Until recently, I couldn’t remember the last time I walked out of a restaurant without at least sampling the fare. I didn’t stroll out of that little German storefront in Bay Harbor Islands where the chef quit right after we’d ordered and our waiter volunteered to cook our bratwurst. I…
So you’ve been craving a chicken Marsala pizza. Who hasn’t? Good thing Cannoli Kitchen (22191 Powerline Rd., Boca Raton, 561-955-8880) has a new storefront location in addition to its Federal Highway place. Now it’s even more convenient to order out from this beloved home-meal replacement establishment. In addition to the…
I’m always a bit sad when one of my favorite restaurants is sold, and I’m always a little reluctant to head back to it and see if the new proprietors have (a) changed nothing or (b) changed everything. I’m always caught in a dilemma: On the one hand, I want…
Even before the terrorist attacks, our weakening economy was starting to make us consumers ask some tough questions about dining out. Do we want to spend $35 on an entree in an upscale restaurant, or do we want to use that money to buy the baby’s formula for the week?…
After several disappointing experiences, some of which I’ve recounted here, I confess: I’m giving up. I no longer expect food to comfort me. I don’t believe ultra-rich ice cream will soothe me. I can’t see how mashed potatoes will magically make everything all right. Hamburgers the size of my head?…
Frozen-custard lovers need grieve no more. Yes, Kohr Bros. Frozen Custard indeed vacated its spot in Riverfront. But the Double Rainbow Dessert Cafe (300 SW First Ave., Suite 131, Fort Lauderdale, 954-527-5219), brought to us by the same folks who operate Tout Sweet Ice Cream Parlor & Bakery Cafe in…
It was bound to happen; I’m surprised it took this long: Sage French American Cafe (2378 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale, 954-565-2299) has announced the premiere of “Moulin Rouge Nights” on October 31 at 8:30 p.m. Basing the show, which will be performed every Wednesday, on the one from the…
If there were a checklist for a prototypical raw-bar-and-wings joint, it would probably include all the important elements: TV, domestic beers, giveaways, happy-hour prices. In that regard the four-month-old eatery Planet Krypton Wings and Grille, located on Stirling Road in Davie, fulfills expectations. TV tuned to Monday Night Football? Check…
I suppose it was bound to happen: sushi, sushi everywhere. First it was in Thai restaurants. Then Chinese eateries. Then Vietnamese and Korean places. In the name of appealing to the public, cultures that have traditionally been at odds with the Japanese (such as the Chinese and Korean) as well…
If you’re as tired of prepackaged, supermarket pâté as I am, then head over to Euro Bread & Cafe (6874 Stirling Rd., Davie, 954-587-3876) in the newly opened The Shops at Stirling Place. Among other upscale items, including Dijon mustard blended with blue cheese and truffle vinaigrette with Meyer lemons,…
If you’re looking for something sweet to do with your kids over Halloween weekend, scout no further than Roy’s (1901 N. Military Trl., Boca Raton, 561-620-9401). On Sunday, October 28, pastry chef Ralph Sorrentino will teach a baking class for children ages 7 to 12 called “Halloween Treats with a…
My sister called me the other day with a dilemma. “I don’t know whether to be thin or fat,” she complained. I know it looks funny on paper, but I understood her problem right away. See, my sister lives in Manhattan, and naturally, like every other New Yorker, she’s feeling…
If, like many South Floridians, you’ve grown tired of snapper this and grouper that, hit Bedesse East-West Indian Foods (4060 NW 12th St., Lauderhill, 954-583-3700) for inspiration. Run by a Guyanese of East Indian descent, this vibrant market stocks plenty of foodstuffs and fish stuffs not commonly found round these…
By now it’s a fact of culinary life that South Florida restaurants open in strip malls. None of us really minds anymore. Although locating an eatery in a recessed shopping plaza can be somewhat frustrating when your stomach is growling, we in the culinary community understand that, unless restaurateurs are…
At this time of year, South Floridians usually start bemoaning the extended summer, wishing the humidity would die down and the heat finally break once and for all. Fortunately the new Barnsider restaurant (6751 N. Federal Hwy., Boca Raton, 561-988-1355) presents a reason to celebrate the fact that summer lingers:…
I’ve often been called a proponent of taking kids to restaurants, casual or otherwise, and I suppose I am something of an advocate for teaching our children to become good citizens of the dining community. That said, I have finally found a place where my wee ones will never be…
So airline travel may be out of the question for the time being, and you’re bummed that your planned trip to California’s wine country this fall has been nixed. Distress not, fellow enophiles. You can, believe it or not, tour and taste the vineyards of our own tropical back yard…
Contrary to popular belief, I don’t judge a restaurant by its glitches. I judge a restaurant by how it responds to or tries to correct its glitches. Indulge me in a for-instance or two. Several years ago at a popular fine-dining restaurant in southwestern Broward County, my husband and I…
I’ve always been curious about the sign I see on a building just off Interstate 95 advertising Best Food Online (www.bestfoodonline.com). Turns out the company, which offers gourmet food products, from anchovies to escargots, is based right here in South Florida. The site is organized neatly, with an alphabetical list…
As animals we know instinctively that eating is vital to our existence. Hunger is a primal urge. Without food our bodies can’t sustain themselves. As human beings, however, we may suspect that dining out, as well as writing and reading about it, is somewhat less important. And in the wake…
Perhaps the glut of sushi bars in South Florida has finally inspired a trend toward retro: Sushi Yama (7050 W. Palmetto Park Rd., Boca Raton, 561-362-6416) is one of several restaurants recently to install hibachi grills. Now patrons can enjoy Japanese steak house items à la Benihana — knife-rapping, shrimps-in-the-chef-hat,…
When I met the man who would become my husband, I gave him the lowdown right off the bat. “I’m always right,” I told him. “If I’m not right, my sister is. And if my sister’s not right, my mother is.” He got the picture: I don’t like to be…
