Eric Barton

How to Beat a Ticket From a Red-Light Camera and Win in Court

Our intrepid former editor Eric Barton has left New Times' gulag-like cubicle farm gilded corner office, but he continues to blog over on his own site, Barefoot Mailman. Missing his wit, we sneak a lil looksee over there once in a while to read his musings about Fort Lauderdale and the wor ... More >>

Home Brew Throwdown at Riverside Market

The time has come for home brewers to come out from the shadows of their garages, dens, and man caves and get the recognition they deserve. After all, if you're going to make something at home -- doesn't a keg of beer trump a dozen cupcakes or a new bird feeder?The inaugural Riverside Market Home B ... More >>

Fort Lauderdale Magazine Releases First Issue, Includes Story on Obese Cat

We've got some high-brow competition. And we know him well. This month, 20,000 copies of Fort Lauderdale Magazine flooded local mailboxes while another 10,000 copies are working there way into doctors offices, law firms, and the buildings of other professionals fancy enough to have wa ... More >>

24. Hot Pot Casserole From Gabose Restaurant

As a countdown to the Best Of Broward/Palm Beach 2012, coming in June, Clean Plate Charlie is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in South Florida. Send your own nominations here. 24. Hot Pot Casserole From Gabose RestaurantWhen most people go for Korean food, they do barbecue. And yeah, the ... More >>

25. Niçoise Salad From The Foxy Brown

As a countdown to the Best Of Broward/Palm Beach 2012, coming in June, Clean Plate Charlie is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in South Florida. Send your own nominations here. No. 25. Niçoise Salad From The Foxy BrownThe niçoise salad is one of those risky orders. It can come out very ... More >>

27: Futomaki Roll From Sushi One

As a countdown to the Best Of Broward/Palm Beach 2012, coming in June, Clean Plate Charlie is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in South Florida. Send your own nominations here. No. 27: Futomaki Roll From Sushi 1They say futomaki means "fat rolls" in Japanese, but more accurate for this ro ... More >>

28. Bahn Mi From Basilic Vietnamese Grill

As a countdown to the Best Of Broward/Palm Beach 2012, coming in June, Clean Plate Charlie is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in South Florida. Send your own nominations here. No. 28: Bahn Mi From Basilic Vietnamese GrillNothing sums up Vietnamese food better than the bahn mi. Here you h ... More >>

Feeling Burned by Facebook's IPO? Be Pissed Instead at the Stock Market, a True Sucker's Bet

On May 9, Facebook's upper brass had a meeting with financial analysts to tell them the company's revenue should be on the low end of projections, according to the Associated Press. That was bad news, especially considering Facebook was about to sell stock publicly for the first time. The analysts f ... More >>

36. Filet Mignon From Canyon Southwestern Café

As a countdown to the Best Of Broward/Palm Beach 2012, coming in June, Clean Plate Charlie is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in South Florida. Send your own nominations here. 36. Filet Mignon From Canyon Southwestern CaféDuring my last visit to Canyon, someone at the table asked the se ... More >>

43. Blueberry Tuna From Capt. Charlie's Reef Grill

As a countdown to the Best Of Broward/Palm Beach 2012, coming in June, Clean Plate Charlie is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in South Florida. Send your own nominations here. By definition, this dish sounds like the culinary equivalent of watching a busboy slowly drop a load of wine gla ... More >>

New Times Seeks Marquee Name to Helm Restaurant Coverage

When Anthony Bourdain was asked last year what advice he'd give to the New York Times during the paper's search for a restaurant critic, he answered: "I think the best you can hope for in a subjective enterprise like food criticism is for an honest broker of opinion."Truthfulness might seem like an ... More >>

65. East Coaster Steak and Eggs From Old Fort Lauderdale Breakfast House

As a countdown to the Best Of Broward/Palm Beach 2012, coming in June, Clean Plate Charlie is serving up 100 of our favorite dishes in South Florida. Send your own nominations to Melissa.McCart@BrowardPalmBeach.com. No. 65: The East Coaster Breakfast There are a lot of reasons the steak and eggs her ... More >>

Fox News Steals Our Stuff, Backs Off When We Notice

​On Friday, we noticed that one of our blog posts, about a freaky Florida campaign video set on a slave ship, had been stolen pretty much in its entirety and pasted up on the Fox News website, byline and all. Yesterday, New Times Editor Eric Barton offered to forgo legal action if Fox gave us half ... More >>

Kapow! Chef Claimed to Quit Over Sliders That Turn Out to Be Delicious

​Chef Roy Villacrusis made big news last week when he claimed he quit Kapow! Noodle Bar after the owners put sliders on the menu. So it only made sense that Clean Plate Charlie try these controversial sliders. And the verdict? Nobody should quit over these sliders. In fact, these damned fine littl ... More >>

We Make Our Demands After Fox News Plagiarized This Website

Fox News stooped to a bit of copyright infringement last week in lifting a story from the Pulp. In response, we sent a letter to Fox this morning with a reasonable demand for compensation. ​Dearest Fox News,It came as some surprise to see your January 27 article titled "Epic Campaign Ad Brings Oba ... More >>

East End Brasserie in Fort Lauderdale: First Look

Photos by Eric BartonThe sweet venison dish is like a primer for Thanksgiving. ​"Hello, bonsoir," said the manager as he breezed through the dining room of the East End Brasserie last night. His mix of English and French would seem appropriate for the 2-week-old restaurant. The menu is somewhat Fr ... More >>

East Coast BBQ, Rok:Brgr Take Top Prizes at Rock n' Roll Beer-B-Q

Photo by Eric BartonTwenty restaurants served up barbecue for the inaugural Beer-B-Q on Sunday.​For months now, New Times has been heaping praise on East Coast BBQ. The tiny 'cue joint in a Pompano Beach strip mall earned a rave review in our Dish section, a Best Barbecue award in this year's Best ... More >>

Thanks to Drunken Boaters, City Closes Dog Beach Without Public Input

Photo by Eric Barton​For years now, Exchange Club Park in Pompano Beach has been a secluded, almost secret oasis for dogs and their owners. Here was the only beach in Broward and Palm Beach counties where dogs were allowed at any time. The clear and calm waters of the Intracoastal made it an ideal ... More >>

Reader: Cops on Horses Are Helpful, If This is the Wild West

Photo by Eric BartonGet 'em cowboy.​Have you ever looked at the Fort Lauderdale cops on horseback and wondered how they'd really stop a crime if there's a getaway car? We all have.We brought you a story this morning explaining the "mounted unit" and how they serve the city. One reader thinks the u ... More >>

World's Largest Sailing Ship Docks in Port Everglades; Also, Forget About Seeing It

These masts don't mix well with, say, a flight to Albuquerque.​The Maltese Falcon, the world's largest sailing yacht and also a giant floating metaphor for the financial collapse, has pulled into Port Everglades, tucked away unceremoniously in a spot far from the riffraff and almost unseen unless ... More >>

J. Mark's and Grateful Palate Win Top Prizes in Slider Battle

Photos by Eric BartonRare's burger of pulled short ribs took second.​If there was one standard about the sliders served tonight at Yolo's Sips & Sliders at Sunset it's that they weren't your typical beef, bacon, and cheese affair. Duck meat, grass-fed pork, and fancy condiments were the standa ... More >>

Local Drummer Dead After Bar Fight at Fishtales Bar & Grill

Photo by Eric Barton​Local drummer Jimmy Pagano died last night while reportedly trying to break up a knife fight at Fishtales Bar & Grill Fort Lauderdale. The 54-year-old was playing his weekly Pro Jam session at the venue when the fight broke out. Five others were stabbed in the inciden ... More >>

Home Sales History Goes From $36,500, to $3.3 million, and Then Slowly Back Down Again

To document the depth of the housing crisis, New Times is profiling some of South Florida's forgotten homes.Photos by Eric Barton​Location: In Fort Lauderdale's Las Olas Isles neighborhood. This home sits at the end of a peninsula, with beautiful canal views toward Victoria Park. With four bedroom ... More >>

Popular West Palm Beach Art Event Showtel on Hiatus During Search for New Venue

Photo by Eric BartonThe Oxy room at last year's Showtel.​Every spring for the past eight years, Hotel Biba in West Palm Beach would lend out a couple of dozen of its rooms for Showtel, one of South Florida's best art events. Over the course of a weekend, about 2,000 people would pop in and out of ... More >>

Two Townhomes Wait for a Brave Builder

Photos by Eric Barton​To document the depth of the housing crisis, New Times is profiling some of South Florida's forgotten homes. Location: These two townhomes sit at the center of Fort Lauderdale's Victoria Park neighborhood, at the corner of NE Sixth Avenue and NE Sixth Street. Time abandoned: ... More >>

A Victoria Park Spiral Staircase to Nowhere

Photos by Eric Barton​To document the depth of the housing crisis, New Times is profiling some of South Florida's forgotten homes. Location: At the east end of Broward Boulevard, just west of when it becomes Victoria Park Road, in the tony Colee Hammock neighborhood. Time abandoned: Unknown. Inchi ... More >>

Dragon Fruit: The Instructions, in Photos

​Florida-grown dragon fruit are now in season, and if you've seen one in the supermarket recently, you probably wondered what the hell it is. It's football-shaped, bright purple, and has dried-up leaves shooting out like thorns. Although the dragon fruit looks pretty damned imposing, it's actually ... More >>

Eric Barton, New Times Editor, Interviewed on South Florida Food and Wine Blog

​Usually, he's walking around swinging one of those big old jailers' key rings (better to shackle us to our desks) and sipping a fancy-toity beverage from an establishment that we staffers are too poor to patronize. So we were mighty innerested when we stumbled across this interview of our esteeme ... More >>

Doggie Bag: This Week in Charlie

Eric BartonLearn how to make a healthy version of the super perro in this week's recipe post.​This week on the blog:An outdoor nightclub goes live in Delray Beach.Big Bear hopes to serve some malt-fed calf during next year's Field of Beers.Iron Maiden is hitting the road, which means it's time for ... More >>

Colombian Hot Dogs: The Somewhat Healthier Version

Photo by Flickr user Tales of an LA AddictThe challenge: Making a version of dogs that won't shorten your life.​Colombian hot dogs just might be the perfect late-night junk food, but let's be honest: They're a heart attack on a bun. So with our arteries in mind, I tried last night to make a healt ... More >>

100 Favorite Dishes: Charcuterie Too's Daily Lunch Plates

Photo by Eric BartonOn Tuesday: the Cuban picadillo.​As a countdown to the Best Of Broward Palm Beach 2010, coming in May, Clean Plate Charlie is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in South Florida. Send your own nominations to John.Linn@BrowardPalmBeach.com. No. 52: Charcuterie Too's Da ... More >>

100 Favorite Dishes: Guava and Cheese Pastries From Tulipan

Photo by Eric Barton​As a countdown to the Best Of Broward Palm Beach 2010, coming in May, Clean Plate Charlie is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in South Florida. Send your own nominations to John.Linn@BrowardPalmBeach.com. No. 54: Tulipan's Guava and Cheese PastriesMost Tulipan Baker ... More >>

Anthony's Runway 84 Leftovers Improve With Some Syrup

Photos by Eric Barton​This week's restaurant review features a list of lackluster dishes I ordered at much-loved Anthony's Runway 84. There's the Italian Sunday Feast, above, a $29 pile of Italian staples that I'm pretty sure somebody could whip up in the time it takes Rachel Ray to complete a mea ... More >>

Order Up: Anthony's Runway 84

The family's all here, now get out!​This week in Dish, a review from New Times editor Eric Barton, who had one crazy-as-hell meal at Fort Lauderdale's longtime Italian-American haven, Anthony's Runway 84. Turns out, the wait staff at the restaurant was in a bit of a hurry to turn Barton's table, a ... More >>

New River Pizza a Throwback to Pre-coal Pie Makers

Photos by Eric Barton​Remember what pizza was like before people starting putting coal in their ovens and charring paper-thin crusts? That pie you remember still exists down in the Rio Vista neighborhood at New River Pizza, where the dough is thick, the mushrooms come from a can, and the garlic kn ... More >>

I'm Eating What?! Mexico Offers a Mango Surprise With Boing!

Photos by Eric Barton​Most of us probably know very little about Mexican bottled drinks that don't come with a lime wedge sticking out of the top. There's Jarritos, but while they come in a Wilton Manors flag's worth of colors, they're rock-candy sweet. And then there's Boing! Mango, one rocking f ... More >>

Dish Deconstructed: Eggs in Purgatory With Potato Pancake

Photos by Eric Barton​Pictured: Giada De Laurentiis' eggs in purgatory with a potato pancakeCombine: Two cups of leftover mashed potatoes with five eggs and a handful of flourSear: Both sides of the pancakes in a pan with butter until they're golden

Looking for Smoked Turkey with Crispy Skin? Try Adding a Torch

Photos by Eric BartonThe smoker makes a mean turkey, but the skin? Not so much.​If you smoked a turkey this Thanksgiving, you probably ended up with what's been on my plate in the past: a juicy, flavorful bird with skin as supple as rubber bands. So in an attempt to avoid that this year, I tried a ... More >>

Exported Rosquillas: Like Honduran Dog Treats

Photos by Eric Barton​It's never good when you're first thought after biting into something is, wait, there's something wrong here. And there's definitely something wrong in this package of Rubi brand rosquillas. Perhaps it's that the package is "para exportacion" only -- maybe the Hondurans 

Fusion & Flavors Shows Off Peru's Eclectic Influences

Photos by Eric BartonSkip the marsala and go for the chicken saltado.​Peruvian food isn't the standard beans-and-rice fare so common in South America. It has influences from the country's Asian, Italian, and Spanish immigrants, and that shows on the menu of the new Fusion & Flavors. The tiny s ... More >>

The Rare Vegetarian Delivery, in Downtown Lauderdale

Photo by Eric BartonIt's not hard to find one or two dishes -- usually they're side dishes -- for the vegetarian crowd at many restaurants. Vegetarians become accustomed to the plain goodness of rice and beans and house salads and saying "without cheese, please." Delivery, though? Forget about it, i ... More >>

I'm Eating What?! Tamarind Ball Candy

Photos by Eric BartonLeave it to your boss to inadvertently ruin your good mood. After last week's grass jelly debacle, I decided to take fate back into my own hands and hand-select the food I'd be eating for this week's post. At my last trip to Publix, I was waiting in the checkout line, just behi ... More >>

Bravo Makes "Best Sandwich" Promise

Photos by Eric BartonBravo's lechon sandwich.The postcard-sized menu at Bravo! Gourmet Sandwich Shop in Wilton Manors promises: "The Best sandwich you'll ever taste!" Those are big words in the world of sandwiches, but the thing is, Bravo just might live up to that promise. Bravo's Peruvian sandwich ... More >>

Ask the Critic: We're Insufferable Know-It-Alls

The whole crew is standing byNext Friday we launch our weekly Friday Feature, "Ask The Critic," invented for the sole purpose of allowing us to show off. Readers: Send us your easy questions, send us your torturous riddles. "Where can I find beignet in Lauderhill?"; "Who makes the tastiest shark n b ... More >>

Letters for August 4-10, 2005

Letters 04.15.04

We are family:

Letters for November 6, 2003

At Home with Hanging

Letters for July 27, 2003

Who do you trust?

Letters for July 17, 2003

Hair trigger

Letters for December 12, 2002

More bad blood