Subject: Foods

• What Can the South Florida Food Scene Learn From New Orleans?

  My recent trip to New Orleans was largely predicated on two things: 1) that I had never before been to the Crescent City, and it was high time I got there, and 2) it's known as one of the best food cities in the country. Sure, you could argue that New York, Chicago, and San Francisco each have more cutting edge dining scenes. But food in New Orleans is not just a hobby, nor is it something to do on a Friday night. It genuinely seems to be a way of life - a pursuit of happiness predicated upon in

  June 5, 2009

• Say Cheese: Publix Embraces Le Fromage

  You could have knocked me over with a cheese rind I usually don't pay much attention to anything at Publix. If there are two kinds of people in the world, the glassy-eyed ones that stumble about in grocery stores for hours, and the itchy ones who think five minutes is way too long to spend among shelves of Spaghetti-O's, class me in the latter category. But a couple of weeks ago I did stop to linger at the cheese cooler, and noticed that Publix is putting on some esoteric cheese lingo. Bloomy r

  June 3, 2009

• Shining Starr

  June 4, 2009

• Hoppin' Glad

  May 21, 2009

• Easy Does It

  May 7, 2009

• Destination, Food: Le Tub's Sirloin Burger

  Gail's post on Friday regarding our hunt for the Best Burger proposed a few essential factors for quality burgers. A recap of that list would read, "A Burger should be: 1. cheap, 2. chuck, 3. fresh ground, 4. filler-free, 5. juicy, 6. served with atmosphere, and 7. thick." That's a pretty tight list, to be sure, but not impossible to achieve. And one legendary burger shack, Hollywood's Le Tub, pretty much fulfills them all, save #2. Yes, Le Tub's award-winning 13-ounce burger is made with sirloi

  May 4, 2009

• Movie of the Week: Tortilla Soup

  Raquel Welch and Hector Elizondo Today begins our Cucina Verite Movie of the Week (see our list of upcoming films to watch along with us), and in honor of Cinco de Mayo, we start with Tortilla Soup.First, a little trivia about Maria Ripoli's 2001 film. (1) The beautiful culinary scenes were choreographed by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feninger, the Food Network's "Two Hot Tamales," who run the Border Grill in Santa Monica. (2) Tortilla Soup is a remake of Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman (which we'

  May 5, 2009

• Hyatt Launches New Burger Joint, I Swear

  Customers love the Hyatt's new hamburgers.I'm not hallucinating, I promise. As if we hadn't said quite enough about hamburgers on this blog, I just got word that the Hyatt Bonaventure in Weston is introducing a new Burgers and Brews menu at their Banyan Restaurant, where they've put together a lineup of Angus and Wagyu sammiches  but also chicken, blue crab, and eggplant "burgers" (yah, right). They're particularly proud of their homemade toppings and condiments over at the Hyatt. It says h

  May 7, 2009

• The World's Most Perfect Sandwich is Made of Leftovers - UPDATED

  And you thought the best thing about Mother's Day was the satisfaction you get from making your mom feel like the most special lady on Earth, for at least the course of one homemade brunch. Actually, the best part is the leftover bacon - enough fatty, crispy slices of swine so as to be able to create the World's Most Perfect Sandwich only hours after gorging oneself on omelets and French Toast. I'm talking, of course, about the BLT.Is there anything better than a bacon sandwich, all salty and sm

  May 11, 2009

• The Daily Mouthful: On Hors d'Oeuvres

  "Hors d'oeuvre: a ham sandwich cut into 40 pieces." -- Jack Benny

  May 11, 2009

• Let the Games Begin

  May 14, 2009

• Uruguay's National Sandwich Makes its Way to, uh, Wellington?

  A sandwich is a sandwich is a sandwich. Unless it's a chivito. The chivito, for those of you unlucky enough not to have wrapped your gums around one, is the national sandwich of Uruguay, a sort of Latin-esque breakfast-slash-lunch McManwich for the kind of guy or gal who'd jump Ronald McDonald in a parking lot, steal his ratty wig and beat him to death with one of his stupid, over-sized boots.   Your typical chivito is jammed with thin slices of beef, crispy bacon, mozzarella, lettuce,

  May 14, 2009

• Vietnamese Banh Mi Meets All-American Burger

  Photos by Bill CitaraOK, so if you tried out last week's little lesson on pork-stuffed shrimp, you've got three-fourths of a pound of ground pork, rather assertively seasoned with black pepper, garlic, cilantro, and fish sauce. What do you do with all that pig? Well, you could freeze it for cramming into some monstro-shrimp at a later date; you could roll it into meatballs and serve them with pad Thai noodles tossed with the same sweet Thai chili sauce meant for the shrimp.   Or you co

  June 10, 2009

• City Fish Market Rides the Fresh Fish Wave in Boca

  June 18, 2009

• NuVal System Separates the Good From the Bad

  Yogurt: full of calcium, vitamins, and candyA new online site called the NuVal Nutritional Scoring System gives you the skinny on your favorite fatty snacks, using  an easy 1 to 100 scoring system to rate those Pringles and the YoCrunch cookies and cream Oreo yogurt you've been stuffing your face with lately. It's all done with an amazing new patented algorithm that calculates the complex relationships between transfats and bioflavonoids or something. There's a mysterious "team of experts"

  June 22, 2009

• I'm Eating What?! Stuffed Cabbage in a Can

  When I was a kid, I remember my mother packing lunches in a brown paper bag and throwing in a little note on my napkin throughout grade school. As I complained of embarrassment, the notes disappeared, as did the carefully prepared cream cheese and sliced green olive sandwiches. They were replaced by Lunchables, prepackaged slices of cheese, meat, and crackers that were as easy to pack in my backpack as they were to open and devour. After middle school, though, I pretty much made it a point to a

  June 24, 2009

• Greenpeace Attacks Publix, Winn-Dixie

  flickr user: wharmanIf only Publix cared this much about REAL fish.The website for Publix supermarkets states, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, but not all of them are good enough for Publix." According to the environmental organization Greenpeace, that statement is all sorts of wrong. First, there are NOT plenty of fish in the sea, as scientific report after scientific report has warned in recent years.  And second, if Publix is so picky about its seafood, why doesn't it have a sustai

  June 30, 2009

• Learning to Crawl

  July 2, 2009

• Vintage Sweet

  July 9, 2009

• Truluck's brings its fresh-yet-simply-favored seafood to the Galleria Mall

  July 16, 2009

• Destination Food: My Market's Prosciutto Roma Sub

  John LinnA little bit of perspective. Click any pic for a high-res version.For years we've praised the deli counter sandwiches made at Fort Lauderdale's My Market, a convenience store/bodega with a thriving sub shop attached. And for good reason: each of the fifty-some varieties are made with bread baked fresh daily, quality deli meat (what's not Boar's Head is usually made in house), vibrant vegetables and herbs, and fruity olive oil. No other sandwich there is more exemplary of this commitment

  July 16, 2009

• The Meatist Measures Up Supermarket Weenies

  Photo by Flickr user Jay B SaucedaMy mother's storied Jeannie's Weenie Supremies guaranteed the hot dog a permanent place of honor in our fridge when I was growing up. The Supremies consisted of a hot dog, split and stuffed with cheddar cheese and wrapped in bacon. My father also had an unnatural love affair with a simple boiled dog wrapped in white bread. It therefore seems appropriate that my first piece for Clean Plate Charlie is a review of some of the hot dogs (call them tube steaks and ris

  July 17, 2009

• Coming Attractions: Taurus Steakhouse

  ​Every week in Coming Attractions, we give you a taste of what's on deck in our Dish review column. This week, we take a look at Taurus Steakhouse, a Peruvian-style Parrillada in Tamarac.Anyone with a modicum of skill can take a dry-aged, 24 oz. prime rib eye and render it edible; that the chefs at Taurus Steakhouse can take unconventional cuts and bits of steer and transform them into something greater through spice, flame, and nearly 40 years of accumulated technique is a thing of beauty. Th

  August 3, 2009

• Taurus Steakhouse in Tamarac Puts the Peru in Parrillada

  August 6, 2009

• I'm Eating What?! Treacle Sponge Pudding

  ​This week, I was tasked with finding myself something for the blog. That actually seems worse than just showing up with something new on my desk. It's almost like having to pick your method of execution. I knew I couldn't get away with picking something that looked delicious, so I wandered the "Ethnic" aisle at my local Publix scanning the shelves for something strange. I stopped at the British section and spotted a can of Spotted Dick pudding. I thought for a minute about how many STD jokes

  August 5, 2009

• Pizzeria Oceano Washes Ashore in Lantana

  Artisanal pizza is no longer a moron of the oxy variety, with pizzerias like Una Pizza Napoletana in New York, Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, Pizzeria Delfina in San Francisco, and Pizzavolante in Miami's Design District.  Photo by Bill Citara​And now you can add Dak Kerprich's Pizzeria Oceano (201 E. Ocean Ave., Lantana, 561-429-5550). The tiny (450 square foot, six seats indoors), newly opened eatery is turning out wood-oven-baked pizzas with the same focus on quality, simplicity, and loca

  August 6, 2009

• Putting a Chef Through Misery for One Great Meatloaf

  Photo by Flickr user mooshee85​My sister had a business partner in her restaurant for a number of years, who, to protect his identity, I'll call him Tattoo. He was a vegetarian -- I know, I know, but you can't argue with crazy. Tattoo didn't just avoid eating meat, he was grossed out by it. Not good for a chef, and even worse for one who cooked at a restaurant that had a wildly popular dish called Misery Meatloaf. I had heard that Tattoo didn't much like making the meatloaf, but that did

  August 7, 2009

• Brother Tuckers in Pompano Beach Shares the Gifts of Beer and Food With the Rest of Us

  August 13, 2009

• New York Bagels Are Like the Second Coming to South Florida Newspapers

  ​In case you missed the gallons of ink spilled over the opening of the Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. in Delray Beach by the Sun Sentinel and the Palm Beach Post (where it was 1A news), allow us to get you up to date: a bagel shop in Delray Beach opened on Monday. They make their bagels with water passed through a high-tech filtration system which, supposedly, makes it identical to Brooklyn tap water. Because of this, OBWBC claims it makes the most authentic New York bagels outside of Flatb

  August 12, 2009

• Weekend Blog Watch

  via Whisk​Although Clean Plate Charlie is the only food blog you really need to read daily, some people just can't get enough. Here are some highlights of other food blogs.The South Florida page of Dine Mag is packed with news of upcoming chef related events and plenty of reviews of eateries. Most interestingly this week, Dine Mag points out some of the best foodie Twitter accounts. Many food blogs focus on niche, extravegant, and exotic foods. Not the Junk Food Blog. It's a blog for the anti-

  August 14, 2009

• Ilios at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Puts a Fork in the Road

  August 20, 2009

• The Meatist: How To Do Steak the Right Way

  Photo by flickr user Jackie Baisa​"What the hell are you doing?" he asks me. "Getting ready to cook these steaks," I tell him. "Dude - there's a grill right outside the door, and you're heating up a pan? Are you on crack?" ​Men are supposed to intuitively know how to cook steaks. It's in our DNA, or so most guys with a Weber will be more than happy to explain while they stand in their yards with their Williams Sonoma grilling tools, drinking overrated imported beer and getting all nost

  August 21, 2009

• Stealing From the Restaurant: Tuna Burger with Teriyaki Aioli

  Bill Citara​When John Montagu, First Lord of the Admiralty and avowed Satanist (!), asked his valet to slap a hunk of meat between two slices of bread in 1762, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich could hardly have known that almost 250 years later a restaurant in Boca Raton would nestle a juicy slab of grilled tuna inside a bun smeared with teriyaki aioli, then top it with a crunchy, Asian-style slaw in much the same the manner as the pulled pork sandwiches of the American South.  Like, duh. . .&

  August 26, 2009

• Food Fight: Battle Prosciutto Sub

  John Linn​ Say what you will about Fort Lauderdale, but America's Venice knows how to put together a sandwich. It's not that there's a higher concentration of sandwich joints than elsewhere; it's just that what local places here are tend to make some badass, honkin' big sandwiches. There are some great ones to choose from, but in my opinion, no submarine can compete with one constructed from the king of Italian cold cuts, prosciutto. Married with fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil, and olive oil,

  August 31, 2009

• Side Dish: Saigon Cuisine

  September 10, 2009

• Michelle Bernstein's at the Omphoy First Impressions

  Michy B looking dead sexy in the kitchen.​Last weekend, perhaps Miami's best-known restaurateur, Michelle Bernstein, made the trip up north to Palm Beach and debuted her new restaurant, MB at the Omphoy. From her days at Tantra and Azul to the opening of her flagship restaurant, Michy's, in 2005, Bernstein has long captivated Miami with simple, elegant dishes that draw from her Latino background. In 2007, Bernstein was awarded the coveted James Beard Award for Best New Chef South, only a year

  September 9, 2009

• It's Football Season, So Time for Full-Contact Chili

  Photo by Flickr user ricko​Meat isn't always about the gourmet, you know. I mean, dry-aged prime steaks, grilled perfectly and served with a hearty beverage of your choice may be as close to a perfect way to spend some quality eating-time as I can think of, but it's not the only way to achieve the perfect meat moment.​Because as perfect as you can make that steak, as beautifully as you can present it, all juicy and tasty on a clean plate with a side of whatever, it's still just a steak. Sure

  September 11, 2009

• Adventures in the Conch Republic: Key West Dining

  ​Last week, I took some much needed vacation time and made the three-and-a-half-hour drive down to Key West for a bit of R and R, Conch-style. And what a great trip. I hadn't been to the Keys in nearly 10 years, which is far too long an time for any self-respecting South Floridian with liver intact. But driving down that two-lane strip of US-1, past roadside shacks promising the "world's best Key lime pie" and hand-drawn signs promising whole lobsters for less than $5 a pound, it felt like the

  September 15, 2009

• Side Dish: Key West Edition

  September 24, 2009

• Shepherd's Pie: Meaty Perfection in a Pan, or, Proof that the English Really Can Cook

  Photo by Flickr user mitchenall​For a time, when I was a lad growing up in New York, I went to an obnoxiously upscale grade school called St. Bernard's (pronounced with Connecticut lockjaw of course, as in BERnerd's, not BerNARD'S). I still have a copy of the school's Christmas card from when I was in first grade and I was selected to be the cover boy, wearing a jaunty cap and posed with a giant (you guessed right) St. Bernard. I had Angus Young shorts on and everything.I didn't much care for

  October 2, 2009

• South Florida Restaurants Admit to Serving Counterfeit Kobe Beef

  October 8, 2009

• A Love Story With Bologna Sandwiches

  Photo by Flickr user dtredinnick13​There's an episode of Pee-wee's Playhouse in which Pee-wee is talking about how much he loves fruit salad, and Miss Yvonne says that if he loves it so much, maybe he should marry it. So he does. Now, I like a guy with the courage of his convictions, but for me, well, it's about bologna sandwiches. Had my wife Joanna not moved back when she did ... well, let's just say that my wedding reception would have had to have crazy-good AC to keep my in-laws from spoil

  October 9, 2009

• The Mustard Seed Bistro in Cooper City Works With a Very Specific Crowd

  October 15, 2009

• Anatomy of a Bad Meal at Latitudes Beach Cafe

  John LinnMiso sea bass at Latitudes: Oh, the humanity.​Last week I checked out Ron Duprat's restaurant in the Hollywood Beach Marriott, Latitudes Beach Cafe. I high hopes for Duprat's food after catching the Haitian-born chef on this season of the Bravo series Top Chef, even if longtime critic Gail Shepherd had once ravaged the place with such a scathing review you can still hear her pounding on the keyboard as you read it. But that was years ago. Certainly the affable Duprat has come a long w

  October 14, 2009

• Reef Rd Opens on Clematis

  ​Can the folks behind Rocco's Tacos do for seafood and rum what Rocco's did for tacos and tequila? We're about to find out with the debut of Reef Rd Rum Bar, which opened right across Clematis Street from the wildly popular nouveau taqueria.   Local moguls Big Time Restaurant Group, Rocco Mangel and nitespot hotshot Cleve Mash are all partners in the deal, taking over the old Clematis Social and turning it into a moderately priced seafood shack with a laid-back Key West-y vibe. It do

  October 21, 2009

• For Stone Crab and More, See the Captain

  ​Now that stone crab season is upon us, you gotta see the Captain. It's Florida lobster season too, so you gotta see the Captain. And if you want live softshell crabs, fresh Cape Canaveral shrimp, pumpkin swordfish, spear-caught hog snapper and more, you gotta see the Captain.  "The Captain" would be Capt. Frank's Seafood Market, an unassuming little place just off I-95 in Boynton Beach that, in an age when chain everythings swallow independent operators like a Great White with a mile

  October 22, 2009

• Butts and Cubes? Yeah, Those are Some Good, Cheap Meats

  Photo by Flickr user Maddog 20/20Cube steak: Tasty, yes, but cover it in something.​Just because it's spendy doesn't make it good, as the series of "Mummy" movies keeps hammering home again and again. But the reverse is true as well: it doesn't have to cost a ton of money to not suck. Witness the $15,000 film Paranormal Activity for example. What does this have to do with meat? Strictly speaking, not much. But as the old adage says, "as goes film, so goes meat," and this week I'm going to look

  October 23, 2009

• Dish Deconstructed: Matteo's Linguine Frutti di Maré

  Bill Citara​Matteo's is the kind of upscale Italian-American restaurant that's as common as Botoxed foreheads and lipo-ed thighs in its tony Boca Raton neighborhood. The menu doesn't plow any new culinary ground, but what it does it does pretty well, and one dish it does really well is the classic linguine frutti di maré.   Too many Italian-esque restaurants in these parts just sling a bunch of seafood into a marinara sauce and call it done, making what should be a dish of some deli

  October 29, 2009

• Callaro's Prime in Manalapan Serves Up Old-Fashioned, Beefy Indulgence

  November 5, 2009