Let’s face it: Mexican-American restaurants are all pretty much the same. Sombreros on the wall. Margaritas. Chips and salsa. Rice and beans. Nachos, tacos, burritos, fajitas — the whole enchilada. Santiago’s Mexican Café & Grill (17185 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines, 954-432-0041) dishes decent renditions of all of the above and…
The United States, with its cowboys and cattle and wide-open West, has always been considered a serious beef-eating nation. Then again, carnivorousness is relative — our American siblings down south in Argentina, with their gauchos and cattle and wide-open pampas, consume twice as much red meat as we do. The…
El Cafetal Bakery (7649 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines, 954-964-7557), a humble Colombian market situated in the corner of a strip mall, is easy to pass by without notice — until, that is, you’ve tasted its cooked-to-order, lip-smacking, Latin American snacks. Manager Lucy Garcia is pleasant in two languages and can…
Shooters has been a fixture on the Intracoastal in Fort Lauderdale for more than 15 years. It’s a place where boaters, boozers, and bikini-clad beauties gather for waterfront vistas, live music, and affordable drinks. Although an informal menu of sandwiches, seafoods, and pastas is available, that’s not enough for some…
The South Florida chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food (954-396-3875) has launched “Summer Sundays,” a series of wine luncheons held at top Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach restaurants. The next one takes place July 11 at Johnny V on Las Olas Boulevard, where you can catch a…
The name conjures water, sun, and with a little imagination, a splashy oceanside oasis, but Aquasol Restaurant and Bar is located behind Wendy’s and a Chevron gas station in the decidedly lackluster VPC Center, a faceless shopping mall off Congress Avenue. There’s no ocean in sight, but the nearby sprawl…
It has been suggested that I spend inordinate amounts of time driving around Broward and Palm Beach counties searching for the ultimate ice cream parlor. This is categorically untrue — I often return to such places more than once. Kilwin’s Chocolates Fudge and Ice Cream (809 E Las Olas Blvd.,…
America’s hunger for sushi has clearly mushroomed since the 1980s, but I didn’t recognize just how thoroughly it had been assimilated into our culture until I saw it for sale at Costco. Of course, as any immigrant can tell you, assimilating and being understood are two different things. Did you…
Michael’s Chicago Style Red Hots (1100 W. Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 954-765-DOGS) just opened about a month ago, but Michael Hoffman’s mildly spicy red hots have been big shots in the Windy City since 1977. There are four questions you’ll need to answer pretty quickly after entering the shiny-tiled frankfurter…
Leo and Mona Kamil must be interesting people. What other adjective could you possibly use to describe a couple who, since opening their Euro Pizza (232 S. Federal Hwy., Boca Raton, 561-347-6420) six years ago, have offered more than 100 over-the-top toppings to their “gourmet European-style” pies? I mean what…
As I walked into La Granja Pollo a la Brasa, my eyes were drawn toward a sizable rotisserie with dozens of rotating chickens. The fat from the birds’ skins was hissing and spitting about, and the robust roasting aromas pervaded the room. The sight reminded me of a somewhat ominous…
Red Star Tavern,
No need to be alarmed, but it’s quite possible that you are suffering from the June Swoon Syndrome and don’t even know it. Does it feel sometimes like a dull lethargy has taken over your body? Tempted to take an afternoon nap on your day off? Feel hot when you…
Let’s start with a few clarifications on the heading: 1. What is a Flapjack Flip-off? It’s a contest to determine who makes the best plain buttermilk pancakes in town (no blueberries, bananas, buckwheat, chocolate chips, chewing gum, or any other additions allowed). The main criterion is the quality of pancake…
I know what you’re thinking: Pancakes, shmancakes. What about waffles? I’m glad you asked. Harbor Café (1396 SE 17th St. Cswy., Fort Lauderdale, 954-467-0363) serves a thick, Belgian-sized beauty with butter pats and glass jar of faux maple syrup ($3.75). Add a hot cup o’ joe and you’ve got yourself…
I would venture to say that Blue Anchor Pub has a more storied history than any other Delray Beach dining or drinking establishment. The first story begins in 1865, when the William Younger Brewery opened the Blue Anchor off London’s Chancery Lane. It is said that two of Jack the…
Café Bistro (1862 N. Young Cir., Hollywood, 954-920-9299) doesn’t serve pancakes, and thus won’t be a part of next week’s exciting Flapjack Flip-Off, our first contest to see who makes the best buttermilk pancakes in town. It does serve quite a nice breakfast otherwise, however, including fluffy four-egg omelets, a…
Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors’ main drag, is lined with gay-oriented restaurants, clubs, and businesses; it seems a short stretch of San Francisco has fallen from the sky and landed intact. Of course, in most ways, the city is just like any other — it simply has more men. Likewise, Costello’s…
Café 1451 at the Norton (1451 S. Olive Ave., 561-366-8500) is located in the enclosed west courtyard of the Norton Museum of Art, a soaring space filled with natural light, leafy palm trees, and museumgoers munching on sophisticated contemporary American food. The café, managed by the museum’s in-house caterer, Lyon…
South Florida and the Mediterranean region are separated by the vast Atlantic Ocean, yet on either side, one can observe the same ritual in approaching that body of water: People wearing bathing suits, timidly dipping their toes in, gauging the temperature, methodically working their way up to the ankles, then…
Johnnie and Nestor Solari opened Argie’s Grill (300 SW First St., Fort Lauderdale, 954-463-2686) just prior to 9/11, and the Argentine brothers claim that business was way off because of the timing. (I’m not sure how this works — were people headed out for an empanada, then said to themselves,…
The nation’s largest outdoor Cajun/zydeco music festival does not take place anywhere in Louisiana but right here at the Fort Lauderdale festival site every Mother’s Day weekend, which this year falls May 7 to 9. More specifically, the 12th Annual Fort Lauderdale Cajun/Zydeco Crawfish Festival (954-828-5934, 866-352-3378) offers three stages…
