Rudy's Pub & Restaurant
Rudy’s Pub and Restaurant http://www.facebook.com/rudysofhollywood
I don’t make it a habit to write restaurant reviews. In fact, I’ve only written one other in my life, which can be found here at good ol’ Weekly Southern Arts (See “Mundi’s, a Love Story”). However, in a curious coincidence, I recently came upon a new restaurant in Hollywood, Florida called Rudy’s. The curious coincidence comes from the fact that Rudy’s occupies a location that, for a year or two, was home to Mundi’s. Yes, the Hollywood Beach Golf and Country Club, located at 1650 Johnson Street. The country club is a small facility at this public course; however, it is a nice facility and has recently become the home of Rudy’s.
Stacy and Joel Rudy have created a warm and inviting atmosphere in what could easily be a loud, brash place. Offering an excellent menu of appetizers, sandwiches and entrees, the small room with a horseshoe bar is about as welcoming a neighborhood eatery as one could hope to find. Rather than merely offer the usual hamburgers and other bar food, they have opted to add some very fine dining.
Those who are familiar with eateries in Hollywood will remember Conca D’Oro, the Italian restaurant on Young Circle that recently closed after 46 years. Carlos, previously a chef at Conca D’Oro has now moved to Rudy’s and is creating great meals with fresh ingredients and pleasant presentations perhaps deserving of a fancier location. However, I am grateful to find this delightful food in a sports bar where shorts and flip flops are perfectly acceptable attire.
On our first visit, I had the mahi mahi sandwich, an excellent, simple dish at many local restaurants. However, Chef Carlos imbued it with new life. The fresh ciabatta bread, the wonderfully tangy tartar sauce and his choice of spices on the blackened fish combined to make the finest sandwich of its sort that I’ve had in quite awhile. When I finished, I had to remind myself of my expanding waistline or I would have ordered a second sandwich, it was just that good!
My wife elected to have the mahi mahi dinner, which was served in a white wine, lemon and capers sauce. She also had brown rice and asparagus. The fish was done to perfection, the sauce, as any good lemon and capers sauce should, added a tantalizing flavor to the already flavorful fish. The rice and asparagus were excellently prepared and served as a great compliment to the main course.
After dinner, Brittany, our ever attentive and friendly server, tempted us into trying the apple dessert, which was kind of an apple crepe, with vanilla ice cream dusted with cinnamon on top. It was ridiculously good. There are several other tempting dessert offerings, but, again, my ever-looming waistline prevented me from trying another!
Since our first visit, we have returned with family members to try other fare. I had the turkey club sandwich, which was excellent, although not, in my opinion, as appealing as the mahi mahi sandwich and my wife enjoyed the chicken wing appetizer.
Prices are low to moderate, with, for example, the mahi mahi sandwich priced at $9.00 and the mahi mahi dinner at $17.00. Happy hour is from 4:00-7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Really, there are few places in the area that offer so much friendly ambience with such excellent food at such low prices. Cooling off with a cold one at the bar on a hot, South Florida late afternoon, looking out over the lovely grounds of the golf course as the sun sets and the ducks and geese swim in the lake, and strking up a conversation with other patrons prior to enjoying an excellent meal, it is enough to cause one to thank God for this gift of a sanctuary after a long day.
Thomas A. Hall
I don’t make it a habit to write restaurant reviews. In fact, I’ve only written one other in my life, which can be found here at good ol’ Weekly Southern Arts (See “Mundi’s, a Love Story”). However, in a curious coincidence, I recently came upon a new restaurant in Hollywood, Florida called Rudy’s. The curious coincidence comes from the fact that Rudy’s occupies a location that, for a year or two, was home to Mundi’s. Yes, the Hollywood Beach Golf and Country Club, located at 1650 Johnson Street. The country club is a small facility at this public course; however, it is a nice facility and has recently become the home of Rudy’s.
Stacy and Joel Rudy have created a warm and inviting atmosphere in what could easily be a loud, brash place. Offering an excellent menu of appetizers, sandwiches and entrees, the small room with a horseshoe bar is about as welcoming a neighborhood eatery as one could hope to find. Rather than merely offer the usual hamburgers and other bar food, they have opted to add some very fine dining.
Those who are familiar with eateries in Hollywood will remember Conca D’Oro, the Italian restaurant on Young Circle that recently closed after 46 years. Carlos, previously a chef at Conca D’Oro has now moved to Rudy’s and is creating great meals with fresh ingredients and pleasant presentations perhaps deserving of a fancier location. However, I am grateful to find this delightful food in a sports bar where shorts and flip flops are perfectly acceptable attire.
On our first visit, I had the mahi mahi sandwich, an excellent, simple dish at many local restaurants. However, Chef Carlos imbued it with new life. The fresh ciabatta bread, the wonderfully tangy tartar sauce and his choice of spices on the blackened fish combined to make the finest sandwich of its sort that I’ve had in quite awhile. When I finished, I had to remind myself of my expanding waistline or I would have ordered a second sandwich, it was just that good!
My wife elected to have the mahi mahi dinner, which was served in a white wine, lemon and capers sauce. She also had brown rice and asparagus. The fish was done to perfection, the sauce, as any good lemon and capers sauce should, added a tantalizing flavor to the already flavorful fish. The rice and asparagus were excellently prepared and served as a great compliment to the main course.
After dinner, Brittany, our ever attentive and friendly server, tempted us into trying the apple dessert, which was kind of an apple crepe, with vanilla ice cream dusted with cinnamon on top. It was ridiculously good. There are several other tempting dessert offerings, but, again, my ever-looming waistline prevented me from trying another!
Since our first visit, we have returned with family members to try other fare. I had the turkey club sandwich, which was excellent, although not, in my opinion, as appealing as the mahi mahi sandwich and my wife enjoyed the chicken wing appetizer.
Prices are low to moderate, with, for example, the mahi mahi sandwich priced at $9.00 and the mahi mahi dinner at $17.00. Happy hour is from 4:00-7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Really, there are few places in the area that offer so much friendly ambience with such excellent food at such low prices. Cooling off with a cold one at the bar on a hot, South Florida late afternoon, looking out over the lovely grounds of the golf course as the sun sets and the ducks and geese swim in the lake, and strking up a conversation with other patrons prior to enjoying an excellent meal, it is enough to cause one to thank God for this gift of a sanctuary after a long day.
Thomas A. Hall