A short waitress with a high-pitched voice and a thick, almost indecipherable accent set a golden, grapefruit-sized orb — topped with a dollop of whipped cream, surrounded by strawberries, blueberries, and their sweet sauces — on the table. Inside of a thin, deep-fried crust of panko bread crumbs lay a…
Just at the last possible minute, the House pulled the United States back from the brink of the dreaded fiscal cliff.During a vote late Tuesday, 172 Democrats and 85 Republicans voted for the bill, while 16 Democrats and 151 Republicans opposed it, raising taxes for the wealthiest Americans, while maintaining…
It’s about time: the holidays are over. And your body could not be more grateful. The time has come to stop the binge drinking and junk-food eating. Let’s be honest: there’s a reason new gym memberships astronomically explode after the New Year. After the past month’s excess, you’re probably feeling…
A new year is a great opportunity to practice the “out with the old, in with the new” mantra. If you’re like most people “the old” includes piles of obsolete junk hidden in dark corners of the house or stuffed into impossible-to-open drawers. In every secreted-away collection of crap exists…
No, really. We’re completely serious here. The Hulkster is opening a restaurant in Tampa and if you’ve got no New Year’s eve plans you could start driving now and be able to celebrate at the New Year’s Eve grand opening tonight (which is selling out quickly).The 20,000 square-foot Hogan’s Beach,…
Have you ever watched that Michael Bublé music video where the entire grocery store breaks out into a dance? Have you ever thought about organizing a supermarket choreographed dance on your own? It’s okay, we have too. Unfortunately, on January 2, someone will be beating you to it.The cast of…
You can’t look back on a year without taking a moment to reflect on those who won’t forge ahead to greet 2013. At Clean Plate Charlie, that means a roundup of bars and restaurants that shuttered their doors in 2012 in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Some (Charcuterie Too) are…
As we prepare to close the books on 2012, it’s time to look back over the roll call sheets for the year to see who came to Broward and Palm Beach counties in the last 12 months. The burger glut of 2011 has cooled a bit, but there were still…
A genetically modified salmon, ominously dubbed the Frankenfish, recently took another step from the farm to your plate. The Food and Drug Administration last week released an environmental report on the impact of the AquaAdvantage salmon, developed and patented (yes, patented) by Massachussets-based AquaBounty Technologies. The FDA concluded the salmon…
The internet is burning up over the story that celebrity Scientologist and father to the best-dressed child in Hollywood is dating a restaurant manager from Queens, New York.It gets better. Apparently, the gal in question, Cynthia Jorge, dated B-lister Seann William Scott (Stifler from the American Pie movies) before moving…
Whatever you want to call them, GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) or GE (Genetically Engineered) foods were kind of a big deal in 2012. It was the first year to see a ballot initiative requiring mandatory labeling on a state ballot for the Presidential election–in California, of course. Even though California’s…
Apparently, the newest restaurant hotspot for 2012 is not what you would normally imagine. It would be no surprise to see A-list actresses, politicians, and celebrities grazing upon foie gras at restaurants like Buccan or Cafe Boulud. But lately they’re not.Earlier this year, the ultimate one-percenter, former presidential candidate, Mitt Romney…
There are nearly a dozen taco options on Pinche Taqueria’s concise Mexican-American menu. Despite our expectations for more true-to-form Mexican fare, stemming from Pinche’s New York locations and their strict adherence to those traditions, Stephanie Lee, owner of the Wilton Manors outpost, told us that the New York menu wasn’t…
Are we safe anywhere anymore? Orlando’s Wesh.com is reporting a wheelchair-bound man was stabbed a handful of times in the abdomen at a McDonald’s restaurant late Christmas Day…
The restaurant industry is the gift that keeps on giving, and December was no exception. Santa’s little elves were busy this month, bringing more than a dozen new restaurants to Broward and Palm Beach counties. In addition to that, there are a few new projects on the “up and coming”…
As we waited for a server to bring us the bill after a weekday dinner, we heard someone yell “Bitch!” in a joking, high-pitched voice. It turned out that one man at a neighboring table of three had taken it upon himself to pay the check. He got the usual…
Food trucks are considered by many to be a quick and fun way to feed a family. At local food truck roundups or in a park, food trucks serve up inexpensive fare to people in a hurry. Though they will never replace mom’s home cooking or a luxurious anniversary meal,…
We would say that 2012 was year of the burger, but, then again, so was 2011. And for that matter 2010. Apparently, Americans are obsessed with red meat. After the economy took a landslide the love of all things meaty slid down to steak’s less expensive counterpart: the burger. We have…
With every well-branded name comes an image. Abercrombie & Fitch: preppy, half naked teenagers. Lulu Lemon: hot, yoga moms. Holiday Inn: cheap. Trump: gaudy asshole. And then there’s the Ritz-Carlton: special, luxurious, wealthy, 1,000-thread count sheets. It’s a brand that every one can recognize, yet so few can actually enjoy. Well,…
I have driven past Napoleon Bakery about 870 times and never given it a second glance until the other day, when upon the urging of my friend Steve, we stopped in. The facade of the building looks a bit Disney-esque, like a candy “shoppe” in Fantasyland circa 1970. Clapboard covered…
Kimberly Hale has the kind of job that every kid (and sugar-addict adult) would fantasize about. She spends her days playing with candy. Or rather, carefully arranging well thought-out, highly customized candy buffets for weddings, showers, parties, and other special events as coordinated by her Florida-based business Extraordinary Sweets. So,…
Leaving cookies and milk for Santa could get pretty expensive if Congress doesn’t pass the Farm Bill, created in 1933 to provide subsidies to U.S. farmers during the Great Depression. Since then, the Farm Bill has grown and expanded to include not only farm subsidies, but disaster assistance, crop insurance,…
