Napa Valley

Sneak Peak at Shake Shack Boca Raton, Officially Opens Monday

Every burger place seems to have its diehard followers. West coaster's swear by In-N-Out. South Floridian's freak out over BurgerFi. Other people love Smashburger. Whatever the case, there surely is no loss of options when it comes to finding a decent burger. Well, Shake Shack has now descended upo ... More >>

Wilton Manors Wine and Food Festival: Eat-Sip-Love in the Gayborhood

It seems like new wine and food festivals are popping up every weekend. And we're certainly not complaining. Who doesn't like the opportunity to sample different plates from multiple restaurants all in one location? There's that and the copious amounts of booze.Broward County is about to see its new ... More >>

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Pairing Dinner at Malcolm's at the Omphoy

Over the past 40 years or so, California wines have really made their mark in the world of fine wine. One California winery in particular really put the state on the map: Stag's Leap.Stag's Leap Wine Cellars received international critical acclaim in 1976 -- just four years after it was established ... More >>

2013 American Fine Wine Competition: Winners Announced

For many of us, a bottle of your finest two buck Chuck will do the trick. For many others, its just not going to cut it. Luckily for the wine snobs of the world, there are people who painstakingly sip, spit, and evaluate wines to find the ones that are truly the best.The American Fine Wine Competiti ... More >>

The Grove: Casual Atmosphere, Upscale Fare

Five South Florida Food & Drink Events This Weekend: Burgie Awards and More

The hottest ticket of the week may be Sunday's showdown between the 49ers and the Ravens, but the battle Clean Plate Charlie is most interested in has nothing to do with the Super Bowl. The Fourth Annual Burger Beast Burgie Awards are planned for Saturday night and the competition is fierce. As an e ... More >>

South Florida Food & Drink Events This Week: Craft Beer, Food Trucks, and More

The big happenings this week are centered around beer. Specifically, good beer. (And if you really want to get to the very core of it, good, Florida-made beer.) The second annual South Florida Beer Week is upon us and there's plenty to do every night of the week. Check out the South Florida Beer Wee ... More >>

Ernie's Italian Chophouse to Host Bell Wine Dinner

When dining Italian you must have wine. That statement is pure, simple, and true. In Italy, wine practically flows down the cobblestone streets, made in basements, at home, and at gorgeous Tuscan wineries.And yet, Ernie's Italian Chophouse restaurateur Ernie Patti has chosen to celebrate American wi ... More >>

Earth Day in South Florida: Food and Drink Activities for Tree Huggers

Earth Day is Sunday, and according to Groupon, the planet will be celebrating its 400th birthday. After contemplating that failure in math and/or marketing humor, consider using this weekend to get out into the community and learn about ways to make an impact locally and globally, particularly when ... More >>

Event Coverage: The Fifth Annual American Fine Wine Competition VIP Connoisseur Reception

​ The Fifth Annual American Fine Wine Competition hosted a VIP connoisseur reception Thursday night at Allied Kitchen & Bath in Fort Lauderdale. The event was open to the public and was part of an ongoing series to highlight American wines and vineyards. More than a hundred people attended and ... More >>

Boca Bacchanal Is March 23 to 25: A Look at the Events

​The Boca Bacchanal, a party paying tribute to the glory of food and drink, is set for March 23 to 25 in various locations throughout southern Palm Beach County, with funds going to the Boca Raton Historical Society's Historic Preservation and Heritage Education programs. Named as it is for the Ro ... More >>

Cheese Culture in Fort Lauderdale Sure to Attract the Cheese-o-philes

​Susan Phipps was in an Atlanta cheese shop a year ago when she became inspired. "Cheese was stacked from floor to ceiling. My jaw dropped. I couldn't speak for several minutes." Phipps decided to open her own place. Cheese Culture will have a soft opening this weekend. It will offer cheeses (duh) ... More >>

Top of the Point Unveils 'American Roadtrip' Dinners

​From the Top of the Point you can see all the way to Nantucket. The Napa Valley too. And Santa Fe and New Orleans. (Not Russia, though. Sorry, Sarah Palin.)  Actually, though the vistas from the penthouse restaurant atop West Palm's Phillips Point East Tower are both gorgeous and expansive, ... More >>

Q&A With Celebrity Chef Holli Ugalde, Winner of Hell's Kitchen Season Seven

www.celebritywinereview.comCelebrity Chef Holli Ugalde, winner of Hell's Kitchen Season 7​Celebrity Chef Holli Ugalde isn't in California anymore.Instead of dishing out her notoriously health-conscious, organic fare in her home state, the winner of Fox's Hell's Kitchen Season Seven is now coo ... More >>

CG Burgers Celebrates Coral Springs Opening With Free Burgers

CG Burgers is giving away free food on June 21st. ​CG Burgers is opening a new location in Coral Springs on June 21st. To celebrate, CG Burgers is throwing open its doors and inviting everyone to enjoy a free burger on the house. On June 21st, visit CG Burgers in Coral Springs ... More >>

Winemaker Paul Hobbs Celebrated at Wine Dinner at Market 17 Thursday

Flickr, Wickenden Paul Hobbs Wine​Market 17, one of Fort Lauderdale's hottest new dining establishments, is coming out of the gate with a noteworthy wine event.   This Thursday, January 27, the eatery will feature dinner with world-renowned winemaker Paul Hobbs as guest of honor. Hobb ... More >>

Tomorrow: 2011 San Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition

  flickr: Jules stonesoup​Tomorrow, eight of South Florida's most talented culinary students will compete for the regional title of Almost Famous Chef 2011. And it's not only the title that these contestants will be fighting for! The winner will be granted an all-expense-paid trip to t ... More >>

New Palm Beach Gardens Burger Joint to Serve Free Burgers

​The only thing better than a burger at a new burger joint is a free burger at a new burger joint. That's the deal at the new CG Burgers Coal-Fired Pizza (2000 PGA Blvd., 561-275-2185) in Palm Beach Gardens. On Monday, Jan. 10, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., the latest burger emporium from local resta ... More >>

3030 Ocean Celebrates Tenth Birthday With Fundraiser Dinner and Star Chefs

​Chef Dean Max doesn't have much time to hang out at his flagship restaurant too often -- he's busy overseeing an empire. But 3030 Ocean at the Harbor Beach Marriott is still his baby, and it turns 10 years old this month. So Max is doing the anniversary bash in sophisticated style. Would you expe ... More >>

Market 17 Finally Debuts

​A month later than expected, really only milliseconds in restaurant-slash-government bureaucracy time, Market 17 (1850 SE 17th St., 954-399-0017) will make its Fort Lauderdale debut Thursday, October 21.   The restaurant, from local industry vets (and siblings) Aaron and Krista Grauberg ... More >>

At Chef Charity Event, Chocolate Fountain Steals Spotlight

Lisa RabChef Allen Susser makes garlic guava shrimp. ​Walking into the Boys of Summer celebrity chef charity event at Florida Builder Appliances in Pompano Beach, we could smell the chocolate before we saw it. We wound our way through islands of glimmering stainless-steel refrigerators, gas stove ... More >>

Cheap Wine That Doesn't Suck: Colores del Sol 2008 Malbec

'Tis the season of the ritual charring of the flesh--aka, barbecue season--(check out John Linn's review of Sheila's here) so a young man's fancy turns to what beverage of the alcoholic persuasion is best to wash down some killer 'cue.  Many of you (philistines) will say beer, and while it's tr ... More >>

Food Events on the Radar

​• Charm City Burgers is queuing up a pretty wicked summer deal. It's called "Who Said a $1 Can't Get You Far!" and it's running Friday and Saturday each week. Basically, the badass burger joint will host live musical grooves from 9:30 p.m. to midnight. During that time, you can dig on $1 slider ... More >>

Cheap Wine That Doesn't Suck: Pine Ridge 2008 Chenin Blanc-Viognier

​"The best" is one of those designations fraught with peril as well as slightly ridiculous. Is LeBron James "better" than Dwyane Wade, Picasso "better" than Joan Miro, John Coltrane "better" than Charlie Parker? I don't want to have to make those calls.  So I won't say Pine Ridge's perpetuall ... More >>

Carmine's CG Burgers and Coal Fired Pizza Part of a Growing Empire

No fool, Carmine Giardini. The restaurateur and grocer is covering every dining base possible with the opening of CG Burgers and Carmine's Coal Fired Pizza in Abacoa. Carmine's Gourmet Market in PB Gardens​He's got the gourmet market, trattoria and pizzeria, and Noche supper club ... More >>

Carmine's Gourmet Market Opens Burger and Pizza Joints

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. Photo providedCarmine's Gourmet Market: the mothership.​Sushi seems to be a starting point for Palm Beach chefs. Sushi ... More >>

How Foie Gras Is Done and Not Done, Courtesy of French Laundry and Le Bistro

Torchon refers to the cooking method in which the French delicacy foie gras is deveined, wrapped in a light towel, and poached. When it's done, the foie gras is lightly spreadable and deliciously rich. Serving it from there can be very creative. The idea is to pair the torchon with complimentary fla ... More >>

Food Events on the Radar

Scott BarfieldThe chefs at Chima will tend the grill for Riverwalk Trust's Get Downtown.​• Fort Lauderdale's largest, outdoor happy hour is back on April 9. The Riverwalk Trust's Get Downtown series, now in its 12th year, brings the party to the streets with food, entertainment, and drink all fo ... More >>

Behind the Line with 32 East's Nick Morfogen

Morfogen in his Delray restaurant.​Slow Food's gathering momentum has transformed it from solely a movement to its own culinary genre, celebrating what chefs' have known before the movement even emerged. Amongst the white coat society, kept under their toques, the secret to flavor nirvana was alwa ... More >>

Cheap Wine That Doesn't Suck: South America's Mighty Malbec

​Every wine-producing region has its iconic wine. The Napa Valley has Cabernet Sauvignon; France, Bordeaux; Italy, Chianti; Spain, Rioja; Australia, Shiraz; Chile, Carménère. And Argentina has malbec.   Like its South American cousin, malbec is one of the "noble grapes" of Bordeaux (al ... More >>

Cheap Wine That Doesn't Suck: A Marital Blend from Napa

Here's a case where one plus one equals a wine too good to pass up. We're talking the 2008 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier, a marriage of two under-appreciated grapes made in the Napa Valley and consummated in your mouth. Unlike most marriages, though, it will only set you back 12 bucks, and year a ... More >>

Quickie Calendar

Saturday May 16, 6:30 p.m.Beer versus Wine at Cook's Inc.Here's a novel idea. A four-course meal with both wine and beer pairings. Cook's Inc. at Abacoa is putting on the event, wherein diners will decide whether they prefer the craft beer or the Spanish wine with each course. On the beer team: Aver ... More >>

Valentine's Recap in Pictures

Many of you probably spent a romantic Valentine's Evening at a fine restaurant, supping on foie gras and fine wine. And that's all good. But here's an alternate view of Valentine's Day - a less expensive option for leaner times. This simple meal of salad, cheeses, good olives, fresh bread, and wine ... More >>

Christine's Stag's Leap Wine Tasting and Prix Fixe Menu

Dining in the Petri Dish

Stop the revolution; I want to get off

A Little Taste

Further adventures in prix fixe

Sol Shines

Get a little sunny cuisine up in Delray

Euro-No

At Miranda's, you'll enjoy the poultry -- cuz there's a lot of it

It's Unbelievable

Wet Dreams of the Garden Variety

Big for Its Britches

Big City Tavern should eventually break free from its chains

Poor Sports

The Napa Valley Grille and Café plays the name game

Never Boring

Some terrific tastes are coming out of Michael's Kitchen; if he could just work on the service...

The Ball Barons

The Cattle Barons' Ball

Undercurrents

"Winners and Losers"

Best Wine Selection

Pineapple Grill

Rok 'n' (Sushi) Roll

Sushi Rok

Nick to the Max