* The City of Boca Raton’s Summer in the City 2017- Turnstiles- Billy Joel Tribute..

This article first appeared on 5/30/17.

Posted on May 30, 2017

* The City of Boca Raton’s Summer in the City 2017- Turnstiles- Billy Joel Tribute..

Just in case you guys were wondering where Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats will be on Friday Night, July 14, 2017 at 7:30pm.

Turnstiles is one of America’s best Billy Joel tribute bands- and the concert is a complimentary deal!

TURNSTILES – BILLY JOEL TRIBUTE
MPA Summer in the City MPA Web Square
Hosted by the City of Boca Raton
Friday, July 14th, 2017
Doors: 6:30 PM, Show: 7:30 PM
School of Rock Boca to open for the main act from 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The City of Boca Raton’s Summer in the City series promises a line-up of FREE Friday night live music and movies under the moonlight from June 9th through August 12th at Downtown Boca’s Mizner Park Amphitheater.

Tribute concert attendees ages 21 and over can sample a variety of craft beers from Hollywood Brewery at the Beer Garden starting at 7:00 p.m.
Attendees are encouraged to walk, bike, car pool and use free parking at City Hall and the Boca Raton Library. Food and beverages will be available to purchase inside the venue. No outside food or beverages are allowed.

Summer in the city sponsors include Downtown Boca Raton, the City of Boca Raton, School of Rock, Hollywood Brewery, Floridian Community Bank, KIND Bars, and Marine Max and Junior’s Restaurant & Cheesecake.

FAQs:
– For full Summer in the City Concert and Movie dates, myboca.us.
– Seating: Chairs and blankets are welcome. For your convenience, chairs will be available to rent for $5 cash inside the venue
– Food and beverages will be available to purchase inside the venue. No outside food or beverages are allowed.
– Shows are rain or shine

For venue FAQs : http://myboca.us/pages/mizneramphi/faq
TICKETS: This event is free and open to the public, no ticket required

For you guys who maybe wondering, before the show- Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats are eating at Tucci’s Fire N Coal which is a 5 minute walk from the Mizner Park Amphitheater. Absolutely awesome coal oven pizza and wings!

Posted on November 1st, 2015
***** DISH OF THE WEEK (Sunday- 11/1/15).

One of Jeff Eats’ favorite menu items…

FIRE N COAL WINGS
(10 wings) $11.95

Tucci’s Fire N Coal Pizza
50 Northeast 1st Avenue
Boca Raton
(561) 620-2930
tuccispizza.com
Latest Review: 5/15/09

Real simple tale to tell you, Jeff Eats is thinking- that Tucci’s Fire N Coal Pizza is one of the best coal-oven pizza joints in Florida.

No bs-here, its salads, pizzas, pastas and entrees are all- off the chart- and I really can’t think of another Florida coal oven joint that makes better coal oven wings.

Tucci’s is an absolute must try.

Jeff Eats can’t even begin to imagine- that you won’t love this joint!
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Posted on May 15th, 2009

***** Tucci’s Fire N Coal Pizza, 50 Northeast 1st Avenue, Boca Raton, Florida 33432 (561) 620-2930.

Regular, Jeff Eats’ readers know that…I love a good pizza. I don’t care if it’s brick-oven, wood oven, coal oven, this oven or that oven…just as long as it tastes good. You also do know that I speak fluent Italian…”Give me two slices and a large Coke.”…don’t you? Over the past 3-years or so, South Florida has been “hit” with a ton of new pizza joints which play the “coal oven-chicken wings” card…guys like Anthony’s, Coal Mine, Carolina’s, Mona Lisa, just to name a few…and by in large, they are all pretty decent… of course, some are better than others…that’s why Jeff Eats is here.

Anyway…last night, I gave Tucci’s Fire N Coal Pizza in Boca Raton a shot. The joint which has been open for something like 3 months… has indoor seating for about 50 and maybe 10 outside. The menu has 4 appetizers, chicken wings, escarole & beans, eggplant rollatini and sauteed broccoli rabe & sausage…2 salads, Italian and caesar…loads of coal/wood cooked pizzas…2 desserts, cheesecake and cannoli…beer and soda by the bottle.

Let’s make this review easy. I had an Italian salad, margherita/ricotta pizza, chicken wings. The food was delicious. The salad was cold, fresh, crisp… The chicken wings were seasoned with garlic and carmalize onion, The pizza was thin crusted, crisp, perfectly well-done, right on the money sweet sauce…As for service, pleasant as can be…Price-wise, small wings (10) $9.95, salad which could have feed 3 ($10.95), pizzas–depending on what you order (that’s obvious) start at- small ($13.95)-large ($17.95).

Tucci’s Fire N Coal Pizza is a really good coal-oven pizza/chicken joint. I enjoyed its food and casual “hole in the wall” atmosphere. By the way, you can check Tucci’s menu/prices at www.tuccispizza.com.

Tucci’s is open for lunch & dinner Tuesday-Sunday…the joint is closed on Monday.

* Firefall with Poco & Pure Prairie League.

Jeff Eats first told you guys about Firefall with Poco & Pure Prairie League way-back on 4/7/17.

Just checked the Pompano Beach Amphitheater box-office (theamppompano.org) and goldstar.com (discount tickets) and there are a handful of some-really good seats left for this coming Saturday’s (July 15th -8pm) concert. So if you wanna go- I’m kinda thinking that right about now- (if you haven’t already done so) would be a good time to make your move in the ticket department.

Posted on April 7th, 2017

* Firefall with Poco & Pure Prairie League.

You fans of 70’s-80’s soft pop rock- must see this show!

You can catch tickets at theamppompano.org and goldstar.com (discount tickets).

from goldstar.com
POMPANO BEACH AMPHITHEATER POMPANO BEACH, FL
Classic Rock Bands Firefall, Poco & Pure Prairie League

Relive ’70s and ’80s hits as Firefall, Poco and Pure Prairie League hit the stage for a summer night of great tunes at The Pompano Beach Amphitheater. Platinum-selling soft-rockers Firefall topped the charts with songs like “You Are the Woman,” “Just Remember I Love You,” “Strange Way,” “Cinderella” and more. Following Buffalo Springfield’s breakup, founding member Richie Furay formed Poco, helping popularize the country-rock genre with songs like “Crazy Love,” “Heart of the Night,” “A Good Feelin’ to Know,” “Call It Love” and “Keep On Tryin’.” Also bringing some twang to rock, multiplatinum-selling Pure Prairie League scored a jukebox classic with “Amie,” along with a string of successful albums featuring hits like “Two Lane Highway,” “Let Me Love You Tonight,” “I’m Almost Ready” and more.

Saturday July 15, 2017 / 8:00pm

Pompano Beach Amphitheater
1806 NE 6th Street
Pompano Beach, FL 33060
Box Office:954-519-5500
Tickets: theamppompano.org and goldstar.com (discount tickets)

* What is Lidl? 5 things the German grocer is bringing to America.

Jeff Eats recently read this Washington Post article about German supermarket chain Lidl- and its expansion into the United States. The bet here- is that sooner rather than later we’ll see Lidl opening in Florida!

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from washingtonpost.com

What is Lidl? 5 things the German grocer is bringing to America

By Abha Bhattarai June 15

Lidl opened its first 10 U.S. stores Thursday, including this one in Virginia Beach, Va. The German grocery chain plans to open 100 U.S. locations within the year. (Steve Helber/Associated Press)
German grocery powerhouse Lidl arrived in the United States on Thursday, opening 10 new stores along the East Coast and putting big-name companies like Walmart, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s on high alert.

The company, which has 10,000 locations in 27 countries, is hoping to win over Americans with its sweeping discounts, modern stores and carefully-curated wines. Its newest supermarkets are concentrated in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, but 90 more East Coast locations are planned for the coming year.

The company, which has its U.S. headquarters in Arlington, has been quietly testing its plans for the American market for over a year, using a prototype store in the Fredericksburg, Va., area in Spotsylvania County to understand its newest shoppers. (Among other things, executives say Americans expect chilled beer and free bakery samples, which Lidl is adding to its U.S. stores.)

But what exactly is the Lidl (pronounced lee-duhl)? And what will its U.S. stores bring to America?

1. Even lower prices in an industry that is already offering huge markdowns

In an industry marked by cutthroat competition and mounting markdowns, Lidl executives say they plans to offer even larger discounts, with prices that are up to 50 percent lower than at rival stores.

This week’s offers, for example, include 99 cent red bell peppers, 89 cent pineapples and 39 cent butter croissants (which a spokesman says have twice as much butter as the typical croissant). The company’s circular is also touting jars of peanut butter for $1.19, chicken breasts for $1.29 per pound and frozen pizzas for $2.99.

The grocery business is a notoriously tough one — nearly 20 U.S. grocers have filed for bankruptcy in the past three years — and the introduction of Lidl and fellow German discounter Aldi, which is investing $3.4 billion to open 900 U.S. stores, is set to intensify that battle.

Roughly 90 percent of Lidl’s products are in-house brands. Brendan Proctor, the U.S. chief executive of Lidl, highlights the company’s selection on opening day.
2. Smaller stores that feature in-house brands
.

Lidl’s first U.S. stores are about 21,000 square feet — about the size of many Trader Joe’s stores, but considerably smaller than grocers like Whole Foods, Safeway and Giant. But no matter, executives say, you’ll still be able to find what you need.

“A lot of the supermarkets are so large, it’s a challenge for people to go shopping,” Brendan Proctor, the U.S. chief executive of Lidl, told The Washington Post earlier this year. “If I wanted to go in and get a bottle of ketchup — first of all, there are probably about 24 aisles in the store. I have to find what aisle it’s in. I get there, I find that there’s 50 types of ketchup. Who honestly needs 50 types of ketchup? We can streamline that.”

The company’s stores have just six aisles, and 90 percent of its shelves are filled with its own brands.

3. More efficient displays and practices

Lidl is able to keep prices low in part by cutting waste in every step of the process, spokesman William Harwood says.

“We look at waste differently,” Harwood said. “It’s not just what ends up in the garbage can at the end of the day, but also about any inefficiency along the way that ends up costing the customer more.”

In practice, that means having paperless offices and stores that rely heavily on natural light. Another example: You won’t find onions, oranges or other produce stacked in intricate (and sometimes precarious) pyramid formations. That mainstream practice is inefficient, Harwood says. It can keep prime produce buried, affect the freshness of fruits and vegetables and require employees to spend a lot of time positioning products just-so. Instead, Lidl’s produce is often displayed in the same cardboard boxes they were shipped in. The boxes are stacked so the freshest items are on top. Once those sell out, employees can easily rearrange remaining boxes as necessary.

4. A chance to buy to pick up men’s leather shoes for $34.99 and an inflatable kayak for $59.99

In addition to meat, fruits and vegetables, Lidl also offers a rotation of “in and out specials” that are released every Monday and Thursday. But you have to act fast.

“As soon as they’re gone, they’re gone,” Harwood said of the “Lidl surprises” section, which currently includes $8.99 leather wallets, $11.99 chest waders (a similar pair is $14.88 at Walmart.com) and $19.99 charcoal grills.

5. (Cheap) Award-winning wines

It’s no secret that millennials love wine — one study estimates they drank 42 percent of the country’s supply in 2015 — and Lidl is hoping to lure them in with its line-up of cheap, award-winning varieties. The company plans to stock 120 varieties, starting at $2.89 a bottle, in its U.S. stores.

Wine director Adam Lapierre, one of 356 certified Masters of Wine worldwide, estimates he tasted more than 10,000 bottles of wines to come up with Lidl’s line-up, which includes an $8.99 bottle of prosecco that was recently named Sparkling Wine of the Year at the 2017 Indy Independent Wine Competition.

***** East Ocean Cafe, 412 East Ocean Avenue, Boynton Beach, Florida 33435, (561) 200-6006.

A recent e-mail from reader Zak Carson…

Jeff Eats,
New reader and first time writer.
Looking for a breakfast joint in Boynton Beach which has good food that most importantly allows dogs to dine outside.
Thanks for the great blog and your help is appreciated.

Zak Carson

_____

Zak Carson,

Got the perfect spot for you- East Ocean Cafe in Boynton Beach.

Thanks for reading…

Posted on April 12th, 2017

***** East Ocean Cafe, 412 East Ocean Avenue, Boynton Beach, Florida 33435, (561) 200-6006.

Got a real good breakfast/lunch joint for you guys, East Ocean Cafe in Boynton Beach.

Real simple concept- handful of tables inside & outside, loads of reasonably priced- breakfast stuff, sandwiches, salads, open 7 days a week 7am-2pm.

Jeff Eats, Mrs. Jeff Eats, Daughter Jeff Eats, Son Jeff Eats and Jiggy The Dog Jeff Eats recently did breakfast- and I gotta tell you, all 5 of us loved East Ocean Cafe’s food, easy going vibe and super pleasant service!

And- finally, as I said 3 seconds ago, Jeff Eats, Mrs. Jeff Eats, Daughter Jeff Eats, Son Jeff Eats and Jiggy The Dog Jeff Eats did breakfast- for you dog folks, East Ocean Cafe’s outdoor patio-is absolutely perfect to do breakfast or lunch with the “entire family” (with the word “entire” being the operative word here)…

You guys can check menu/prices/info at eastoceancafe.com.

***** Tuscany Caffe & Restaurant, 6 Northwest 1st Avenue, Dania Beach, Florida 33004, (954) 921-1953.

Real simple tale to tell you guys- last night Jeff Eats, Mrs. Jeff Eats and a couple of friends ate dinner at- Tuscany Caffe & Restaurant in Dania Beach and the hole in the wall-casual Italian joint which has something like 10 tables/50 seats served-up food that literally blew us away!

No bs- Tuscany Caffe & Restaurant is an absolute must try- that is unless you’re not into a reasonably priced menu, loads of daily specials, big portions, absolutely dynamite food, super pleasant staff!

Just a heads-up, based on the size of the crowd that Jeff Eats saw on a Wednesday Night at 7:15pm in mid-July, Tuscany Caffe & Restaurant is far from being an “undiscovered gem”- with that in mind, if you go, RESERVATIONS would be a real smart move!

You can catch menu/info at tuscanycaffe.com.

Tuscany Caffe & Restaurant is open Monday-Saturday 4pm-10pm, closed Sunday.

This contest started on 7/11/17.This contest has a winner.

* Win A $25 California Pizza Kitchen Gift Card.

Jeff Eats got a $25 California Pizza Kitchen Gift Card to give to one of you guys…

The game- the first 20 “reader-comments” received – will be entered in a “blind hat pick”! You can submit as many comments as you’d like but- Please, only 1- reader comment – per day…play fair!

The $25 Gift Card is good at any California Pizza Kitchen location. Check cpk.com for menu/locations/info.

Posted on July 20th, 2009

***** California Pizza Kitchen, 6000 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33431 (561) 368-2805.
California Pizza Kitchen is a “national” casual-Italian restaurant chain…it has joints all over South Florida.

Check California’s website www.cpk.com for menu/ locations/ info.

Let’s make this one real simple…the food at your favorite neighborhood “mom & pop” pizza joint is probably better than the stuff that California Pizza Kitchen makes. That said, California’s food is not half-bad…it has a nice selection of soups, salads, pastas, pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, meat/seafood/chicken entrees…in addition the prices are quite reasonable.

Over the years, I have eaten at “many” locations, the most recent lunch outing…the Boca Raton joint at the Town Center Mall…let’s just say, that yesterday’s torrential-rains made California Pizza Kitchen an “easy pick” as the family was on a shopping trip (spree).

California Pizza is open Monday-Saturday 11am-10pm and Sunday 11:30am-8pm.

* National French Fry Day 7/13/17.

Today is National French Fry Day…I know, big deal!

If you check, today all over America- fast food burger joints are running all kinds of french-fry promotions…I know, big deal!

Anyway, BurgerFi (burgerfi.com) one of America’s fastest growing fast-food burger chains and coincidentally one of Jeff Eats’ favorite fast food burger chains-is running this promotion…I know big deal!

Long story short, Happy- National French Fry Day to everyone…and for you guys who have never been to a BurgerFi- put this burger chain on your to-try-list! You can check burgerfi.com for locations/ info.

By the way, Jeff Eats is counting on some of you guys coming up with- French Fry promotions at other Florida restaurants.

Posted on April 6th, 2011

***** BurgerFi, 4343 North Ocean Drive, Lauderdale by the Sea 33308, (954) 489-0110.

Walked into this free-standing “fast food” burger joint last Saturday night—and immediately new that I was going to love it. The easiest way to describe BurgerFi–Shake Shack (see 8/1/10 review) meets Five Guys Famous Burgers (see 11/2/06 review) with indoor and outdoor “picnic table seating.”

Let me make this real simple…one of the best fast-food cheeseburgers and hand cut fries that I’ve had in a very long time.

At this stage of the proceedings, check www.burgerfi.com for menu/prices/photos.

I am telling you, if burgers and fries are your game, you are absolutely gonna love this joint.

As a 1949 “baby” I think I know a thing or two about the fast-food-burger industry. Trust me on this, old Jeff Eats has eaten his fair share of burgers and fries.

I think I know exactly what BurgerFi is “trying” to do here…The joint’s decor looks like a roadside fast-food burger joint circa 1950’s/1960’s with some-modern touches…throw in “gourmet” burgers and “upscale” fries-other stuff…and BurgerFi’s got all of the bases covered. It’s cooler looking than Five Guys but cheaper than the “upscale” full service-burger restaurants that are currently America’s latest craze.

Check Burgerfi’s site, there are a handful of pictures which will give you some idea as to what I am yapping about here.

Like I said before, if you like burgers, fries, hot dogs, custard…you’ll love this joint.

BurgerFi is open 7 days a week 11am-1am.

* The Addams Family.

Simple tale to tell you guys, a couple of years ago, Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats saw the musical comedy The Addams Family at the Sol Theatre in Boca Raton- and loved every minute of it!

The “show” was just booked for a limited run- at the Boca Black Box in Boca Raton.

Go see The Addams Family- you will really enjoy this hip-funny musical comedy!

The Skinny:

The Addams Family
Limited Run: 8/9, 8/10, 8/13, 8/14, 8/15
Boca Black Box
8221 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33434
Box Office:(561)483-9036
Tickets: bocablackbox.com goldstar.com (discount tickets)

from bocablackbox.com
Everyone’s favorite creepy clan The Addams Family hits the stage with a macabre musical that’s so hilarious it’s scary. Gather around the family mansion and watch Morticia and Gomez wrestle with a nightmarish turn of events. Their daughter, the ever-precocious Wednesday, has done the scariest thing imaginable — she’s fallen in love with an average, run-of-the-mill boy. What’s worse, she wants her freaky family to pretend to be “normal” for one night to impress her new boyfriend’s parents. Watch what happens when Pugsley, Grandmama, Uncle Fester and Lurch put their own horrific spin on hospitality. Inspired by Charles Addams’ iconic comic strip and featuring a script written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (Jersey Boys), this family-friendly production of the Tony-nominated musical lurks into the Boca Black Box.

* Ghaleb.

Long story short, this guy Ghaleb is some singer- and the Pavilion Grille is the perfect venue to watch him work his amazing musical talents!

For you guys who don’t “know” Ghaleb, check him out at ghaleb.net.

You can catch tickets/reservations/more info at paviliongrille.com or at (561) 912-0000.

Trust Jeff Eats on this one, Ghaleb is a real showman- the Pavilion Grille is a gorgeous looking restaurant/bar/catering facility located in the atrium of an office building on Yamato Road in Boca Raton. Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats have attended a number of “events” at the Pavilion and the joint’s American-Style menu definitely got the job done!

This is going to be a real nice evening!

***** Granger’s Grille, 802 Southeast 5th Avenue, Delray Beach, Florida 33483, (561) 276-7881.

Do you guys know what scarily good means? Well, Granger’s Grille in Delray Beach is scarily good.

Real quick story…

Hole in the wall with scarily good American-Style food located at 215 Northeast 6th Avenue, Delray Beach after 23 years was forced to move- because the landlord sold the building it was in. A few months later (January, 2017) the “former” hole in the wall re-opened 3-times larger at 892 Southeast 5th Avenue, Delray Beach serving the same scarily good American-Style food!

All Jeff Eats can tell you guys, is that if you’re into absolutely dynamite burgers/ wings/ bbq ribs/ fried zucchini/ onion rings/ French fries/ tuna salad/ chili/ fried chicken/ onion soup/ meatloaf so-on and so forth, portions that could choke a horse, super reasonable prices and a staff that can’t do enough for you- Granger’s Grille is a must try for you!

You can check menu/info at grangersgrille.com.

Granger’s Grille is open Sunday noon-8pm, Monday-Friday 11:00am-9:30pm.

Posted on January 6th, 2016
***** Granger’s Bar & Grill, 215 NE 6th Avenue, Delray Beach Florida (561) 276-7881.

Let’s call Granger’s “a story that bears repeating”…

Jeff Eats has been eating at Granger’s for years and I gotta tell you, the joint’s food always kills!…great burgers, wings, meatloaf, barbecue ribs, salads, onion rings, soups, French fries, sandwiches- you name it- and this no frills American-Style hole in the wall-makes it just right!

Granger’s Bar & Grill is an absolute must try!

I love this joint! Trust Jeff Eats when I tell you, you will too!

You can check menu/prices at grangersgrille.com.

Granger’s Bar & Grill is open:

Mon + Tue + Thur 11AM – 9PM
Wed + Fri 11AM – 9:30PM
Saturday 11:30AM – 9PM
Sunday 12PM – 8PM
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Posted on February 9th, 2008 · American Delray Beach
***** Granger’s Bar & Grill, 215 NE 6th Avenue, Delray Beach Florida (561) 276-7881.

Granger’s is a 38 seat bar-grill located on Federal Highway. The joint has something like 10 seats at the bar and a handful of booths and tables…one waitress-one busgirl-3 in the kitchen and that’s the whole shooting match. By the way, the waitress and busgirl are also the bartenders. The bathrooms are out-houses in the parking lot.

Granger’s food is absolutely great. Appetizers, burgers, salads, main dishes everything is delicious. How that little kitchen bangs out so much delicious food is beyond me, but in the 30-40 times that I have eaten at Granger’s everything was right on the money.

I am telling you, that this little joint is a MUST for you. Wear tee shirt/shorts so you don’t look stupid. The joint is open Monday-Saturday for lunch and dinner. The prices are also dirt cheap and if you are there on a Saturday Night you have to try the brick of meatloaf that is one of this joint’s specialities.

From the outside, Granger’s looks like a D U M P. Try it, you will love it.