Casablanca Cafe   

Channel your best Bogie and Bergman and head to the Casablanca Cafe, one of the few places on the Fort Lauderdale strip to remain impervious to the curse of the tourist trap. Located in a gorgeous, two-story historical home, the Casablanca Cafe features prime outdoor seating overlooking the Atlantic and intimate indoor seating if the outside gets too crowded, which it often does. The best seats in the house, however, are on the upstairs balcony. Request one well in advance. A soundtrack of jazz and blues sets the mood, and Moroccan lamps and stucco walls contribute to a resplendent Casablanca-esque ambience. The Mediterranean cuisine is equally dazzling, with excellent basil chicken and coconut mussels, and the wine list is impressive. If you've always wanted to be rocked and cradled by the Casbah, this is the place to do it. -- Lesley Abravanel