Tacato
I’m a foodie for whom eating out is a major pastime, so when I tell you that Takato is the best food I’ve had since lockdown, take me seriously. Takato is a Japanese/Korean fusion restaurant in the Ft. Lauderdale Conrad Hilton, and it is spectacular.
Ambiance
Tacato has a lavish patio, overlooking the ocean. You simply cannot ask for better ambiance. It’s warm, open, elegant, and upscale.
The cocktails were as carefully planned and executed as the exquisite food, and because of that, I think they’re something everyone should try. Places that serve cocktails of this type and calibre are rare.
Cocktails
- Korean Zombie: rhum, plum soju, grapefruit juice, passion fruit, Korean plum extract, lime. “Rhum” isn’t misspelled. It’s a raw, funky and extremely flavorful spirit that’s made from sugar cane rather than molasses, and is more vegetal than sweet. “Soju,” aka “Korean vodka,” is distilled from rice, and has a vaguely sweet, milky flavor. This Korean Zombie is on the dry side, citrusy/herbal, and with a subtle and very pleasant bite.
- Sarange Colada: vodka, Lychee puree, coconut, cranberry bitters, lemon, rose water. I found this to be a masterful blending of flavors. “Rose water” is a serious red flag for me, because it’s so easy for it to dominate whatever it touches. But this was perfect. Absolutely perfect. “Sarange” is the Korean word for love, and I could see how it could work here; the flavors remind me of love cake.
Portions for the small plates were generous. Everything is served family style, and is meant to be shared. My husband and I ordered four small plates plus two desserts. We were probably two plates beyond satisfied, but still a good two plates shy of “post-Thanksgiving what-have-I-done.”
Small Plates:
- Waygu Gyoza: spicy onion ponzu. “Waygu,” you may already know, it a type of highly-prized Japanese beef. “Gyoza” are Japanese dumplings. “Ponzu” is a fraudulant Japanese scheme that lures diners by delivering small plates to earlier diners with funds from more recent diners, and this one involves onion. Or it’s a citrusy Japanese sauce. Order this dish and decide for yourself. – $22
- Angry Chicken: garlic, ginger, and gochujang – $15. This was “you’ve got to be kidding me” good. Large pieces of juicy chicken with an incredibly thin, cruchy batter, coated with a to-die-for barbecue sauce. I have a feeling the gochujang had a lot to do with the absolute addicitiveness of the barbecue sauce. This was my favorite dish of the evening.
- Duck Bao Bun: maple teryaki, cucumber. Photographed at the outset of this post. Does it look amazing, or what? – $15
- Short Rib Jabche: sweet potato noodles (jabche), braised galbi (ribs), egg – $24
Dessert
At many restaurants – even many really good ones – dessert is an afterthought. Nowhere near the same level of art and craftsmanship goes into making them, as goes into the rest of the menu. Not so here. Do not forego dessert!
- Matcha Cheesecake: a Japanese-style cheesecake that had a rustic, earthy texture and an overall other-worldly pleasantness to it. If you’re thinking “Uncle Tetsu,” this is not that. (And if you’re wondering what I mean, you need to make a weekend getaway to Toronto. On my last Toronto trip, I packed an extra one in my suitcase to bring home!) The cheesecake at Takato seemed more riccota-style to me. – $15
- Chocolis Chocoreto Chocolate: this is a molten chocolate cake served in a blazing hot stone bowl. At the table, a cream sauce reminiscent of creme Anglaise (but eggier and thicker) is poured on top, and then atop that, a serving of chocolate gelato. It’s a stunning presentation, and a wild ride. Aside from simply being flat-out delicious, the melange of temperatures is stunning: frozen, cold, warm, hot … and constantly changing until in the last few bites, you have the same feel as you do eating a cookie right from the oven as the last remnants of “lava” get cooked by the bowl. Because this dessert needs to be eaten immediately upon having been served it, it should be ordered separately from any other desserts, and eaten on its own. Save it for the final dessert, if you’re ordering multiple desserts. – $14
Takato: Japanese-Korean Fusion
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man!, unless otherwise indicated. Thank you, Kesor and Proper Circle. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Make It Like a Man! has been ranked by Feedspot as #16 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs. Eight intriguingly mysterious notches above Alton Brown. It must’ve been the pierogi.
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Oh how I have missed eating out. The food looks and sounds amazing. We lived in Florida for 20 plus years and the variety of delicious food is astounding there. Now we have very little to choose from. So happy you enjoyed it all. Happy New Year!!
Lori recently posted…My Weekly W’s on the first Sunday of 2022
Thanks, Lori! Going to a restaurant is a rare treat these days. We were in FL just before the “in” season, and the seating was outdoors, so we felt good about it. Now we’re back in Chicago, in the bitter cold of winter, so I’m not sure how much restauranting there’ll be in our near future.
The place looks great and food looks very yummy… I would love to try the angry chicken :-))
angiesrecipes recently posted…Smoked Trout Salad with Escarole and Persimmons
Oh, it was SO good. I would love to have it again!
Oh fantastic! I’m with you on eating out, but also because I can’t find anything good where I live. And the cocktails are definitely created by an expert mixologist. By the way, I’m quite certain the beef is spelled wagyu. Happy New Year!
Chef Mimi recently posted…Chicken with Fermented Black Beans
Thanks for catching that type-o!
You are making me very hungry both for food and a road trip!
anne recently posted…Planned Overs
It’s worth it … although maybe not now, during the current surge. (Our trip was a good two months ago.)
The first thing I noticed in that lead image was the shirt – and the fact that it was short-sleeved. “Now where in the heck is Jeff that he is wearing a fun short-sleeved shirt in January?” Then you answered my question. That view alone is insane…but then you add in the delicious dishes, too? Sign me up! Happy New Year to you and your husband, Jeff!
David @ Spiced recently posted…Couscous Stuffed Peppers
Wish I could sign you up! It was a great meal!
This sounds like a fun place. And I’d love to be in Florida right now — snow and frigid weather is on the horizon here. Anyway, Happy New Year!
John / Kitchen Riffs recently posted…The Eye Opener Cocktail
Agreed! Here in Chicago, we’re having the first truly icy days of the winter!
Takato sounds and looks amazing Jeff! I’ve never had Japanese-Korean fusion food, and that needs to change ASAP. I’d definitely fall victim to the Ponzu, that sounds delicious. 😋. Stick matcha in just about anything and I’m a fan, so that cheesecake is definitely my kind of dessert, yum!
Shannon recently posted…Savory Vegan Loaf
We should all go on a field trip to Takato! I would surely love to go back.
Sounds like an amazing adventure Jeff. I’ve not stayed at that property, but I have very fond memories of staying at the Hong Kong Conrad, home of the most expensive bar hamburger I’ve ever had. But the restaurants there were seriously good. I think the Duck Bao Bun would be my first choice. Take care in this new year…
Ron recently posted…A Master Weaver and a Swedish pancake pie…
It’s hard not to love a great burger! (I hope it was as good as it was expensive.) The bao buns were fabulousà
Happy New Year to you and Kevin. You’re so fortunate that you can travel, we’re under a non-necessary travel ban again, trip to Spain is cancelled but we’re hoping we can do it later in the year. It’s been such a frustrating time. Indoor dining is closed again, poor restaurants.
The food looks exceptional but I know what you mean about desserts; the very odd times we ordered them, they’ve been disappointing.
Eva Taylor recently posted…Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée
We took this trip more than a month ago, and since then have been on a self-imposed travel ban. 🙁
Can’t wait for warmer weather when we can FINALLY go out to eat somewhere. I’m envious! I’m also envious of your having access to such a wonderful restaurant. We have nothing like this here. The Sarange Colada sounds quite dangerous. What an interesting and fabulous looking menu.
It was quite a memorable meal!
All the food you have presented looks amazing, I don’t know how on earth I would choose what to have. I love the sound of Angry Chicken, and always choose duck. We are being careful with eating out at the moment because of covid, tough for a foodie. However the food at home is generally very edible😊 Take care Jeff and Happy New Year.
Pauline recently posted…Tropical Sweet and Sour Pork
Thanks, Pauline!
I love Matcha Cheesecake’s. That would definitely be on my order! Happy New Year to you Jeff! We’ve largely shut down again here in Scotland with the you know what. Hopefully later this year we’ll be able to get out and experience restaurant eating again!
Neil recently posted…Healthy Mushroom And Rice Soup
Hang in there, Neil!
Oh, everything looks divine! We were just getting back to dining out, but now that there is another huge surge in Covid cases, we’re just doing curbside to go. We don’t have any good Japanese restaurants here within driving distance though, so I”ll have to live vicariously through this post.
Theresa recently posted…Ultimate Hot Chocolate
I know what you mean. Chicago has instituted a proof-of-vax mandate for any indoor seating, which is kind of cool. But still, it’s not like the old days!
I love eating out and trying new restaurants. Now I just have to get myself to Ft. Lauderdale to try this one. This type of food is right up my alley. Sounds incredible. Thanks for sharing. 🙂 ~Valentina
It really was wonderful. Thanks!
WoW angry chicken sounds good! I would like to try it. I have tried only sushi in Japanese restaurant here but i dont know well Japanese cuisine. This looks nice and place looks perfect.
Thanks!
A vital part of tourism is also looking out for eating and drinking experiences anywhere in the world Often termed as food tourism, this pursuit is categorized under experiential travel In present times, food stands equal to accommodation and sceneries when it comes to deciding a place to travel Just like there are lists of best hotels to stay in and best places to visit, there should also be a food dishes list to narrow down the best items around the world