Ernie's BBQ

Ah, Ernies. The legends of old Florida die hard, and Ernie's is still going strong after 54 years. When you know the truth about Ernie's; it's actually quite remarkable. It's a commentary on how people avoid change; most of the people who come here have been coming for years and years.

The orange and yellow paint on Ernie's is enough to scare you away; the place stands out like a sore thumb on Federal across from Taco Bell. It's hard to picture what it's like inside; when I first saw it I though about something like the elbo room. But it's really like a regular bar/restaurant. It's one big room downstairs with a bar along the back wall and tables throughout the room. There are 2 big screen TVs at the bar and a couple of others that can be viewed from the dining room. They play pretty good music; mostly 70's rock; Billy Joel, Elton John. You won't hear any techo or electronic voice mods here. There's also a "patio" upstairs, but it's not a place you'd want to go on a summer afternoon.

Ernies inside

Ernie's touts their "world famous conch' just about everywhere, so I ordered some of that. I know enough not to order the BBQ here; Ernie's isn't really a BBQ, and the sauce is too vinegary for my taste. I didn't feel like a burger, so I just ordered some wings, medium heat. My server told me that wings were "made to order" so they'd take 15 minutes and that she'd bring out the chowder first, which was fine with me.

Ernie's BBQ Conch Chowder

The conch chowder is served with 2 massive slices of "bimini" bread, an item which seems to excite South Floridians a bit more than it should. Bimini bread is basically white bread with a bit more sugar. Not quite as sturdy or crusty as Italian bread, it's just fine with butter. The conch is a hearty soup that's pretty dull on flavor. I'm not going to compare it to the conch chowder I had last week at Sea; because that would be like comparing your girlfriend to Adriana Lima. But this is the kind of soup you might expect to get in a bar. It's interesting how a place can leverage such an average offering for so many years.

Ernie's BBQ Wings

The wings were just embarrassing. Six small, deep fried wings sitting on wax paper with a reddish sauce. Half of the celery had brownish spots and blemishes. In a bar you just don't expect to pay over $1 per wing for wings like this. They weren't that bad, but there was nothing very good about them either.

So here you have Ernie's. It's sort of a neighborhood bar for old Fort Lauderdale; a place for people who scoff at what Las Olas has become to gather and reminisce about old times. As I leave there's a guy in his mid-50s groping some babe about his age in the parking lot. For some people; things never really change. Myself, I prefer something a bit better. I've worked too hard to still hang out at a place like Ernie's.