I can’t help but admire a biz that shows initiative. Take Dairy In (3980 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach, 954-428-3999), an ice cream parlor tucked in next to the Muvico complex on Hillsboro Boulevard. A remake of a Dairy Queen, with an i replacing the “Quee” on the neon sign,…
In restaurants, mistakes are common. If, as George Eliot noted in the 19th Century, “One can say everything best over a meal,” humble apologies should be graciously accepted at the dinner table. The rule applies not only to diners but to servers, be they family members or waiters in public…
Labor Day, that couture mile marker, has come and gone, but we can still wear white. We live in the subtropics. But you might choose to leave the whites behind on November 16. That’s when the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens (4000 Morikami Park Rd., Delray Beach, 561-495-0233, ext. 210)…
Renowned chef Oliver Saucy, co-proprietor of Darrel & Oliver’s Café Maxx in Pompano Beach and East City Grill in Weston, is no stranger to awards. In 1998, he brought a James Beard home to South Florida, and in 2001, he was recognized with the Robert Mondavi Award of Excellence. But…
So you think you know all there is to know about Sushi Blues Café? After all, it’s a downtown Hollywood institution. For years, it’s both served the raw fish-loving community and provided soul food — of the live blues and jazz type — to local music buffs. In short, it’s…
Learning about wine has become incredibly convenient. For instance, no longer do you have to scan the daily newspaper calendars in hopes of finding a wine tasting or seminar or sommelier course. Now you can receive info about wine events in your area simply by logging on to your computer…
One by one, each of my dining companions illuminated the same point: Every entrée we ordered at the seven-month-old Maison Carlos, perched on the eastern end of Clematis Street in West Palm Beach, was plated with identical architecturally composed vegetable and starch. Clearly, they all thought this was something I…
Americans live in such a Starbucks-dominated world that we often forget that independent coffeehouses have their own inimitable flavor — even the ones located in shopping centers. The Coffee Scene (15955 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines, 954-441-2364) is one such place. In fact, it has more than 50 flavors. The Baskin-Robbins…
A craving for a good hamburger can be satisfied only by a good hamburger. Window dressing — or garnishes, condiments, and buns — aside, it’s a truth that should be self-evident. In much the same way a dirty pane of chipped glass can hardly provide a picturesque view, a tough…
When the Cheese Course, one of my all-time favorite shops, opened in Weston Town Center, I thought Weston couldn’t get any luckier. But as so infrequently happens, I was wrong. The Grape Merchant (1719 Main St., Weston, 954-660-0777), a chic boutique offering high-end wines and spirits, debuted about a month…
I had an extremely visceral reaction when I read “Chinese modern: Traditional fare stylish again,” one of the latest stories in Nation’s Restaurant News — I got really, really hungry. I’ve never made a secret out of my love for familiar Chinese dishes such as egg foo yung and lemon…
You may know Steve Petusevsky as the former chef of the erstwhile and oft-mourned Unicorn Village natural restaurant in Aventura. Or as the syndicated columnist who writes about vegetarian and organic foods and recipes in your local food section. Or as the author of The Whole Foods Market Cookbook: A…
Thanks to my best friend, the chef at Bizcaya Grill in the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, and my past positions as a waitress in formal dining rooms, this is what I know to be true concerning high-end hotel restaurants: They are part and parcel of a much larger corporation. As such,…
The newest development in fine dining is the co-chef — two executive chefs who collaborate on everything from recipe and menu development to purveyor contacts to kitchen duties. And with the addition of Todd Zimmer, former top toque at Mark’s in the Park (Boca Raton) and Café Maxx (Pompano Beach),…
Summertime, and the lobster is easy. Homarus americanus, belonging to the family Nephropidae and commonly called Maine lobster, can be effortlessly found these days in restaurants all over South Florida in sizes ranging from one to ten pounds. And they’re a snap to afford: Market prices reflect a sudden glut…
Burrito addict Ozzy Osbourne, who has been known to consume a Mexican specialty at every meal for days on end, should now feel comfortable visiting Fort Lauderdale. Señor Burrito (1501 E. Commercial Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 954-202-0010), a walk-in joint that is a slightly smaller sibling to the relatively minuscule restaurant…
Now that the scent of rotten mangoes has (mostly) ceased to waft across my yard, thanks to an early peak season, I have begun to detect other aromas in the air: The prix-fixe, all-you-can-eat, kids-eat-free, free-wine-with-entrée, early-birds-get-soup-or-salad, 20-percent-off-the-total-check,20-bucks-off-checks-over-50-bucks,buy-one-menu-item-get-one-at-equal-or-lesser-value-free special. Yup, I can sniff out just about any restaurant’s summer promotion…
Forget GameWorks, Dave & Buster’s, Chuck E. Cheese. When it’s time to entertain the out-of-school-and-on-your-nerves tamariis — Polynesian for children — take them to Mai-Kai (3599 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale, 954-563-3272). On any given night, kids age 12 and under can choose from a tamarii-friendly menu that includes Kon…
We Americans are ridiculed the world over for our use of ketchup. We put it on everything, critics say, without discretion. Probably so, but in culinary reality, just about every culture has its singular condiment. The Brits love brown sauce. The French adore aioli. The Chinese couldn’t do without duck…
Ska-punk band it’s not. A mecca for card-carrying members of the National Beef Association, it’s not. It is Sublime (1431 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale, 954-615-1431), the new vegan restaurant owned by Nanci Alexander, founder of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida, and Terry Dalton, former proprietor of the now-closed…
The scenario should be a familiar one — big-name New York City chef-proprietor decides to open South Florida outpost, wants ritzy hotel either to house it or something nearby for a given supply of upscale clientele, chooses South Beach as the likeliest location. Enough celeb chefs have followed this path…
Redfish Bluefish (906 E. Hallandale Beach Blvd., Hallandale Beach, 954-454-8878) may sound like a Dr. Seuss book, but the real story here is the subhead: “Seafood Grille & Sushi Saloon.” Think of “red” as in “red hot”; the grouper is superbly fresh and the crab-stuffed chicken breast uses the real,…
