***** D’Apple Cafe, 10645 Wiles Road, Coral Springs, Florida 33076, (954) 341-5850.

D’Apple Cafe…”mom & pop” 7 days a week 7am-3pm diner in Coral Springs. You can check menu/prices/pictures at www.dapplecafe.com.

You regular readers know that Jeff Eats is a huge fan of “mom & pop” diners…personally “they” are right up there with my favorite places to eat breakfast and lunch. You regular readers also know, that America literally has 22,000,786 joints just like D’Apple. For sure, some are better than others…but over the past 6 years or so, only a handful of South Florida “diners’ didn’t get the job done for Jeff Eats.

D’Apple’s menu has loads of breakfast stuff, salads, sandwiches, burgers, “special” entrees and desserts.

A recent outing had me doing breakfast at D’Apple…western omelet ($6.79), corned beef hash ($6.49), French toast ($4.49), home fries hash browns. Everything was A-OK…Nice sized portions, very friendly wait-staff, reasonable prices, decent enough coffee. D’Apple delivered a good solid diner-breakfast.

The advertisers of this world want you guys to believe that America runs on Dunkin’…trust me it doesn’t. It’s joints like D’Apple that make America-America…Hopefully you can appreciate Jeff Eats’ sentiments here.

One final thought, to the owners of D’Apple (not that you care)–but I don’t like the D’Apple name. Names like Z Best Pizza, Da Best Sandwich just don’t ring right to this boy’s ears.

***** Pizzarium A Slice Of Rome, 69 East Flagler Street, Miami, Florida 33131, (305) 381-6025.

Pizzarium…real simple concept— order at/pickup at counter–pizza by the slice, handful of salads-calzones-desserts.

The “hook” the pizza slice is “squarish” and there are something like 25 different toppings available.

You can check www.pizzarium-usa.com for menu/prices/pictures.

Like I said a few seconds ago, real-simple concept. Tried the “plain” slice ($3) and enjoyed it. When you check Pizzarium’s menu you’ll see all kinds of “fancy-schmanzy” toppings…personally not Jeff Eats’ bag—that said, the plain slice was very good. This joint with its “combinations” reminds me of Starbuck’s. Whatever happened to–black, black with sugar. with milk, with milk and sugar, end of story?

Let me opine about pizza toppings…first of all, Jeff Eats could swear that small-chain Pizza Rustica (review 8/6/08) basically has the same square-topped concept, so nothing super original going on at Pizzarium…As far as toppings go, Jeff Eats thinks that pizza is dough, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese—maybe sausage, maybe pepperoni, maybe meatballs- but that’s it. No way is a pizza suppose to be topped with pineapple, or fried dumplings, or scrambled eggs, or roast chicken. Call me a purist, but that’s the way I see this one.

Pizzarium is open Monday-Saturday 11:30am-10pm, closed on Sunday.

***** Rooster’s Restaurant, 7370 West Atlantic Boulevard, Margate, Florida 33063, (954) 971-6044.

Got a good sports bar for you…Rooster’s Restaurant in Margate. Of course it has loads of flat screen tvs and a full bar. The joint also has plenty of outside tables.

Rooster’s menu has the full-boat of appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, wings–handful of chicken/meat/seafood entrees….you can check menu/prices at www.roostersmargate.com.

Tried Rooster’s last Sunday “doing”—teriyaki buffalo-style wings, philly cheesesteak sub, bacon cheeseburger, pulled pork bbq sandwich, french fries and corn fritters.

Now, you regular readers know that Jeff Eats has done his “fair” share of sports bars…and I gotta tell you, that Rooster’s food was good- now nothing off the chart, but good solid bar stuff…the only “negative” the sub bread was a bit too soft for my taste.

If you live in Rooster’s neighborhood, you now know about a good joint to watch “the game” at.

Rooster’s Restaurant is open Sunday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm.

***** Italian Red Sauce, 3828 North University Drove, Sunrise, Florida 33351, (954) 533-8347.

On September 21, 2012, the Sun Sentinel gave Italian Red Sauce a terrific-4 star-rave review…

Last night, Jeff Eats tried Italian Red Sauce…and let me start by saying, “I knew John Kennedy and you sir are no John Kennedy”…maybe 2 1/2 stars, but 4 stars…give me a freaking break.

In order to be a 4 star restaurant you gotta have great food—the food was OK but great, not even close…you gotta have professional-competent waiters and managers—not a staff running around like chickens without heads…you gotta “timely” serve the food—not bring entrees out at different times…you gotta have a wait staff that knows the menu…you gotta have dishes that when served have the same “ingredients” as those listed on the menu…you can’t have a delicious house salad and fried zucchini- followed by a lousy veal ala romana and just passable chicken scarpariello and pastas.

Look! Italian Red Sauce has only been open for something like 6 weeks.

Trust me, I definitely saw “potential.” After speaking with Al the owner, I “even” think that with some work, Italian Red Sauce has a shot to develop into a half-way decent joint. That said, the restaurant that Jeff Eats ate in last night is not even close to being top-notch. Now, I might be going out on a limb here, but I “think” that the Sun Sentinel’s rave review may have actually hurt this joint–rather than helped it. If you look at the customer- reviews on “Open Table”—they are all pretty positive BEFORE the Sun Sentinel review came out…and they are all pretty negative AFTER the Sun Sentinel review came out. What Jeff Eats thinks happened here is…Italian Red Sauce which is basically brand-new was “getting its act” together before the review…the review–resulted in tons of people trying this new restaurant when it REALLY wasn’t ready to handle heavy-crowds…

Anyway…the Sun Sentinel’s 9/21/12 review is re-printed below for your enjoyment.

Let me close by saying, that unless “something” went terribly wrong at Italian Red Sauce during the 8-days since critic Danny Sanchez wrote his review (and, above I have given you that “scenario”)…Jeff Eats wouldn’t trust this guy’s opinion as far as I could throw him.
*****
Italian Red Sauce: Meaty, beaty, big and bouncy

At Alfonso Ceparano’s Italian Red Sauce, the personality is as big as the food.
(Courtesy Italian Red Sauce )

September 21, 2012|By Danny Sanchez, Sun Sentinel

A big, bold restaurant name such as “Italian Red Sauce comes with a large personality in the form of owner Alfonso Ceparano. The hulk of a man, a New Yorker with the accent to prove it, roams the restaurant in a black suit shirt and tie as he chats with patrons, pats shoulders and shakes hands.
The restaurant’s decor matches his distinct taste and life experience. When you first walk in, you’ll see a wall with more than two dozen old photographs of Ceparano’s large family. To the left, one wall is a re-creation of the pope’s residence in Vatican City. Immediately in front is a large glass dessert counter with a mini bakery of cheesecakes, cannolis and more. The main dining area features a 1940s-style facade of storefronts, like something you’d see as you roam Main Street USA at Walt Disney World or in the waterfront area near the “Jaws” ride at Universal Studios. The faux storefronts are reminiscent of Little Italy, with “Raffa’s Italian Bread” advertising “Italian bread and biscuits,” or “Ashley’s Fine Dining” with little white embroidered drapes. But behind some of the dining room’s windows is the real deal: the Red Sauce chefs working in view of the dining room as they grill meats and prepare pastas.

Those people who exalt the motifs of white vinyl furniture and trendy, wildly colored glass lamps may roll their eyes at the restaurant’s design. Others, such as those in our camp, will delight in roaming the restaurant. Regardless, we quickly forgot we were in suburban Sunrise due to the whimsical decor, lack of exterior windows and the music of crooners such as Michael Buble and Frank Sinatra playing overhead. Our only knock on the settings: The acoustics inside can make the dining area get louder than usual, so you may want to request sitting at one of the more-sequestered tables if available.

Most plates here are divided into two options: a single portion that feeds one to two and a family-size portion that feeds about three to four. As our appetizers arrived, it was time to see if the restaurant’s name was more than an idle boast.

A solid start is the “fritto all ‘Italiana” ($12.95/$20.95), a mix of fried appetizers including a potato croquet, rice ball, fried mozzarella and polenta. As advertised, the accompanying red sauce is delicious, mildy sweet with a thin but slightly grainy texture that had us lapping it up with a spoon.

Meatballs with an enormous dollop of ricotta cheese in a pool of red sauce ($12.95/$22.95) rank favorably on my list of favorite local meatballs, with their dense, meaty flavor. You really don’t want to miss the eggplant Parmesan ($12.95/$21.95), rich with mozzarella and an unlikely appetizer offering. Just roll with it.

Another sure bet is the Red Sauce-style house salad ($10.95/$16.95), featuring Asiago cheese and roasted red peppers that practically sing with the house dressing.

Left nearly full from the large appetizers, we were enticed anew when the entrees arrived.

If you try nothing else at this restaurant, go for the homemade gnocchi with braised short ribs and Parmesan cheese ($17.95/$32.95). The short ribs were like meaty butter accompanied by nearly-as-wonderful homemade pasta. This is the dish I’d drive back here for.

Another great option is the “gamberoni gratinati” ($22.95/$39.95), shrimp breaded with light spices and baked to a flavorful, buttery consistency that we seldom find in restaurants. Chicken Parmesan ($16.95/$27.95) is solid and straightforward in its preparation, far upstaged by the other offerings. Tagliatelle pasta with stuffed beef, pecorino cheese and pine nuts ($17.95/$32.95) is a tasty but polarizing dish due to the heavy amounts of garlic. What really shined in this dish was the exceptional quality of the pasta.

Finally, it was time to get to what we’d all been hankering for since we walked past that pastry counter by the door. Tiramisu ($6.50) was heavy on the cocoa and cinnamon, but extremely moist and tantalizing. Chocolate sponge cake ($6.50) is a surefire choice for the table, with its lovely flavor and impressive presentation of swirled cream. We asked the server to make the third dessert a surprise, and he emerged with cream puffs with white cream filling topped with a luscious, creamy zabaglione sauce that had us melting at the table.

For its homey yet highly professional Italian hospitality, its numerous crowd-pleasing dishes and some big personality to match its big plates, Italian Red Sauce is a most-welcome addition to a region that could use many more great restaurants.

Italian Red Sauce

3828 N. University Drive, Sunrise

954-533-8347, ItalianRedSauce.net

Cuisine: Italian, family-style

Cost: Moderate-expensive

Hours: Lunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; dinner 5-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 4-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 5-10 p.m. Sunday

Reservations: Recommended

Bar: Full service

Sound level: Loud

Outside smoking: No

For kids: Highchairs, no kids’ menu

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

***** HUMAN NATURE *****

At 10am this morning, tickets go on sale for HUMAN NATURE the Australian singing quartet—that does some of the greatest Motown 60’s covers that you will ever hear. The group is scheduled to appear at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida–November 27, 28, 29, 30, December 1, 2012. You can get tickets at www.ticketmaster.com.

Just so you know, Jeff Eats saw Human Nature about 2 years ago and was totally blown away by the act.

For you guys who like this type of stuff…just go to You Tube, type in Human Nature and you will find tons of videos on the group. You can also check the group’s website www.humannaturelive.com.

Just so you know, Human Nature isn’t some “local” tribute band…the group is backed/promoted by Smokey Robinson, has sold millions of records in Australia and currently “headlines” at the Imperial Palace Hotel in Las Vegas.

Like I said a few seconds ago, if you like this stuff–don’t miss Human Nature.

I’m telling you, you will love them.

***** VooDoo BBQ & Grill *****

Friends of mine (yes, Jeff Eats has friends!) who recently visited New Orleans “raved” about fast food bbq joint—VooDoo BBQ & Grill.

Anyway, purely by coincidence-this morning I received a press release about this small bbq chain

From what I understand, 3 South Florida locations are “in the works” for 2013 namely, Pembroke Pines, Kendall and Delray Beach.

Thought you guys might like to be the first to know about a “new” franchise headed our way.
***
From: Todd Templin
Subject: ttemplin@boardroompr.com

Message Body:
For Immediate Release

Media Inquiries:
Todd Templin
Boardroom Communications Inc.
954-370-8999 (office) or 954-290-0810
ttemplin@boardroompr.com

Susan R. Miller
Boardroom Communications Inc.
954-370-8999 (office) or 954-294-4973 (cell)
smiller@boardroompr.com

VooDoo BBQ & Grill is Set to Bring Its New Orleans Magic To Kendall

Lease is signed for 2,500-square-foot location at The Palms at Town & Country

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – Sept. 27, 2012 – VooDoo BBQ & Grill, the nation’s fastest-growing barbecue franchise, will soon bring its Cajun-Creole barbecue fusion menu to Kendall, FL. Its Florida franchisee group, BBQ Boyz, LLC, has signed a lease for 2,500 square feet of space at 8326 Mills Drive in the Palms at Town & Country shopping center. The Kendall location will feature indoor and outdoor seating for 85 people. Construction will begin in the first quarter of next year, with opening scheduled for March 2013.
New Orleans-based VooDoo BBQ & Grill has been recognized as one of the most successful fast casual restaurant franchises in the industry, with locations opening or under development in more than 56 cities and five states. The very first restaurant opened on Mardi Gras Day in 2002, right on the parade route in New Orleans.
VooDoo BBQ & Grill is known for its mouth-watering, competition-style barbecue that stands out from the rest. It features chicken, ribs, pork and brisket that are all hand-rubbed with authentic Cajun spices and then slow-smoked to perfection. And there are three signature barbecue sauces for diners to choose from. For those who might want something different, the menu offers other Cajun favorites like gumbo, PoBoy sandwiches, and a variety of salads and burgers all prepared with the spice and magic of Louisiana. VooDoo BBQ also features down-home side dishes like Gris Gris Greens, Rattlesnake Beans, Corn Pudding, Zapp’s Potato Chips, Sweet Potato Souffle, as well as a variety of desserts.
“We are looking forward to bringing a taste of New Orleans to South Florida,” said VooDoo CEO Tony Avila. “We know from our research that Floridians love their barbecue and I’m convinced that once they taste our magic, they will be hooked like so many others are.”
“When you think of New Orleans you think of Mardi Gras, parties and fun,” said Jack Flechner, president of BBQ Boyz, LLC. That’s the same vibe you’ll find in VooDoo too. I’m expecting that South Florida will eat it up. It’s something very new and different for the area.”
BBQ Boyz, LLC purchased rights to fund, develop and operate up to 26 VooDoo BBQ & Grill locations in Florida, south of the Panhandle. The first South Florida restaurant will open in Pembroke Pines in November, followed by Delray Beach, Kendall and Fort Lauderdale.
About VooDoo BBQ & Grill
VooDoo opened its first location in New Orleans on Mardi Gras Day 2002. VooDoo serves competition-style barbecue beef, pork and chicken with down-home side dishes, plus salads and sandwiches, in a clean, colorful fast-casual environment. The company is ranked in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Franchise 500” and is also a recipient of the Franchise Business Review’s “Top 50 Franchisee Satisfaction Awards.” For more information log on to www.voodoobbq.com.
About BBQ Boyz, LLC
BBQ Boyz, LLC is a restaurant development company that is a licensed franchisee of VooDoo BBQ & Grill. The principles have more than twenty five years of collective experience in the restaurant industry and are also licensed attorneys and experienced developers. For more information log onto www.thebbqboyz.com.

***** HOODIA LOLLIPOPS *****

A few years ago, Jeff Eats went on the Hollywood Cookie Diet…I dropped 25 pounds in 3 months. At the time, Mrs. Jeff Eats “told” me and I quote, “The cookie diet is a nonsensical fad placebo diet.”- blah blah blah…anyway, all I know is that I lost weight.

Periodically, Jeff Eats finds that he can’t button his pants—well this is one of those “periods.”

So- four days ago, Jeff Eats decided that it was time to try another “nonsensical fad placebo diet”…it was a close “call” between SENSA (you know, shake shake shake) which supposedly curbs your appetite when sprinkled on your food…and HOODIA LOLLIPOPS (Power-Pops) which when “licked” 30 minutes before eating a meal-suppsosedly curbs your appetite…Anyway- for no particular rhyme or reason, Jeff Eats went with the pops.

My 30-day shipment of Power-Pops arrived this morning…so I’m good to go!

I’ll let you know, how this all turns out in a future column.

If any of you guys have “tried” these pops I’d appreciate knowing your thoughts. Same goes for SENSA…because sooner or later, Jeff Eats for sure will be shake shake shaking!!

*****
October 26, 2012 UPDATE

I think I followed the “rules”—Didn’t lose a single pound.

***** Pizza De Luna Italian Restaurant, 8211 West Atlantic Boulevard, Coral Springs, Florida 33071, (954) 753-6055.

Got a good “mom & pop” red sauce Italian joint for you…Pizza De Luna Italian Restaurant in Coral Springs. You can check menu/prices at www.pizzadeluna.com.

Pizza De Luna’s menu has the full boat of appetizers, pizzas, pastas, subs, meat/seafood/chicken entrees. It’s got the “expected” soup/or salad–garlic rolls–entree with pasta side deals.

Jeff Eats recently did a dinner at Pizza De Luna…veal parmigiana, boneless chicken cacciatore, meat lasagna—the food was OK, but nothing that blew my socks off. Please don’t get me wrong, the stuff was decent enough, but there are a number of “mom & pop” joints in the Coral Springs’ “area” that do this “food” better.

Now for “other” news…Pizza De Luna makes both New York Style Pizza and Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza…

For the record, the plain New York pizza with its thin crust/Grande Cheese/sweet sauce and the Chicago deep dish pizza were absolutely delicious. As a born and bred New Yorker, I can say with some authority–that the New York pizza could definitely make it on the streets of the 5-boroughs. Although Jeff Eats doesn’t know the first thing about Chicago, other than-that my first cousin Bobby a bigshot-famous SEC attorney lives there–I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that Pizza De Luna’s Chicago style deep dish pizza would also do well there…it was really delicious.

So what do we have here?

Pizza De Luna has decent enough “entrees” and absolutely delicious New York Style Pizza and Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza.

Pizza De Luna Italian Restaurant is open 7 days a week 3pm-10pm.

For those of you who are interested, Pizza De Luna’s website has a whole bunch of pizza discount coupons.

***** WALMART ANOTHER CRAP COMPANY *****

About two weeks ago, Mrs. Jeff Eats needed to buy a new 2-slice toaster.

Mrs. Jeff Eats went to Town Center at Boca Raton and bought a toaster from Macy’s which was on sale for $39.95.

That evening, Mrs. Jeff Eats checked Walmart’s website and found the exact same toaster listed at $13.95. Mrs. Jeff Eats also checked the website and confirmed that the toaster was available at the Walmart Supercenter, 16205 South Military Trail, Delray Beach, Florida 33484.

The next morning, Mrs. Jeff Eats returned the toaster to Macy’s and went to the Walmart Supercenter where she learned that the 2 slice toaster wasn’t carried by the store despite the website “saying” that it was.

The following day, Jeff Eats wrote an e-mail and called Walmart’s complaint-line advising Walmart of the incident.

A few days later, Jeff Eats received a call from the Walmart Supercenter’s manager who advised that Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats should come to the store at our convenience and pickout “any” toaster that we liked and that even if it was more expensive we would only be charged $13.95.

Three days later, Jeff Eats and Mrs Jeff Eats went to the Walmart Supercenter. Jeff Eats picked out a 4 slice toaster from the display priced at $39.95 but was advised by a sales associate that Walmart was out-of-stock. Jeff Eats personally advised the manager, who called Jeff Eats later that day and advised that the item was on back-order, but that he would scout around other stores and see if he could find one for Jeff Eats. Jeff Eats asked him, as to why Walmart would keep a “sample” on display if an item was on back-order? The manager really had no answer. He later called and left a message that one had been found.

Yesterday morning, Jeff Eats received a call from a woman who said that she was the manager’s assistant and advised that either “today” or tomorrow Walmart would deliver free of charge the toaster to Jeff Eats’ home and the total charge would be $10.18 because the manager had “given” Jeff Eats a further discount.. The woman was given directions to Jeff Eats’ home. The woman said she would have the delivery person call 30 minutes prior to the delivery.

No delivery call yesterday. No delivery call today.

About 70 minutes ago, Mrs. Jeff Eats bought a new 2 slice toaster at a local Target Store.

WALMART IS A CRAP COMPANY.

What do you guys think?
*****

Septmber 28, 2012 UPDATE

Received a call this morning from the Linton store’s GM who arranged and then personally delivered to Jeff Eats’ home a 4-slice toaster priced at $10.18.

So…what have we learned from this exercise…the little guy can “win” if he is persistent and doesn’t take “no” for an answer…and that Jeff Eats now has 2 toasters, a 2-slicer from Target and a 4-slicer from Walmart.
.

***** GOT A FREE MUSIC EVENT FOR YOU *****

Wanna go to a terrific FREE music event?

Back on February 2, 2010 I told you guys about Rock N Roll Ribs a terrific bbq joint in Coral Springs.

The original writeup is re-printed below.

To make a long story short…last, year Rock N Roll Ribs “started” an annual music thing—where the joint takes over its shopping center’s parking lot, tents it—and holds an enormous FREE- ALL DAY CONCERT starring Rock N Roll Ribs’ owner Nicko McBrain (who is the drummer of heavy metal band “Iron Maiden”) and a handful of local rock n roll bands. The music is free, with Rock N Roll Ribs hoping that you “buy” its beverages and food both under the tent and inside its restaurant.

Unfortunately…I didn’t make it to last year’s event, but numerous people told me, that it was absolutely terrific with hundreds of people attending. By the way, appreciating that “heavy metal” music isn’t everyone’s bag, Rock N Roll Ribs has scheduled all “types” of bands to perform.

If this type of thing interests you— here’s 2012’s info…

The “event” will be held on Saturday, October 13, 2012. The first band hits the stage at 2pm and the music goes until 10pm.

***** Rock N Roll Ribs, 4651 State Road 7, Coral Springs, Florida 33073 (954) 345-7429.

Rock N Roll Ribs is a “bbq joint”…it opened about 3 months ago…one of its co-owners is Nicko McBrain, the legendary drummer of the metal-band Iron Maiden…by the way, Nicko lives in Boca Raton. So, you now know— how “it” probably got the name Rock N Roll Ribs. The joint, has videos of bands playing, records on the wall, hanging guitars and a drum set as its decor. Rock N Roll Ribs is located in a shopping center on State Road 7…I think there are more empty stores than going businesses. Personally, I think that the spot stinks, but hey, it ain’t my dime! The joint isn’t all that big, maybe 80 seats. From what I understand, although Nicko is one of the owners and hangs out there- when he is in “town” (he wasn’t there, last night), it is run by “Moby” Rick Baum who according to the joint’s “pr” has an extensive background in developing/opening/running restaurants—the guy also plays guitar in Nicko’s (other band) McBrain Damage… What I can tell you, based on last night’s meal, this guy Moby Rick knows his bbq.

At this stage of the concert, check www.rocknrollribs.org for menu/prices/photos.

Now let’s talk food…tried- baby back ribs, bbq chicken, pork sandwich, cheese burger, french fries, garlic toast—this is some of the best bbq that I have had “down here” in South Florida. This joint’s bbq is not heavy-smokey, but rather “sweet” grilled stuff, that is right on the money.

On the pricing front—very reasonable…a full rack of baby back ribs with garlic toast and 2 sides goes for $15.95…a 1/2 chicken with garlic toast and 2 sides $12.95.

On the service side—very pleasant and efficient waitstaff.

Like I said before, 80 seats, looks better than a Hard Rock Cafe, real good food, real good prices, real good service, lousy location. Hey! Nicko and Rick, you got a great concept here…I just hope that people “find” you.

One final thought, you might like to check www.ironmaiden.com and www.myspace.com/mcbraindamge and read about Nicko and Rick’s music and bandmates. Just so you know, Nicko-is considered by many, to be one of the top rock drummers of all-time.

I really enjoyed Rock N Roll Ribs.

The joint is open 7-days a week 11am-10pm.

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