Clean Plate Charlie is pitting our eight best dining areas against one another in a March Madness-style bracket. Later this month, we'll crown a winner -- an undisputed champion city that can boast to have the best food scene in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Below, read up on No. 4 seeded Western Broward versus No. 8 Hollywood and then vote below on which city should go on to our semi-final round.
Boca Raton Moves Beyond the Brisket and Lox for Some Serious Eats
Go on. Scoff all you want at Boca Raton. This city has heard it all before. It's a bunch of "gray hairs." "Boca Babes." No one willing to venture outside of the brisket and bagel box. If that's the case, why are so many culinary adventurers willing to dream big in the Rat's Mouth? Take, for instance the gutsy opening of Kapow! Noodle Bar in late 2011 in Mizner Park and the soon-to-be debut of the Rebel House, a locally sourced restaurant from the masterminds behind Charm City Burgers and El Jefe Luchador. These are the forward-thinking culinary stars who recognize that the scene in Boca Raton is far more diverse -- and poised for
change -- than the naysayers would have you believe.
What else
does the city have going for it aside from easy parking, ballsy
restaurateurs, and an uncanny number of above-average Mediterranean
joints? Not for nothing, but there's a reason that Boca is referred to
as the sixth borough. Not unlike a certain cousin to the north, this
city ain't afraid to chew anyone up and spit them back out. Diners can
be notoriously hard to please, which means a simple smile and a polite
"How's it going?" can net you some of the most conciliatory service
you're gonna find in a three-county radius. Okay, and yes, like NYC,
there are a shitload of bagel shops, Jewish delis, and pizzerias in this
town: we're gonna go ahead and count that as a plus. What? You haven't
bitten into the blistered crust of a Tucci's pie fresh out of the coal oven? What the hell are you waiting for?
So
what if Boca Raton is an underdog in this battle? You know who else was
an underdog? A little fighter named Rocky. And you know who has been
known to hit up one of Boca's most popular snack spots like Sonny's Gelato Café? That's right, Sylvester Stallone. Yep. It looks like this Raton has some fight in him yet. - Tricia Woolfenden
Forget Spring Break Fort Lauderdale: Now It's Famous Chefs and Waterfront Old Florida
Fort
Lauderdale. Girls in bikinis driving vintage convertibles on their way
to the local clam shack for a milkshake and a stolen kiss. Okay, now
that we had our "Where The Boys Are" flashback, let's move back to the
21st century.
Fort Lauderdale has undergone many renaissances,
the latest giving us much to love in the way of food. Literally whatever
you're into can be found here -- from grouper caught right off our
shores at Market 17 to gourmet vegan food for a cause at Sublime.
Tucked down one of the canals, there's the Bimini bread from Bimini Boatyard. In downtown, there's the oven-baked pancakes from the Old Fort Lauderdale Breakfast House. Yes, Fort Lauderdale offers a lot for carb lovers.
Florida's answer to Venice pays to old-school Florida style at the somewhat seedy bar at Rustic Inn
behind the docks off Griffin Road. Somehow a big pot of garlic crabs, a
beer and a wooden mallet make the cares of the day melt away. If the
weather is nice (which, let's be honest, it usually is), 15th Street Fisheries is the place for just a fresh grouper sandwich and a chilled pinot grigio.
Sure, there are fancy foods and famous chefs here too. From a Steve Martorano meatball, to Timpano's mussels, to some insanely fresh swordfish from 3030 Ocean's kitchen, we clean up well for a good white tablecloth meal.
But
when all is said and done, Fort Lauderdale is a beach town. So as the
sun sets, you'll find us scarfing down fish dip and lobster rolls at Coconuts after a long day of tanning.
Not bad for one little town that was once only known for Spring Break.
And
remember -- this is Florida. Vote early and vote often for Fort
Lauderdale. Because Frankie and Annette would want it that way. - Laine Doss
Click here for a full list of cities in our Food Town Throwdown.
