* The Bulldogs.
Real short and simple…
Jeff Eats recently caught The Bulldogs a South Florida based–1960’s Rock’n’Soul band
in action and they were dynamite. The eight piece band has been around for something like 20 years–playing area bars/clubs/festivals.
If 60’s Rock and Soul music is your bag…check www.thebulldogs.com for audio/video/schedule.
***** Silver Palace Chinese Restaurant, 5771 Southwest 137th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33183, (305) 382-1598.
Got a terrific-Chinese joint for you…Silver Palace Chinese Restaurant in Miami.
For what it’s worth, Jeff Eats can’t begin to tell you–how many times in any given month–somebody comes up to me and says–and I paraphrase “Can’t find decent Chinese food down here.” By the way–I counted 3x in March 2014–but who’s counting?
Between Jeff Eats and you–there are actually a load of good Chinese restaurants/take outs down here in Sunny South Florida…just like there are a ton of really good pizza joints down here–but that’s a story for another day!
If you guys check, Jeff Eats’ “Chinese” there are a number of rave Chinese reviews.
Anyway…
Before I get going on Silver Palace Chinese Restaurant–I’m thinking that in NYC, Chicago, Boston, Cleveland (you can pick your favorite non-South Florida City) there are plenty of lousy/horrendous Chinese restaurants. If memory serves me correctly, when the-Eats Family lived in Manhattan from 1979-1991 there was a Chinese restaurant right across the street from our apartment building at the intersection of East 63rd Street and 2nd Avenue that served up some of the most disgusting stuff imaginable—as a matter of fact, there was also a Chinese joint one block away on 2nd Avenue and East 62nd Street that was a close second to the “guy” on 63rd Street. Get the point! If not, this “food reviewing”-deal is a strictly subjective enterprise.
Back to Silver Palace…
Recently ate at Silver Palace and thought that the food was dynamite. Just so you know, the joint has 2-menus. One for us “Brooklyn” folks looking for Jewish-Brooklyn- American Chinese food circa 1957–and another for you folks into “real authentic” (whatever that means? probably garlic squid-but not sure) Chinese food.
The Silver Palace meal…wonton soup, egg drop soup, egg rolls, bbq ribs, sweet & sour pork, roast pork fried rice, pepper steak, garlic chicken, shrimp in lobster/black bean sauce–and I gotta tell you–“imho” this joint could make a real-good living in NYC’s China Town. For those of you who like pecking-orders, the garlic chicken and sweet & sour pork were off-the-chart. By the way, your tee shirt/shorts/flip flop ensemble will definitely work-in this mom & pop joint.
Quick story…
A few months ago, a friend (not gonna mention names) raved about NYC’s– Shun Lee Palace’s food claiming that the Chinese food in South Florida was- and I quote “dog food” …to make a long story short, this same guy and his wife were with Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats when we ate at Silver Palace–and during dinner told me, and I quote-“This food is better than Shun Lee’s, at half-the-price.” Like I said, before, this food reviewing business–is purely a subjective game.
I’ll leave it up to you guys to decide for yourselves—all I know is that Silver Palace’s food was “imho” TERRIFIC!
Silver Palace Chinese Restaurant is open 7 days a week 11am-10pm.
* America’s Top 15 Pizzas–2013!
The Daily Meal (www.thedailymeal.com) is a HUGE and I do mean HUGE–food site…thousands read it daily.
The Daily Meal recently released a list of America’s Top 15 Pizzas–2013.
Now you and Jeff Eats both know that this “ranking” stuff is kinda-silly—with that in mind, I thought you’d might like to read-the list.
By the way, Jeff Eats has “had” the pizza from #s–1, 2, 7, 12. All real good–but this ranking stuff is still kinda-silly.
Enjoy!
*****
1. Frank Pepe’s, New Haven, Conn. (White Clam)
If you want to discuss the loaded topic of America’s best pizza with any authority, you have to make a pilgrimage to this legendary New Haven pizzeria. Frank Pepe opened his doors in Wooster Square in New Haven, Conn., in 1925, offering classic Napoletana-style pizza. After immigrating to the United States in 1909 at the age of 16 from Italy, Pepe took odd jobs before opening his restaurant (now called “The Spot,” next door to the larger operation). Since its conception, Pepe’s has opened an additional seven locations.
What should you order at this checklist destination? Two words: clam pie (“No muzz!”). This is a Northeastern pizza genre unto its own, and Pepe’s is the best of them all — freshly shucked, briny littleneck clams, an intense dose of garlic, olive oil, oregano and grated parmesan atop a charcoal-colored crust. The advanced move? Clam pie with bacon. Just expect to wait in line if you get there after 11:30 a.m. on a weekend.
2. Di Fara, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Di Fara Classic Pie)
Domenico DeMarco is a local celebrity, having owned and operated Di Fara since 1964. Dom cooks both New York and Sicilian-style pizza Wednesday through Sunday (noon to 4:30 p.m., and from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.) for hungry New Yorkers and tourists willing to wait in long lines, and brave the free-for-all that is the Di Fara counter experience. Yes, you’re better off getting a whole pie than shelling out for the $5 slice. Yes, it’s a trek, and sure, Dom goes through periods where the underside of the pizza can trend toward overdone, but when he’s on, Di Fara can make a very strong case for being America’s best pizza. If you want to understand why before visiting, watch the great video about Di Fara called The Best Thing I Ever Done. You can’t go wrong with the classic round or square cheese pie (topped with oil-marinated hot peppers, which you can ladle on at the counter if you elbow in), but the menu’s signature is the Di Fara Classic Pie: mozzarella, parmesan, plum tomato sauce, basil, sausage, peppers, mushroom, onion, and of course, a drizzle of olive oil by Dom.
3. Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix (Marinara)
“There’s no mystery to my pizza,” Bronx native Chris Bianco was quoted as saying in The New York Times. “Sicilian oregano, organic flour, San Marzano tomatoes, purified water, mozzarella I learned to make at Mike’s Deli in the Bronx, sea salt, fresh yeast cake and a little bit of yesterday’s dough. In the end great pizza, like anything else, is all about balance. It’s that simple.” Try telling that to the legions of pizza pilgrims who have made trip to the storied Phoenix pizza spot he opened more than 20 years ago. The restaurant serves not only addictive thin-crust pizzas but also fantastic antipasto (involving wood-oven-roasted vegetables), perfect salads and homemade country bread. The wait, once routinely noted as one of the worst for food in the country, has been improved by Pizzeria Bianco opening for lunch, and the opening of Trattoria Bianco, the pizza prince of Arizona’s Italian restaurant in the historic Town & Country Shopping Center (about 10 minutes from the original). This is another case where any pie will likely be better than most you’ve had in your life (that Rosa with red onions and pistachios!), but the signature Marinara will recalibrate your pizza baseline forever: tomato sauce, oregano, and garlic (no cheese).
4. Una Pizza Napoletana, San Francisco (Margherita)
When Anthony Mangieri, pizzaiolo for the East Village’s Una Pizza Napoletana, closed in 2009 “to make a change,” move West, and open somewhere he could get “a chance to use his outrigger canoe and mountain bike more often,” it was the ultimate insult to New Yorkers. You’re taking one of the city’s favorite Neapolitan pizzerias, defecting to a temperate climate, to people who denigrate New York’s Mexican food? So you can canoe and mountain bike? Traitor! Good for Mangieri, and good for San Franciscans, who inherited one of the country’s best Neapolitan pies (if only Wednesday through Saturday, 5 p.m. until they’re “out of dough”). A thin crust with chewy cornicione, a sauce that’s tart and alive, an appropriate ratio of cheese … you could almost imagine yourself at the pantheon to pizza in Naples: Da Michele, a place where the pizza is poetry and pizza poetry is on the wall. Mangieri harkens that same ethos on his website — check out the pizza poem “Napoli” — and delivers the edible version to his patrons. There are only five pies, all $25 (a $5 hike since last year), plus a special Saturday-only pie, the Apollonia, made with eggs, parmigiano-reggiano, buffalo mozzarella, salami, extra-virgin olive oil, basil, garlic, sea salt and black pepper. But when you’re this close to godliness, you don’t need extras. Keep it simple with the margherita (San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, extra-virgin olive oil ,fresh basil, sea salt, tomato sauce) and know the good.
5. Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles (squash blossoms, tomato, burrata)
Renowned baker and chef Nancy Silverton teamed up with Italian culinary moguls Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich to open Osteria Mozza, a Los Angeles hot spot where the famous clientele pales in comparison to the innovative, creative fare. The pizzeria, which is attached to the main restaurant, offers a variety of Italian specialties, from antipasti to bruschetta, but the Neapolitan-style pizzas steal the show. Their list of 21 pies ranges from $11 for a simple aglio e olio, a classic cheese pizza, to $23 for a more unique pie with squash blossoms, tomato, and burrata cheese — a delicious and simple pizza that transports through the quality and nuance of its ingredients. So it’s no surprise that Batali and Bastianich have taken a stab at duplicating the success of this model pizzeria, opening in Newport Beach, Singapore (!), and soon, San Diego.
6. Roberta’s, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Margherita)
Say Roberta’s is in the new class of restaurants that has fanned the flames of the Brooklyn vs. Manhattan debate, call it a great pizza joint, recall it as a frontrunner of the city’s rooftop garden movement, and mention that Carlo Mirarchi was named a Best New Chef by Food & Wine, and you’d still be selling it short. Roberta’s is in Bushwick six stops out of Manhattan on the L, and it’s one of the city’s best restaurants (it even serves one of the city’s hardest-to-score tasting menus). In Bushwick! Pizza may not be the only thing at Roberta’s, but its Neapolitan pies are at the high end of the debate about the city’s best (and according to an interview with the blog Slice, inspired another great pizzeria on this list, Paulie Gee’s). Yes, some of them have names like “Family Jewels,” “Barely Legal,” and – after disgraced New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Wiener – “Carlos Danger,” but you can afford not to take yourself seriously in an environment where Brooklyn hipsters and everyone else tolerate each other when your pizza is this good. As much as the Amatriciana and the Bee Sting (when Roberta’s goes mobile) may tempt, the Margherita (tomato, mozzarella, basil) is Roberta’s pizza Lothario.
7. Sally’s Apizza, New Haven, Conn. (Tomato Pie)
Sally’s Apizza is a New Haven classic, operating from the same location where they opened in the late 1930s in New Haven’s Wooster Square. Their pizza is traditionally thin-crust, topped with tomato sauce, garlic and “mozz.” The pies look pretty similar to what you’ll find down the street at Frank Pepe, which any New Haven pizza believer will note is because the man who opened Sally’s is the nephew of the owner of Pepe. The folks at Sally’s will be the first to tell you that Pepe makes a better clam pie, but their tomato pie (tomato sauce, no cheese), well, they have the original beat there.
8. Flour + Water, San Francisco (Margherita)
Although this San Francisco restaurant claims to specialize in house-made pastas, their pizza is formidable. Baked in a wood-fired oven, the thin-crust pizza at Flour + Water blends Old World tradition with modern refinement, according to chef and co-owner Thomas McNaughton. Pizza toppings vary depending on what’s in season, making each dining experience unique, but Flour + Water’s textbook Margherita is amazing. Heirloom tomatoes, basil, fior di latte, and extra-virgin olive oil … if only the simplicity implied by the restaurant’s name could be duplicated in pizzerias across the country.
9. Motorino, New York City (Brussels Sprout)
Some spaces are cursed. Others? Blessed. When Anthony Mangieri shuttered Una Pizza Napoletana at 349 East 12th St. and headed West, Mathieu Palombino took over the lease, renamed the space Motorino, and the East Village pizza scene hardly skipped a beat. Motorino offers a handful of spirited pies, including one with cherry stone clams; another with stracciatella, raw basil and Gaeta olives; and the cremini mushroom with fior di latte, sweet sausage and garlic. But contrary to every last fiber of childhood memory you hold dear, the move is the Brussels Sprout pie (fior di latte, garlic, Pecorino, smoked pancetta and olive oil), something both Hong Kong natives and Brooklynites can now attest to since Palombino opened (and reopened) his Asian and Williamsburg outposts earlier in 2013.
10. Al Forno, Providence, R.I. (Margarita)
On South Main Street in the heart of Providence, R.I., Al Forno offers a quintessential Italian dining experience for those who can’t afford the flight. Husband-and-wife owner-chefs George Germon and Johanne Killeen received the Insegna del Ristorante Italiano from the Italian government, a rare honor for Americans, attributable to their informed passion for pasta along with their invention of the grilled pizza. The restaurant bakes their pies in wood-burning ovens as well as on grills over hardwood charcoal fire. Their most notable grilled pizza? The Margarita. It’s served with fresh herbs, pomodoro, two cheeses and extra-virgin olive oil.
11. Modern Apizza, New Haven, Conn. (Italian Bomb)
Established in 1934 as State Street Pizza, Modern’s coal-fired brick oven puts out pizza in the same thin-crust style. It’s likely that you’ll hear it spoken about as the place “the locals go instead of Pepe’s and Sally’s.” That may be so. The atmosphere is great — wood paneling, friendly servers, a clean feeling — but it doesn’t play third-string just because it’s not on Wooster. Modern’s pies are a little topping-heavy with less structural integrity. Given the focus on toppings, the iconic Italian Bomb is the pie to try: bacon, sausage, pepperoni, garlic, mushroom, onion and pepper.
12. Totonno’s, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Margherita)
By all accounts, Totonno’s shouldn’t be around anymore. Consider first that it was opened in Coney Island in 1924 (by Antonio “Totonno” Pero, a Lombardi’s alum). Then factor in the fire that broke out in the coal storage area and ravaged the place in 2009. Add to that insult the destruction (and some reported $150,000 in repairs) incurred in 2012 during Hurricane Sandy when 4 feet of water destroyed everything inside the family-owned institution. You’ll probably agree that Brooklyn (and the country) should be counting its lucky stars Totonno’s is still around. And yet it does more than that.
It doesn’t just keep a storied pizza name, or nostalgia for simpler times (and perhaps more authentic and consistent pies) alive. No. Owners Antoinette Balzano, Frank Balzano and Louise “Cookie” Ciminieri don’t just bridge our modern era’s festishizing of pizza to the days of its inception at Lombardi’s. The coal-fired blistered edges, the spotty mozzarella laced over that beautiful red sauce … ah, fuggedabout all the teary-eyed try-too-much words, this is Neptune Avenue! This is Brooklyn! This is Totonno’s. And this, is how you make pizza.
13. Paulie Gee’s, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Regina)
With a love for pizza, little formal training, without finishing high school, with a career he has characterized as having “masqueraded as a computer geek,” and a fear of becoming Shelley Levene from “Glengarry Glen Ross,” Paulie Giannone struck out into the unknown, to Greenpoint, Brooklyn. He ventured there before “Girls,” before the condos, in a time when the dream of a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment a 10-minute walk from the subway to Manhattan on the Polish word-of-mouth, no-lease real estate wire still went for less than $2,000.
This backyard do-it-yourselfing pizza passionista put it all on the line and earned every kind word he’s gotten. Greenpoint isn’t much to look at, but Paulie Gee’s is a pizza lover’s home, a clean, rustic space that looks like a barn but puts out a pie to rival every Naples memory you’ve had or dreamed of having. There are some 19 pies, all great in their own right and featuring clever names and great topping combinations — In Ricotta Da Vita, Ricotta Be Kiddin’, and the Luca Brasi (no anchovies) — but when The Daily Meal checked in with the pizzeria, the Regina was the pie noted as the signature: mozzarella, tomatoes, pecorino romano, olive oil and fresh basil. And panelists agreed that Paulie’s Regina well deserved a top spot among America’s 20 best pizzas.
14. Apizza Scholls, Portland, Ore. (Apizza Amore)
Apizza Scholls has some of the best pizza in Portland, and some have argued, north of San Francisco — and that’s using an electric oven! But they do have some guidelines for patrons interested in composing their own topping combinations on their 18-inch pies: only three ingredients, and no more than two meats per pie. So choose wisely from a list of toppings that in addition to classics like anchovies, red onions, garlic, pepperoni, sausage and basil includes capicollo, house-cured Canadian bacon, cotto salami, arugula, jalapeño and pepperoncini. Heads-up: bacon is “not offered for build your own toppings.” If you aren’t up to building your own pie, there are 10 classics to choose from, including the signature Apizza Amore: margherita with capicollo (cured pork shoulder). The signature Amore features a spicy kick offset a bit by the somewhat sweet mozzarella and balanced sauce. That’s amore!
15. South Brooklyn Pizza, New York City (New York Style)
Quick, who makes New York City’s best slice? That’s a tricky question. While known as a great pizza city, New York’s state of the slice isn’t what it you’d think, especially while it’s in the grip of the Neapolitan craze and $0.99-cardboard drunk food (you’d almost prefer D.C.’s jumbo slice). But there’s hope in the form of the East Village’s South Brooklyn Pizza, where owner Jim McGown espouses a conventional gas oven that gives the upskirt a slight char that seems just right. A slice of the signature New York Style pizza takes time (on average, up to 10 minutes), but it’s worth the wait. The San Marzano sauce is neither too sweet nor acidic and is topped with layers of thin, ovoid mozzarella slices, dotted with fontina cubes and finished with a generous drizzle of olive oil, basil and grated pecorino or Grana Padano. The thin crust cracks, but carries the cheese and sauce all the way up the slice, tangy bite after bite. No, the idea of a $4 slice doesn’t sit right, and blame Di Fara if you want (it’s arguably as good).
***** Hurricane Grill & Wings.
If you guys check, back on 6/6/08, 4/28/10 and 2/18/11 Jeff Eats did “stories” on Hurricane Grill & Wings…In a nutshell, the write-ups talked about food and in large part about a Customer Loyalty Rewards Program that was a dismal failure. If you like, you can review those stories–as to my “thoughts” back then-about the wings/burgers/salads that this chain served up–as well as the loyalty system employed.
Anyway…
Last night, Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats had dinner at the Hurricane Grill & Wings located in Boca Raton. Long story short, friends of ours were “heading” back-up to New York this morning and Hurricane Grill was a convenient spot to meet at-before they started their trip.
Not going to discuss the current state of the chains’ Loyalty program…I will tell you that the salads, wings, cheeseburger sliders and key lime pie that we shared were all- right on the money. Suffice it to say, we enjoyed the food and the service was good-despite the fact that the joint was packed to the rafters with kids–because something like -Balloon Lady Night was going on.
The main reason I am telling you about this “outing” -is that I noticed a flyer on one of the doors advertising a “free” Tom Petty Tribute Show…when Jeff Eats asked the GM about the band, he indicated that every Saturday night, the Boca Raton restaurant and the Hurricane Grill & Wings in Wellington have live bands performing. In Boca-an out door tent is set up in the parking lot next to the restaurant and in Wellington the bands play inside—
So…
You guys now know where you can catch some good wings/burgers/salads–and enjoy some live music while you eat.
The suggestion here is to check Hurricane Grill & Wings’ website www.hurricanewings.com for South Florida locations/menu/check dates-bands performing.
One final thought, the Boca Raton and Wellington locations are owned by the parent company–others in the area are franchised joints…the point, the franchises may or may not have “live” music-so it pays to check what’s-what with them.
Just so you know-Hurricane Grill & Wings currently has 6-Florida outposts–Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Palm Beach Gardens (2), Wellington, Royal Palm Beach.
* The Zombies.
Every so often, “something” comes along that is really too good to pass-up…
With that in mind- on Tuesday Night- April 8, 2014, The Zombies will be appearing in concert at the Mardi Gras Casino in Hallandale Beach.
Jeff Eats is thinking that most of you guys know who The Zombies are…for what it’s worth- Jeff Eats considers The Zombies to be one of the greatest 1960’s British Invasion Bands…
Trust me on this one–The Zombies “today” are as good as they were way back in the 60’s. I saw the group a year or so ago, and lead singer Colin Blunstone sounds exactly as he did on the group’s hit records “She’s Not There”-“Tell Her No”-“Time Of The Season”. What many folks don’t know, is that Zombies’ co-founder Rod Argent- after leaving The Zombies in 1969- fronted the group Argent-which had the 1972 mega hit “Hold Your Head Up.” Not to bore you with Rock ‘N Roll history–but Blunstone and Argent formally reunited as The Zombies in 2004 and since then have been in huge demand playing concerts all over the world.
Jeff Eats has previously done two “stories” on this upcoming concert…As a matter of fact, I reprinted the February 27, 2014 “one” below.
Let me wrap this one up for you–
If you want to see one of the greatest 60’s British Invasion bands–then you gotta see The Zombies.
Really just that simple!
*****
* The Zombies.
Just this second, received a PR e-mail from the Mardi Gras Casino in Hallandale Beach.
You can “play” food blogger (just like Jeff Eats does) and read the particulars on THE ZOMBIES’ scheduled April 8, 2014 Mardi Gras Casino concert.
Trust Jeff Eats on this one, The Zombies back in 1964 were an amazing band-and 50 years later-still are.
The Mardi Gras Casino is a great outdoor venue…and every seat is good.
When you see/hear original members Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent–you’ll wonder why you aged-and these guys didn’t. I think its got something to do with –”The Picture of Dorian Gary.”- but that’s just a guess!
*****
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT:
Lisa Mizrachi
lmizrachi@mardigrascasinofl.com
954-924-3160
Mardi Gras Casino Presents English Rock Legends, The Zombies!
Featuring Colin Blunstone & Rod Argent
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Time: 8pm-9:15pm (Will-call opens at 6:30pm / Doors open at 7pm)
Location: Grandstand
Cost: General Admission – $15 / Premium Seating – $30 / VIP – $50
For Ticket Information, visit www.mardigrascasinofl.com
Straight from the UK, Mardi Gras presents The Zombies in a rare South Florida appearance on April 8th at 8pm live in the Grandstand!
The Zombies are the second UK group following the Beatles to score a #1 hit in America, infiltrating the airwaves with their sophisticated melodies, breathy vocals, choral back-up harmonies and jazzy keyboard riffs of their 1960’s hit singles including: “Time of the Season,” “She’s Not There,” “Tell Her No” and Argent’s “Hold Your Head up.”
All ticket holders receive a special buffet price of $10.95 at the French Quarter Restaurant & Bar located on the third floor of the casino from 5pm-10pm.
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 1,100 Las Vegas-style slot machines, including new-linked Progressive slots, video roulette and blackjack, and Vegas-Star Roulette; 30 action-packed poker tables; simulcast and greyhound racing; 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
***** Joe’s Diner, 9331 Tamiami Trail North, Naples, Florida 34108, (239) 254-7929.
Let me ask you guys something…
Do you really think that there would be anyway that Jeff Eats would pass-up eating in a joint named Joe’s Diner? Real easy…Nope!
Joe’s Diner has more- faux 1950’s retro checkerboard tablecloths and linoleum tile flooring–than there are Chins in a Chinese phonebook (courtesy Soupy Sales- 1957)–and Jeff Eats loved every red/black and black/white square!
Real simple concept…loads of tables/counter/outdoor patio seating—huge “all day” breakfast menu, salads, sandwiches, burgers, entrees, desserts.
You can check menu/prices and “millions” of décor photos at www.joesdiner.com.
Now- nothing for nothing, Joe’s Diner isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel here! What we got- is a tee shirt/shorts/sneakers-flip flops’ joint that serves real good-food at real reasonable prices–with a bunch of real friendly servers- making for a real pleasant outing.
Based on the fact that Joe’s advertises “Breakfast All Day Every Day!”–Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats did burgers, meatloaf and fried chicken–just fooling, we did breakfast…ordering the Bull Durham omelet, The Rocket omelet, Famous Crunch French Toast and I gotta tell you, that all three dishes were terrific. No fooling here–definitely one of the best breakfasts- Mrs. Jeff Eats and I have had in a very long time. You may- then again you may not- be wondering what was “in-or on” the mentioned omelets and/or French toast–so, let’s make this an inter-active review–and you can check (if you like) www.joediners.com for “ingredients.
Joe’s Diner is a huge winner.
Joe’s Diner is open Monday-Friday 6am-3pm, Saturday-Sunday 7am-3pm.
***** Bo’s Ice Cream, 7101 North Florida Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33604, (813) 234-3870.
Bo’s Ice Cream…free standing/soft serve ice cream joint—walkup window/drive thru/seating-2 outdoor picnic tables.
Think Dairy Queen or Carvel and you’ll be on the right page.
What makes Bo’s “special”? –well for starters-the joint has been around since 1954…the vanilla soft serve covered in butterscotch–the upside banana split in a cup–the chocolate soft serve with Heath Bar (like DQ’s Blizzard–but it’s called Thick N Chunky)–that Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats gobbled down.
Call me sentimental, but while sitting at one of the picnic benches–Jeff Eats just imagined what terrific times/memories–this 60 year old joint had generated.
I don’t know about you guys…but I remember “my” Sam’s Candy Store—Brooklyn circa 1950s-1960s as if it was just yesterday.
The way I see it, it’s the Bo’s of the world that help put things in proper perspective–but that’s just me!
Bo’s Ice Cream is open 7 days a week 11am-11pm.
***** Coney Island Sandwich Shop, 250 Dr. Martin King Jr. Street North, St. Petersburg, Florida 33705, (727) 822-4493.
Coney Island Sandwich Shop has been in business since 1926…counter seating/handful of booths. Give or take–the joint probably looks just like it did when it first opened for business some 88 years ago (I did the math for you).
Real simple menu–hot dogs, hamburgers, handful of sandwiches, shakes…no french fries.
Coney Island Sandwich Shop is “famous” for its Smithfield pork/beef flat-top grilled hot dog topped with yellow mustard/chopped onions/chili–washed down by one of its milkshakes -so, when in Rome, Jeff Eats does as the Romans do–I had a chili dog and washed it down with a chocolate shake. On the hot dog side of the ledger–okay, but nothing great…as for the shake-real good. The tab with-tip $7. By the way, this is a cash-only joint.
Let me wrap Coney Island Sandwich Shop up for you…when you walk into the joint it’s as if you went back in time…really-really cool. Nothing for nothing, Jeff Eats loves really-really cool, but -if Coney Island Sandwich Shop didn’t have the Memory Lane Card in its deck…it would be hard for me to recommend a visit.
Coney Island Sandwich Shop is open Monday-Friday 11am-7pm, Saturday 11am-4pm, closed Sunday.
* The Steven Seagal Band.
For those of you who might-care, The Steven Seagal Band will be at Hard Rock Live on Monday-June 16, 2014 at 8pm. As if you’ll need it-there is an Internet-Pre Sale on 3/27 11am-11pm and the Passcode is GUITAR.
In all seriousness, Jeff Eats is expecting a sell-out tomorrow-as I understand that Seagal has promised to personally visit the home of every person who received the Internet-Pre Sale email and didn’t buy a ticket.
Please Act Accordingly!
