Palm Beach County’s first annual Share Our Strength Taste of the Nation benefit, to be held Wednesday, April 13, in West Palm’s Kravis Center, will feature a cooking competition between two of NoSoFla’s (that’s North South Florida to you) hottest chefs. Zach Bell of Café Boulud and Dean James Max…
• The cheesesteak empire of Big Al Costilo and sons just got a little larger with the debut of the fourth local Big Al’s Steaks (11290 Legacy Ave., 561-866-7516) in the Legacy Place complex in Palm Beach Gardens. Along with the eatery’s true-to-Philly cheesesteaks (thin-sliced ribeye, Philadelphia bread, Cheez Whiz),…
A “casual neighborhood bar” just a few steps off Delray’s bustling Atlantic Avenue is now dishing cold beer, strong drink, DIY pizza and overstuffed sandwiches, courtesy of former Ohio restaurateur Adam Knoblock. Located in the old Vertigo sushi space, three-week-old Off the Ave Food & Spirits (19 SE Fifth Ave.,…
Fleeing the Big Apple for balmier climes, chef-restaurateur Roberto Vacca has opened his first local restaurant, Piccolino (78 S. Federal Hwy., 561/395-8858), serving pizza and traditional Italian cuisine in a modest but nicely appointed space off Palmetto Park Road in Boca Raton. “Very small” (“piccolino” in Italian) describes both the…
The horsey little burg of Wellington is hardly the first thought of anyone seeking a little culinary adventure, but the new Pangea Bistro (10140 Forest Hill Blvd., 561-793-9394) just may change all that. Founded by Venezuelan interior designer Grethel Boscan and a quartet of alums of the Four Seasons Palm…
• Hot stuff coming to Fort Lauderdale in the form of the city’s first Chipotle Mexican Grill, which will throw open its doors Tuesday, March 29, at 1736 N. Federal Hwy. If you’re a student at Cardinal or Fort Lauderdale High, show up on Monday, March 28 from 5 to…
There will be no more harvests for Harvest Time Market, the star-crossed Lantana farmers’ market and u-pick stand that got hit with a passel of code violations and was forced to shut down after a difficult year in business. Founded by four local agriculture vets, the market featured fruits and…
Old-school pizza, the way it’s been made in Naples, the birthplace of pizza, for hundreds of years is the focus of the new Scuola Vecchia Pizzeria e Vino (522 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 561-865-5923). If you didn’t get that from the name (Scuola Vecchia is Italian for old school),…
The road to barbecue is paved with good intentions. Unfortunately, the pavement is a little hinky. You’re cruising along — no problems; everything’s cool — then you hit a pothole that snaps your axle like a chicken bone and slams your jaws together like a Great White chomping a surfer…
“Eat your vegetables!” Who among us has made it out of childhood without having Mom drill that classic little nugget straight into our brainpans? It’s right up there with “Go clean your room,” “Wait till your father gets home,” and “If everyone was jumping off a bridge, would you jump…
Everyone is South Florida knows things are all bassackwards here. Take our growing season, for example. When the rest of the country is still digging out of snowdrifts and lucky to harvest weeds, we’re raking in corn and strawberries and citrus and, best of all, tomatoes. Tomatoes with real flavor,…
If you’re “full of life” (or something) and are looking to tie one on, then get your full-of-it, party-hearty self over to CityPlace, where the new Pura Vida Lounge & Nightclub (700 S. Rosemary Ave.; 888-561-0232) is bringing a little bit of Costa Rica (AKA “the happiest place on Earth”)…
A chain of loud, casual, moderately priced Mexican restaurants–not exactly a rarity in South Florida–is planning to open its second U.S. eatery in CityPlace. Carlos’n Charlie’s, part of the Mexico-based Grupo Anderson chain (which includes, among other eateries, Senor Frog’s), is expected to debut next month in the old Mark’s…
Nick’s Apizza, restaurateur Nick Laudano’s New Haven-style pizzeria, may be gone from downtown Lake Worth but it hardly isn’t forgotten. In fact, it’s about to be reborn in Boca Raton and, eventually, in three other yet-to-be-determined SoFla locales. Along with partner Anthony Giovanniello, Laudano is planning a May debut of…
Drink your art at Miami’s Wynwood Kitchen & Bar, where the street artists who helped create the artsy restaurant’s interior and outdoor murals have inspired a new array of equally artful cocktails like the David Ellis (151 liquor, squid ink, hot sauce, olive brine and horseradish). On second thought, maybe…
• Everything Old Town Tavern (10 E. Boca Raton Rd., 561/367-7676) is new again. The long-time pubby standby in Boca is back with a more upscale look and slightly more upscale menu after a recent closing for renovation. Lots of dark wood, flat-screen TVs and etched-glass panels juice up the…
Smokin’ and drinkin’, two of life’s more exemplary vices, are what’s up at Prime Cigar & Wine Bar (2240 NW 19th St., 561-613-6139), a classy, clubby outpost of good stogies and fine wine (and serious spirits) that’s opened in Boca Raton just west of I-95 off Glades Road. Local boy…
It’s a party in Boca at Bash restaurant and nightclub (5970 SW 18th St.; 561-447-7171), a just-opened hot spot in the old Gatsby’s location at the southern edge of Palm Beach County in Boca Raton. A $500K redo by veteran nightlifer John Naimi created a space that can hold up…
In the fun-with-acronyms department, Fort Lauderdale’s new B Ocean resort will open its high-end sushi-Southeast Asian restaurant, SAIA (999 Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.; 954-302-5252), this Friday. Named for its location on the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and AIA, the contemporary Asianesque restaurant will feature a teppanyaki grill, sushi bar, open-air…
As a countdown to the Best of Broward Palm Beach 2011, coming in June, Clean Plate Charlie is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in South Florida. Send your own nominations to Deirdra.Funcheon@BrowardPalmBeach.com.Check No. 89: Coal-Oven Wings From Table 42 The city of Buffalo is known for two…
The (restaurant) rich just get (restaurant) richer, as Delray Beach’s Atlantic Avenue and environs welcome a classy-looking new eatery specializing in Turkish and Mediterranean cuisines. Sefa Mediterranean Grill (165 NE Second Ave.; 561-330-0004) makes its debut next door to the site of the late and not particularly lamented Taste Gastropub…
The “Burgerfication of the nation” marches onward, or at least the expansion of SoFla restaurateur David Manero’s soon-to-be-not-so-fledgling upscale hamburger empire. On July 4 (there’s something else special about that date, but I can’t quite remember what it is), the second BurgerFi is slated to debut in what used to…
