Walking into the Boys of Summer celebrity chef charity event at Florida Builder Appliances in Pompano Beach, we could smell the chocolate before we saw it. We wound our way through islands of glimmering stainless-steel refrigerators, gas stove tops, and high-tech wine coolers to find the source.Each model kitchen brought…
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…
Sometimes we’re not the brightest stars in the sky. This fact became most painfully obvious when we returned from a recent press trip to Grand Cayman (we were dispatched to check out the second Michael’s Genuine location, which, we’re happy to report, was just as amazing as the original). Anyhow,…
• It’s “pack your knives and go” time for former Top Chef contestant Kenny Gilbert again. This time, though, it’s by his own choice. It seems that less than two months after he signed on as chef at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, he’s signed off to move to…
My heaviest of bar-going days took place when I was a server for a notorious Italian chain restaurant. After our shifts, the other servers and I would drag our pasta-sauce-speckled selves to whatever seedy dive offered us the most liquor for our crumpled dollar bills. Even so, on most nights,…
It came in a nondescript box in the mail one day, this bag of liquor. The container inside had convenient little handles at the top, a spout at the bottom, and a simple promise: mojitos anywhere.And that sounded pretty good. Mojitos have to be one of the most refreshing summer…
Shane Close is a Miami-based surfer (past chairman of the local Surfrider chapter), high-end web developer, and, now, indie filmmaker. After he read the Omnivore’s Dilemma and became a dad, his wife turned to him and asked the question no barbecue addict wants to hear: “Could you go meatless?”…
Maybe we’ll have to start calling her the Colonel. Michelle Bernstein is taking over South Florida as the fried chicken maven. She initiated all-you-can-eat fried chicken nights in Miami two years ago at Michy’s, and now on Wednesdays, it’s the same deal to cluck over at Michelle Bernstein at the…
It’s a busy weekend night at World of Beer in Coconut Creek. By 9 p.m., the bar area has turned into a dense sea of bodies that spill out of the front door and into the Promenade sidewalk. Every last table is spoken for, and there’s almost no room to…
It’s not often you get to sample food from chefs like Oliver Saucy, Carlos Fernandez, Andy Trousdale, and Allen Susser all in one place. But tonight, at the Boys of Summer food event in Pompano Beach, you can do just that and donate to charity all at once. Tickets are…
We’ve updated the thread this week with some menu images, external links and reviews, and new trucks. Check it out. There’s nothing as tasty as nabbing a taco from a converted laundry truck at 2 in the morning, splashing it with fiery-red salsa, and popping the whole thing in your mouth…
10. You bleach your hair blond, buy a junker Camaro, and run around saying things like, “Winner, winner, chicken dinner.” 9. You can sit through an entire episode of Top Chef without ever reaching for the clicker. 8. You believe Kelly Choi has talent. 7. Rachael Ray no longer makes…
Got an interesting post or bit of news to share? Email it to Charlie and we’ll include it in Eating Around the Blog-o-Sphere. FTL Collective covers all things Fort Lauderdale, whether that’s music, food, or nightlife. It’s got a good piece up on the swankiest cocktails within the city limits.Burgers with tons…
Happy hour: It’s not just for drinking anymore. This week in Dish, we look at three local happy hours that, aside from having great booze and good vibes, pack some diggable food as well.First, we trucked up to Delray Beach to check out the Triple Eight Lounge at the Falcon…
• The former Dogma Grill spot on Federal (900 S. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale) has been boarded up and empty since the hot dog joint closed early last year. But the place seems to finally have new tenant: Domino’s Pizza. A trademark Domino’s sign was spotted in front of the…
Did you know that there’s an official nine-step “pouring ritual” to get the perfect Stella Artois out of a keg? Although this news inspires some of us to pop the top on a can of Bud Light (so much simpler!), some of you may rise to the challenge and hope…
How would you like to eat at a restaurant where the kitchen is crawling with rodents and bugs, where the walk-ins are filthy, and the line hasn’t been cleaned in months? Not to scare you, but it happens, and more often than you think. Florida inspectors have been hitting the…
This week, I’m shying away from a picture of the layout and instead posting this bit of food porn from our restaurant in question.The catch is, not only do you have to tell me the restaurant we’re eating this tasty-looking morsel from but you also must name the dish. (Click…
Palm Beach’s version of Let’s Make a Deal Oh Pleasepleaseplease kicks off Wednesday, September 1, with the debut of Flavor Palm Beach for 2010. This third-annual promo to get you out of your house and into a local restaurant runs the entire month of September and features three-course, $20, prix…
For the past two days, we’ve given you a little insight into the world of Chef Carlos Fernandez of Hi-Life Cafe in Wilton Manors and Top Chef fame. Today, he’s sharing with us the recipe for his popular Coca-Cola Cake. Enjoy!If you missed the two-part interview with Carlos Fernandez you…
Jennifer Reed is a South Florida chef and owner of the the Sugar Monkey. She blogs on Clean Plate Charlie about food and the people who make it. A three-week road trip through the South and Midwest was exactly what I needed to gain ten pounds and get in touch…
Jamba Juice recently debuted a joke commercial featuring the “Cheeseburger Chill.” The ad was intended to mock McDonald’s for entering the smoothie business. The intended message was: We don’t go around making smoothies out of cheeseburgers, so stick to what you’re good at, Mickie D’s! Well… what’s so bad about…
