* Jerry’s Famous Deli Closes!

Back on July 22, 2008 Jeff Eats wrote:

Jerry’s Famous Deli, 1450 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida 33139 (305) 532-8030.

“Jerry’s Famous Deli is an absolutely gorgeous 1940′s retro looking kosher style deli located in South Beach…that has absolutely horrendous-overpriced food. This joint is strictly for the tourist crowd…and for late night clubbers too drunk to know any better.
Stay away.”

Just read in the Miami New Times (story below) that Jerry’s is no more…

Jeff Eats was “early” on this call…

Can’t believe it took people so-long to wise up. AND not for one single minute does Jeff Eats believe the “spin” story that Jerry’s gave for the closing…
*****
Jerry’s Famous Deli has closed.
After over a dozen years serving pastrami to South Beach night owls, tourists, and locals alike, Jerry’s Famous Deli has closed. The restaurant shuttered its doors last weekend.

See also: 100 Favorite Dishes: Matzo Ball Soup at Jerry’s Deli

The first Jerry’s Famous Deli opened in 1978 in Studio City, California, by Ike Starkman and Jerry Seidman. It made a reputation for itself by serving authentic New York deli offerings. The restaurant caught on like wildfire, capitalizing on its location near a host of television and film studios with many New York transplants seeking out a taste of home.

Jerry’s Famous Deli opened the South Beach location in the early 2000s. The Starkman family, with son Jason at the helm, also owns the three Miami-Dade Epicure Gourmet Markets. The deli was named “best late-night dining 2003” by New Times. The South Beach location, much like the California delis, capitalized on the fact that many New Yorkers, both here on vacation and on a more permanent basis, would miss the “mile-high” corned beef, pastrami, and brisket sandwiches made famous by Manhattan institutions like Katz’s and Carnegie Deli.

Jason Starkman issued the following statement about the restaurant’s closure:

“After 14 successful years on South Beach, Jerry’s Famous Deli has decided to close our doors. Our initial lease was up and there was interest from another company who wanted the space. Thank you to all of our customers, staff and friends who have made the last 14 years so amazing. Jerry’s Famous Deli continues in California, so please visit us there.”

It’s rumored that Señor Frog’s might take over the giant 11,000-square-foot space.

We’ll miss the ability to get matzo ball soup and a good slice of cheesecake in South Beach 24/7.”

Don Peppe menu.

***** Don Peppe, Fiorentino’s. New Corner, Embers.

Jeff Eats recently received the following e-mail…
*****
Hey Jeff,
My husband and I moved to Boynton Beach this past November.
We were both born and bred in Cleveland so south Florida is a whole new animal to us.
We came across JeffEats.com in December and have tried a number of your restaurant picks.
Our favorite food is Italian food.
We seem to have similar tastes as we agree with you that Matteo’s in Boca Raton, Nino’s in Boca Raton, La Pizzeria in Coral Springs make delicious food.
We know that you are originally from Brooklyn and based on that we wanted to pick your brain for a few seconds.
Next week we are going to be in NYC for 5 days on business.
We were wondering if you could recommend a few Italian ‘joints’ that we should checkout.
Not looking for anything fancy.
We will have a car so we can do some traveling if necessary.
Thanks for your help.
JNH
*****
JNH:

Just had a chance to ready your email.

Thanks for the kind words.

Here’s some Italian “picks” for you…

1. Fiorentino’s Ristorante…fiorentinosristrorante.com in Brooklyn.
2. Don Peppe…in Ozone Park.
3. New Corner…newcornerrestaurant.com in Brooklyn.

Though you didn’t ask-here’s a steakhouse for you- which is off the char!

4. Embers Steakhouse…embersbayridge.com in Brooklyn.

Just so you know, I’ve been eating at these 4-joints for 25+ years.

Don Peppe is kinda on the famous side–the other 3 are more “neighborhoodish”…trust me, all 4-will blow you guys away…the food is amazing!

Jeff Eats “visited” Don Peppe, Fiorentino’s, New Corner and Embers-in the past 6 months and they are all amazing…

Enjoy!

***** Madisons New York Grill & Bar–$10 Meals.

Real simple story…

Back on January 14, 2014 Jeff Eats told you guys about Madisons New York Grill & Bar which had just opened in Boca Raton. That “story” is reprinted below.

To make a long story short,

Last Spring-Madisons started a promotion where it offered 10 different lunches for 10 bucks. That “deal” is still running.

Anyway,

Last week Madisons “added” to the promotion and now offers 10 meals for 10 bucks for dinner Wednesday-Sunday (3pm-10pm).

Listen very carefully,

Since my initial “writeup” Jeff Eats has eaten at Madisons 6 times. The food and service were right on the money…throw in these lunch/dinner deals- and you get top stuff for ridiculously low prices.

Be smart, give Madisons a shot.

***** Madisons New York Grill & Bar, 2066 Northwest Executive Center Circle, Boca Raton, Florida 33431, (561) 994-0808.

Last night, Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats and a couple of friends gave “American-Style” Madisons New York Grill & Bar in Boca Raton a shot–and I gotta tell you, the joint literally blew our socks-off. No fooling around here…Madisons food and service were terrific!

Real quick, Madisons is a Canadian based restaurant chain that currently owns/operates 14 restaurants in Quebec, 1 in Boca Raton and has 1- under construction in Pompano Beach. If you think–Houston’s, J. Mark’s and J. Alexander’s you’ll be on the right décor page. The Boca Raton joint opened about 1-week ago, in a completely renovated building that at one time or another housed California Pizza Kitchen, Wolfie Cohen’s Rascal House, Copper Canyon Grill and Stephane’s Steak & Seafood. The restaurant has both indoor/outdoor patio seating and a separate full-bar area with something like 9 flat screen tvs.

As I mentioned 16 seconds ago, Madisons’ food and service were terrific…no ifs or buts, but the guys who own Madisons-know how to run a restaurant. Every dish that hit our table was exactly as ordered, glasses were continuously refreshed by Dave “The” Waiter-and during the evening we were “visited” by GM-Charles, Front Of The House Manager-Juan and Owner-Steve. Just so you know, Jeff Eats’ eagle eye caught- that every table in our section got the exact-same management treatment.

Let’s talk food…

Real simple menu–8 appetizers ($8-17), 6 meal salads ($15-$20), 5 sandwiches/burgers ($14-$18), 12 entrees ($16-$37), handful of salads/sides ($4-$8), handful of desserts ($5-$8).

Our table “had”–Three Cheese Garlic Bread, House Salad, Mykonos Style Greek Salad, Quinoa Caprese Salad, Cheeseburger With French Fries, Crab Cake Sandwich, Baby Back Ribs, Key Lime Pie, Brownie With Vanilla Ice Cream…everything was delicious. Just so you know, the garlic bread appetizer easily fed 4-people, the salads and desserts large enough for 2-people to share.

For you-guys who like more “review detail”…the French fries weren’t as delicious as everything else–but Owner-Steve told me, that fresh-handcut fries would soon be replacing the frozen product being used. I must tell you-that the garlic bread appetizer topped with melted Monterey Jack/cheddar/parmesan cheese was off-the-chart. To be perfectly honest, 2-orders of that garlic bread with a 2-liter bottle of ice-cold Coke and Jeff Eats could do some serious damage to himself…a definite must order.

Look! I could go on and on–as to how the ribs were basted with a delicious sweet bbq sauce, or how the crab cakes were loaded with crab (what else?) with virtually no filler, or how the cheeseburger which came on a lightly toasted bun-was topped with shredded lettuce/tomato slice/pickles spears and a mustard/ketchup/mayo dressing, but I won’t.

At this stage of the game, you may want to check www.madisonsnewyork.com for menu/prices.

The truly amazing thing about Madisons was that the service was impeccable…to be honest with you, Jeff Eats went into this thing-thinking a hiccup or two, afterall it was a brand new joint…but au contraire (hey! I told you that the chain is out of Quebec!)—the food and service couldn’t have been better.

Let me wrap this all up for you,

Madisons is going to be a huge winner. Mark these words–perfect for the business lunch crowd–perfect for the happy hour crowd–perfect for both Boca Raton’s young families and its 55+ crowd.

No question in Jeff Eats’ mind, Madisons can definitely hold its own against local “American Style” players–The Cheesecake Factory, Houston’s and J. Alexander’s.

A cursory “menu-look” found Madisons’ price-points $2-$5 lower than its “next door” neighbor Houston’s…..Hey! I already told you- The guys who own this joint know how to run a restaurant.

One final thought, a little bird told Jeff Eats that Madisons owns the Boca Raton property/building–so, to paraphrase poet Ernest Henley – Madisons is the master of its fate, captain of its soul (I know, I know a bit dramatic).

Madisons is open Monday-Sunday 11am-11pm.

* Wellington Amphitheater (7/19/14).

Check-out the July 19th lineup..,

Zirconia is one of America’s best Neil Diamond tribute acts.
Lazy Bonez is a terrific 80’s cover band.

This should be a tremendous FREE CONCERT.

Throw in some great food trucks…and you got a fabulous night out -in the works.

One final thought, look at Wellington’s flyer…personally, Jeff Eats thinks that whoever prepared this flyer–should have at least spelled Lazy Bonez’s name correctly. But that’s just me!

***** DISH OF THE WEEK (Sunday-7/13/14)

One of Jeff Eats’ favorite menu items.

2 1/2 Chicken Plates includes potato and garlic toast…
$14.49 (eat in/take out with coupon on website)

Shorty’s Bar-B-Q
9858 Clint Moore Road
Boca Raton (there are 4 other South Florida locations)
(561) 487-0024
shortys.com
Latest Review: 10/8/12

Jeff Eats loves this “deal”- I usually get 1-order with french fries and 1-order with a baked potato.

***** Spadini’s Mizner Pizzeria.

Real quick and simple story for you guys…

Back on July 2, 2014 South Florida blog-worstpizza.com did a story on Spadini’s Mizner Pizzeria…the article focused on an upside down pizza that Spadini’s makes. In a nutshell, the site raved about the pizza and gave it 7 out of 8 stars. If you know anything about worstpizza.com, you know that to get any-score even close to “perfection” is a near-impossibility. Now nothing for nothing, you and I both know that “rating systems” are usually meaningless–that said, over the years Jeff Eats has found worstpizza.com to have “tastebuds” similar to Jeff Eats’ buds-so when it-yaps, I make mental notes!

Anyway,

You guys do know that-at heart- Jeff Eats is really a big old Sheep…

So last night, Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats ate at Spadini’s ordering an upside down pizza (sicilian pie/with cheese on the bottom and sauce on top) and I gotta tell you it was amazingly-delicious.

The pie ran $17.95. The pie is huge–I’m thinking it easily feeds 3-4 adults even if they are college football players who haven’t eaten in 24 hours. Just so you know, last night’s pie was “crafted” by pizza maker Mitch–and the crust, sauce, cheese and bake time were-right on the money!

I’ll leave you guys to check worstpizza.com for its “story.”

You can check JeffEats.com for other Spadini’s articles.

In closing, this upside down pie is a must try!

* JOURNEY–FRIDAY & SATURDAY- Oh My!

Got something really cool for you- Journey fans out there.

Tonight… Friday 7/11 at Mizner Park…Odyssey Road.

Tomorrow… Saturday 7/12 at Meatball Room…Chain Reaction.

In a nutshell, tonight-at Mizner Park’s Amphitheater-Odyssey Road one of America’s top Journey tribute bands is performing a FREE CONCERT.

In a nutshell, tomorrow-at Meatball Room-Chain Reaction a “brand” new Journey tribute band is performing a FREE CONCERT.

If you do some checking, Jeff Eats is very familiar with Odyssey Road. Trust me, when I tell you that the group is one of America’s top Journey bands, because they really are that good.

On Chain Reaction, Jeff Eats has never seen the group live but has watched some video on this relatively new tribute act. To be honest with you, can’t make a call on the band just yet-but I do plan on seeing them at Meatball Room and “hear” what the band has to – play for itself. In any event, Meatball Room has a great outdoor patio area for bands and some pizza/pasta/Coca Cola while watching the show should make for a real pleasant evening (assuming this dumb rain goes away)-and if the band “works out” it will be a win-win all the way around!

So there you got it…

JOURNEY on FRIDAY NIGHT and SATURDAY NIGHT…TWO FREE SHOWS- Oh My! (courtesy-Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz).
Just so you know, Odyssey goes on at 7:30pm.
Just so you know, Chain Reaction goes on at 8pm.

***** The Beach Break, 2617 South Federal Highway, Boynton Beach, Florida 33435, (561) 503-1335.

First things first…The Beach Break is a CASH ONLY JOINT!

Absolutely loved The Beach Break… mom & pop-neighborhood diner that has indoor table-counter seating/outdoor patio seating.

If you are looking for fancy-schmancy…stop reading- because this joint ain’t gonna work for you. Or in the famous words of Officer Joe Bolton (or someone else)- Do not pass Go-Do not collect $200!

The Beach Break which is open Tuesday- Sunday 7am-2pm, (closed on Monday–also closed Tuesday during the Summer) does breakfast all-day and has a lunch menu of burgers, sandwiches, wraps, salads, soups, entrees.

As you probably guessed by now (maybe not!), shorts/tee shirts/flip flops-sneakers are the dress of the day.

The Beach Break is a real-neighborhood joint. Real cool location…”surrounded” by NO TELL MOTELS–trust me, you won’t be-finding-too many tourists or folks from The Breakers-shall we say “dining” there.

Like I said 1.5 seconds ago, the joint does breakfast and lunch…

Jeff Eats did a breakfast “trying” “North Swell Breakfast Burrito” ($7.95- 3 eggs scrambled, jack cheese, onions, red peppers, sausage wrapped in a flour tortilla–with black beans, cole slaw, sour cream), “Bananas Foster French Toast” ($7.25), “The Nomad Biscuits and Gravy” ($5.95- 2 biscuits topped with homemade gravy) and I gotta tell you, The Beach Break absolutely killed-it (that means they did-good with it!)…Jeff Eats really enjoyed every dish.

So,

You guys now know about a breakfast/lunch joint with delicious food/pleasant service/reasonable prices/no frills décor/inside-outside dining/that’s on Federal Highway/ that’s cash only!

* TripAdvisor’s 2014 Best Burger List.

Now you and Jeff Eats both know that this food-reviewing “thing” is awfully subjective.

If you got a minute or two, not that it means anything, take a look at what TripAdvisors’ readers think are America’s 10 best burger joints.

Like I said 2 seconds ago, its just a list–but just maybe you’ll get an idea or two from it. If not, not!

One other thing, I see that 2 Florida joints made it…

*****
The list of joints spans the nation, but burger lovers in the Northeast may be disappointed. There’s not a single restaurant from that region that made the top 10 cut.

Check out the top 10 below. Did your favorite make the list?

1. Black Hills Burger and Bun Co. – Custer, South Dakota
Crafted using beef that’s ground daily and served atop house-baked buns, this Black Hills eatery serves up blissful burgers from an inventive menu, including “The Hot Granny” – a perfectly cooked beef or bison patty topped with bacon, cream cheese, and sweet and spicy jalapeno sauce.

2. Nic’s Grill – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
It’s pretty typical to see lines that snake outside the door of this 16-seat eatery at lunchtime. Owner and chef Justin ‘Nic’ Nicholas dishes out massive hand-formed patties that are seared before finishing slowly on the griddle, resulting in a burger that’s crispy on the outside with a tender and juicy middle.

3. Sparky’s – Hatch, New Mexico Forty miles northwest of Las Cruces, burger enthusiasts can tickle their taste buds as they bite into a green chili cheeseburger made from Hatch’s famous peppery topping. Guests will also enjoy the joint’s kitschy decor that features a collection of fast-food themed statues. One TripAdvisor reviewer wrote this about the green chili burger: “‘WOW’ words cannot describe the mellow heat and great taste!”

4. Grill-A-Burger – Palm Desert, California
This tasty haven in the desert claims to have the “best burger under the bun.” Crafted using all-natural beef, cleverly named menu options include the “Bacon Me Crazy” burger and the “Chili Chili Bang Bang,” topped with chili, melted cheddar cheese, and diced sweet onion.

5. MEAT Eatery and Taproom – Islamorada, Florida
Located within an unassuming strip mall, this Florida Keys eatery serves up all-American, gourmet fare, including baskets of French fries prepared in duck fat, house-made root beer, and mouthwatering burgers sandwiched between fresh buns that are emblazoned with the restaurant’s “MEAT” logo.

6. Brook’s Gourmet Burgers and Dogs – Naples, Florida
With a menu boasting outrageous options like the “Donut Burger,” a beef patty wedged between two glazed donuts and topped with cheese and bacon, it’s clear that the creative burger juices have been flowing at this Florida favorite. It also serves delicious Vienna beef hot dogs, deli sandwiches, and creamy milkshakes. The flavors were a hit with one reviewer who commented,“It tantalized my taste buds. I didn’t know that hamburgers could be that good!”

7. Mussel & Burger Bar – Louisville, Kentucky
Since opening in 2013, this upscale eatery has quickly gained notoriety with its mussels and burgers menu – the restaurant’s unique take on surf ‘n’ turf. The restaurant tempts with 13 burgers, from the classic “Good Ole” cheeseburger to the truly luxurious “CEO” that comes topped with Gruyère cheese, truffle aioli, and the option to add foie gras.

8. Big D’s Downtown Dive – Roswell, New Mexico
Owner and chef Don Nason uses garden fresh ingredients to grill up burgers that are out of this world. Hungry customers flock to Big D’s for tantalizing creations like “The Tomahawk,” which is topped with aged cheddar, red chili, and avocado lime mayo.

9. Casper & Runyon’s Nook – Saint Paul, Minnesota
A small spot with big burgers, this Twin Cities establishment has been serving up more than 30 enticing beef and bun variations since 2000. Meat lovers frequent the Nook for its signature cheese-stuffed burgers – the joint’s take on a recipe native to Minnesota known as the “Juicy Lucy.”

10. Village Burger – Waimea, Hawaii
In the Aloha State, this island eatery serves up traditional beef burgers made with locally sourced ingredients. Scrumptious options include the “Big Island” burger and “Kahua Ranch Wagyu” burger, described as “big, rich and bossy.” Travelers can also try a fresh ahi tuna or vegetarian burger. Apparently the local ingredients make all the difference. One TripAdvisor stated: “You really can taste the difference with fresh local beef. I am forever spoiled now that I know how a burger can taste

* Martin & Short!

Two of the greatest sketch comedians of all-time.

Just guessing, but my money says they haven’t done “standup” in years.

In any event, Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats will definitely be there!