* National Meatball Day!

Today, is National Meatball Day!

Jeff Eats’ can’t wait for the real-biggie…National General Tso’s Chicken (No Spice) Day! ☺️

Now if you guys can keep a secret between us, some of the best meatballs that money can buy are served- up at Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant. You guys and Jeff Eats both know that “food reviewing” is purely a subjective-gig, what I like you may hate and vice versa…With that in mind, all I can tell you, is that I absolutely love Buca’s meatballs!

Long story short, printed down below is Jeff Eats’ 8/22/14 Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant “story”…I’m telling you, the joint’s meatballs (and for that matter, other stuff) are dynamite!

Posted August 22, 2014
***** Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant, 801 North Congress Avenue, Wellington, Florida 33426, (561) 737-2393.

Buca di Beppo is a national Southern Italian restaurant chain…for our purposes, joints in Boynton Beach, Brandon, Coral Springs, Davie, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Maitland, Naples, Orlando, Tallahassee, Wellington. You can check menu/prices/locations/info at bucadibeppo.com.

Last night Jeff Eats ate dinner at the Buca di Beppo in Wellington. Just so you know, Wellington wasn’t my “maiden Buca di Beppo voyage”–first time for Wellington, but over the past 16 years Jeff Eats has eaten in a number of Buca’s joints-here in Florida and elsewhere. Can’t really explain, why Buca di Beppo hadn’t garnered a Jeff Eats’ critique-prior to-today. If I figure it out, I’ll let you guys know.

Right about now some of you guys are throwing a hissy fit–Hey Jeff, it’s a chain, why would you eat there? What’s wrong with you? Did you lose your mind?

First things first.

For you guys who don’t “know” Buca di Beppo…locations are decorated literally with hundreds of pictures. The portions are either family style or individual size. Full bar -area.

Now onto the meal…just so you know, there were eight- in the Jeff Eats’ party-fried calamari, chopped antipasto salad, chicken parmigiana, veal marsala, penne alla vodka, ravioli with meat sauce, lasagna, baked rigatoni, tiramisu, cheesecake.

Now you do what you want with this. The food was delicious, the service was solid-friendly and all 8-of us really-really enjoyed ourselves.

Nothing for nothing, I know that there are a bunch of you-out there-who really “believe” that chain food can’t be any good. Well I got news for you, from this boy’s perch, Buca di Beppo proves your theory DEAD WRONG! No fooling here- I found the food as good if not better than most of the “mom & pop” Florida red sauce joints that have run my American Express card. For sure, there are loads of “mom & pops” that would wipe the floor with Buca di Beppo but trust me, most of them aren’t as good. On the price front, Buca di Beppo is in the same league as the “mom & poppers” -same goes for portion size and service.

A few seconds ago I gave you Buca’s website. When you check the site you’ll find a current “deal” called-“Feed four for $40.”–if you are going to try Buca, be smart and print out that coupon. One other thing, this morning Jeff Eats got an email from local.amazon.com offering a coupon for $10 off your next $20 purchase at Buca di Beppo- you may also want to print out that coupon. The way I see “coupons”- better your pocket than their pocket!

Buca di Beppo is open Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm, Sunday 11am-9pm.

This article first appeared on October 29, 2015. Jeff Eats just checked the box-office (pompanobeacharts.org and goldstar.com (discount tickets) and there are a handful of good seats left. No question in my mind, this is gonna be a SRO “situation”- so if you wanna go, do what you gotta do! You can catch tickets at theamppompano.org.

Posted October 29, 20015
* Charlie Daniels Band & The Marshall Tucker Band.

Jeff Eats is thinking- that you guys now know about a great upcoming concert at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater literally- before anyone else does (except of course for Jeff Eats, Mrs. Jeff Eats, Jeff Eats’ cousin Bobby, Jeff Eats’ friend Lauren, all of the kids who were in Jeff Eats’ 3rd grade class at P.S. 179 in Brooklyn, The Amp’s staff, artists, artists’ reps)- Now, you may be wondering how Jeff Eats knows! Come on- you guys know, that I know people! You can catch tickets at pompanobeacharts.org and “right now” EVERY SEAT IS AVAILABLE!

The Skinny:

Charlie Daniels Band & The Marshall Tucker Band
Friday, March 11th
Concert: 7:30pm | Doors: 6pm
The Amp (Pompano Beach Amphitheater)
Tickets: pompanobeacharts.org $48-$78. Service and credit card charges may apply.



from pompanobeacharts.org

Charlie Daniels Band

“Few individuals have symbolized the South in popular culture as directly and indelibly as Charlie Daniels.”
-
Encyclopedia of Southern Culture

When you hear a classic Charlie Daniels Band performance like “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” you hear music that knows no clear genre. Is it a folk tale? A southern boogie? A country fiddle tune? An electric rock anthem? The answer is, “yes” to all of that and more. And the same goes for “In America,” “Uneasy Rider,” “The South’s Gonna Do It,” “Long Haired Country Boy,” “Still in Saigon,” “The Legend of Wooley
Swamp,” and the rest of a catalog that spans 50 years of record making and represents more than 20 million in sales.

Charlie Daniels is partly Western and partly Southern. His signature “bullrider” hat and belt buckle, his lifestyle on the Twin Pines Ranch (a boyhood dream come true), his love of horses, cowboy lore and the heroes of championship rodeo, Western movies, and Louis L’Amour novels, identify him as a Westerner. The son of a lumberjack and a Southerner by birth, his music – rock, country, bluegrass, blues, gospel – is
 quintessentially Southern.



The Marshall Tucker Band

After blazing concert trails across the United States for four years, The Marshall Tucker Band (MTB) took a mighty leap in November of 1976 when they crossed the Atlantic and hit Europe for the first time.

The group’s style combined rock, country, and jazz and featured extended instrumental passages on which lead guitarist Toy Caldwell shone. They gained recognition through a tour with the Allman Brothers Band and found significant success during the course of the ’70s, with most of their albums going gold. Their peak came with the million-selling album Carolina Dreams and its Top 15 single “Heard It in a Love Song” in 1977.

Parking directions:

From I-95:

Take I-95 and get off on Atlantic Blvd. and head east. Turn north onto N. Dixie Hwy / 811. Take a right onto NE 10th St. Follow concert signs.
From US-1:
Take US-1/N. Federal Hwy to NE 10th St. and head west. Follow concert signs.

* This article first appeared on February 21, 2016. Just checked the Boca Black Box box-office (bocablackbox.com) and goldstar.com (discount tickets) and there are a handful of tickets left for all 3-performances. Jeff Eats just picked-up 2-seats for next Saturday night. Based on what I’ve read and heard, Tied Up In Knotts sounds like it could be a real interesting “outing”

Posted February 21, 2016
* Tied Up In Knotts!

Just announced…sounds kinda interesting! The lady’s father was definitely one of greatest comedic actors of all-time!

Checkout karenknotts.com…it will give you some idea as What Tied Up In Knotts! is all about…

The Skinny:

Tied Up In Knotts!

Boca Black Box
8221 Glades Road
Boca Raton, Florida 33434
(561) 483-9036

Friday,
March 11, 2016 8:00 PM
Saturday,
March 12, 2016 8:00 PM
Sunday,
March 13, 2016 2:00 PM

Tickets/Info: bocablackbox.com (check goldstar.com for discount tickets)

from bocablackbox.com

Tied Up In Knotts!

‘A daughter’s tribute to a funny & terrific dad’

A must-see for kids of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s who grew up laughing at Don Knotts as Barney Fife on the Andy Griffith show! It’s a father-daughter story about growing up in a celebrity ‘Diva’ world with the love of Mayberry.

“Karen Knotts has been making audiences laugh out loud on the stage, film and in television for more than 20 years. Tied Up In Knotts was hailed as L.A. Comedy Award’s “Funniest One Women Show”.

Karen has appeared on A&E Biography and the CNN Larry King Live tribute to her legendary father, actor and comedian Don Knotts, who passed away in 2006. The world will forever remember Don Knotts for playing the role of Barney Fife on the long-running hit sitcom, The Andy Griffith Show.” Because the show is a one-woman show, there is a measure of flexibility that allows her to tailor the show to your event and make it a memorable one.

***** Hong Kong Wok N Grill, 185 East Indiantown Road, Jupiter, Florida 33477, (561) 746-6798.

Got a real good “out of sight, out of mind”- Chinese joint for you guys, Hon Kong Wok N Grill in Jupiter. I say “out of sight, out of mind”- because although Jeff Eats first told you guys about-the joint on April 16, 2012 -I hadn’t been back until last night for dinner. Just between us, Boca Raton where my abode is- and Jupiter is a “drive” that you don’t want to be making on an everyday basis- if you get my drift!

Long story short, last night Jeff Eats, Mrs. Jeff Eats and another couple ate dinner at Hong Kong Wok N Grill and I gotta tell you that the food was real good! If I do say so myself, the egg drop soup, wonton soup, egg rolls, bbq ribs, pan fried pork dumplings, roast pork fried rice, sweet & sour chicken, pepper steak, roast duck, General Tso’s chicken (no spice) that we had- scored extremely high on Jeff Eats’ Circa 1957 Brooklyn Jewish American Chinese Food Taste Test!

Now, you know and I know that “food reviewing” is a totally subjective-situation! What I like, you may hate…with that in mind, the suggestion here- is to give Hong Kong Wok N Grill a try- and see if rings the bell for you! It did for Jeff Eats, Mrs. Jeff Eats and “the” Anyomous Couple!

You can check menu/prices at hongkonggrill.com. The joint is open Monday-Saturday 11am-10pm, Sunday 4pm-10pm.

Posted April 16, 2012
***** Hong Kong Wok N Grill, 185 East Indiantown Road, Jupiter, Florida 33477, (561) 746-6798.

When I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn my parent’s favorite neighborhood Chinese restaurant was Joy Fong’s on Avenue J—now I’m just guessing here, but I’ll bet you that between 1949-1966 (the year Jeff Eats started college) I, my brother, my father and my mother must have eaten in that joint something like 600 times. Now, most non-Jews (the goyim) back then, thought that “us” Jews lit candles on Friday nights—au contraire, “us” Reform Brooklyn Jews were either stuffing our faces in/or getting takeout deliveries from the Joy Fong’s of the world. Back then we didn’t call it Chinese food, we use to say we were going out for C@@@@@—(And you thought that Jeff Eats wasn’t politically correct, didn’t you?) The point I’m trying to drive home here, whether right or wrong, Joy Fong’s “food” is as far as I’m concerned the gold-standard for neighborhood Chinese joint food. Maybe a better way to explain “this”—when I eat matzo ball soup-I compare the ball at hand–in texture, consistency and flavor to the ones that my mother made.

Now that I’ve filled some space and killed some of your time, I recently had dinner at Hong Kong Wok N’ Grill in Jupiter. Now based on my Brooklyn Jewish Chinese Joy Fong’s standards I gotta tell you, this joint makes some pretty good food.

Here’s what I “sampled”—egg rolls, pan fried pork dumplings, bbq ribs, roast pork fried rice, chicken chow mein, sweet & sour pork, general tso’s chicken (no spice), shrimp with lobster sauce. As for the test results, the egg rolls, dumplings, ribs were delicious—same for the fried rice and general tso’s chicken…as for the sweet & sour pork, chicken chow mein and shrimp with lobster sauce–good, but if memory serves me right, Joy Fong’s stuff was better.

Now for the kicker here—in early 1967 my parents, my brother and I discovered Pine Gardens (which morphed into Wong Kee) in NYC’s Chinatown which made Joy Fong’s food look like rookieville. Since Pine Gardens/Wong Kee were so phenomenal, I don’t use “them” as yardsticks, because to this very date, I haven’t found any joint that makes better food.

Let me wrap this story up this way…Hong King Wok N’ Grill is a real good Chinese restaurant. If you live or work in Hong’s neighborhood give it a shot—I enjoyed it and I think you will too.

Hong Kong Wok N’ Grill is open Monday-Saturday 11am-10pm, Sunday 4pm-10pm.

You can check menu/prices at www.hongkongwokngrill.com.

***** Leo’s Pizza, 6720 Coral Way, Miami, Florida 33155, (305) 661-4285.

First told you guys about Leo’s Pizza on October 24, 2010. For our purposes let’s call Leo’s Pizza an “out of sight, out of mind” joint- in that Jeff Eats hadn’t been back since that “story” first appeared! Trust Jeff Eats on this one, this order/pickup at the counter red sauce Italian joint ain’t exactly a skip, hop and a jump from Jeff Eats’ Boca Raton abode- thus the multi-year absence!

Long story short, last night Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats ate dinner at Leo’s pizza- cheese garlic rolls ($4.29), Greek salad ($7.25), 16″ pepperoni/sausage/cheese pizza ($15.99) and 2-20 oz. Cokes ($3.02) and I gotta tell you, the food absolutely killed! No bs-here, the food was so good that if I was lactose intolerant, I would still have eaten those cheese covered garlic rolls and that cheese pizza- and dealt with the consequences later on!

As I said way back in 2010- “If this joint was in my neighborhood, I would be a regular eat in/takeout custome.”

If you live or work anywhere near Leo’s Pizza- you gotta get food at this joint, it’s delicious!

Posted October 24, 2010
***** Leo’s Pizza, 6720 Coral Way, Miami, Florida 33155, (305) 661-4285.

Pizza-Pasta-Salads-Subs…check prices/menu at www.pizzaleos.com.

Leo’s is a “hole in the wall—red sauce–pizza” joint…but, you already knew that. Leo’s has been around for something like 35 years. A recent outing had me “sampling”—meatball sub– pizza–baked ziti–chicken caesar salad–garlic rolls. Let’s just say, I found everything delicious, with special honors going out to those garlic rolls.

If this joint was in my neighborhood, I would be a regular eat in/takeout customer.

Leo’s Pizza is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-11pm and Friday-Saturday 11am-midnight.

***** DISH OF THE WEEK (Sunday- 3/6/16).

One of Jeff Eats’ favorite menu items…

EVERYTHING

A Little Bit Of Philly
3940 Curtiss Parkway
Virginia Gardens
(305) 456-0481
Latest Review: 2/28/15

Jeff Eats knows that it may sound kinda nuts- but everything this joint makes- is outrageously delicious. Trust me on this one, off the chart pizza, subs and other stuff!

Posted February 28, 2015
***** A little Bit Of Philly, 3940 Curtiss Parkway, Virginia Gardens, Florida 33166, (305) 456-0481.

Another- Jeff Eats “out of sight out of mind” joint for you! First told you guys- about A Little Bit Of Philly on 2/17/2014 (“review” is down below), hadn’t been back until yesterday…

Gotta tell you, that this joint’s stuff is delicious…Philly Cheesesteak Sub and Meatball Sub were off the chart!

The big bitch I got with this A Little Bit Of Philly joint, it’s some drive from my home in Boca Raton!

Hopefully you live or work nearby-so you can go there a-lot!
_____
February 17, 2014
***** A little Bit of Philly, 3940 Curtiss Parkway, Virginia Gardens, Florida 33166, (305) 456-0481.

Real simple concept here…order at/pickup at counter joint, that makes pizza, calzones, stromboli, hot/cold subs.

Just so you know, Jeff Eats was turned onto -A Little Bit of Philly by my pals at food blog Burger Beast www.burgerbeast.com who did a story on August 20, 2013.

You know and I know that pizza/sub joints are like Chins in a Chinese phonebook…literally, one in every South Florida strip center…not sure if the Chins/Chinese phonebook/strip center “theme” is working here–but you guys know what I mean.

Anyway…

The other day Jeff Eats gave -A Little Bit Of Philly a shot-and I gotta tell you that the plain pizza, sicilian pizza, philly cheese steak sub, meatball sub that I “sampled” were off the chart. No fooling around, everything-was amazingly delicious.

Let me wrap this up for you…this joint is an absolute grand-slam must try–that’s assuming, that you enjoy great subs and pizza…and other than my friend Hank (a story for another day)-who doesn’t?

A Little Bit Of Philly is open Monday-Saturday 11am-9pm, Sunday 11am-8pm.

* 7th Annual Hospice Benefit Car & Truck Show.

Got something that you 50s-60s Rock N.Roll characters might like…7th Annual Hospice Benefit Car & Truck Show- scheduled for Sunday, March 13, 2016 (10am-4pm) outside of the Cars of Dreams Museum, 133 US Highway 1, North Palm Beach, Florida)…

The flyer above kinda “sucks”- (law degree or no law degree, the flyer confused the crap out of me) but, from what Jeff Eats understands, 4 of South Florida’s premier 50s-60s Rock N Roll bands- Orange Sunshine, The Whitestone Band, The Fabulons and Spanky & Dino will be outside putting on a free concert! There will also be a free outside car show and various food/beverage and other vendors hawking stuff. In addition, for 10 bucks a head (if you want to) you can buy a ticket to tour the Cars of Dreams Museum…part of the proceeds generated by the event go to Hospice of Palm Beach County Foundation.

Trust Jeff Eats on this one, all 4 bands absolutely kill! The Museum has a collection of all kinds of amazing vintage automobiles- and the “guys” who register their vehicles to show- usually have top-notch ones- and love to talk about them (to each other and anyone else who’ll listen!😊

The bet here, is that with some nice weather- this is gonna be a really cool-fun event…assuming you’re into 50s-60s Rock N Roll and “old” (I mean-vintage) vehicles.

Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats are going!

* Old Town Untapped.

Got a real good “free” outing for you guys- Old Town Untapped.

If the weather “works” tonight- free beer, food trucks, art work, street vendors…and Octo Gato and The Copper Tones who just happen to be 2 of South Florida’s coolest-hippest bands! Really don’t have time to “explain in detail” but the 3-piece Octo Gato is a throwback to the legendary Dick Dale and the 4- piece The Copper Tones remind Jeff Eats of a jazzy Joan Baez. For those of you guys who don’t know who Dick Dale or Joan Baez are: 1. Don’t plan on going on Jeopardy real soon and 2. Google Time for you!

The Skinny:

Friday
March 4th
6pm-9pm

Don’t miss this month’s Old Town Untapped, located in the heart of Downtown Pompano Beach! Enjoy FREE craft beer tastings by Pompano Beach’s breweries – 26 Degrees Brewing, Bangin’ Banjo Brewery – and the newest brewery on the scene – Odd Breed Wild Ales!! Plus LIVE MUSIC by Octo Gato and the Coppertones, Food trucks, Live Artists Battling it out for your Votes, Art exhibits, Games, and of course the Old Town Biergarten!!

Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats will be there.

Gonna be a real nice night!

* Bobby Slayton.

Comedian Bobby Slayton’s Boca Black Box- November 7, 2015 show was SRO!

The hysterically “blue” funny Slayton returns to the Boca Black Box, April 15th & 16th for 2- encore performances!

Don’t miss him!

The Skinny:

Bobby Slayton
Boca Black Box
8221 Glades Rd #10, Boca Raton, FL 33434
Friday & Saturday – April 15th & 16th (8pm)
Tickets: bocablackbox.com 561 483-9036

* NY Comedy Night Presents JEFF LAUB.

Got something absolutely terrific for you guys…a few minutes ago, the Boca Black Box announced that comedian- Jeff LAUB will be appearing there TONIGHT at 8pm. Trust Jeff Eats when I tell you that LAUB (who by the way is a Coral Springs resident), is a very funny “clean” comedian- who will have you pissing-your pants from laughter!

I know it’s a last minute kinda deal, but I’m telling you to go! You will love this guy!

If you need some convincing as to how funny Jeff Laub really is- go check jefflaub.com. Just between you guys and Jeff Eats, unless there is something definitely wrong with you, Laub’s videos/story should “convince” you pretty good!

The Skinny:

NY Comedy Night Presents JEFF LAUB
Thursday, March 3, 2016 (8pm)
Boca Black Box
8221 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33434
Box Office: (561) 483-9036
Tickets: bocablackbox.com

from bocablackbox.com
Jeff Laub is a Brooklyn, NY native who writes and performs his totally original material in comedy clubs, country clubs and on cruise ships the world over. He’s been featured on Fox News, and appeared on the Showtime Showcase and the MDA telethon. Jeff has also opened for stars of stage and screen such as Oscar winner Joel Grey, Tony Orlando, Melissa Manchester, Lou Rawls.

from jefflaub.com

Jeff Laub is a funny guy. Some people are tall. Some people are brilliant. Some people are beautiful. And some people are naturally funny. It’s what you are. It’s what you do. Lebron dunks, Martha cooks and Jeff Laub makes people laugh. He’s always been funny. He was funny in P.S. 99, Midwood High School and especially in Brooklyn College, where he once starred in Country Fair as a character based on his comedic idol, Don Rickles.
But funny isn’t always funny. After spending too much time cracking up his Pi Lam fraternity brothers, Jeff bombed on his calculus and chemistry finals, abruptly putting an end to his mother’s dream of her “tatala’s” future dental career. So Jeff switched his major to Television Production and there was no looking back. He earned a Masters degree in Speech & Theater and Television Production and landed the best job of his life, working as a Page on the Dick Cavett Show. Earning $1.70 an hour and pocketing an extra 30 cents a day that was supposed to go towards shirt dry cleaning, Jeff spent each day meeting and watching the greatest entertainers, in the world, including comedy legends such as Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Bill Cosby and Robert Klein. But married life beckoned, and even Jeff Laub couldn’t live on $1.70 an hour forever, even in a $101 a month rent control apartment on Ocean Avenue.
So he landed a job in the game show business, utilizing his Masters Degree expertise by typing questions on blue index cards and fetching tea for Bill Cullen (Bill preferred Red Rose, by the way). Eventually, Jeff worked his way up to writer and Producer on such shows as “Three On a Match,” “Winning Streak,” “Shoot For the Stars” and the Emmy Award winning “10,000 Pyramid” starring Dick Clark. Things were looking up, so Jeff moved to Wantagh, Long Island with wife Ellyn and baby girl Heather.
He then created “The ShowBiz Quiz,” which resulted in a development deal with NBC. But Jay Leno said he wanted the time slot, so the show never got on the air.
Jeff soon branched out and pioneered the Instructional Video genre as writer and co-Executive Producer of “Watch Your Step” and the VIRA award winning “The Incredible Magic of Magic.” Unfortunately, it was 1979, and only six people in American owned VCRs, so the profits were slim to say the least. But he kept himself afloat by writing and starring in sketch comedy on “The Showtime Showcase,” hosted by Tom Kennedy. Son, Cory arrived and the Laub family unit was now complete.
Soon the Corporate world beckoned, and Jeff became the number one writer and outside creative consultant for Pepsi-Cola Company, writing and producing hundreds of speeches, roasts, song parodies and multi-media presentations for sales meetings and bottler conventions all over the U.S. for over 12 years. But he was tired. And New York was cold. Still funny, but cold and tired. So Jeff Laub sold the house on Long Island, packed up the wife and two kids and moved to south Florida.
He really had no choice, did he? Brooklyn…to Long Island…to Florida. That’s the Appalachian Trail for Jews and Italians.
Then, one day, Jeff discovers the open mic comedy show at Borders Bookstore and it hits him. “Finally…a job where I can always be funny and only have to work an hour a day.” The rest is history.
Jeff Laub performs year-round at comedy clubs, country clubs, hotels, casinos, synagogues, churches, corporate functions and on cruise ships all over the world.
He’s had the pleasure of opening for such stars as Oscar winner Joel Grey, Tony Orlando, Lou Rawls, Hal Linden, Lucy Arnaz and Sally Kellerman.
One of Jeff’s key strengths is his versatility and skill in adapting his style and material to any audience setting. With his razor sharp wit and ad-libbing ability, he’s received rave reviews whether he’s performing his “R” rated late night comedy club shows or headlining for 2000 senior citizens at an adult retirement community. Hopefully, you’ll have a chance to catch Jeff’s act soon. But don’t wait too long. He hasn’t totally given up on that dental career. Are you listening, Ma?