April 2017’s Broward and Palm Beach Restaurant Opening and Closings

You know what they say: April showers bring May flowers — and in South Florida, a few more restaurants and bars too. Spring ushered in more than warming temperatures. The season also welcomed a wide swathe of new establishments, most notably Michael Schulson’s Monkitail, the second celebrity-built concept to open at the Diplomat Beach Resort following Geoffrey Zakarian’s Point Royal.

Fort Lauderdale Pizza Fest Serves a Slice of Disappointment

It wasn’t an April Fool’s joke, but it felt like it for hundreds of people who spent Saturday, April 1, at the Fort Lauderdale Pizza Festival. The inaugural event, which took place at the city’s War Memorial Auditorium, was successful in drawing a large and eager crowd, many of whom stood in line for hours without receiving any food or drinks. In reaction, dozens of attendees swarmed the festival’s Facebook page Sunday to report their experience. Numerous public posts to the page, including some pictured below, have since been deleted.

South Florida Crawfish Festival Returns With a 5,000-Pound Crawfish Boil

Find authentic low-country cuisine like gumbo, jambalaya, po’boys, and beignets in South Florida when the fourth-annual CrawDebauchery South Florida Crawfish Festival returns to Pompano Beach Saturday, April 1, and Sunday, April 2. Considered a celebration of all things New Orleans, the two-day festival, taking place at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater field (1801 NE Sixth St.), will offer a number of traditional New Orleans-themed eats and activities, such as a Gumbo Rumble competition and a massive crawfish boil.

New River Brewing to Open in Fort Lauderdale

Later this year, Fort Lauderdale will welcome a new brewery to an industrial complex just south of Sailboat Bend and the Tarpon River. Riverside Market’s founders and Native Brewing’s Adam Fine have partnered with the Restaurant People to form New River Brewing. The project has been a long time coming for Riverside Market husband-and-wife team Julian and Lisa Siegel…

Repour’s Isaac Grillo Opening Death or Glory in Delray Beach

Repour’s Isaac Grillo and Kreepy Tiki Bar & Lounge’s Ayme Harrison are headed north to Palm Beach County. On April 1, the founder of Miami Beach’s popular cocktail bar will join forces with Harrison to open Death or Glory in the former Max’s Social House space (116 NE Sixth Ave.) in downtown Delray Beach.

Odd Breed Wild Ales to Open This Summer With Online Bottle-Release Sales

It’s a fact: People will wait in the pouring rain, the blazing-hot sun, or even the bitter cold for a chance to score a rare bottle or can of their favorite beer on its release day. Recently, more than 1,200 people showed up to J. Wakefield Brewing for its annual February Dragon Fruit Passion Fruit Berliner Weisse bottle release. Fans of the purple-pink beer arrived as early as 4 a.m. to stand in a line that snaked around the block. In mid-March, Cigar City Brewing will throw a grand fete in Tampa to release its Hunahpu’s imperial stout.

The Ten Best Margaritas in South Florida

When it comes to refreshing alcoholic beverages, few concoctions compete with the margarita. The mojito aside, it’s practically the unofficial drink of South Florida. Although downing margaritas all day is not generally good life advice, today is February 22 — National Margarita Day — so everyone in these parts will be enjoying them.

Ralph Pagano Opens Naked Crab With Mermaids, Seafood, and Tiki Drinks

Miami chef and restauranteur Ralph Pagano says his new Fort Lauderdale restaurant, Naked Crab Seafood Kitchen, has one thing no one else in the area offers: mermaids. “There’s a lot of things that make this concept unique, but I don’t think anyone else has a tiki, steakhouse, cocktail bar with a live mermaid show,” Pagano says.

Spatch, Specializing in South African Grilled Peri-Peri Chicken, Opens in Fort Lauderdale

A new taste of South Africa will arrive in South Florida when Spatch Grilled Peri-Peri Chicken opens in Fort Lauderdale this Thursday, February 9. The Restaurant People (TRP), the South Florida-based hospitality group behind Fort Lauderdale’s Tarpon Bend, S3, and Boatyard, has announced its partnership with South African-born restaurateur Stavros Florias to create a fast-casual restaurant they’re calling the first of its kind.