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Runway 84 Reopens With Chic Revamp

The reimagined restaurant that has Fort Lauderdale buzzing

It’s Wednesday night at a restaurant with a four-decade history in Fort Lauderdale, but the electric vibe inside is anything but dated. There’s discernible buzz in a stylish room brimming with contemporary cool and sophisticated warmth—an updated ode to the supper-club charm of another era, complete with crystal chandeliers, dark woods, white tablecloths, red-velvet chairs, and photos of Frank and Dean and Marilyn on the walls. “It feels like you’re walking into the scene in Goodfellas when Ray Liotta [strolls] through the Copacabana,” says Marc Falsetto, one of the three partners, along with Pat Marzano and Anthony Bruno, at Runway 84.

The Rat Pack-era vision is exactly what the trio had in mind for Bruno’s beloved Broward mainstay, the former Anthony’s Runway 84, which closed for eight months before debuting a $4 million makeover (and abbreviated name) in January. The reimagined result is nothing short of fine-dining nirvana. Amid the glam—including a stylish new bar and a grand piano lounge—impeccably tailored servers like Massimo add to the experience, providing menu insights (and suggestions) and engaging customers in rich conversation. “It’s that feeling of family,” says Falsetto, the founder of Handcrafted Hospitality “Everyone [dining at Runway 84] feels like they are at home. That will never change.”

Snapper Francese

The chic revamp (courtesy of Bigtime Design Studio) isn’t the only thing new about Runway 84. The menu of Italian-American favorites also was updated, including a tableside Caesar salad and the chopped antipasti with salami, provolone and mortadella (Italian sausage). Fork-tender swordfish cloaked in fresh garlic, basil, olive oil and cherry tomatoes—once a popular special—now occupies a permanent place on the entrée side, along with the new chicken parmigiana. The flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth wagyu beef carpaccio—topped with shaved truffles, pistachios, mushrooms and chives—is an instant classic.

Curated cuts of prime steaks and chops—think 16-ounce New York strips and 10-ounce filet mignons—already are drawing raves. But the early showstoppers have been the 42-ounce dry-aged porterhouse for two and a 16-ounce veal chop named after Falsetto’s wife, Danielle, served parmesan-style with spicy vodka sauce, peas and crispy prosciutto. Those looking for menu staples like rigatoni cauliflower, baked clams oreganata, beef braciola, linguine aglio e olio (olive oil and garlic) and lasagna Neapolitan (served tableside), fear not—they’re all still available.

Chicken Parmesan

Falsetto’s mixology prowess is evident across a new craft cocktail menu with entries that play off the restaurant’s proximity to the airport—like Anthony’s Paper Plane (Woodford Reserve bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Aperol and passion fruit) and Wheels Up (Gray Whale gin, St-Germain, lemon juice and simple syrup). Aficionados of top-shelf spirits will appreciate reserve cocktails including the Mile High Club with Macallan Rare Cask and Caffé Borghetti espresso liqueur. “When it comes to dining out, guests are looking for elevated experiences that merge dining, drinking and entertainment,” Falsetto says. “That’s exactly what Runway 84 delivers.”

Contact: 330 W. State Road 84, Fort Lauderdale; 954.467.8484; runway-84.com

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Drew Limsky

Drew Limsky

Editor-in-Chief

BIOGRAPHY

Drew Limsky joined Lifestyle Media Group in August 2020 as Editor-in-Chief of South Florida Business & Wealth. His first issue of SFBW, October 2020, heralded a reimagined structure, with new content categories and a slew of fresh visual themes. “As sort of a cross between Forbes and Robb Report, with a dash of GQ and Vogue,” Limsky says, “SFBW reflects South Florida’s increasingly sophisticated and dynamic business and cultural landscape.”

Limsky, an avid traveler, swimmer and film buff who holds a law degree and Ph.D. from New York University, likes to say, “I’m a doctor, but I can’t operate—except on your brand.” He wrote his dissertation on the nonfiction work of Joan Didion. Prior to that, Limsky received his B.A. in English, summa cum laude, from Emory University and earned his M.A. in literature at American University in connection with a Masters Scholar Award fellowship.

Limsky came to SFBW at the apex of a storied career in journalism and publishing that includes six previous lead editorial roles, including for some of the world’s best-known brands. He served as global editor-in-chief of Lexus magazine, founding editor-in-chief of custom lifestyle magazines for Cadillac and Holland America Line, and was the founding editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Interiors South Florida. He also was the executive editor for B2B magazines for Acura and Honda Financial Services, and he served as travel editor for Conde Nast. Magazines under Limsky’s editorship have garnered more than 75 industry awards.

He has also written for many of the country’s top newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, USA Today, Worth, Robb Report, Afar, Time Out New York, National Geographic Traveler, Men’s Journal, Ritz-Carlton, Elite Traveler, Florida Design, Metropolis and Architectural Digest Mexico. His other clients have included Four Seasons, Acqualina Resort & Residences, Yahoo!, American Airlines, Wynn, Douglas Elliman and Corcoran. As an adjunct assistant professor, Limsky has taught journalism, film and creative writing at the City University of New York, Pace University, American University and other colleges.