Once a destination for surfers, skaters, and beach babes, Deerfield Beach was Boca Raton’s red-headed stepchild to the south, where lazy days were spent fishing off the pier, throwing ‘em back at Flanigans, and loitering outside Island Water Sports or the 7-11. A gas station took up prime oceanfront real…
What’s a Boulevardier? It sounds like a euphemism for a Parisian gigolo, but it literally means, “a frequenter of the Paris boulevards” or man-about-town. That was the classic cocktail three local bartenders were tasked with making during round one of last night’s battle. Said bartenders included two well-known men-about-town and…
Hunter S. Thompson once wrote,”I was right in the middle of a(n) [expletive deleted] reptile zoo, and somebody was giving booze to these goddamn things.” This is Bar Brawls, and it’s a beast. Last night’s competitors in the booziest throwdown since, well, ANY “Real Housewives” spinoff, were Jess Hart, onetime…
After fifteen grueling weeks, we find ourselves at the end of the road for Chef vs. Chef. But, like Boyz II Men, we can’t let go. It’s unnatural. This event belongs to us and we belong to it. In this last battle, Café Boulud’s Jimmy Strine faced off against Tryst’s…
From the owners of Market 17 in Fort Lauderdale comes a new “fast casual” concept just a few doors down. Day Market Kitchen is aptly named — a place where one can get Market 17-quality eats in a casual, daytime setting. Market 17, known for its eclectic, imaginative farm-to-table fare,…
In this second-to-last Chef vs. Chef battle, Chris Miracolo from S3 (winner of weeks 8 and 12) faced off against John Thomas of Tryst (winner of weeks 5 and 11). Judges were Bob Higginbotham, GM at Max’s Social House in Delray and host of the upcoming booze-a-thon Bar Brawls; Neiman Marcus…
This week, two French-trained chefs went head-to-head. Victor “El Diablo” Meneses, onetime student of Michel Richard, faced up against Jimmy Strine, a pupil of Daniel Boulud. Their collective technical skill made for a great battle. Meneses slinked out to “Goodbye Horses” by Q. Lazzarus. Don’t recognize that little ditty? Well,…
With so many restaurants in South Florida and more opening all the time, just picking where to go for dinner on a Saturday night or lunch on a Wednesday can be an overwhelming task. Sometimes, you just need a reason. This ongoing list of the favorite dishes from food writers…
Several weeks ago, Max’s Harvest executive chef Eric Baker said, “It’s been a long, long, long, long road.” At week 12 of the competition, the end of the road is finally in sight. Since June 17th, we’ve seen so much. Clever wordsmithing: “Fried-ness” (describes the fried, crispy component of a…
This week, John Thomas of Tryst faced off against Eric Grutka of Ian’s Tropical Grill. Thomas entered kitchen stadium to “Time to Get Tough” by Aggrolites, and Grutka to “Collard Greens” by Schoolboy Q as the unveiling of the night’s secret ingredients was anticipated. The judging trifecta consisted of Nancy…
As the final countdown to culinary supremacy rages on to a blistering climax, we’re reunited with the victorious chefs from the preliminary battles. Wednesday, “Wild Bill” Estis (week 4 winner) went head-to-head with Victor “El Escorpio” Meneses (Week 3 winner). This battle was all about the pig. The secret ingredient…
With so many restaurants in South Florida and more opening all the time, just picking where to go for dinner on a Saturday night or lunch on a Wednesday can be an overwhelming task. Sometimes, you just need a reason. This ongoing list of the favorite dishes from food writers…
Tonight marked the start of the quarterfinals and reminded us that we’re nearing ever closer to finding out which chef will rule them all. At Max’s Harvest, fans were reunited with two faces they haven’t seen in several weeks—Adam Brown of The Cooper in Palm Beach Gardens (week 1 winner)…
With so many restaurants in South Florida, and more opening all the time, just picking where to go for dinner on a Saturday night or lunch on a Wednesday can be an overwhelming task. Sometimes, you just need a reason. This ongoing list of the favorite dishes from food writers…
“It’s been a long, long, long journey,” said Max’s Harvest executive chef Eric Baker. The night marked the halfway point of the competition and the last preliminary battle before the quarter finals begin next week. So far, we’ve seen triumph, defeat, blood, sweat, table-dancing, lap dancing, egregious displays of public…
Thanks to a nationwide egg shortage, many people are shelling out more money on breakfast and baked goods. According to the website Food Processing: The Information Source for Food and Beverage Manufacturers, The Avian Flu (H5N2) outbreak that started in Iowa in mid-April took out over 31 million chickens and turkeys in that state…
The weekly competition hosted by Max’s Harvest never ceases to amaze and befuddle with last-minute ingredients and judges. This week’s change-up introduced us to “Mama Gizzi,” an old-world pasta-maker out of Lake Worth, who ended up stealing the show. The pint-sized dynamo donated three of her handmade pastas to the…
This week’s competitors were Eric Grutka, chef and owner of Ian’s Tropical Grill in Stuart, and Jarod Higgins of Cut 432 in Delray. What did they bring to the battle? Chef Eric Grutka an ISI charger (in case he wanted to make a foam), a tiny cold smoker, and his…
The most recent installment of Delray’s Chef vs. Chef Competition began with a decidedly First World Problem: Very few people know what to do with a pig’s ear. But let’s back up a bit. As the preliminary weeks of Delray’s Chef vs. Chef Competition hurdle at breakneck speed towards completion,…
“Hey Sweetie, how’ya doin’? Café con leche?” This is, undoubtedly, the first thing you’ll hear when you sidle up to the perennially packed bar at 925 Nuevo’s Cubano’s in Fort Lauderdale. And, undoubtedly, you’ll reply, “Si!” Even if you really didn’t want a café con leche—maybe you wanted a Cuban…
Week Four of Delray’s sixteen-week Chef vs. Chef competition brought assless chaps, other antics. The fourth week of Delray’s Chef vs. Chef competition did not fail to amuse and inspire. Whereas last week began with table-dancing judges, this week ended with banquette booty dancing. The night’s judges were Renée Korbel-Quinn,…
Week three of Delray’s Chef vs. Chef competition was a no-holds-barred battle between Victor Meneses of El Camino in Delray Beach and Victor Franco of Oceans 234 in Deerfield Beach. With each week, the crowd at Max’s Harvest seems to be a bit rowdier—one of the night’s judges was caught…
