* Seems A Bit Pricey To Me!

Jeff Eats (as- per my 9/18/10 review re-printed below) is a fan of Racks Downtown Eatery & Tavern in Boca Raton.

That said, it just seems to me that $110 plus tax, plus tip- is a bit steep for this “party.”

I don’t know about you guys, but long-ago Jeff Eats- got tired of “New Years Eve” RESTAURANT PARTIES…and their gouging-prices!

Now I ask you, why couldn’t Racks just have its regular menu available and throw-in- a DJ for those looking to party?

By the way, I singled- Racks out in this “story”- but there are tons and I do means tons of other joints doing-the exact “same” type of parties in their joints.

*****
September 18,2010
***** Racks Downtown Eatery & Tavern, Mizner Park-402 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, Florida 33432, (561) 395-1662.

Just had dinner at Racks Downtown Eatery & Tavern…a terrific-casual-moderatley priced American-Style joint, which opened in Mizner Park about 3-months ago. Based on this first outing…I will definitely be back for another go-round. Now if you-can…think The Cheesecake Factory with-shall we say–s t y l e…and you got Racks. Better yet, check www.grrestaurant.com for menu/prices/pictures and you’ll get a real good feel for what’s going on at this joint.

First things first. Racks has indoor and outdoor patio seating. There is a full bar and the guys who own this joint—must have spent a fortune decorating inside and outside. Check the photos on its website and you’ll see what I’m belly-aching about.

This evening, Phil was our waiter…and the guy was good. He knew the menu cold—and took our order without writing down one single item…and yes, everything ordered, showed up—cooked right and on time. He also made sure that water glasses, soda glasses, coffees were always filled.

A taste test-in no particular order-of… garden salad, caesar salad, bacon cheeseburger, french fries, crabcakes, macaroni & cheese, wood oven roasted chicken, filet mignon, key lime pie—like I said, I will definitely be back. The food was delicious…absolutely nothing to complain about—-EXCEPT…Racks should know better—the ketchup & mustard which were served in “old” fashioned yellow and red plastic squeeze bottles were COLD. I don’t know about you… but this Brooklyn boy knows…that french fries are suppose to be drowned in room temperature ketchup not COLD ketchup. I also know that sauerkraut on a Nathan’s hot dog is suppose to be hot and that no one in their right mind would ever put ketchup on a hot dog!

I really enjoyed Racks… stylish, yet casual. It’s got a great vibe, but be forewarned, someone in the cd-department loves to play Led Zeppelin and The Romantics…to that someone, you are playing the “music” way and I do mean way—too loud.

Racks is open 7 days a week 11:30am-2am.

* Coffee Naps- More Nonsense For You To File!

Jeff Eats just read this story on Testtube.com.

More crap, I mean- nonsense for you to file!

Not sure, but to “follow” this coffee nap-thing, you’re gonna need a stopwatch or something to keep time!

*****
Can Coffee Improve Your Nap?

When you’re tired, you have the option to drink some coffee, or to take a nap. What happens when you do both? Catie joins DNews to explore the world of coffee naps.

A good 20-30 minute nap can life-changing. OK, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but research has shown that naps help battle feelings of sluggishness, sleepiness, and general feelings of unproductiveness. But research has also shown that having a cup of coffee before your snooze can improve the quality of your nap. Sound impossible? Its true!

Here’s why: your body produces a chemical compound called adenosine to make you sleepy. Your adenosine levels will rise slowly throughout the day until they hit a peak, usually in the evening, which is when most people fall asleep. While you’re asleep, your body breaks down all that adenosine and you wake up feeling refreshed.

Caffeinated beverages takes about 30 minutes to reach their peak effect. So if you were to quickly down a cup of coffee and immediately take a nap, you’ll wake up just as the caffeine is kicking in it will have less adenosine to compete with. 20 minutes is the perfect amount of time because longer naps lead to sleep which can be hard to wake up from without feeling groggy. So, viva disco naps! FYI, since there’s a lot less caffeine in tea or soda than coffee, you’ll have to drink a lot more of it to feel the same effects. Caffeine pills takes about an hour to kick in, so be sure to take that into account when planning your coffee nap.

How do you feel about naps? Are they the highlight of your day or do they just make you more tired? As always, we’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
*****

Now- for the men out there…are you thinking nap, or what!

Told you this Coffee Nap thing sounded like nonsense to Jeff Eats.

* Denny’s Bacon Slamburger.

This is a picture of a Denny’s Bacon Slamburger.

Jeff Eats is willing to bet you guys any amount of money that you’d like, that this- burger doesn’t taste as good-as-it-looks! Just so you know, Jeff Eats has eaten a Denny’s Bacon Slamburger, so I know that this bet is a slam dunk!

No need to go into fine detail, but Jeff Eats considers Denny’s which currently has something like 1,700 restaurants (there are 144 in Florida) to be one of the worst run restaurant chains in America. Its service stinks and if and when you get your food, it-shall we say…leaves a lot to be desired!.

If anyone can explain to me as to how this chain has survived for-this-long, I’d love to hear from you.

By the way, I suspect that being open 24/7 and having very reasonable prices-has kept this Titanic from sinking…

***** China Casa, 3300 West 84th Street, Hialeah, Florida 33018, (305) 698-3881.

Got an absolutely dynamite Chinese takeout joint for you guys…China Casa in Hialeah.

For the record, Jeff Eats- first told you about China Casa on February 4, 2014- I was back for “Round #2” yesterday-and this outing warranted another-rave review!

So…

If you are looking to eat-there, its got the “obligatory” Chinese takeout 2-tables in the front of the house…like I said 3-seconds ago, this is a takeout joint.

Right off the bat…Jeff Eats loved China Casa’s food. For you guys looking for “authentic” Chinese stuff, sorry!.. The joint is 100% American Chinese–you know-won ton soup, egg rolls, pan fried dumplings, bbq spare ribs, sweet & sour chicken, roast pork fried rice, pepper steak…

I could give you- facts and figures and a pecking order, but -I’m not…just trust Jeff Eats- when I tell you, China Casa is one of the best Chinese takeout joints that I’ve had the pleasure to do business with down here in Sunny South Florida.

You can check menu/prices at chinacasatogo.com.

China Casa is open Tuesday-Thursday 11am-9:30pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-10pm, Sunday noon-9pm, closed on Monday.

* Johnny T.

If you are looking for great “oldies” shows- and don’t want to go for your lungs to get tickets…then checkout what concert promoter Johnny T has booked for Kings Point in 2015.

Trust Jeff Eats, great talent, professional productions and you won’t have to tap an IRA account to pay for your seats!

You can buy tickets at kingspoint55.com.

You can also check johnnytunes.com to-see Johnny T’s (former member of The Mystics) personal-performance schedule.

* The Sing-Off Live Tour.

Jeff Eats loves this tv-show.

You can catch “early bird” tickets- at coralspringscenterforthearts.com.

48-Hour Exclusive Pre-Sale begins now!

The Sing-Off Live Tour

March 12, 2015 | 7:30pm

Use Promo Code: PITCH

Online purchases only.

Buy Tickets: coralspringscenterforthearts.com.

The Sing-Off, NBC’s No. 1 rated a cappella music competition, returns to the road this February for its second national The Sing-Off Live! Tour. The tour comes to the Coral Springs Center for the Arts on March 12, 2015. The Sing-Off Live Tour! will feature The Sing-Off fan favorite groups VoicePlay (season 4) and Street Corner Symphony (season 2) plus one more group from this year’s 2-hour The Sing-Off television special which airs Wednesday, December 17th at 9PM ET/PT on NBC. On tour the groups will perform their a cappella versions of this year’s chart topping hits as well as favorite arrangements from the TV show.

The tour will offer the ultimate a cappella experience, giving fans of the show a unique opportunity to see their favorite groups perform live, and fans of a cappella music an incredible evening of some of the country’s top talent. In addition to headlining talent, each concert will feature local a cappella groups to open the show, allowing fans of the genre the chance to discover top local talent as well.

The 2015 tour will feature musical direction by Deke Sharon, known among the a cappella community as “The Godfather of Contemporary A Capella.” In addition to working as arranger, consultant, and producer on The Sing-Off, Sharon served as musical director and arranger for the hit film Pitch Perfect and the upcoming film Pitch Perfect 2. The tour will include individual sets from each act, brand new group numbers, ultimate sing-off’s and a few surprises.

“A cappella is at its very best when experienced in person, which is why I’m thrilled to be working with The Sing-Off Live! Tour once again, bringing some of the world’s greatest groups to theaters around the country,” said musical director Deke Sharon. “People will not believe their ears when the hear our Sing-Off stars, and we love introducing audiences to theirown fantastic local groups.”

***** Mannino’s Pizza, 5150 Coconut Creek Parkway, Margate, Florida 33063, (954) 971-7992.

This is a real simple tale to tell…

Last Saturday, Jeff Eats, Mrs. Jeff Eats and a whole bunch of other couples-were by our friends Ron & Ellen’s house in Margate…watching some football and basketball so on and so forth. R & E brought food in from a joint called Mannino’s…salads, pizzas, subs, pastas-The Eats and the other couples handled the desserts…

Long story short, from what I can tell-everyone had a good time-didn’t “see” too much drama going on-if you catch my drift!…and I gotta tell you, that this Mannino’s joint made some pretty decent stuff… Jeff Eats really enjoyed the pizza and the veal parm sub. As for the desserts, basically Publix stuff- so nothing “here” to really report on.

Last Saturday was Jeff Eats’ first-time with Mannino’s which I understand has been in business for something like 42 years–no question in my mind, that if I lived or worked in the neighborhood-I would definitely do business with this joint.

Mannino’s menu is printed below. The joint’s website is margate-pizza.com.

Mannino’s Pizza is open Monday-Saturday 11am-10pm, Sunday 2pm-10pm.

* Who Gives A Good Crap About These People?

Didn’t our forefathers fight a war of independence so we wouldn’t have to deal with people like this?

* Emil Stucchio & The Classics–Lola & The Saints.

Just got this e-mail/flyer from Lola & The Saints…

Between you, Jeff Eats and the bedpost,

Lola is an old friend of mine. Her group kills.

Emil Stucchio is one of doo wop’s great- legendary lead singers.

The Classics’ hit record “Till Then” is one of my favorite songs of all-time.

Gonna be a great-romantic-smooth show!

* The Chowfather.

Got a real-good South Florida food blog for you guys…TheChowfather.com.

Jeff Eats has been reading this cat’s blog for years…the guy makes some nice restaurant “calls” and I enjoy the chazarai (some of you guys may need Google here) he throws at his readers.

You know and I know, that this whole food blogging gig is just a gigantic variation on the “he said, she said” game…with that in mind, here’s another player who-just might point you in the right direction.

The guy also does some real nice photo-stuff with his stories. Like the two below…

To sum it all up, when I read the guy, I get hungry-so I’m thinking he must be doing something right.

Enjoy!