Thasos, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

A visit to Thasos Greek Taverna should be made in two parts. By day the restaurant’s blinding all-white color scheme is eye popping. By night the intricate exterior light show on the roof and façade of the simple white structure becomes a dazzling beacon for everyone smart enough to follow intuition.  A simple valet parking station shaded by a single white umbrella and manned by tanned and toned white-clad attendants makes it a cinch to hop out of your vehicle and into the oasis that awaits. Slip into the super sexy space at cocktail hour and sip a Skinos Sour at the long, communal bar. Life sized taxidermied sheep greet you in the foyer and Florida’s brilliant sunlight makes the place feel like it really is on the island of Thasos (in the northern Aegean). But once situated in front of the spectacular undulating “soft” chandelier of long white vertical strips of webbing that anchors the bar you’re sure to start noticing all the incredibly orchestrated decoration in the stunning surroundings.

A sea of white that includes chairs and tables (punctuated by single blue glass bread plates), extra large banquettes and masonry walls, all pitch perfectly arranged around an open white kitchen adjacent to a subtle mosaic mural of a typical Greek village, drive home the point that decoratively, it doesn’t get more Greek than this. Linger at the bar with an Ouzo Martini or an Ananithos, both of which go down very smoothly, and view the endless slideshow of dreamy Greek escapes projected on both the front and back walls of the taverna. You’ll be feeling immersed in the Greek vibe soon enough when you head for the restrooms and pass a floor to ceiling candlit wall reminiscent of Sophie’s wedding scene in Mama Mia. Soon you’ll be convinced, too, that the foodie altar is definitely in Greece and the high priest is in Ft. Lauderdale.  Here’s what you have to look forward to:

Fire grilled octopus

Greek Salad with heirloom tomatoes and Thasos olive oil

Keftedes (lamb meat balls)

Dry boat swordfish

Moussaka

Baklava

With both open-air and covered dining rooms enlivened with rousing, animated Greek pop music, Thasos Greek Taverna embodies the new Lauderdale dining scene.  Leave your dock siders at home and check-in early, then head back later for more fun and great Greek food. Thasos makes Greece seem that much closer for all of us.