* Jimmy Shubert.

Last night Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats caught a couple of comedian Jimmy Shubert tickets on goldstar.com for 8 bucks a piece-and had an absolutely great time at his 7pm Improv-show. Throw in 2 glasses of wine, 1 Diet Coke, 1 Coke, burger sliders appetizer, garlic chicken wings appetizer, French fries- total “all in” $66 for the whole night. For you non-math majors out there, that’s $33 a person-which in any language other than Swahili is a bargain!

Purpose of this essay…

1. You gotta go see Jimmy Shubert the next time he plays Florida. The guy works ‘light blue” and is absolutely hysterical. To that end, you can follow his career at jimmyshubert.com.

2. On 8/26/14 Jeff Eats told you guys about Gold Star Events (goldstar.com)- a site that has all kinds of discount show/concert tickets. Jeff Eats got $17 tickets for 8 bucks a piece. So the moral of this part of the story, you should follow goldtsar.com unless you’re like my friend Vance who has nothing but cash to burn.

3. The Fort Lauderdale Improv has some -great comedy-shows, very good-reasonably priced “bar” food/ drink and won’t have you working a second job to pay for your night out. You can follow- Fort Lauderdale Improv at improvftl.com.

* Joe Cocker.

Literally just this minute, Jeff Eats learned that-legendary Rocker-Joe Cocker has died at the age of 70.

One of the greats!

Not trying to sound like a broken record or nothing, but please-please-please…make it your business to go and see the GREAT ENTERTAINERS/BANDS of the 50s-60s-70s when they “play” South Florida…trust Jeff Eats when I tell you, that you’ll be glad that you did!

* Obama: North Korea’s hack not war, but “cybervandalism.”

If you hack into Jeffeats.com that’s vandalism! Steal the Show-Time section from my Sun Sentinel on my lawn- maybe that’s vandalism!

“SONY” ain’t vandalism.

By the way, this morning Jeff Eats mailed a check for $1,485.00 to Humana to pay Mrs. Jeff Eats’ 1/15’s monthly medical premium…last month the same coverage cost $625.00.

To put this-all in food blog terms-

A waiter spits in your food…vandal. A waiter breaks into your home, steals everything you have and then threatens to kill you if you don’t pay him ransom…You _______(you fill in the blank) the waiter.

The owner of a restaurant tells you that he is revamping his menu, but don’t worry- the $6.25 burger will still only cost $6.25. But, when you read the new menu, the $6.25 burger now costs $14.85. You __________(you fill in the blank) the owner.

Hopefully the next person will be more honest and not such a pussy!

* Little River Band.

Just got this PR- e-mail from the Mardi Gras Casino.

In a nutshell, the legendary 1970’s rock band- Little River Band is scheduled to play the casino on New Year’s Eve.

All I can tell you is, that Jeff Eats has seen the Little River Band and they kill! I can also tell you, that if the weather is “right” the Mardi Gras’ Grandstand is a tremendous outdoor venue to see concerts at- and that every and I do mean EVERY seat is good! Jeff Eats has been to a number of Mardi Gras’ concerts and the casino does a first class-job on staging-shows. Trust me, very-very professionally done.

The details on ticket prices so forth and so on are down below…

*****
Ring in the New Year at Mardi Gras Casino with

Australian Legendary Hit-Makers, Little River Band!

Time: 10:30pm (Doors open at 9:30pm)

Location: Grandstand

Cost: General Admission – $40 / Premium Seating – $60 / VIP – $100

Package Prices: NYE Buffet for 2 plus 2 VIP Seating Tickets – $350.00

NYE Buffet for 2 plus 2 Premium Seating Tickets – $270.00

For Ticket Information, visit www.mardigrascasinofl.com

Mardi Gras Casino invites you to celebrate 2015 with the sounds of Australian Legendary hit-makers, Little River Band performing live in the Grandstand New Year’s Eve at 10:30pm followed by a spectacular fireworks display and champagne toast at midnight. Guests can also enjoy a New Year’s Eve buffet in the French Quarter Restaurant located on the third floor from 5pm-11pm for $75.

Some top hits include “Reminiscing”, “It’s A Long Way There”, “The Night Owls”, “Cool Change” and “Lonesome Loser”.
LITTLE RIVER BAND is considered to be one of Australia’s most significant bands selling more than 30 million albums worldwide. LRB also set a record for having Top 10 hits in six consecutive years…the first band to achieve that mark. According to BMI, their smash song “Reminiscing” has garnered status with over 5 million airplays while another hit “Lady” is close behind with over 4 million airplays. In 2004, LITTLE RIVER BAND was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry.

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 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.

***** Augy’s Pizza Restaurant.

Augy’s Pizza Restaurant…another Jeff Eats’ “out of sight, out of mind” joint.

Just that simple, Jeff Eats very rarely travels on Boca Raton Boulevard.

Long story short, ate at Augy’s last night and the food was absolute dynamite.

Reprinted below is Jeff Eats’ 1/7/10 essay on Augy’s Pizza Restaurant.

If you’re looking for delicious reasonably priced mom & pop red sauce stuff, tons of garlic rolls, Coca Cola refills up the wazoo, delightful waitresses-counter folks and owners- then Augy’s is definitely for you!

You can check menu/prices at Augys.com.
*****

Augy’s Pizza Restaurant (Boca Raton)
Posted on January 7th, 2010 · Boca Raton Italian Pizza

***** Augy’s Pizza Restaurant, 1501 Northwest Boca Raton Boulevard, Boca Raton, Florida 33432 (561) 368-1330.

Do me a big a big favor and check my Augy’s Pizza Restaurant review which I did back on July 23, 2008…it will save me from doing some typing here.

Augy’s is a “mom & pop” red sauce Italian joint…it has been around for something like 1,000 years.

That 2008 review told you…that a few years ago the “original” owners sold the joint to new guys, blah blah, blah…

Anyway…to make a long story–short…the old owners are BACK running the joint. During the past 4 weeks, I have eaten in Augy’s three times and the food has been outrageously good—in fact, better than ever. Some of the dishes that I have “sampled”… chicken marsala, bone in chicken cacciatore, pizza, veal parmigiana, bone in chicken scarpiello, shrimp scampi, garlic bread (not garlic knots), minestrone soup…and I must tell you, Augy’s is right up there with the best mama-poppa Italian joints in South Florida. By the way, they currently have a $20 dinner special…soup or salad, appetizer, entree, pasta side, dessert. They also have a Monday-Friday lunch buffet of pizzas–subs-salads for something like 5 bucks.

If you haven’t eaten in Augy’s…you gotta give it a shot. Nothing fancy here…but I am telling you– big portions, reasonable prices and the food is delicious.

Augy’s is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner.

* Joker’s Wild 2015 Comedy Series.

Jeff Eats has seen all 7-comedians scheduled to appear in this year’s Comedy Series…trust me, they are all-real funny!

If the truth be told, I’ve seen Bobby Collins-5 times…and Bob Nelson 3 times. Absolutely love these guys- they just know how to crack-me-up.

Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats (as my Great Aunt Alva use to say- “God be willing”) are planning on catching all 3-shows.

You can catch tickets at mardigrascasinofl.com.

For what it’s worth, every so often “folks” like GROUPON.COM, GOLDSTAR.COM, LIVINGSOCIAL.COM run ticket-deals on- shows-just like these. Now, not talking out of school or nothing, but just maybe-not being the “early-bird catches the first worm” here-may work to your advantage, if you get my drift!

* The WannaBeatles.

Like you, over the years- Jeff Eats has seen his fair share of Beatles’ cover and tribute bands. Some good, some not so good, some really good…

The WannaBeatles are one of the best Beatles’ tribute acts that I have ever seen.

The Nashville based 2012 Grammy-Nominated band (yes, Jeff Eats said Grammy-Nominated) currently has three 2015 Florida shows scheduled…2/3/15 at FAU in Boca Raton, 2/5/15 at Tennessee Williams Theatre in Key West, 2/6/15 at First Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale.

Trust Jeff Eats when I tell you, Beatles’ fans -YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THESE GUYS!

I’ll now let you check thewannabeatles.com for tickets-videos-other info.

For what it’s worth, Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Etas -plan on being at the FAU concert.

Meet The WannaBeatles!
The WannaBeatles offer a fun-filled, family friendly extravaganza that goes “where no Beatles Band has gone before.” Of course, you’ll hear your Beatles favorites, but there’s much more! Their hilarious parodies, on stage antics, and audience involvement combined with ground breaking visual effects that make The WannaBeatles show a “must see.” Whether with a symphony orchestra or as a stand-alone performance like the original “Fab Four,” The WannaBeatles love what they do and it shows!

***** DISH OF THE WEEK (Sunday- 12/21/14)

One of Jeff Eats’ favorite menu items…

SLICE OF PIZZA
$2.75
Mauro’s Pizza
1904 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood
(954) 929-4001
Latest Review: 7/13/10

Real simple concept going on here, pizza by the slice. Thin, crispy, sweet sauce, humongous, delicious slices. Standup counter inside to eat at/handful of tables outside. The joint is open Monday-Wednesday noon-3am, Thursday-Friday noon-4am, Saturday noon-4:30am, Sunday noon-3am. Just so you know, Mauro’s only-does pizza and is cash-only! No ifs, ands or buts, one of the best NY- slices in South Florida.

***** Dixie Grill & Bar, 5101 South Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, Florida 33405, (561) 586-3189.

Recent e-mail from reader Jan E.

Jeff,

Our 33 year old daughter turned me and my husband onto Jeff Eats about 3 months ago. The kid swears by you.

Last week we tried your Howley’s pick and loved everything about the joint.

Just wondering, can you give us another joint like Howley’s in the same area?

Thanks,
Jan E.

*****
Jan E:

First of all, you got a smart kid there. You do know- that Jeff Eats literally has 1,000s of people who swear by “him”…would you believe 100s-how about 6?

If you liked Howley’s Restaurant- you’ll like Dixie Grill & Bar. By the way, like Howley’s- Dixie Grill is on South Dixie Highway-it’s about 93.5 seconds south of Howley’s.

Reprinted below is Jeff Eats’ 10/6/11-review on Dixie Grill & Bar.

Thanks for reading…

Posted on October 6th, 2011 · American West Palm Beach
***** Dixie Grill & Bar, 5101 South Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, Florida 33405, (561) 586-3189.

First things first…check Dixie Grill & Bar’s website www.dixiegrillandbar.com—you’ll find menu/prices/photos-there is also a great video which will clue you in on exactly what this casual American-Style restaurant looks like and is all about. Got ahead, check the website out, I’ll wait!

Glad to see that you came back…

Let me start by telling you, that I absolutely love joints like Dixie Grill & Bar…unlike “chains” like Friday’s, Chili’s, Appelbee’s, Ruby Tuesday’s—these “one-off” joints are the real McCoy. Now, you know and I know, that chains’ decors and concepts are planned down to the “dust” on the floor… while-joints like Dixie Grill & Bar are the brainchild of guys like Richard and Jay Preefer who hand-pick every decoration and figure-out every menu item…Trust me on this, 99% of the time–joints owned and operated by the “moms & pops” of the world, run circles around their corporate-counterparts.

The other night, I did Dixie Grill & Bar for dinner…the joint’s menu is loaded with appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches, entrees…there is a full bar and indoor/outdoor patio seating. Sampled “stuff”—fried macaroni & cheese, crab cakes, cheeseburger, chicken sliders, beef stir-fry, chicken salad, tuna salad. Every item was delicious. Service is as pleasant as can be. On the price-front, no more expensive than the “Friday’s” of the world. The joint has inside/outdoor patio seating.

Trust me on this one…Dixie Grill & Bar is a terrific restaurant.

If you want to see a cool-well run American Style restaurant in action …check Dixie Grill & Bar out.

Dixie Grill & Bar is open Sunday-Thursday 11:30-10pm and Friday-Saturday 11:30am-1am.

* The Festival of Chocolate.

Jeff Eats has recently- been hearing that eating chocolate is a very healthy thing to do…Nothing for nothing, but I knew way back when that my mother was dead wrong…

Anyway,

Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats plan to be at The Festival of Chocolate…Gonna be plenty of samples to try and stuff for us to buy- as we do our best to stay healthy in 2015.

You can catch tickets at festivalofchocolate.com.

Now you guys know and I know that there are only 3- things certain in life…death, taxes and when you buy a stock the next tick is down- so just in case Mom Jeff Eats was right- I just picked-up a large tube of Clearasil at Walgreens!

By the way, for you guys way north- of Miami, Orlando and Tampa will be holding their own -The Festival of Chocolate(s) later in the year…So everybody can be healthy!