***** A little Bit Of Philly, 3940 Curtiss Parkway, Virginia Gardens, Florida 33166, (305) 456-0481.

Real simple concept here…order at/pickup at counter joint, that makes pizza, calzones, stromboli, hot/cold subs.

Just so you know, Jeff Eats was turned onto -A Little Bit Of Philly by my pals at food blog Burger Beast www.burgerbeast.com who did a story on August 20, 2013.

You know and I know that pizza/sub joints are like Chins in a Chinese phonebook…literally, one in every South Florida strip center…not sure if the Chins/Chinese phonebook/strip center “theme” is working here–but you guys know what I mean.

Anyway…

The other day Jeff Eats gave -A Little Bit Of Philly a shot-and I gotta tell you that the plain pizza, sicilian pizza, philly cheese steak sub, meatball sub that I “sampled” were off the chart. No fooling around, everything-was amazingly delicious.

Let me wrap this up for you…this joint is an absolute grand-slam must try–that’s assuming, that you enjoy great subs and pizza…and other than my friend Hank (a story for another day)-who doesn’t?

A Little Bit Of Philly is open Monday-Saturday 11am-9pm, Sunday 11am-8pm.

***** Barone’s La Pizzeria, 5632 West Sample Road, Margate, Florida 33073 (954) 968-4396.

Call it crazy, but at least once a week -Jeff Eats gets asked among other things-to name his favorite south Florida Italian/pizza joints…very flattering -to think that so many of you guys actually believe that I know what I am talking about…

Anyway…

Way back on June 28, 2010- Jeff Eats “reviewed” Barone’s La Pizzeria…and I gotta tell you, that over the ensuing years, Barone’s has become one of Jeff Eats’ “go to joints.” Personally, I would match Barone’s food/prices/service up-against the best “mom & pop” red sauce players in South Florida.

So…you now know where Jeff Eats goes when he is craving -outstanding New York Style pizza, amazing garlic knots, fabulous minestrone soup, delicious veal marsala—so forth and so on.

One final thought…Barone’s has been around for something like 40 years…that should tell you something!

The original (6/28/10) review is reprinted below.
—-

***** Barone’s La Pizzeria, 5632 West Sample Road, Margate, Florida 33073 (954) 968-4396.
Barone’s La Pizzeria is a “Mom & Pop—red sauce” pizza joint located in Margate.
You can check its menu/prices at www.lapizzeriamargate.com.

You know and I know that “Mom & Pop” pizza joints are a dime a dozen-down here in old South Florida. I think the way it works…the strip center landlord first signs Publix, then Walgreens, then a Chinese takeout, then a pizza joint, then a dry cleaners…then a —-(you fill in the blanks)….then half of the businesses go bust…

Anyway, the other evening, I gave Barone’s La Pizzeria a shot- and I gotta tell you, the food is real-good. My party did pizza, shrimp scampi, veal parmigiana, meat lasagna, chicken & shrimp alfredo, penne ala vodka—and like I just said, real good.

As you know– over the past few years, old Jeff Eats has eaten-in his fair share of “mom & pop” Italian joints…and, to be perfectly honest with you, most of them barely get the job done, but then again, that’s the nature of the beast…”cheap is cheap”….”you get what you pay for”…”one if by land, 2 if by sea.” Trust me on this one, Barone’s La Pizzeria is REAL GOOD…if you live or work near the joint, I highly recommend that you give it a try.

By the way, Barone’s La Pizzeria is right across Sample Road from the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek and is maybe a 3-minute drive (west) from the Festival Flea Market on Sample Road.

Barone’s La Pizzeria is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm and Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm

* Tucker Duke’s Lunchbox & Market, 1101 South Powerline Road, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442, (954) 708-2035.

The best way to describe Tucker Duke’s Lunchbox & Market…a table service–gourmet hamburger/sandwich shop.

For the record, Tucker Duke’s has 2- Florida locations…1- in Valpariso (Fort Walton/Destin area) and 1- in Deerfield Beach…

Just so you know, Jeff Eats hasn’t eaten in Tucker Duke’s…as a matter of fact, the Deerfield Beach location just opened for business 2-days ago.

You regular readers know or should know, that one of Jeff Eats’ favorite South Florida food blogs is Burger Beast-www.burgerbeast.com–with that in mind, the other day- Burger Beast gave the Deerfield Beach-Tucker Duke’s a terrific write-up…the review was so good, you’d swear that Burger Beast was one of the owners or at- the least, a relative of one of the owners. When you get a chance, checkout that review.

Anyway…

Based on Burger Beast’s accolades, Jeff Eats did some “research” which included checking YELP and Trip Advisor-reviews for the Valpariso location …and give or take one or two reviews–people absolutely “loved” the joint. From what I understand, the Valpariso restaurant is a converted gas-station-which sounds pretty cool- to me.

After doing my “internet search” on the Company, Jeff Eats took a ride over- to the Deerfield Beach location and met owners John and Jay. After that “meeting” I also spoke by phone with–third owner, Brian who created the Tucker Duke’s concept.

As previously mentioned, Jeff Eats has not yet eaten in Tucker Duke’s. I will tell you, that during my meeting with John/Jay, I saw some absolutely great looking- burgers/sandwiches come out of the joint’s kitchen. If you are wondering, the Deerfield Beach joint is real casual–with a woody look– like you find in bbq joints. By the way, Tucker Duke’s is located in a very small strip center (between a Subway and Dunkin’Donuts)–and has both inside/handful of outside tables.

Let me wrap this up for you…based on Burger Beast’s review-alone…the joint is worth a try. Throw in those “other” reviews and Jeff Eats’ reconnaissance—and I think that Deerfield Beach may have just given birth to an amazing-burger/sandwich joint.

Check -Burger Beast www.burgerbeast.com—for review/loads of photos/menu prices/info.

* Jeff Eats Is Exhausted!

Just read this in StyleList…”10 foods that make you look tired.”

1. Salt.
2. Artificial Sweetener.
3. Alcohol.
4. Anything Fried.
5. Carbohydrates.
6. Doughnuts.
7. Candy.
8. Red Meat.
9. Processed Cold Cuts.
10. Spicy Foods.

If you aren’t too tired, you can read the full article at www.stylelist.com.

* Meatball Room & The Beatles.

Here’s a heads-up for you Beatles- fans…

On Saturday Night–March 8, 2014 from 7pm-11pm, Italian joint–Meatball Room in Boca Raton is going to stage a FREE–“Beatles-50th Anniversary” show starring- Across The Universe.

As of right now- Jeff Eats doesn’t have many details-other than, that Across The Universe (one of South Florida’s top Beatles tribute bands) has been booked for the date.

Just guessing here, but based on the band’s huge following and the restaurant’s large customer base– I’m thinking that Meatball Room will use its outdoor patio area to stage this show.

This event should really be a-lot of fun…even you Rolling Stones’ fanatics gotta admit that The Fab Four did turn out a decent tune-now and then!

If this type of “thing” interests you, I would suggest that you contact Meatball Room—(www.meatballroom.com -(561) 409-4111) and get the skinny on how this event is gonna work. You can check-out Across The Universe at www.acrosstheuniverseband.com.

One final note, if Jeff Eats is correctly reading his e-mails, Meatball Room currently has a- Groupon (www.groupon.com) going–which gets you $20 for $11 or $60 for $31. So, just maybe-there is a play here for you to see a free Beatles-show and eat some real-good Italian food on the cheap.

Printed below is Jeff Eats’ review (11/20/13) on Meatball Room.
Printed below is Jeff Eats’ review (1/21/14) on Across The Universe.

*****
Posted on January 21, 2014.
Across The Universe.
Real fast…
February 7th 2014 marks the 50th Anniversary of The Beatles’ 1964- arrival at NYC’s JFK International Airport…the band’s American debut-February 9, 1964 on the Ed Sullivan Show.
February & March 2014…all types of concerts/shows/events/television programming are scheduled commemorating that Anniversary!
Check-out… Across The Universe- www.acrosstheuniverseband.com—definitely one of South Florida’s best Beatles’ tribute/cover bands. Jeff Eats has seen them at least a 1/2 dozen times and they are GOOD!
In checking the band’s schedule, it has a handful of February & March-South Florida dates booked—and a number of the gigs are free shows.

Posted on November 20th, 2013 · Boca Raton Desserts Italian Pizza
***** Meatball Room, 3011 Yamato Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33434, (561) 409-4111.
Last night…
Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats attended a “media dinner” at- Meatball Room, an Italian restaurant which opened six days ago in Boca Raton…based on last night’s food/service/décor/vibe, the joint has a real shot of developing an absolutely huge following.
Just so we are straight, the Eats’ meals/beverages and those of 30 others were comped…
For background…
As far as Jeff Eats could tell, the dinner was populated with some of South Florida’s best known- food bloggers and magazine/newspaper food critics/writers. Nothing for nothing, I’ll bet you a buck, that on Thursday, November 28th the Sun Sentinel runs a story on Meatball Room. Talk about thorough!–its reporter had more paper notes than Eisenhower had for the entire D-Day Invasion.
Anyway…let me tell you what “we-all” (this is the South, after-all!) got to try—baked clams, anaheim pepper, kale salad, beets salad, chopped salad, classic (veal/pork/beef) meatballs, turkey meatballs, taco (beef/pork/ground tortilla chips) meatballs, rigatoni bolognese, calamari fra diavolo, cheese pizza, harvest (apples/carmalized onions/mozzarella/goat cheese) pizza, chicken castronovo (breaded chicken breast/asparagus/fontina cheese/mushroom demi sauce), veal parmigiana—and let me tell you, every-thing was delicious. Now for sure, some items were stronger than others, but not one single dish was shall we say-even close to being lousy. For those of you who need a pecking order…as George H. W. Bush would say, “Can’t do it! Not gonna do it! (or was it Dana Carvey?)–trust me it was all good-(ok, you win-the cheese pizza, taco meatballs and chicken castronovo were off-the-chart).
Now for the outrageous kicker…
Meatball Room has a huge dessert menu that includes– ice cream sundaes, milkshakes, ice cream sandwiches/cones, cakes, zeppoles. cannolis, pastries. Us media folks got to try sundaes, cannolis, chocolate layer cake, carrot cake, New York Style cheesecake–Talk about a diabetic’s worst nightmare! I’m telling you, the attendees flipped out when those sundaes were served in gigantic glass goblets. Real cool-all baked goods are made in-house!
You guys know, that it’s not Jeff Eats’ style- to go on and on and on…about how stuff is made and the fine details of a meal—all I’m telling you, is comped or no comped, Meatball Room is making some really terrific stuff.
Let me close by saying, that back on October 23, 2013 Jeff Eats’ did a story on “pre-opened” Meatball Room and the shopping center it’s in. That story is reprinted below -for you guys who enjoy reading 30-day old Jeff Eats’ articles.
You can check menu/prices/photos/other stuff at www.meatballroom.com.
Meatball Room is open 7 days a week from 11am-midnight.
—–
Meatball Room (Boca Raton)
Posted on October 23rd, 2013 · Boca Raton Desserts Italian Pizza ·
* Meatball Room (Boca Raton)
Jeff Eats isn’t sure on this…but I think- you guys know that I “reside” in Boca Raton…with that in mind, at least once or twice a week I’m in The Regency Court (3011 Yamato Road, Boca Raton) shopping center which is like 97 seconds from my home.
Anyway…over the past 10 years or so, four different restaurants have occupied a particular 6,000 square foot- space in the center. If you do the math—that means that on average, a joint lasted about 30 months in the spot—not exactly sure, but I think the last guy maybe was there 9 months and the guy before him 6 months, but who’s counting! The point of this “rambling”—the word longevity doesn’t come to Jeff Eats’ mind when he thinks of this particular spot and its past tenants. By the way, the first tenant and second tenant were “American Style” restaurants and the last two were Italian. To rough this out a drop more, the American Style joints had decent enough food/service and the Italian ones-had horrendous food/service. Jeff Eats can surmise why the Italian guys closed- but the “American Style” failures are open to conjecture—the best guess here, is that the rents were obscenely high, but that’s just an educated guess based on heresay.
Anyway…the other day Jeff Eats received an e-mail press release from an Italian restaurant named Meatball Room…who for right now- we’re gonna call “Guy #5″ with a Grand Opening tentatively scheduled for the first week of November…that pr- piece is printed below for your review.
To make what has now turned into an absurd- long story shorter…this evening Jeff Eats just happened (wink wink!) to walk by the Meatball Room which is in the final stages of construction and watched from the “outside” the training of its new staff…Two of Meatball’s owners, John and Louie seeing Jeff Eats’ nose pressed against the window, invited me in…and I gotta tell you, that after a 32 minute conversation with them, I really-think that Meatball Room has a shot of being a huge success. The reason I “say” this…both John and Louie have “tons” of experience both in the front/back of the house–The menu they showed me, had a great selection of reasonably priced Italian stuff and the decor–which resembles an upscale sports-bar with loads of flat screen tvs (do they still make fat screen tvs?) and an out-door dining patio is perfect for the neighborhood-family crowd that populates the immediate area. Finally…Louie insisted that I try the wood fired margherita pizza that he was “testing” on the new-staff…not wanting to be insulting, Jeff Eats had two slices and I gotta tell you, that the wood fired pizza- thin/crisp/sweet sauce was absolutely dynamite. Can’t speak for anyone else, but I think that my buddies over at blog- Worst Pizza www.worstpizza.com are gonna love this pizza, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Now nothing for nothing…Jeff Eats knows that 2 slices of test pizza don’t make or for that matter-break a restaurant—who knows, the rest of the food could be garbage and the service stinks—or maybe the rent is a killer…What I do know, is that Jeff Eats has been around a ton of restaurants and the gut-call is that Louie and John (not sure if there are other partners or not) are gonna pull this one off.
As they say in Uganda—Only time will tell!
By the way, you can check menu/prices at www.meatballroom.com.
Take a look at the pr piece…and Jeff Eats will update you guys after eating a “real” meal there.
*****
MEATBALL ROOM, HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED AUTHENTIC TUSCAN ITALIAN RESTAURANT, TO OPEN IN BOCA RATON MID-OCTOBER, Located in The Regency Court, adjacent to Woodfield Country Club, the restaurant features authentic fare, artisan cocktails, designer desserts and mu
By Simply the Best PR
BOCA RATON, Fla., Oct. 7, 2013 — /PRNewswire/ — Meatball Room (www.meatballroom.com), the highly-anticipated, newly designed Tuscan Italian restaurant, announced today they have retained Simply the Best PR (www.simplythebestpublicrelations.com) as its Public Relations firm of record.
Meatball Room’s extensive menu is highlighted by 12 different meatballs made fresh daily, ranging from classic Italian, to brisket, salmon, Reuben, eggplant, turkey, chicken, vegetarian and much more.
Executive Chef Louie, who recently moved back to Florida from Las Vegas after serving as Executive Chef at The Sugar Factory American Brasserie, the highly-acclaimed 30,000 square foot restaurant at The Paris Hotel, is in charge of all aspects of the kitchen at Meatball Room. His authentic Tuscan-inspired signature dishes include homemade pastas and unique sauces, wood burning pizza oven, Pollo, Veal, Pesce, Melanzane, Ravioli and much more.
Meatball Room features:
•Lunch and dinner daily
•Sunday brunch
•Wood burning pizza oven and open kitchen
•Indoor and outdoor patio seating
•Indoor/outdoor bar
•Cocktail lounge
•Champagne ladies night
•Private parties
•Catering
•And more
With the debut of Meatball Room, Boca Raton has a new choice for genuine Italian cuisine that is Tuscan at heart, but reflects modern tastes and lightness. A full bar with a carefully selected wine list, hand-made cocktails and a daily happy hour featuring bar bites and drink specials will be featured.
The Dessert Menu is extensive and is unlike any dessert menu seen in South Florida. Mouth-watering highlights include a wide array of homemade ice cream sundaes, cheesecakes, tiramisu, numerous milkshakes, innovative ice cream sandwiches, delicious cakes, a Whoopie Pie Tower, and so many other choices.
The restaurant is 5,500 square feet, seats 260 both inside and on the outside covered patio, features a wood burning pizza oven, open kitchen, LED lighting throughout, plasma televisions at the bars and private party room.
“Our publicity will include a series of grand opening events to introduce the restaurant as a place to enjoy genuinely delicious Italian dishes and exciting drinks in a comfortable, relaxed yet beautiful atmosphere,” states Kim Morgan, President of Simply the Best PR. “We are particularly excited to promote Executive Chef Louie to the media to showcase his extensive and impressive experience in Tuscan fare and exciting desserts.”
Meatball Room The Regency Court 3011 Yamato Road Boca Raton, FL 33434 www.meatballroom.com 561-409-4111
Contact: Kim Morgan Simply the Best Public Relations (954) 261-2149 kmorgan@goodpresspublishing.com
Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/10/07/5280284/meatball-room-selects-simply-the.html#storylink=cp.

***** Tavola Pizza, 1684 Port Saint Lucie Boulevard, Port Saint Lucie, Florida 34952, (772) 335-0344.

Got a real good “mom & pop” red sauce Italian joint for you…Tavola Pizza in Port Saint Lucie.

Real simple menu–handful of appetizers, salads, wraps, subs calzones/strombolis, pizzas, desserts.

When you check www.tavolapizza.com you’ll notice no pastas/entrees.

Jeff Eats recently gave Tavola a shot and I gotta tell you that they make a delicious New York Style pizza (real-nice sweet sauce/thin crust)-a large 16″ runs 12 bucks.

With the pizza out of the way, let me tell you about Tavola’s garlic knots…AMAZING–trust Jeff Eats here, the garlic knots (listed as an appetizer) rolled with fresh mozzarella/parmesan/garlic) are as I said 1- second ago, AMAZING…I have never eaten garlic knots so delicious in my life, and trust me, Jeff Eats has eaten his fair share of garlic knots. The knots go for $.75 a piece–6 for $4.

Jeff Eats also “forced” himself to try Tavola’s meatball parmigiana sub ($9)–on its menu Tavola calls the sandwich a grinder-so don’tcha get confused by the verbiage. Like the pizza and garlic knots- the sub (I mean grinder) was delicious- freshly baked roll/pizza sauce/very tasty meatballs.

Jeff Eats loved Tavola Pizza.

One final thought, “a” Tavola Pizza near a college/university would be a money printing press. I can only imagine the damage I would have done to myself back in my Ithaca College days.

Tavola Pizza is open, Monday 4pm-9pm, Tuesday-Thursday 11:30am-9pm, Friday 11:30am-10pm, Saturday noon-10pm, Sunday noon-9pm.

***** Grandpa’s Pizza & Pasta, 27030 Old 41 Road, Bonita Springs, Florida 34135, (239) 992-7119.

Got something real-good for you Bonita Springs-folks…

Grandpa’s Pizza & Pasta…a hole in the wall that makes delicious pizzas, pastas, salads, strombolis/calzones, subs. This is a cash-only affair (there’s an ATM in the store) and don’t plan on eating there, because it’s takeout only.

The other day, Jeff Eats and a couple of buddies were in Bonita Springs to checkout some “musical acts” at The Stage (see review 8/28/11) and heard about Grandpa’s from some locals…

No fooling around here…one of the best New York Style pizzas I’ve had in a very long time…same for the ricotta/mozzarella/ham calzone, meat lasagna and chicken parm sub.

You can check Grandpa’s menu/prices at www.grandpaspizza.net.

From what I understand, Grandpa’s has been around for something like 34 years…so I’m thinking that I’m not so crazy on how good I think the food was.

Grandpa’s Pizza & Pasta is open Monday-Saturday 11am-9:30pm, closed on Sunday.

***** Florida Snow Factory, 1909 Cordova Road, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33316, (954) 284-6782.

Let me start off by saying…Jeff Eats loved Florida Snow Factory.

This joint is what I call-a no brainer…shaved ice, hard ice cream, frozen yogurt, low calorie soft serve ice cream–what’s not to like!

Florida Snow Factory “looks” just- like your typical-generic ice cream/yogurt store. Order at the counter/handful of tables. BUT trust me here…the stuff it’s cranking out, puts most of the competition to shame.

Rather than my dancing around with this one…go check www.floridaysnowfactory.com for menu/prices/info.

All I can say is that if you-don’t like Florida Snow Factory…then- there is definitely something seriously wrong with you.

Florida Snow Factory is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-10pm.

* Now We Gotta Worry About Niacin!

Just read this one in USA Today.
*****
“A possible overdose of an important vitamin might be behind the mysterious symptoms linked to Uncle Ben’s Infused Rice served at schools in Texas on Friday. The product has been recalled and the Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to use it.

Students at three public schools in Katy, Texas, experienced burning, itching rashes, headaches and nausea after eating Uncle Ben’s Infused Rice Mexican Flavor on Friday. The symptoms disappeared after 30 to 90 minutes.

A previous incident on Dec. 4 sickened 25 students in Illinois with similar complaints after the school lunch included the grain. North Dakota reported a similar incident at a day care on Oct. 30.

FDA tested rice that was left over from the Illinois school lunch and the results showed an increased amount of niacin, or Vitamin B3, in the rice.

“Overexposure to niacin can lead to skin reactions such as redness and flushing, itching and dry skin. Very large doses can cause indigestion and nausea,” said FDA’s Theresa Eisenman.

“There is no confirmation at this time that the Texas incident was caused by excess niacin, and the rice eaten was not part of the previous recall. Investigation into this outbreak continues,” Eisenman said.

Niacin is one of several essential human nutrients routinely added to foods. Lack of niacin can cause a disease called pellagra that causes nausea, skin and mouth lesions, headache and exhaustion.

U.S. bakers began to use flour fortified with niacin, riboflavin, thiamin and iron in 1930. Before flour was enriched, pellagra was associated with poverty and poor diet in the United States.

Mars Foodservices, the maker of Uncle Ben’s rice products, is recalling all bags and lot numbers of its Uncle Ben’s Infused Rice products produced in 2013.

The recall does not affect Uncle Ben’s Brand Ready to Heat, Boxed, Bag or Cup products sold directly to consumers at grocery stores and other retail outlets.

The rice was sold in 5-pound and 25-pound bags. It is typically distributed to restaurants, schools, hospitals and other commercial establishments. It is possible that consumers might have purchased the products over the Internet and at warehouse-type retailers, the FDA said in a release.

The FDA said food service companies and consumers who have purchased the products should not use the rice, and should return it to their point of purchase or dispose of it.

* DISCO MANIA.

Back on August 19, 2013–I told you guys about Disco Mania-(March 16, 2014)) that was coming to the Coral Springs Center For The Arts.

The original “article” is printed below.

I just checked the box-office and a handful of really good seats are still available.

Trust Jeff Eats on this…

I have seen all of the groups on the “bill” and each and everyone of them–puts on a great show.

No question in my mind, Disco Mania is going to be a fabulous concert.

Anyway…

Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats have this one on our calendar…
*****
Posted on August 19th, 2013 · Coral Springs Other
* Joey Dale’s Disco Show (Coral Springs)

Here’s a heads-up for you guys…

On Sunday Night–March 16, 2014 Joey Dale (yes! the same Joey Dale who is the lead singer of doo wop group- Joey Dale & The Gigolos) is producing a Disco Show at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Drive, Coral Springs, Florida 33065, (954) 344-5990…starring—Tavares (“She’s Gone”-”It Only Takes A Minute”-”Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel”), The Trammps (“Disco Inferno”), Mystique, France Jolie (“Come To Me) and Joey Dale & The Gigolos’ tribute to Donna Summer and The Village People.

Jeff Eats knows that it’s August 19, 2013…but you do know that early birds catch the first worms, dont’cha?

Keep an eye on Joey Dale & the Gigolos’ site www.joeydale.com and www.coralspringscenterforthearts.com for show/ticket info.

No question in my mind that this “thing” is gonna sell-out…

So! there is no reason why you guys (who wanna go)- shouldn’t get the best seats in the house- as soon as Joey and the theatre put- tickets on sale