* Crazy Fingers.

Jeff Eats maybe going out on a limb here-but I don’t think so…I’m sure you guys know who the Grateful Dead is?

With that in mind, tomorrow night, Saturday -September 6, 2014 at 8pm– CRAZY FINGERS one of Florida’s top rated Dead-tribute bands will be giving a free-outdoor concert at Meatball Room, 3011 Yamato Road, Boca Raton (561) 409-4111-www.meatballroom.com.

For the record, Jeff Eats has seen Crazy Fingers something like 5 times-having first “caught” the band on July 4, 2008 at-American Bar Restaurant & Grill in Deerfield Beach (reviewed 7/5/2008) and these guys-really do a nice job covering one of the greatest Rock bands of all-time. You can checkout Crazy Fingers at crazyfingers.net.

In case you maybe wondering, Jeff Eats “only” saw Grateful Dead “live” once, that being on April, 18, 1971 in Cortland, New York…I will tell you, it was quire a concert. Here’s that night’s playlist…Cold Rain & Snow, Me & My Uncle, Bertha, Me And Bobby McGee, Next Time You See Me, China Cat Sunflower, I Know You Rider, Casey Jones Sugar Magnolia, Second That Emotion, Truckin’, Hard To Handle, Loser, Playin’ In The Band, Around & Around, Good Lovin’. The New Riders of the Purple Sage (NRPS) opened for the Dead.

So…

Assuming you are into this Dead-stuff, this free outdoor show should be a-load of fun. Just so you know, there is plenty of standing room–outdoor tables are set for those eating at Meatball Room. There is also an outdoor bar-if that’s your game!

* Watermelon!

I don’t know about you guys, but when Labor Day hits, that means-end of Summer to Jeff Eats.

Taking that formula one-step further, Labor Day/End of Summer/next step- goodbye watermelon until next Summer.

Anyway,

As I’m sure you know, last Monday- Labor Day 2014 hit…and it got me to thinking about watermelon. Now no bs-ing here, on any given day Jeff Eats can eat 1/2 of a large watermelon-no problem at all. For the record, watermelon is one of my favorite fruits and I recall years ago hearing that it was a very “healthy” fruit.

With the above in mind, take a look at this Watermelon “story” I just read on howstuffworks.com…

For what it’s worth, I think this watermelon “info” is something to definitely have on file in the back of your head. As the late great- Sy Syms use to say, “An educated consumer is our best customer.”

Finally, maybe one of you scientists out there can explain this- How do you grow seedless watermelons from seedless watermelons?
*****

Some foods are fun to eat, and watermelon is definitely one of them. That triangular wedge of bright red/white/green, sweet juiciness forbids us to take life too seriously and shouts, “SUMMER!!!” As if that weren’t enough, watermelon is packed full of nutrition, hydrates and is low-fat. While many of us think of watermelon as a great snack option, when you tally up its nutritive value, you might consider making this all-star a feature player in your cuisine.

Watermelons are an excellent source of several vitamins: vitamin A, which helps maintain eye health and is an antioxidant; vitamin C, which helps strengthen immunity, heal wounds, prevent cell damage, promote healthy teeth and gums; and vitamin B6, which helps brain function and helps convert protein to energy.

Tomatoes have been highly touted as a great source for lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that helps fight heart disease and several types of cancer — prostate cancer in particular. Watermelon, however, has the highest concentrations of lycopene of any fresh fruit or vegetable.

If your little ones don’t dig into their swiss chard, lima beans or spinach — all great sources of potassium — consider offering them a serving of watermelon instead. It is a great source of potassium, which helps muscle and nerve function, helps maintain the body’s proper electrolyte and acid-base balance, and helps lower the risk of high blood pressure.

Watermelon also contains the amino acids citrulline and arginine, which can help maintain arteries, blood flow and overall cardiovascular function.

Alone or in a fruit salad are the most common ways many of us eat watermelon. While eating the meat of the fruit is the best way to take advantage of all of its nutrients, this is one of my favorite bits of summer refreshment. I get a version of this from my local burrito truck. The key to making this great: don’t oversweeten it. With just a touch of sweetness, it’s heavenly.

***** Super Arepa Miami, 14417 Southwest 42nd Street, Miami, Florida 33175, (786) 447-8626.

The other day Jeff Eats had lunch at Super Arepa Miami and this Venezuelan fast food joint blew me away! Absolutely loved it.

Real simple concept, order at/pickup at the counter. Super Arepa’s menu is loaded with arepas/hamburgers/patacones/burritos/salads/pepitos/hot dogs.

Now! If you guys did as well as Jeff Eats did in High School Spanish-then you probably got no idea as to what patacones and pepitos are…

Patacones: fried plantain slices.
Pepitos: roasted pumpkin seeds.

Now! If you guys don’t know what arepas, burritos, plantains are- GOOGLE!-and if you don’t know what hamburgers/salads/hot dogs are, you are really-really in bad shape!

Like I said before the linguistics class,

Jeff Eats recently had lunch at Super Arepa Miami “trying” charcoal roasted pork arepa ($4.99), charcoal grilled hamburger/French fries ($5.50), charcoal grilled burrito ($4.99), ham & cheese arepa ($4.99) and I gotta tell you, everything was dynamite!

At this stage of this game…let me send you to Super Arepa Miami’s website mysuperarepa,com for menu/prices/other info.

Every so often Jeff Eats comes across a joint that absolutely kills it and Super Arepa killed!

The food, the service, the vibe/décor, the portion size, the prices–make Super Arepa Miami an absolute must try!

Super Arepa Miami is open Monday-Saturday 11am-1am, Sunday noon-midnight.

* Joan Rivers.

Just heard -the news that Joan Rivers passed away.

If you check your Webster’s- under great comedians, you’ll find Joan’s picture.

Loved the lady’s “take no prisoners” style.

What pisses me off, she died of complications suffered during elective surgery!

I’ll say no more…

* Mardi Gras Comedy Challenge-2014

Literally just this second, Jeff Eats got the “below” press-release about Mardi Gras Casino’s 2014 Comedy Challenge.

The release has-event details.

All Jeff Eats can tell you-is that Mardi Gras Casino’s 2011, 2012, 2013 Comedy Challenges drew huge crowds–and this year’s Challenge will be no different!

Just so you know, Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats are planning on catching Judy Tenuta and John Heffron in action. Hope to see you there!
*****

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT:
Lisa Mizrachi

Mardi Gras Casino Announces the 2014 Comedy Challenge,
Featuring Headliner and Last Comic Standing Winner John Heffron!

The fourth annual Mardi Gras Comedy Challenge has kicked off! Hundreds of stand-up comedians from around the country came out to strut their stuff and compete for the chance to open for John Heffron and win $5K during the Grandstand Finale in November. The eighteen funniest contestants from the auditions will move on to the semi-final rounds. From there, just six contestants will advance to the final round. But…only one contestant can be crowned the ‘Mardi Gras Comedy Challenge Champion’! Hilarious featured comics performing during the semi-final rounds include Eddie Brill, Marion Grodin, Artie Fletcher, Vanessa Hollingshead, Tommy Savitt, and Adam Hunter. Judy Tenuta will perform during the final round.
**Tickets are $15 for Semi-Final rounds, $20 for Final round, and $25 for Grandstand Finale. All tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at www.mardigrascasinofl.com.

ABOUT JOHN HEFFRON
John Heffron burst onto the comedic scene during the prime of his college heyday. Since then, his comedy has evolved in a unique and creative fashion as he has grown from a fun-loving college student to a bewildered newlywed.

The endless list of credits comprises his impressive resume and highlights many significant accomplishments. He not only won the second season of NBC’s Last Comic Standing, but was also a finalist in the subsequent season. Heffron’s amusing and extensive material has earned him two separate half hour specials on the hit stand up show, Comedy Central Presents and he has become a regular on numerous VH1 satire series including I love the 80s: 3D, I Love the 70s: Volume 2, and My Coolest Years: My First Time. In addition to being featured on Thom Filicia’s Dress My Nest, Heffron has performed on CMT’s Coming to the Stage, NBC’s Late Friday, and Comedy Central’s Premium Blend. He has made numerous appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilbourne, and E!’s Chelsea Lately and 101 Craziest TV Moments.

John is no stranger to live audiences and has taken the stage at several prestigious comedy festivals including the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal and the HBO Comedy Festival in Aspen. John even had the recent honor of being a celebrity roaster for KISS’ Gene Simmons on an episode of A&E’s Gene Simmons: Family Jewels. From his early days as Danny Bonaduce’s wingman on Detroit’s number one morning show, Danny Bonaduce and the Q Crew, to one of his current roles sharing the screen with Courtney Cox-Arquette on FX’s Dirt, Heffron has hailed experience from many talented comedians. However, John’s endless innovation can easily be seen in his own comedy. His first live stand up CD, Kid with a Cape, debuted over ten years ago. As a result of his constant touring, his routine has developed and grown and two more successful recordings, Good Kid, Bad Adult and The Better Half, have been released.

The schedule is as follows:
Semi-final rounds
Venue: Jokers Wild Comedy Club & Bar
September 4-5 Time: 8 pm Headliner – Eddie Brill
September 12-13 Time: 8 pm Headliner – Marion Grodin
September 20-21 Time: 8 pm Headliner – Artie Fletcher
September 26-27 Time: 8 pm Headliner – Vanessa Hollingshead
October 10-11 Time: 8 pm Headliner – Tommy Savitt
October 16-17 Time: 8 pm Headliner – Adam Greenberg
Finals round
Venue: Jokers Wild Comedy Club & Bar
October 24-25 Time: 8 pm Headliner – Judy Tenuta
Main Event
Venue: Grandstand
November 8 Time: 8 pm Headliner- John Heffron
Opening act for main event – TBD (Contest winner)

Mardi Gras Casino is located at 831 North Federal Highway on the corner of US-1 and Pembroke Road. The casino offers over 70,000 square feet of casino excitement featuring over 1,000 of the hottest Las Vegas-style slot machines, including Progressive slots, virtual roulette and blackjack, as well as The Dog Pound, Mardi Gras’ smoker-friendly slot area; 30 action-packed poker tables; simulcast and greyhound racing; entertainment; and various dining options. For more information, call 954-924-3200 or visit www.mardigrascasinofl.com. Become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/mardigrascasino or follow us on twitter at http://www/twitter.com/MardiGrasFl.
###

Lisa Mizrachi
ADVERTISING SUPERVISOR

831 North Federal Hwy., Hallandale Beach, FL. 33009
lmizrachi@mardigrascasinofl.com | 954-924-3200 ext. 3160
www.mardigrascasinofl.com

China Fortune, 5761 Northwest 7th Street, Miami, Florida 33126, (305) 261-9988.

China Fortune…”mom & pop” Chinese joint.

You can check menu/prices at miamichinafortune.com.

China Fortune has the expected “American” Chinese food stalwarts. A recent lunch had Jeff Eats doing, wonton soup, egg roll, bbq spare ribs, sweet & sour chicken, shrimp with lobster sauce.

Now you know and I know that this food reviewing gig-is totally subjective…so what you like, I might hate and vice versa. That said, I’m kinda thinking that you and I would agree-no matter what, that the soup was as bland as could be, that the egg roll was soggy, that the ribs were tough, that the sweet & sour chicken looked and tasted as if it had been refried and the shrimp dish-like the soup- was just bland.

Now nothing for nothing, maybe China Fortune’s “stuff” tastes better the next-day right out of the refrigerator…but Jeff Eats didn’t take a doggy bag home, so I’ll never know the answer to the morning-after question.

Real fast…Who had the hit August 1973- record- The Morning After?…Sheesh, Maureen McGovern!

China Fortune is open Monday-Saturday 11:30am-10pm, Sunday 12:30pm-10pm.

***** Glicks Kosher Market, 7351 West Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach, Florida 33446, (561) 637-5771.

Jeff Eats recently received the following email…

Hi Jeff
My husband and I recently moved from Woodmere, New York to Delray Beach. We settled in about 3 weeks ago. We lived in Woodmere for over 43 years and the Woodro Kosher Deli was our go to place for deli dinners and holiday catering. We “keep’ kosher, but not to the ultimate extreme, if that makes any sense to you? We recently came across your site and of course most of your restaurant recommendations don’t work for us. We did see Ben’s Kosher on your site and a few others. Being from the Island we know Ben’s but Woodro was always our favorite. Big question, for the holidays and home meals can you recommend a really good KOSHER place where we can get the type of soups, chopped liver, brisket, meats, fish, baked goodies that we know from the Island? Your help would be really appreciated.
Thank you,
The Posners

*****

The Posners,

Got the perfect Kosher-joint for you…

Glicks Kosher Market in Delray Beach.

When you taste Glicks’ stuff, you’ll swear you were back in Woodmere.

You can check Glicks out at glickskoshermarket.com.

Welcome to Florida,
Jeff Eats

* La Ferme.

Literally just this second, Jeff Eats received the “below” pr-piece.

You guys can read it for yourselves…

In a nutshell, William Walden the former Executive Chef of short- lived-Bistro Gastronomie has now teamed up with new partners-with plans to open a new French restaurant-La Ferme in the “old” Bistro Gastronomie digs

For what it’s worth, Bistro Gastronomie (see Jeff Eats’ story: 12/13/13) “struckout”- Chef Walden and his new teammates are -now up at bat…same location, miniscule decor remodel, revamped menu/price.

The big question, has Walden learned to hit the curveball?

We’ll soon find out.

Jeff Eats will keep you guys posted…

*****
La Ferme in Boca Raton

BOCA RATON, FL, September 2, 2014 – Well-known Manhattan restaurateurs

Bobby, Laura and Alexandra Shapiro have teamed with Chef William Walden on La Ferme, a French bistro in West Boca Raton. La Ferme (laferme.kitchen) will open mid-September and will feature Modern French Bistro Cuisine served in a fun, upbeat and exciting setting. The menu will have a strong emphasis on fresh ingredients and the restaurant will swource its own oysters and mussels. The restaurant will be approachable and reasonably priced.

The Shapiros currently own and operate two Manhattan locations of Flex Mussels, and in the past have owned Vanessa, Texarkana, La Louisiana, Hoexters, Uzie’s, and Gianni’s in both Southstreet Seaport, New York and Baltimore, Maryland. In Prince Edward Island, Canada they owned and operated Dayboat and the original Flex Mussels. Additionally, Bobby was David Liederman’s partner in David’s Cookies.

Chef William Walden has been a renowned chef and restaurateur for 30 years in the Washington, DC area and was featured on the Great Chefs TV series. Chef Walden served with the late Francois E. Haeringer at L’Auberge Chez Francois in Great Falls, Virginia, consistently ranked the #1 restaurant in the region and frequented by U.S. Presidents, Cabinet Secretaries and other notables. A native of a Loudoun County, Virginia farm, he first learned to cook at age 8 in his grandmother’s grocery store, McClain’s Grocery. Chef Walden was appointed executive chef for Giant Gourmet by the late Israel Cohen at age 18 and served as an owner of two esteemed Washington-area restaurants and was, most recently, with Bistro Gastronomie in Boca Raton.

“Chef Walden is one of the nation’s leading chefs and we are thrilled that he will lead our culinary team at La Ferme,” said Bobby Shapiro. “La Ferme will feature his delicious French dishes and our menu will also have small plates and bar bites to make this an everyday restaurant. It will be more creative, fun and interactive, with a particular focus on health conscious execution.”

“Working with Bobby and the Shapiro family is an absolute inspiration,” said Chef Walden. “Some of the nation’s most influential chefs have graced the kitchens of the Shapiro family’s restaurants, and Bobby is one of the few people I have encountered whose passion for great food parallels mine.”

The menu will adjust with seasons but items will include: Burgundy Escargots sizzling in their shells a la Persillade; Classic French Onion Soup with King Cut Gruyere; Grilled Octopus, Salad Nicoise with seared tuna; Seafood Plateaus featuring Maine Lobster, East Coast Oysters, Gulf Shrimp, Crab Louis, and Florida Stone Crab Claws (in season); King Crab Legs; Prince Edward Island Mussels done three ways: Dijonaise, Billi Bi, or Thai Curry; Natural Foie Gras Torchon; authentic Moroccan Tagines (Chicken, Lamb, and Vegetable); all natural beef; Hanger Steak Frites; Chateaubriand Bouquetier; Slow Braised Short Ribs; Beef Bourgignon a la Julia Child; Steak Tartare; Roast Chicken for two with Potato Pie and Accoutrements; and Fresh Skatefish Au Beurre Noir.

Shutter Design Associates, based in Wilton Manors, handled La Ferme’s design. La Ferme, a 120 seat 3,000 square foot restaurant, with indoor and outdoor seating as well as a large bar area, is located at 9101 Lakeridge Blvd., off of Yamato Road and just West of Lyons Road in West Boca Raton. The restaurant is the site of the former Bistro Gastronomie, where Chef Walden served as executive chef. The restaurant will feature an excellent wine collection with a variety of estate grown selections.

La Ferme is open daily for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and will feature happy hour specials, Monday – Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. (bar only). The restaurant accepts all major credit cards and reservations by phone or through OpenTable. For more info call 561.430.3731, visit the website laferme.kitchen or email info@laferme.kitchen.

***** Starlight Diner, 1141 Southwest Pine Island Road, Cape Coral, Florida

Faux 1950s-1960s diner- no brainer for Jeff Eats to figure out the “faux” part of the story- as the joint has only been open about a year!

A recent lunch had me “testing” bacon cheeseburger, french fries, grilled chicken club, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, Reuben, chocolate shake–and I gotta tell you -everything was right on the money…throw in the retro decor, oldies music on the juke box, service as pleasant as can be, real reasonable prices, all day breakfast, doo wop groups/oldies bands performance schedule and it would be fair to say, that the joint hooked Jeff Eats.

Look! In my “travels” Jeff Eats has seen a ton of retro-diners. Some guys do it well and some guys do it not-so-well…Starlight Diner does it real-good. If this joint was by my house- which unfortunately it’s not, it would definitely have me as a regular-steady customer.

You can check menu/prices at starlightdinercc.com.

Starlight Diner is open Monday-Thursday 7am-8pm, Friday-Saturday 7am-9pm, Sunday pm.

* John Caparulo.

Jeff Eats knows its Labor Day- but there is an old saying “the early bird catches the first worm” or something like that!

On December 4-6, 2014 John Caparulo-one of America’s funniest young comedians is playing the Fort Lauderdale IMPROV.

Trust me I know -the shows are something like 90 days away, but guaranteed all of them will be SRO (Standing Room Only).

If you want to literally laugh your ass off, plan on seeing this guy.

For further info/tickets improvftl.com, johncaparulo.com