Michael Bennett

Bimini Boatyard Hires Jason Shipman As New Executive Chef

Photo providedChef Jason Shipman takes over for the departing Michael Bennett.​Bimini Boatyard, long a Fort Lauderdale favorite waterfront restaurant, has hired Jason Shipman to replace chef-turned-author Michael Bennett. Shipman is a Johnson and Wales grad who got his break in 2002 in the Cheesec ... More >>

Executive Chef Michael Bennett Leaves Bimini Boatyard

​Bimini Boatyard executive chef Michael Bennett has left his position at the popular Fort Lauderdale seafood restaurant to pursue several other culinary avenues of interest.Bennett, who resigned his position shortly after Thanksgiving, is consulting on two projects as well as writing part two of h ... More >>

Bimini Boatyard's Boat Show Bonanza: One And A Half-Tons Of Seafood

Michael BennettBimini Boatyard's swordfish - one of 47 pounds ordered for the boat show​Bimini Boatyard is one of the closest restaurants to The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and every year the staff prepares for an onslaught of boaters, salespeople, and daytrippers with an appetite for ... More >>

Death by Chocolate: Cliché or Classic?

​The origin of the desserts known as Death by Chocolate has been loosely credited to Les Anges, a Santa Monica restaurant from the '80s. Food writer Marian Burros describes the dessert as something novel in 1984, when she took a 15-restaurant tour around L.A. in eight days: "'I think I have someth ... More >>

Culture of Cuisine: Chef Michael Bennett Writes a Workbook

Michael BennettChef Michael Bennett writes a workbook ​Michael Bennett isn't content to just sit around on a rare day off from his executive chef job at Bimini Boatyard.  Instead of sunning or fishing, Bennett writes.  With two Caribbean-influenced cookbooks under his belt, In The Land o ... More >>

Bimini Boatyard Celebrates 22nd Birthday With Mardi Gras!

Bimini Boatyard is turning 22! Drinks are involved.​On Friday, September 23rd Bimini Boatyard turns 22 and, like most 22 year-olds, it wants to celebrate at Mardi Gras!From 5 - 7 p.m., Bimini Boatyard goes cajun with $5 Hurricanes, $ Captain Morgan & Smirnoff drinks. During this special happy ... More >>

New Times Pairings 2011 Winners Announced

The squash shooter from 3030 Ocean​Terrific weather, a great turnout, and delicious eats marked last night's New Times Pairings at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Without further delay, we are pleased to announce the winners for Best Overall, Most Unique Dish, Most Decadent Dish, and B ... More >>

Caribbean Kimchi: A Recipe From Bimini Boatyard's Chef Michael Bennett

Chef Michael Bennett and wife serve up dishes at the Kampong in Coconut Grove ​Bimini Boatyard's Chef Michael Bennett has a joy for both cooking and life. In our recent interview with Chef Bennett, we learned about his passion for bringing the flavors of the Caribbean home to south Flor ... More >>

Interview with Bimini Boatyard Chef Michael Bennett, Part II

Michael Bennett​Yesterday we featured part I of our interview with Bimini Boatyard's chef Michael Bennett. If you missed it, you can read it here. In part II, chef Bennett talks about living in the Caribbean and what it's like to serve a ton of seafood in one weekend. Clean Plate Charlie: ... More >>

Interview with Bimini Boatyard's Executive Chef Michael Bennett

Michael Bennett Chef Michael Bennett, writing his cookbook. ​Chef Michael Bennett is a native Floridian, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and a passionate chef who truly believes in  cooking creatively and making a meal memorable for his guests. Chef Bennett loves his ... More >>

Bimini Boatyard Sold How Much Seafood at the Boat Show?

The Busy BrainSeriously?!​We hear that Bimini Boatyard had its best sales days ever during last week's International Boat Show.The numbers are in, and they are ridiculous. 

Restaurant News: Big Deals at Big City Tavern, March of Dimes' Chefs & Wine Extravaganza, ZED Offers Freebie

​•    Determined to make its happy hour even happier, downtown Fort Lauderdale's Big City Tavern has rolled out a new martini menu and roster of half-priced appetizers. The "8 for $8" martinis are offered from 4 to 7 p.m. daily and range from a "health cocktail" with blueberry vod ... More >>

Dean James Max of 3030 Ocean Hosts Local Cooking Classes, Demos, and More

​We give a lot of props to Chef Dean James Max of 3030 Ocean on this blog. The chef and restaurateur is one of South Florida's most prominent. He's a staunch defender of local foodways and recently took home the top price in the Great American Seafood Cook-off held in New Orleans. And this month, ... More >>

Mango Mania at International Mango Fest This Weekend at Fairchild Gardens

The annual blow-out festival celebrating the mango, including the popular Sunday Mango Brunch, is this weekend at Fairchild Gardens in Miami.Be very British and wear a raincoat - the only proper way to eat a mango - since there will be a vast variety of the tropical fruits representing those grown a ... More >>

Restaurant News: Tony Bova's New Ristorante, Michael Bennett of Bimini Boatyard, Museum of Art

•    Only weeks after closing his Bova Ristorante when partner and Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein crashed and burned, Tony Bova is back in the dining game with Vivo Partenza (1450 N. Federal Hwy., 561-750-2120) in the same Boca Raton space. The menu is a mix of traditional and more c ... More >>

"In the Land of Misfits, Pirates and Cooks": Cookbook Signing Tonight!

​Michael Bennett, currently executive chef at Bimini Boatyard -- home of the famous Bimini Bread --  will sign copies of his cookbook -- with the adventurous title In the Land of Misfits, Pirates, and Cooks -- at the Fort Lauderdale outpost of Barnes & Noble (2051 N. Federal Highway [U.S ... More >>

Bimini Boatyard Chef Dishes Up a Pair of Cookbooks

If you're not a subscriber to our weekly Café Bites dining newsletter for Broward and Palm Beach counties, here's a taste of what you missed this week. Click here to subscribe. Put the eclectic flavors of South Florida -- the "New American Riviera" -- on your own kitchen table with pair of new coo ... More >>

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A Saint Goes Marchin' In

Two productions have a little fun playing with historical events

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the Left Bank

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Finian's Rainbow

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A huge, hairy beast that walks upright and craves lima beans is stalking South Florida's marshland.