Options: Salads
Alcohol Served: Specialty cocktails, craft beer and full liquor
Corkage Fee: N/A
Bottle Limit: N/A
Restaurant Hours:
Monday – 11:30 AM – 12:00 AM
Tuesday – 11:30 AM – 12:00 AM
Wednesday – 11:30 AM – 1:00 AM
Thursday – 11:30 AM – 2:00 AM
Friday – 11:30 AM – 3:00 AM
Saturday – 11:00 AM – 3:00 AM
Sunday – 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM
Meals Served: Brunch, Lunch and Dinner
Prix Fix Menu: available upon request
Take-Out: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Average Dinner Price Range (per person, full meal, tax, 20% gratuity, w/o alcohol): $19
Average Lunch Price Range (per person, full meal, tax, 20% gratuity, w/o alcohol): $13
Payment Options: do you accept credit cards and if so, which ones? Yes, all credit cards.
Accept Reservations: Yes
Need Reservations: No
How far in advance do you require reservations be made: N/A
Accommodations for Children: Yes
Dining Style: Business Casual
Disabled Access: Yes
Restaurant Size: 116 Seats
Accommodate Groups: Yes
Private Dining Room: No
Tables with Scenic Views: Yes
Outdoor Dining: Yes
Entertainment: Tuesdays and Thursdays Live Acoustic Music and Fridays and Saturdays DJ music.