By Rochelle Koff
Miami Herald

It's easily missed and nearly forgotten amid the newer, hipper spots on Las Olas, but take a turn on a narrow path off the bustling boulevard and you'll discover one of the most romantic dining destinations in Fort Lauderdale, Las Olas Café. White lights twinkle in the mahogany trees and greenery framing this hidden courtyard café. Stars are overhead, red bricks below your feet, magic in the air.

Open 14 years, the café is run by sisters Paula Pace and Diane Myers and their father, Nick DeRosa, whose earnest efforts are reflected in its old-fashioned charm and gentility. While most appreciated for its secluded outdoor patio, Las Olas Café also offers a pleasant dining room, cozy with faux shuttered windows and candlelight. Forest green tablecloths with floral covers fit its casual but classy ambience and bring a bit of the garden indoors.

Like the surroundings, the service is welcoming and the menu inviting -- not trend-setting but not ordinary, either. And not as pricey as some of its neighbors on the block. Peruvian-born chef Ernesto Rado's cuisine is continental/eclectic, with globe-trotting influences from Cajun shrimp to wasabi-crusted tuna and duck quesadilla.

Choose a wine from the 45-bottle list -- primarily Californian with a dozen or so imports -- and feel your post-hurricane stress melt away.

Warm, crusty mini baguettes arrive quickly. Then move onto appealing appetizers like baked goat cheese, crab cakes and an unexpected offering for Las Olas, fried green tomatoes. The Southern staple, coated with cornmeal, is elevated with a topping of jumbo lump crab meat and accompaniments of lemon aioli and green tomato relish.

Of the salad choices, two stand out. The Granny Smith apple and spiced walnut salad is a terrific mix of tastes and textures. Laden with chunks of creamy Gorgonzola on a mound of baby greens, it's garnished with thin slices of the tart green apple and rings of red onions dressed with a sherry vinaigrette. We also like the simple salad teaming large slices of earthy Portobello's marinated in olive oil, garlic and balsamic vinegar with tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and mixed greens tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette.

Entrees are primarily seafood, pasta and chicken, with duckling, filet mignon, pork chop and rack of lamb to round things out. A favorite of ours is the ravioli, seven plump pillows stuffed with a mix of spinach, pine nuts and mozzarella. The delicious filling holds its own against the fresh, light tomato sauce, and a drizzle of basil and béchamel sauce completes the dish.

Cajun shrimp are big and smoky, nicely grilled, served with bow-tie pasta, artichokes, roasted red peppers and leeks with a shot of hot sauce -- nice heat. It was more flavorful than the shrimp and scallop sauté, with mushrooms, leeks and tomatoes over linguine in a Grand Marnier cream reduction.

A real crowd pleaser, the signature walnut-crusted dolphin is garnished with caramelized onions and Granny Smith apples, served with mashed potatoes and a medley of fresh green beans and julienne carrots, zucchini and yellow squash.

For a dessert designed to elicit swoons, savor the warm chocolate bomba, an incredibly rich cross between a soufflé and a flourless cake that's cooked in a ramekin and served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate and raspberry sauces. Ask the waiter for a few spoons and share.

If you aren't a chocolate lover, other options include a light, coconut-flavored crème Brule or a delightful napoleon with fresh berries. For a final treat, there's window shopping -- or in our case, dreaming -- along Las Olas.