Rare Las Olas

Critic's Review

Rare Las Olas has Closed.

***

Rare is from the same people who own New York Prime in Boca. The restaurants are under the umbrella of Centraarchy Management, who manage a wide variety of concepts under local ownership. The menu is similar to New York Prime, with some interesting additions.

If you'd been to Bova Prime you won't be surprised by the decor; obviously with their flash opening they didn't do a rip and renew here; its more of a makeover. The big chandelier and glassy fixtures remain, as does the bluish bar. But its the changes that stand out; and they did a nice job of converting cheesy to sophisticated. The decor is decidedly black and white; the white leather booths have been removed. There's black leather in the bar; with modern, sophisticated tables in the dining room. They still have the 2 big flat screens TVs behind the bar and they've added another one up front; it's a good place to watch a game. The lines are clean. Its a handsome place.

Upstairs has been converted to a lounge. After 10pm, the restaurant morphs into a club with a DJ; during the week the kitchen closes at 11pm and Midnight on weekends; both are open an hour later on weekends. There are a lot of hot girls here; I couldn't get past the feeling that I was in a men's club. Ridiculously friendly, busty girls spend a lot of time trying to lure single men upstairs. I wasn't sure what to expect: Lap Dances? Probably not. But I was betting it would be expensive.

But that that's not the case at all. Upstairs is a comfortable lounge that feels more like a swanky sports bar than a stuffy restaurant. Theres a bar, leather couch-like seating and big flat screen TVs.

The food here is top notch and its expensive; though for some items its a bit deceiving. The Beef Carpaccio is $16, but its a massive portion and enough for a group. The Beefsteak/Mozzarella stack is a substantial portion for $9. On the other hand, you'll pay $5 each for a colossal shrimp cocktail, with 4 beefy prawns going for $20.

The have a "Bar Bites" menu only available at the bar; but don't expect reduced priced mini-servings like you get at Morton's. The Bar Bites menu is just as expensive. The most interesting item is the $19 Pizza Burger; a giant 1 1/2 pound hamburger sandwiched between 2 pizza sized buns.

Happy hour is 4pm to 6pm and features 2 for 1 drinks on everything except ultra high-end items. There are currently no food specials at happy hour.

Rare is not a place for paupers, freeloaders or cheapskates. Its a place where you'll find people who like to eat high end food and who don't care too much about how much it costs. Its a nice, high end addition to the neighborhood for those who can afford it.