I have to disagree with you guys, if we are talking restaurants that you can take a boat to lunch/dinner nowhere has more in a small radius than Ft. Lauderdale. Here is just a few off the top of my head:

15th St. Fisheries
Bimini Boat Yard
China Grill
Pelican Landing
Grill 66
Pirate Republic
Downtowner
De Campo Osteria
Shooters/Bootlegger
Charthouse
Bahia Cabana
Caps Place
Coconuts
Blue Moon Fish
Southport Raw Bar

This is just a few and the nice thing is they are all different atmosphere and cuisine, not like some other towns where every waterfront restaurant is the exactly the same. Also, most of these are close together so you can just cruise around and see from the water which has a crowd. Even more choices if you count Hollywood (GG's, Le Tub, Rivals) and Pompano/Boca (Houstons, Two Georges, The Cove) which are all easily accessed from Ft. Lauderdale. Miami by comparison has a few choices but not a lot, the keys has some great places but they are all pretty far apart not concentrated to one area. Gilberts is a really good choice to see performance boats but if you trek all the way down there and it's dead now what, you are kind of in the middle of nowhere. The boat traffic when you get down into the keys gets pretty sparse because it is so spread out, by comparison I was out for an hour in Lauderdale on Sunday, 55 degrees and cloudy and I must have passed 60 boats cruising in the ICW.

Yeah we all know the slow speed manatee zones suck, but that is why god made inlets. Most of the good restaurants are close to an inlet, so if you don't want to go slow just take the ocean to the inlet, turn in and idle to a restaurant. I like having the choice of cruising the ICW as an option when the ocean is too rough to go boating, versus boating up north where there is no ICW if it is too rough out you stay home on your couch.

To answer the original question, the best place to see performance boats, unfortunately these days the answer seems to be nowhere. Not a lot of guys using their fast boats as much anymore, plenty of guys trading them in for center consoles, etc.

True enough...but take the Water Taxi...less stress and frustration....if all you want to do is eat and drink. If you would rather boat to your destination and enjoy it...there are better choices.

Rum Bar is the beach theme bar directly next to Panama Hatties and if you feel more upscale Riverhouse and Seasons 52 are on the north side of Waterway/Hatties. So in one bridge intersection (PGA Blvd/ICW) there are 5 restaurants with dockage.

Sadly though the no wake/slow zones are creeping north. Last summer they shut down the 30 mph zone from Donald Ross bridge all the way past the Parker Bridge (US 1). Used to be 30 MPH all the way to Dale Earnhardt's canal (then idle past marinas to a 1/2 mile 30 mph stretch until the US1 bridge then wide open (no limit) to Blue Heron Bridge (just before Peanut Island). They also outlawed alcoholic beverages on Peanut Island but if you are standing in the water then it is ok.......

Up the New River to Riverwalk, for night life. Maybe a good thing about no wake is it keeps you from doing something stupid. Shirtail Charlie's too, is up the river.( in FL)
Oh yeah rum bar. I like that whole area and well.. 30 is better than 5

Spoken(typed) like a native Rich.

All good info. Always great places, just not a "one place" deal like it used to be when Shooters was it.

Well said, with the 24 I spend more time in the ditch than in the ocean, there is also the options of several sandbars to set up a grille.