The story of Robert Mondavi is as depressing as it is inspirational. Probably no single person did more to put California on the world wine map, not only as a vintner who produced wines that rivaled some of the best of Europe but as an evangelist of New World wines,…
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. At a lot of tapas places, you can fill your table with pretty little plates only to wind up…
Here’s what you missed this week on Charlie:Check it out: Brett Gillin delights in finding out what beverage bartenders hate to make, then masochistically tortures them by having them make it. Turns out, suffering tastes delightful.Local chef Ron Duprat barely escapes the boot on Top Chef Las Vegas. Next week:…
Although Clean Plate Charlie is the only food blog you need to read every day, some people just can’t get enough. Here are some highlights of other food blogs.Fancy Fast Food takes everyday chain food and makes it beautiful to look at. No word if it can improve the taste,…
Flashing some bling at the bar is a sure-fire way to pick up in Boca Raton. But busting out some South African diamonds? You might just get mounted right there at the wine rack. Try your luck when the Capitol Grille in Boca hosts Cocktails & Carats on September 17…
Walking into SAS Martini Lounge (formerly known as Sauer Apple Saloon), I thought asking a bartender to make their favorite drink would result in an exotic martini. I sat at the end of the bar and asked the bartender what her favorite drink to make was. Celiana (probably grossly misspelled)…
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…
Welcome back to the Ron Duprat Top Chef Las Vegas recap, folks. To take a peek back at episodes one and two, click the links. Otherwise, read on to find out what episode three had in store for our Haitian homeboy.Episode three:The show starts off with the cast commiserating on…
Tag and bag Las Gaoneras, the modestly ambitious and thoroughly delightful Mexican restaurant across the street from the goliath Renaissance Commons complex in Boynton Beach. The first U.S. outpost of a Mexico-based chain, it didn’t even make it a year before folding. A bit higher up the food chain than…
Andrew Garavuso labors in front of the twin stone hearths in his restaurant, Sicilian Oven in Lighthouse Point. He’s thin and youthful, with a penciled mustache and a ball cap that covers his bald head. In one smooth motion, he flicks his pizza peel underneath a pie sitting near the…
Today, I’m trying to “unthink” lunch. KFC launched a line of healthier grilled chicken options a few months ago, and it’s about time Clean Plate Charlie gives it a try. I’ve never been a fan of KFC. It’s chicken is always far too greasy, sitting under heat lamps for a…
I was never a fan of Dogma Grill in Fort Lauderdale. The “gourmet” hot dog joint prided itself on unique hot dogs made with a wide range of ingredients, from chili to feta cheese. But I just found its take on regional dogs a little uninspired, and frankly (har har)…
Two weeks ago, former Atlanta Falcon’s superstar Michael Vick appeared on 60 Minutes to give his first interview after his release from jail. For those of you living under rocks and sustaining yourselves on grubs and nightcrawlers, Vick was charged in December 2007 with running an illegal dogfighting operation out…
Cancan dancers in poufy white tutus, waitresses in red satin bustiers and butt-hugging short black skirts, a DJ station, two bars, a colorful wooden carousel horse suspended from the ceiling… Karim El Sherif is selling the grésiller along with the steak frites at his new Carousel Can Can Café, which…
The Perfect Pizza is an elusive animal. Mostly because everyone has his or her own idea of what makes a great pie. But I’d like to think of the pizza at Sicilian Oven as the Great Uniter; no matter what the preference — Napolitan or New York style, wood- or…
This one didn’t work out so well. The boss went on a shopping spree a couple of weeks back at Little Market Indian Grocery & Spices (3062 N. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale). He picked up last week’s gem as well as a couple of bags of betel nut. I went…
• Ever since the old Shore restaurant on A1A in Delray Beach washed up many moons ago, the prime oceanfront space has been an empty eyesore. A failed redo left a gutted building but still no restaurant, something about to change with the purchase of the site by Jim Taube,…
Miami restaurateur and chef Michelle Bernstein opened her brand new MB Terrace at the Omphoy resort last Wednesday. The casual dining spot is the sister restaurant to Michelle Bernstein’s at the Omphoy, a Mediterranean-inspired, dinner-only resto that opened over the weekend. I will be giving my initial impressions very soon.The…
Say what you will about Fort Lauderdale, but America’s Venice knows how to put together a sandwich. It’s not that there’s a higher concentration of sandwich joints than elsewhere; it’s just that what local places here are tend to make some badass, honkin’ big sandwiches. There are some great ones…
Pictured: Stir-fried rice noodles with chicken and asparagus (hu tieu xao ga).Chicken: Salt. Pepper. Fish sauce. Soy sauce. Rice wine vinegar. Olive oil. Hot pan. Sear.Noodles: Blanch.Asparagus: Salt. Pepper. Olive oil. Saute. Finish: Hot wok. Vegetable oil. Noodles in. Fish sauce. Soy sauce. Sriracha. Sliced onion. Sliced jalapeno. Shredded carrot…
There are many reasons to hate white Zinfandel. For one, it almost always sucked. Not just sucked but inhaled through a screaming vortex hell-nozzle thousands of years of winemaking artistry only to spit them out as a sweet, insipid, pinkish turd, available cheap at your local giant-mega-super-dupermarket. For another, it…
Melted, fatty goodness was en vogue this week on Clean Plate Charlie. The above pic hailed from our post on the Big Bear Bistro Burger, New Times’ best burger of 2009. Check out what else you missed this week on CPC below. The Meatist returns again this week to talk…
