* Spanky & Dino.

A recent e-mail from reader Linda E.

Jeff,

Maybe you can help me and my husband out.
We are planning my husband’s 65th birthday and are looking for a musical duo that could play at the party.
We have already reserved our Boca Raton country club’s ballroom for February 2015.
We are planning on having give or take 150 people.
Most of our guests will be in the 60-75 range but there will be a number in their 30s-50s.
Can you recommend a duo or even a trio that can play 50s-90s?
We are thinking that $_________ is within our budget for 4 hours.
We would greatly appreciate your input here.
Thank you very much,
Linda E
*****
Linda E:

Got the perfect duo for you, Spanky & Dino (spankyanddino.com).

Two guys -both sing…one is on keyboard the other is on drums-that do terrific covers of 40s-90s hits.

Spanky & Dino have been around for years and seemingly- on any given day/night can be found-working at a South Florida- country club/restaurant/festival/party/casino. Not to give away my age or nothing, but Jeff Eats first caught the “duo” at Dinopetes (which was a night club located right across the road)- 5 years before the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood opened for business. Spanky & Dino killed it back then and today-are still right on the money!

No question in my mind, Spanky & Dino will do you proud at the 65th birthday party…

My best wishes to your husband and tell him that I recommend buying Supplement “F” when Medicare rolls around in a few months.

* Odyssey Road.

Jeff Eats has been kicking-around the music business for over 45 years. Trust me when I tell you, I’ve literally seen thousands of cover-tribute bands.

Now to the point,

South Florida based- Odyssey Road-has to be one of the best Journey-tribute bands that I have ever seen. These guys aren’t just good, they are outstandingly good. In the cover/tribute band business it is quite a feat for an act to draw 100s of people to its shows…amazingly, Odyssey Road consistently draws 1000s. A month or so ago, the band played Boca Raton’s- Mizner Park Amphitheater and you would have sworn that The Beatles were there (well, that may-be a drop over-dramatic) but I will tell you, that parking was so hard to find, that lawn-spots right outside of Mizner were fetching 10 bucks a piece. Just between you and me, something like 5,500 (a Mizner Park Amphitheater attendance record) showed up to watch Odyssey Road -so Jeff Eats is thinking, that just maybe I’m not so crazy about how good this band really is!

Just an observation, Journey’s music (70s-80s) seems to transcend age. Jeff Eats has been to all kinds of events-and amazingly 10 year olds, 20 year olds. 30 year old, so-forth and so on…all know the words to Journey’s hits. The band’s fan base is gigantic.

Jeff Eats has previously mentioned and highlighted Odyssey Road’s-appearances…

Just a suggestion:
*****
ODYSSEY ROAD
November 14, 2014
Delray Beach Center For The Arts-At Old School Square

Free Friday Concert, 7:30 p.m.; Outdoor Pavilion. The ultimate Journey tribute band, Odyssey Road was formed with only one intention: To perform the greatest hit songs ever recorded by the legendary rock group Journey, as a tribute to the amazing music they created.

There is no intention of trying to pass off as a look-a-like to the original artist. Odyssey Road possesses the passion to perform Journey material with the feel and energy that would have even the most loyal purist begging for an encore. As fans of Journey, this five-piece powerhouse vocal quintet captures the influence of the music and style of the legendary group “Journey.”

Rain or shine; bring your blankets and chairs, and bring the family… but PLEASE, no pets or outside food or beverages. Food trucks and cash bar available.

* The Concert For Valor.

Live Concert At The Mall, Washington, D.C.
November 11, 2014
On HBO-7pm.

Starring:
Bruce Springsteen
Rihanna
Eminem
Metallica
Jessie
The Black Keys
Dave Grohl
Zac Brown Band
Jennifer Hudson
Carrie Underwood

Should be an absolutely amazing “concert”…sure have come along way from those Bob Hope-Jerry Colonna shows!

To every- Veteran out there, thank you!

***** Salvatore Pizza, Pasta & Subs, 1550 West 84th Street, Hialeah, Florida 33027, (305) 821-7016.

Got a real good one for you…Salvatore Pizza in Hialeah.

First things first,

You guys know and Jeff Eats knows, that “mom & pop”-red sauce Italian joints are a dime a dozen down here in South Florida. No ifs ands or buts, almost every dumpy-strip center has one of them. For the record, we also know-that these strip center pizza joints aren’t solely- indigenous (I did go to college)- to South Florida, all 50 states got them…

Anyway,

Jeff Eats and a couple of buddies recently had lunch at Salvatore Pizza and I gotta tell you, I loved the joint.

When you check Salvatore Pizza’s menu at salvatoreinhialeah.com, you’re gonna find the expected full-boat of appetizers/pizzas/pastas/subs/salads/calzones-stromboli/entrees/desserts.

Jeff Eats and Buddies Jeff Eats ordered…veal parm sub (8″-$9), meatball sub (8″-$7), large plain pizza (16″-$11), garlic knots (6-$2.50), calzone ($13) and I-must tell you, Salvatore Pizza killed it! No fooling here, everything was delicious.

Now, you guys know that Jeff Eats really isn’t into lists or rankings, but the- calzone stuffed with ricotta/mozzarella/romano cheeses definitely deserved a special shout-out! So- HELLO CALZONE!!

Nothing fancy going on at Salvatore Pizza. Solid and I do mean SOLID pizza joint stuff.

Like I said 4 seconds ago, Jeff Eats loved Salvatore Pizza.

The perfect Jeff Eats’ lunch…red sauce galore, loads of Coca Cola, good friends, plenty of napkins and no Mrs. Jeff Eats’-drama… bitching about- how I was stuffing my face, hadn’t taken a “lactose” pill and how I would be up all night gagging from indigestion.

Salvatore Pizza, Pasta & Subs is open Monday-Thursday 10am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 10am-11pm, Sunday noon-10pm.

***** DISH OF THE WEEK (Sunday- 11/9/14)

One of Jeff Eats’ favorite menu items…

SOFT PRETZEL
$1.39 (1/2 dozen $7.00, dozen (14) I know! $12.00)

Philly Pretzel Heaven
5021 South State Road 7
Davie
(954) 584-5168
phillypretzelheaven.com
Last Reviewed: 3/6/12

I don’t know about you, but ever since I was a kid I’ve loved soft pretzels. Now you know and I know, that the soft pretzels sold at stadiums, fairs, festivals- are frozen suckers-that are heated up…between you and me, most aren’t very good! Anyway, to make a long story short, Philly Pretzel Heaven makes/bakes all kinds of soft pretzels. Philly Pretzel Heaven taking a page out of the bagel-store-business-playbook, has “flavors” such as -plain, salted, poppy, garlic, sesame, everything. Trust Jeff Eats on this one, if you like soft pretzels you’ll love Philly Heaven.

* Help Wanted!

Jeff Eats knows that a number of you guys definitely qualify (wink, wink, wink)…

Take a look at this 11/4/14 e-mail.
*****
From: Gabrielle Goldstein
Subject: Now Casting Food Network Star in Miami!

Message Body:
Hello Jeff,

My name is Gabrielle Goldstein and I am a Casting Assistant for Food Network Star, Food Network’s hugely successful culinary reality series. We are currently casting for season 11 and would like to inform you and your readers that we are holding an open casting call in Miami on Saturday, November 15th! Please feel free to post our information on to your website, send it out to any list serve you may have or forward it on to anyone you think might be right for the show. Any help in spreading the word about our search is greatly appreciated!

Essentially, we are looking for those with a captivating personality who believe they’re at the top of the culinary game and want to inspire a Food Network audience through their passion for food and cooking! Please help us reach out to any chef or culinary professional who might be interested in becoming the host of his or her own cooking show!

Please find the details of our event below:

Miami Open Casting Call
Date: Saturday, November 15th, 2014
Time: 10am – 1pm
Location: Epic Hotel
270 Biscayne Blvd Way
Miami, FL 33131

Please visit us at www.JSCasting.com to apply online and for more information on our casting events!

If you have any questions or require further information, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your time and assistance!

Kind Regards,

Gabrielle Goldstein
Casting Assistant, JS Casting
www.JSCasting.com
212-359-9530

* Bucket List Alert- Bette Midler.

Jeff Eats doesn’t care how old or how young you are…you owe it to yourself to see Bette Midler -live in concert -at least once in your lifetime!

For the record, I consider Bette Midler to be one of the greatest entertainers of all time.

Midler, who- was born in 1945 (she’s 69) and who- hasn’t toured in over 10 years…just announced a 2015- American tour that kicks off-with 3 Florida dates – 5/8 and 5/9 at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood and 5/11 at Amalie Arena in Tampa.

Tickets for what will definitely be SRO shows- go on sale November 17, 2015 at ticketmaster.com.

Finally, just on the outside chance that you don’t know who Bette Midler is…you can check Bette out at bettemidler.com.

***** Boulevard Subs, 1100 East Oakland Park Boulevard, Oakland Park, Florida 33334, (954) 561-1934.

Got a real good sub joint for you…Boulevard Subs-in Fort Lauderdale.

Jeff Eats knows that you guys are a smart bunch, but -just in case I’m wrong…hole in the wall/handful of tables-inside & outside/order at counter-pickup at counter/menu- loaded with cold-hot subs/sandwiches/wraps/salads.

Check blvdsubs.com for menu/prices-handful of pictures.

Boulevard Subs has been around since 1984…so I’m thinking, that just maybe its doing something right. Before I tell you what Jeff Eats “tried” subs come in 3 sizes, 6″-9″-12″ and are priced $5.90, $7.55, $9.45.

On the subs’ try-out front…I did -chicken salad, tuna salad, meatball, Philly cheesesteak, Italian (ham, salami, capicola, provolone) and I gotta tell you-Boulevard makes some real nice subs. For those of you who might be new to Jeff Eats, I’m a big eater-but trust me, I didn’t eat all of the subs by myself…just so you know, my friend Mike drove me to Boulevard Subs.

Jeff Eats really isn’t into -ranking joints…you know, what I like you may not like and vice versa. That said, if Boulevard Subs was by my house I would definitely be a steady customer. For what it’s worth, I really enjoyed the soft-yet slightly crispy bread (whatever that means), the “fillings” were right on the money, the sandwiches were not skimpy, the folks running the joint were as pleasant as could be, the prices -extremely reasonable.

Not much more to tell you…other than Boulevard Subs is open Monday-Saturday 10am-3pm, closed on Sunday.

* AT&T ANOTHER CRAP COMPANY!

If someone told me the story that I am going to tell you, I probably wouldn’t have believed him/her.

Jeff Eats in one form or another has been doing business with AT&T for over 65 years.

As I type, I have 2 landlines and 6 /wireless mobile lines with AT&T.

Every month, I receive-by mail a combined bill for landline/wireless services.

Give or take a month here and there, I find “overcharges” on the bill.

Whenever I have found “overcharges”-after a handful of calls, AT&T issues the appropriate credit.

On this month’s bill I found an $80 “overcharge”… On October 31, 2014 an AT&T phone agent on a recorded line advised me that I would be given an $80 credit on next month’s bill.

Yesterday afternoon, Jeff Eats- just wanted to check-to make sure that the credit had posted to my account and called AT&T. An AT&T phone agent on a recorded line told me that AT&T had decided not to give me the credit. Jeff Eats called AT&T’s OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, where a supervisor/manager named Lenny told me, that AT&T had decided not to give me the $80 credit because Jeff Eats had already gotten too many credits.

So…the original agent told me I would get a credit and then the Company (who-ever that is) decided not to give me a credit.

Some way to treat a customer.

If a customer can’t rely on what a company’s representative says/promises/authorizes, then there is something very wrong – with the Company.

AT&T is just another crap company.

* If That’s The Way You Like It!

Jeff Eats never really cared for the act- even in its heyday…not that it mattered, KC sold millions and millions of records (you do remember what those things were!).

Long story short, you now know how-you can catch tickets before the general public gets the privilege to buy in.

One last thought, if you really are serious about wanting to see KC…take 3 minutes and check Jeff Eats’ story dated 6/4/13- Hard Rock Live-Tickets For Less Than Face- it may save you some bucks! Just an observation-a gut call, but I’m thinking that the Hard Rock is gonna be giving a boatload of free tickets to its “players” for this one.