There was one place I was excited about going back to when I visited Ft. Lauderdale again: Caps Restaurant. Born and raised in Maryland, I can vouch for the crab cakes at Caps. They are as good as eating them dockside at any place along the Chesapeake Bay. And the crab cakes were what I was definitely looking forward to that evening.  I wonder, though. If I ate the same crab cake in any restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale, would I be so looking forward to going back? The truth is that I loved the place and wanted to go back for more than the food.
Caps is the oldest restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale. It’s creaky floors and wooden buildings lend to its charm. Wonky comes to mind. Built in 1928, it has weathered it all: Prohibition, the Depression, and the wear and tear of time and nature. Through the doors have walked some interesting characters. It is rumored that Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill had a clandestine meeting at Caps. Gangsters(Al Capone) and movie stars (Humphrey Bogart and Errol Flynn to mention a few) visited Caps. And our sports heroes: Jack Dempsey, professional boxer, and Casey Stegel, Baseball’s Hall of Fame.Â
What hasn’t changed after all this time is how you get there. Caps is located some miles north of Ft. Lauderdale, on a small island, part of the intra coastal waters. You board from Cap’s dock which is next to the Lighthouse Point Yacht Basin and Marina. (There’s plenty of parking) It’s a sweet ride over on the motor launch. It will transport you to another time in a hidden place of mangroves and pines. Â
