The James Beard Foundation has announced the 2014 semifinalists for its Restaurant and Chef award categories today, the state of Florida got several nods and specific recognition for its culinary achievements. Even Orlando got a pat on the head from the prestigious foundation for hosting the announcement at the city’s…

While nutritionists and your mom stress eating a healthy breakfast (usually consisting of fruit, Greek yogurt, and something with fiber in it that tastes like either warm gruel or cardboard with soy milk), we crave warm doughnuts fresh from the oven, served with a piping hot cup of Joe. Krispy…

Stop calling Vanilla Ice a one hit wonder. The artist, also known as Robert Matthew Van Winkle, happens to be a multi-talented actor, rapper, and television host who didn’t have just one hit song. He had two. In addition to the earworm that is Ice Ice Baby, there was Ninja…

The legalization of marijuana throughout the United States is a growing reality. More and more, citizens are lobbying their states to legalize pot. So far, Colorado and Washington have OK’d pot for medical and recreational use (albeit with regulations and restrictions) and several other states have legalized medical marijuana. The…

An off-duty Miami-Dade Corrections officer was involved in a shooting at Shooters Waterfront Cafe this past weekend. The incident happened this past Saturday evening around 6:40 p.m. when, according to Fort Lauderdale Police, Marcus Leon Thompson “reached into his right pocked where is unholstered firearm was located, to retrieve money…

Courtesy of WorldRedEye.comTrisha Yearwood at last year’s Southern Kitchen Brunch.Trisha Yearwood is country music royalty. Married to superstar Garth Brooks, the Grand Ole Opry member shot to fame in the early 1990’s and has since sold over 12.5 million albums worldwide, won three Grammys, three Country Music Association Awards, and…

Valentine’s Day is today and the way we see it, you’ve got two alternatives. You can take your significant other to a schmancy restaurant filled with other people…or you can prepare a decadent dinner-for-two at home. Don’t know what to make? Allow Fabio Viviani to assist you. The Top Chef…

There have been a rash of robberies at South Florida restaurants in the past few months. Luckily, no one has gotten hurt, and thanks to surveillance videos and some good police work, most of the perps have been apprehended (we’ve been watching some old CSI reruns, lately). And, because this…

Sure there’s crime everywhere, but it takes a truly soulless character to steal from a Girl Scout. Nevertheless, that’s what happened this past Sunday, February 9, when two teens robbed a troop of Girl Scouts selling cookies outside the Winn Dixie at 3260 Davie Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. That’s right…

Valentine’s Day is the most romantic day of the year. We know this because Hallmark tells us so. Seriously, though. We think there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having a holiday devoted to lovebirds. After all, there’s nothing better than romance, happiness, and deciding to spend the rest of your life…

Method actors are a dedicated lot. In the quest for authenticity, these actors have been known to gain (or lose) half their body weight for roles, train with the military, and live in remote terrain. Sometimes there are casualties, like when Johnny Depp fell off a horse while filming The…

Besides a few drunk people behaving rowdy, Las Olas Boulevard is basically a safe place to be on on a Friday night, which is why the news of an armed robbery at American Social is so shocking. Early this morning (Friday, February 7 at around 1 a.m.), three armed suspects…

Monsanto gets a bad rap, y’all. Sure they’re genetically-altering food and people are in a huff about it. But let’s play Devil’s advocate here, shall we? Maybe genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetically engineered (GE) foods aren’t so bad? Maybe the whole debate was started by other corporations like Whole…

If you’re planning a trip to visit the famous mouse’s futuristic world known as EPCOT, skip breakfast at the hotel, because you’ve got a date with fried pastry. (Just don’t call it a Cronut®, OK? The Cronut® is a specific pastry created and sold in the Dominique Ansel Bakery in…

The Fort Lauderdale Police Department has just released video of an armed robbery that occurred at the McDonald’s located at 1600 South State Road 7 in Fort Lauderdale. According to police, on Sunday, February 2 at approximately 10:30 p.m., two armed and disguised suspects entered the restaurant, ordering customers to…

Remember Subway? The fast-food chain made superfamous by that guy Jared who shed some serious poundage by eating a healthy, well-balanced diet composed of Subway sammies that contained lots of veggies? Apparently, on the 15th anniversary of Jared Fogle’s accomplishment, Subway decided to celebrate with the introduction of its Frito…

Thousands of fans of food trucks, beer, and music gathered in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Esplanade Park this past Saturday for the fifth Burgie Awards. The Burgies were, of course, created by South Florida food blogger Burger Beast as a way to acknowledge trucks and restaurants that specialize in affordable comfort…

Allen West, one-term congressman, Tea Party darling, and crusader against anything he deems “un-American,” doesn’t like Coca-Cola’s Super Bowl ad. Not one bit. The… um… “distinguished gentleman” from South Florida blogged not once — but twice — about the Coke ad. According to West’s first blog post last evening, the…