Prickly pear, or cactus pear, is the bright-purple fruit of the opuntia cactus plant. Most people know of prickly pear margaritas, that fruity drink made at Mexican restaurants and tequila bars. But on its own, the fruit is actually pretty delicious, sort of like a cross between a kiwi and…
Last week, we discussed my only love for Passover: brisket. OK, so maybe I lied, because I do have strong ties to matzo ball soup, which we serve by the gallon at my Passover Seders. It’s the only form I can tolerate matzo in. In its most natural form, I…
This past Saturday was the official start date of spring, which means a whole new crop of produce is coming into season. A trip to any farmers’ market is proof enough. All those fresh vegetables and bright colors make it easy to get inspired. So when I found these organic…
Unrepentant beer drinkers, rejoice! Each week, Clean Plate Charlie will select one craft or import beer and give you the lowdown on it: How does it taste? What should you drink it with? Where can you find it? But mostly, it’s all about the love of the brew. If you…
There is no way of getting around the fact that Passover is my least favorite holiday. Ever. It’s sad, really, because the holiday commemorates the freedom the Israelites gained when they left Egypt like a bazillion years ago. It’s actually a celebration. But Passover is different. Starting Monday evening, we’ve…
Unrepentant beer drinkers, rejoice! Each week, Clean Plate Charlie will select one craft or import beer and give you the lowdown on it: How does it taste? What should you drink it with? Where can you find it? But mostly, it’s all about the love of the brew. If you…
St. Patrick’s Day has got to be one of my favorite food holidays of the year. I’m not quite sure if it’s frowned upon, but it’s tradition for us non-Irish Jews to gather around my Grandma’s dinner table and stuff our faces with her homemade corned beef and cabbage. I’m…
The best thing to happen to chicken wings since the invention of hot sauce is the upscale pizzeria. Sure, everyone loves Buffalo chicken wings, perhaps the ultimate culinary achievement in turning a pig’s ear (or in this case, the useless appendages of a corporate-raised sack of virtually flavorless meat) into…
Unrepentant beer drinkers, rejoice! Each week, Clean Plate Charlie will select one craft or import beer and give you the lowdown on it: How does it taste? What should you drink it with? Where can you find it? But mostly, it’s all about the love of the brew. If you…
Michelle Bernstein’s Palm Beach digs at the Omphoy Hotel serves a host of sexy cocktails from its downstairs O Bar and Lounge. One of them, an elderflower gimlet created by the hotel’s mixologist, one-ups the classic lime-infused martini with a shot of St. Germain. The floral, Alpine elderflower liquor was…
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. After a few glasses of wine, crunching numbers to figure out the tip for a three-digit bill can get…
One of my favorite, old-time Fort Lauderdale eateries was Dan’s Original Submarines on Sunrise and Old Dixie Highway. Dan’s was a perfect mixture of greasy spoon and sandwich shop — the tiny, simple storefront packed up during lunchtime with construction workers and businessmen and was a favored stop of Fort…
There are only two things I ask for in a boyfriend: He must love football, and he must love garlic. I use garlic in almost everything I cook. I’ve also been known to roast it and eat it with a spoon (don’t judge). I’m not ashamed if the smell that…
In case you’ve been in a cave and haven’t seen it, the foodie talk about Crack Pie is burning up the net. The pie’s the product of David Chang’s Momofuku’s Bakery and Milk Bar in Manhattan, where it sells for a very cool $44 per pie.But: It’s legal and gives a high…
I was completely worn out by the time we’d finished dinner last night. It was all I could do to keep my eyes open as Dani and I watched the latest episode of LOST on TiVo. But when we thought about dessert, I managed to get a second wind (that…
Unrepentant beer drinkers, rejoice! Each week, Clean Plate Charlie will select one craft or import beer and give you the lowdown on it: How does it taste? What should you drink it with? Where can you find it? But mostly, it’s all about the love of the brew. If you…
As we mentioned in our South Beach Wine and Food Festival “Top Tastes of the Tent” blog, VeeV’s Spa Cooler cocktail was a true standout. So, gosh, why would we try to keep the recipe from you? After all, you deserve a taste of the spa, dontcha? [And this is…
As part of an irregular series on how to have more fun with your hamburger, allow Charlie to present… the lambburger. Like ground beef, ground lamb is cheap and easily available, but it also takes to Moroccan, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean flavorings in ways the standard disc of chopped cow…
Maybe it’s the smell they release when they are baking in the oven. Maybe it’s the fact that they are good for your health. Maybe they are just delicious. Maybe it’s the fact that bananas in damned near anything are worth consuming. There are few things I enjoy better than…
When you order it in an Italian restaurant, chicken marsala always looks so complicated — the sauce, the tender texture of the meat, the wine’s mysterious aroma. But it’s actually a one-pan meal for us slobs who make it at home. And this version is absurdly simple, if not entirely…
Unrepentant beer drinkers, rejoice! Each week, Clean Plate Charlie will select one craft or import beer and give you the lowdown on it: How does it taste? What should you drink it with? Where can you find it? But mostly, it’s all about the love of the brew. If you…
Unleash your inner Tom Colicchio and sample the suds of 12 of the area’s best amateur brewmeisters this Sunday, February 28, at Lake Worth’s always fun ‘n’ funky Havana Hideout, where chef-owner Chrissy Benoit is hosting the first of a planned series of Top of the Hops brew-offs. From 1…
