***** La Empanada Loca, 4820 North Dixie Highway, Oakland Park, Florida 33334, (754) 200-6151

With the understanding that in the 12th grade at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, New York- Jeff Eats received a final grade of 65-in Spanish…I got an absolutely dynamite Puerto Rican restaurant for you guys- La Empanada Loca in Oakland Park!

Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats recently did lunch at La Empanada Loca and I gotta tell you, the food absolutely killed! Like I said 2 seconds ago, a “D” in Spanish- but I do know when something tastes absolutely off-the chart delicious! By the way, for those of you who maybe wondering, Mrs. Jeff Eats “took” French at Midwood High School (Brooklyn, New York) so the 75- that she got in her senior year was of no help whatsoever at La Empanada Loca!

Bilingual or not- this La Empanada Loca joint is a winner!

You can catch menu/info at laempanadaloca.com .

La Empanada Loca is open Wednesday-Sunday 11:30am-8pm, closed Monday-Tuesday.

This contest started on 1/10/17. This contest has a winner!

* Win A $100 Laurenzo’s Italian Center Gift Card.

Jeff Eats got a $100 Laurenzo’s Italian Center Gift Card to give to one of you guys!

The game- the first 30 “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 $100 Gift Card is good at Laurenzo’s Italian Center, 16385 West Dixie Highway, North Miami Beach, Florida 33160, (305) 945-6381. Check laurenzositalianmarket.com for further info.

Posted on October 23rd, 2014

***** Laurenzo’s Italian Center, 16385 West Dixie Highway, North Miami Beach, Florida 33160, (305) 945-6381.

Like Perry Como, Jeff Eats gets letters, well in this case, an e-mail.

Got this one-from new reader Harry Rose…
*****
Love the blog glad I found it
October 21, 2014 at 6:02 AM

Just stumbled on your blog and I need your help. Right now I am having trouble adjusting back to EST so I have an extra 2.5 hours each mourning. Just got back from my first trip to Italy. Rome, Tuscany, Florence. While walking through Siena I came across the place below. I know it is too much to ask for a place like this in SF. But I basically had fresh meats and cheeses every day for over a week. I am already jonesing for a fix Jeff Eats where do I go?

BTW a plate of meats and cheeses with wine of course, for two, was 52 euros served on a cutting board with paper. They had no tables or place to eat you walked back out on the street and sat wherever. It was enough for four as I did not realize everyone else was getting a serving for one. I had it wrapped up and we ate it for the following two days as well.
——————–

Harry Rose:

Glad you found Jeff Eats.

Your e-mail doesn’t tell me exactly where in South Florida you live…so I’m shooting in the dark here!

That said, checkout Laurenzo’s Italian Center in North Miami Beach.

Jeff Eats’ review from 10/25/12 is reprinted below.

Nothing for nothing, but I’m thinking that- Laurenzo’s will get the job done for you. You can play Italian all-day-long in this joint…it’s sort of like Toys R Us, its got every base covered at reasonable prices!

Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats have been shopping/eating at Laurenzo’s for years and it has never disappointed.

Finally, if Laurenzo’s doesn’t work geographically for you…I’d suggest “looking around” Jeff Eats- there are a number of other South Florida Italian joints listed- that-will also fit the bill.

Thanks for reading.

October 25, 2012
***** Laurenzo’s Italian Center, 16385 West Dixie Highway, North Miami Beach, Florida 33160, (305) 945-6381.

Let’s call Laurenzo’s Italian Center an “Italian Specialty Supermarket”…terrific selection of fresh fruits/vegetables, wines, cheeses, pastas, fresh meat/seafood/chicken, baked goods, prepared foods. You can check http://laurenzositalianmarket.com for full details.

I’m gonna let you in on a-little secret, Jeff Eats loves joints like Laurenzo’s…great selection, top quality stuff, reasonable prices, hustle-bustle atmosphere. The bet here is that Laurenzo’s “must” be doing something right…its been around for something like 60 years.

Laurenzo’s also has a really-cool “cafeteria” type setup going on right in the middle of the joint…a handful of checkered oil-cloth covered tables—recently tried the joint’s brick-oven pizza, sausage & peppers sub, chicken parm sub—delicious.

Laurenzo’s Italian Center is open Monday-Saturday 9am-7pm, Sunday 9am-5pm

This contest started on 1/11/17. This contest has a winner!

* Win A $100 Mimi’s Ravioli Gift Card.

Jeff Eats got a $100 Mimi’s Ravioli Gift Card to give to one of you guys!

The game- the first 30 “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 $100 Gift Card is good at Mimi’s Ravioli, 6714 Johnson Street, Hollywood, Florida 33021, (954) 983-3823. You can check mimisravioli.com for info.

Mimi’s Ravioli (Hollywood)
Posted on March 16th, 2015
***** Mimi’s Ravioli, 6714 Johnson Street, Hollywood, Florida 33021, (954) 983-3823.

I can’t believe that this Italian market- has been around for something like 40 years and yesterday afternoon was the first time that Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats set foot in the joint!

No fooling here, after shopping in Mimi’s Ravioli- Mrs. Jeff Eats wanted to become an Italian ( I’m thinking that-right about now my mother-in-law is turning over in her grave)…

Anyway,

Mimi’s literally has every ITALIAN FOOD known to mankind!- breads, pastries, cakes, pastas, cheeses, wines, soups, groceries, sauces, prepared hot/cold foods, frozen prepared foods, salads. olive oil- the list goes on and on!

Think I’m fooling? Here’s a list (from Mimi’s website) of just its frozen prepared meals…

Pasta Dishes
Lasagna Cheese
Lasagna Meat
Lasagna Spinach
Lasagna Vegetable
Stuffed Shells w/sauce
Ravioli w/sauce
Manicotti w/sauce
Baked Ziti
Ziti with Broccoli
Ziti with chicken broccoli
Fish
Baked Clams
White Clam Sauce
Red Clam Sauce
Clam Chowder Meat Dishes
Meat Balls
Turkey Balls
Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Marcela
Chicken Françoise
Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken Gordon Blue
Chicken Rollotini
Chicken Saltimbocca
Chicken Scaloppini
Chicken & Mushrooms
Chicken & Peppers
Chicken Scaparellio
Veal Parmesan
Veal Marcela
Veal Françoise
Veal & Peppers
Veal Saltimbocca
Sausage & Peppers
Stuffed Peppers Meat
Tripe Genovese
Beef Bracciola
Pork Bracciola
Beef & Peppers
Vegetable Dishes
Eggplant Rollotini
Eggplant Parmesan
Mozzarella Marinara
Stuffed Peppers

Now nothing for nothing, you and Jeff Eats both know, that if the stuff Mimi’s is selling ain’t good- having all the “stock” in the world isn’t gonna help…trust Jeff Eats, the meat lasagna, eggplant rollotini, chicken scaparellio that we had for dinner last night- were right on the money. Between you and me, we got a big freezer in the house, so we got- veal & peppers, veal parmesan, chicken cacciatore, stuffed shells w/sauce and veal marsala still-to-go!

Like I said 6 seconds ago, Mimi’s has been around for something like 40 years- so you gotta figure that it must be doing something right! One beautiful thing, as good as the food maybe- like many other restaurants and markets- Mimi’s owners can’t spell worth-a damn. Right off the top of Jeff Eats’ head- Veal Marcela and Chicken Gordon Blue need some work!

Mimi’s is an absolute must try…

You can check menu/prices/info at mimisravioli.com.

Mimi’s is open Tuesday-Saturday 8am-6pm, Sunday 8am-2pm, closed Monday.

* The City Of Pompano Beach Presents: Winter Concert Series.

The other day, for 14 bucks a ticket (plus a service charge of $1.69 per ticket)- Jeff Eats went for the cash and bought 2-tickets for the whole-series!

If you want to be a “big player” just like Jeff Eats- eventbrite.com and pompanobeachfl.gov.

* Boca Fest at the Town Center Mall.

Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats “did” this one last year- if you catch some good weather, it’s a good way to kill an hour-or so!- and you’ll probably bump into a few of your “next door” Florida neighbors who have never-ever invited you into their homes!

DESCRIPTION
Howard Alan Events is excited to announce that Boca Fest will return to The Town Center Mall at Boca Raton. The Town Center is one of South Florida’s top luxury shopping destinations and one of Boca’s main attractions. The show will be located in the parking lot of The Terrace, a recent expansion near Bloomingdales, The Blue Martini and Gap. The Town Center is located right off I-95 and Glades Road. The show offers a convenient location with over 200 national artists and plenty of parking, including valet!
Venue: The Town Center Mall of Boca Raton on Glades Road in Boca Raton, FL
About the Festival
When:
Saturday, January 14th, 2017
10:00am to 5:00pm
Sunday, January 15th, 2017
10:00am to 5:00pm
Where:
6000 Glades Road in Boca Raton, FL
Cost:
Free Admission

This article first appeared on 10/14/16. The other day- Jeff Eats picked-up 4 discount tickets on goldstar.com. Just between you guys and Jeff Eats, this national touring Everly Brothers’ tribute “act” is absolute dynamite! I’m thinking that SRO is in the cards for tonight’s Boca Black Box show, so if you wanna go- it’s probably (actually, it’s definitely) time to make your move on the ticket front!

Posted on October 14th, 2016 · Boca Raton Music/Events/Other
* The Bird Dogs: The Everly Brothers Experience.

The Bird Dogs: The Everly Brothers Experience is an absolutely amazing show!

The national touring “act” fronted by brothers Dylan and Zachary Zmed (sons of “T.J. Hooker” star Adrian Zmed) has Standing Room Only casino/festival/theater/private event audiences swearing- that Phil and Don are on that stage!

The Skinny:
Thursday, January 12, 2017
8221 Glades Road #10
Boca Raton,FL 33434
Box Office: 561.483.9036
Tickets: bocablackbox.com, also check goldstar.com for discount tickets

from bocablackbox.com

The Bird Dogs: The Everly Brothers Experience- Set to perform at the Boca Black Box in Boca Raton!

The Bird Dogs: The Everly Brothers Experience” tribute show brings the famous two-part harmonies of the popular, country-influenced rock ‘n’ roll duo to the Boca Black Box, Thursday-January 12, 2017 (8pm).

The Bird Dogs: The Everly Brothers Experience” is a celebration of Isaac Donald “Don” and Phillip “Phil” Everly’s music, starring the Zmed brothers, Dylan and Zachary.
The Everly Brothers, whose musical career lasted more than 30 years, finished with 35 Billboard Hot 100 singles, including 26 that made the top 40. In addition to charting multiple songs, the brothers’ music has inspired some of the biggest names in rock ‘n’ roll, including The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel and Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. The duo was also among the first 10 artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

The Bird Dogs: The Everly Brothers Experience” captures the soulful, two-part harmony that made the original Everly Brothers famous. The Zmed brothers transform into Don and Phil, performing all of The Everly Brothers hits, including “Wake Up Little Susie,” “Bye Bye Love,” “Bird Dog,” “Cathy’s Clown” and more.

* Cough Syrup Doesn’t Work- Cough Drops Do!

Can’t explain it, but I’ve known “this” since I was around 7 or 8 years old!

from treehugger.com

Cough syrup doesn’t work; these remedies do
Melissa Breyer
Melissa Breyer (@MelissaBreyer)
Living / Health
January 4, 2017

We spend billions of dollars on over-the-counter cough medicine, but numerous studies find it’s not effective. Try these tips instead.

With winter comes the cough. In New York City, subway cars sound like a Victorian sanitarium – and grimy hands aside, it’s the 50-MPH cough (and even faster sneezes) that give germs the joy ride of their lives as they travel to brand new bodies to infect. Yay, coughing! And it’s not just spreading germs that’s an issue; a persistent cough is annoying and distracting and can keep you, as well as the rest of your household, up all night.

So we spend billions of dollars on over-the-counter cough medicines that deliver a variety of multisyllabic chemicals to tame the hacking; yet alas, they don’t work, or so says science.

Researchers for the American Chemical Society’s weekly show, Reactions, took a look at systemic reviews and found there is very little evidence that cough syrup is effective at treating coughs, and that “carefully performed clinical trials show that these medications are generally no better than a placebo.”

In one of the reviews they examined, of the 19 studies looked at, 15 showed no benefit or the results were conflicting. The other reviews all had similar conclusions, finding overall that there is “no good evidence for or against the effectiveness of OTC medicines in acute cough.”

And not only that, but taking too large of a dose can have exceedingly detrimental effects. Like death. (Or like the thousands of children under 12 who go to the emergency room each year thanks to cough medicine overdose.) Although it could be worse, in the 1800s cough syrups contained things like morphine, alcohol, cannabis, chloroform and heroin – all of which probably didn’t help the cough, but likely nudged the cougher into a state of no longer caring.

The researchers also say that, aside from placebo effect, treatments employing Echinacea, vitamin C or zinc will likely not help either (though I’m not sure people actually use those specific remedies for cough itself).

So what does work? These tricks from the granny playbook all get the green light:

• Drink plenty of fluid.
• Use a humidifier or take a steamy shower.
• Suck on cough drops; but sucking on any candy has the same effect. (Just watch the artificial ingredients and sugar; I’d look for a naturally sweetened lozenge or make your own.)
• Use honey and lemon – there is real live research showing that honey is efficacious for treating cough.
• Wait it out if you can; most coughs will go away after a week or two without treatment. (And if a cough persists for longer, see your doctor).

Do you have any tried-and-true remedies for cough?

* Chris Rock- Internet Pre-Sale.

Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats love this guy!

We’re gonna catch 2-tickets to this one…

***** Pekin Chinese Restaurant & Supermarket, 2293 Southwest 17th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33145, (305) 858-9801.

A recent e-mail received by Jeff Eats…

Jeff,

Just moved from Orlando to Miami. My address is, ________________.

No insult intended, but until yesterday I had never heard about your site when I stumbled upon it while searching for Chinese Restaurants in Miami.

What’s the chance that you could do me a favor and give me a terrific “American” Chinese Takeout within a mile of my home? I would really appreciate the help.

Thank you,

John A

_________

John A:

Welcome to Miami.

Not so sure about the TERRIFIC part of your request, but Pekin Chinese Restaurant “should” definitely get the job done for you!

Thanks for reading…

Pekin Chinese Restaurant (Miami)
Posted on January 11th, 2012 · Chinese Miami

***** Pekin Chinese Restaurant, 2293 Southwest 17th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33145, (305) 858-9801.

Pekin…basically a “takeout” joint, but it does have a handful of tables. You can check menu/prices at www.pkrestaurant.com.

Let’s handle this one this way—applying Jeff Eats’ Brooklyn-Jewish Chinese Restaurant taste-test circa 1957, the wonton soup, egg rolls, roast pork fried rice, bbq ribs, fried dumplings, pepper steak, honey garlic chicken, moo shu pork—everything was delicious. A special shout-out to the honey garlic chicken and the egg rolls.

Look! You know and I know that FLORIDA is suppose to have lousy Chinese food. Happy to report- Pekin Chinese Restaurant doesn’t fit the mold. The joint’s stuff is real-good. I’m kinda figuring that since its been around since 1995 it must be doing something right.

If you live or work in Pekin’s neighborhood, you now know about a real good Chinese takeout joint.

Pekin is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-10:30pm.

This contest started on 1/9/17. This contest has a winner!

* Win A $100 The Boys Farmers Market Gift Card.

Jeff Eats got a $100 The Boys Farmers Gift Card to give to one of you guys!

The game- the first 30 “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 $100 Gift Card is good at The Boys Farmers Market, 14378 Military Trail, Delray Beach, Florida 33484, (561) 496-8123. Check boysfarmersmarket.com for further info.

Posted on October 17th, 2014

Boys-Farmers-Market-Delray-Beach-FL-004
***** The Boys Farmers Market.

Jeff Eats first “reviewed” The Boys Farmers Market on 5/6/2009.

That review is reprinted below.

It is now some 5 1/2 years later- and I just wanted to tell -new as well as old- Jeff Eats’ readers that I LOVE this joint-and if you live or work anywhere-near The Boys Farmers Market make it your business to shop there…trust me, you will be thrilled that you did!
*****
May 6, 2009

***** The Boys Farmers Market, 14378 Military Trail, Delray Beach, Florida 33484 (561) 496-8123.

If you can “handle” its parking-lot…with senior citizens “backing in and backing out” non-stop…The Boys Farmers Market is an absolutely great place to shop for fruits, fresh squeezed juices, vegetables, baked goods, cheeses, wines, candies, seafood, meats, coffees and prepared chicken/seafood/meat dishes.

Just guessing here, but The Boys’ probably has something like 30,000 square feet of indoor space jammed with top quality FOOD. All the free samples that you’d like…and everything sold, runs circles around joints like Publix, Winn Dixie and Albertsons, not to mention-probably cheaper.

My family has been shopping at The Boys Farmers Market for years…and I have been amazed by two things…namely, that we have never been involved in a fender-bender in its parking lot & the great stuff that it sells.

The Boys has its own bakery, squeezes its own juices and prepares its own “take out” food. This joint is an absolute-winner. If you live in the Delray Beach area, you probably already know about The Boys…for those of you who don’t, you got to go shopping there…just be careful in the parking lot.

The Boys Farmers Market is open 7 days a week.