First, the good news. It appears Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis did not spend the long MLK holiday weekend soaking up the sun on some distant beach. Nope, Mayor Dean Trantalis spent his Saturday morning working on City business. And now the bad news, City records show Trantalis enjoyed a fancy lunch discussing AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) housing with its lawyer and its executive director.

City of Fort Lauderdale lobbyist contact logs show Trantalis had a noon lunch meeting with lawyer Debbie Orshefsky and AHF employee Michael Kahane at the Capital Grille in The Galleria Mall. The Capital Grille is no mall food court restaurant. It’s lunch menu is foodie’s delight.

Diners can start with a variety of appetizers including New England clam chowder, French onion soup or Tuna Tartare with avocado, mango and sriracha (only $19). If you’re watching your calories, you might enjoy burrata with heirloom tomatoes ($15), Maine lobster salad with citrus vinaigrette ($27) or seared salmon with avocado, mango, tomato salad in a champagne vinaigrette (a bargain at $22).

At lunch, The Capital Grille offers several burger options for the sophisticated palate. You can pick from a $26 lobster and crab burger with housemade tartar sauce. Meat lovers can choose the “Grille’s Signature Cheeseburger” which is a “A blend of short rib, chuck and brisket by Pat LaFrieda, with candied applewood smoked bacon and Vermont cheddar” for a mere $19 plus tax. If you want fancier, you might want to try the ribeye burger “Cooked to your wishes and served on a grilled French loaf” for only $27 bucks.

If you want a full meal at lunch, The Capital Grille does not disappoint. Customers can enjoy, Filet Mignon ($32), bone-in dry-aged NY strip steak ($30), sushi grade seasame seared tuna with gingered rice ($32), or sliced filet mignon with cipollini onions, wild mushrooms and fig essence, “A rich twist on our popular, classic Filet Mignon” for just $35 smackers.

If dining on a budget, diners could try the $22 plates. First, pick one starter (Porcini mushroom bisque, clam chowder or field of greens salad), then pick from the following:

Mini Tenderloin Sandwiches (2) with Parmesan Truffle Fries

Crispy Chicken Sandwich with Hot Honey and Chili Mayo with Parmesan Truffle Fries

Sauteed Jumbo Shrimp with Mushrooms and Parmesan Risotto

Parmesan Crusted Salmon with Roasted Garlic, Heirloom Tomato and White Wine Lemon Butter

No wonder lobbyists and the Mayor love The Capital Grille.

Why did Team AHF take Mayor Dean Trantalis out for a fancy lunch?

As REDBROWARD previously reported, just ten days earlier, the City of Fort Lauderdale Board of Adjustment voted 4-3 to deny the AHF’s appeal of ruling which stopped its building of the fifteen-story “Trantalis Tower” near downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Was Team AHF presenting a new plan to Trantalis? Why the need to discuss the matter on the weekend, away from City Hall? Did anyone else happen to stop by the lunch meeting? Why was Dean Trantalis focused on a private development instead of the sewer breaks and polluted waterways?

Fort Lauderdale needs leadership, not politicos wining and dining with developers and donors, no?