Even Keel Fish & Oyster

by South Florida Eats · Published December 25, 2019 · Updated April 4, 2021

Even Keel Fish & Oyster: 112 Commercial Blvd Ste A, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, FL 33308 (relocated from their place on Federal Highway which is where this review is based – we will update once we go to the new location)

Even Keel is a fairly new restaurant to the Fort Lauderdale restaurant scene. It’s located on Federal Highway in the spot of another restaurant, Cibo Wine Bar, closed a few months ago. Chef Dean James Max made a big splash with 3030 Ocean at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort.

The restaurant will have a seafood focus featuring some fresh seafood and good fish. The dishes are priced moderately for seafood, with small plates in the $15 range and entrees in the $25-$35 range. However, once you add drinks and an appetizer to your entree, you will be looking at probably closer to $50+ per person.

The Restaurant:

We ended up going here for one of our friend’s birthdays. It’s a restaurant that several of us had driven by a few times and really were excited to try out. They do valet parking, and as you enter the restaurant you will see the bar area on your left and the restaurant in front of you.

The main part of the restaurant is a mix of half booth/tables, regular booths, tables with chairs, and there is even the ability to make nice large tables if you have a big group. The kitchen is an open view so that you could see them cooking your meal if you sit close enough.

The Food:

We had a few different appetizers at our table to try and Even Keel did not disappoint. Ed chose to start with a caesar salad with anchovy caper dressing and white anchovy toast. Three fried clams adorned the plate on the side. The anchovies were also a nice addition on top of the toasted bread. The table also shared a 1/2 dozen cedar key clams on the half shell.

Several of us at the table decided to try out Even Keel’s Shrimp and Crab Bisque. Check out our video below of them pouring the broth on top of the base into the bowl. This soup was made with sweet corn and crab salad, with ground up crab and shrimp and then mixed with a tarragon whipped cream. They then pour the bisque broth over top of it all into the bowl. The flavor was fantastic and the show of making it is worth the view.

Mike and Sam decided to have Even Keel’s Hot Lobster Roll. This was served with Fresno ginger butter, lemon aioli, and old bay chips. There was a nice amount of lobster on the roll, and both said that the sandwich tasted great and is something they would have again. The chips were nice and crispy with that great old bay flavor.

Joe went with the fried fisherman’s basket. Even Keel serves this with a selection of oysters, scallops, calamari, and shrimp accompanied by tarter sauce, cocktail sauce, and lemon. IT was definitely alot more food than he could eat. The whole table shared with various pieces as he passed the plate around the table. You certainly won’t go hungry with this dish.

Ed decided he was hungry that night and went for the all you can eat spicy bouchot mussels.. they are served in a giner, lemongrass, sambal and cilantro broth. He said that the mussels were delicious and he even had two bowls of them.

Don and I decided to go with the 8oz bistro steak frites. It was a skirt steak served with chimichurri sauce on top of it. Our side was Parmesan fries. Our steaks were cooked perfectly, and nice and tender. The sauce gave a nice added flavor to the meat. We also enjoyed the french fries very much.