***** Chick-fil-A, 10300 West Forest Hill Boulevard, Wellington, Florida 33414, (561) 333-4242.

To make this one “easy” I copied the following from national fast-food chicken chain Chick-Fil-A’s website—www.chik-fil-a.com:

“It all started in 1946, when Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant, The Dwarf Grill, in Hapeville, Georgia. Credited with inventing Chick-fil-A’s boneless breast of chicken sandwich, Mr. Cathy founded Chick-fil-A, Inc. in the early 1960s and pioneered the establishment of restaurants in shopping malls with the opening of the first Chick-fil-A Restaurant at a mall in suburban Atlanta in 1967. Since then, Chick-fil-A has steadily grown to become the second largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the United States, with over 1,615 locations in 39 states and Washington, D.C. In 2011, annual sales were over $4.1 billion. Chick-fil-A is still privately held and family owned.”
*****

I’m gonna assume that everyone here is familar with Chick-fil-A…for our purposes, according to the Company’s website it currently has 155 locations in Florida…these “joints’ are all over the place with free-standing units as well as mall food court locations.

For those of you who don’t “know” about Chick-fil-A…the primary item sold is a lightly breaded/pressured cooked chicken breast…this item comes on a bun, in a salad, in a wrap or in nugget form–Chick-fil-A also has a chargrilled chicken and chicken salad…the joint does waffle fries and a handful of desserts. To liven up the discussion, we could “talk” about the religious/moral reasons why Chick-fil-A’s locations are closed on Sunday, but we won’t. We could also talk about its franchising business, which is just a “glorified” extremely well paying job for its franchisees, but we won’t. We could also talk about the Company’s long running “battle” with America’s gay-community over what the definition of “marriage” is, but we won’t. For those of you who like to “dig deeper”—do some online searching—the Chick-fil-A “story” is a real interesting read…Anyway, no matter how you slice it, Chick-fil-A is an amazing business success story…just imagine what its “numbers” would be if those 1,615 locations were open on Sunday!

This past Saturday afternoon, Jeff Eats found himself sitting in the food-court at The Mall At Wellington Green in Wellington—waiting patiently for 1-hour as Mrs. Jeff Eats shopped for God Only Knows For What! To be perfectly honest with you, Saturday isn’t usually a “mall-day” for Jeff Eats…Sunday, maybe—but Saturday is a rarity. I’ll betcha you a nickel, that most of you guys right about now “see” where I’m going with this tale…Anyway, low and behold right in front of me is this Chick-fil-A outlet pumping out a ton of stuff—and believe it or not, Jeff Eats in all his years has never-ever “had” anything from Chick-fil-A. So, I ordered the breaded chicken breast which came on a toasted buttered bun with pickle chips, a chicken salad sandwich on wheat bread, waffle fries. Let me make this real simple, the food was absolutely dynamite. Absolutely one of the best “fried” chicken items I’ve ever eaten—same for the chicken salad—the fries which were lightly salted were also delicious.

Let me wrap Chick-fil-A up this way…

Prior to eating this joint’s food, I really didn’t “appreciate”- why it had so many outlets, legendary loyal customers and the ability to be “closed” on Sunday. I do now…this is one Hell (oops!) of a fast-food chain.

***** Cafe Vincenzo, 5801 Margate Boulevard, Margate, Florida 33063, (954) 973-3400.

Got a good- Italian restaurant for you…Cafe Vincenzo- located in a “bombed-out” Margate shopping center.

Cafe Vincenzo- seats maybe 165 inside and another 150 on an outside patio. The joint looks like something right out of New York City’s Little Italy…loads of string-lights and the right amount of tackiness to make it really–cool. A full bar and a humongous flat screen television add to the decor.

Last night–I, Mrs. Jeff Eats and another couple gave Cafe Vincenzo a shot. “Sampled” stuff included–meatball appetizer ($9.95), small 14″ pizza ($10.95), house salad, spaghetti marinara, zuchini cream soup, veal parmigiana ($18.95), chicken scarpaiello ($17.95), baked lasagna ($13.95), shrimp scampi ($16.95)…most entrees come with soup/or salad and a pasta side…you can check menu/prices/information at www.cafe-vincenzo.com.

Let me give you some brief-history here…Cafe Vincenzo is located in the exact- same spot where Trattoria Bella Cibo (reviewed 11/14/10) was…I have no idea why Trattoria Bella Cibo closed, but it appears that a fellow named Vincent Chase purchased the “location” in late December 2011 keeping the exact same decor but bringing in a whole new staff, chef and menu. For those of you who may-be curious, no- this Vincent Chase isn’t the “fictional” Vincent Chase of HBO’s Entourage series. I will tell you, that this Vincent Chase is as personable as can be and during the 3 hours we were there, he made the rounds checking every table. Not to be accused of being a sexist– his wife Lynn, who serves as the primary hostess is also as personable as can be-also making the rounds to make sure everything was A-OK.

Last night we arrived at 8pm. Just so you know, this is a real casual joint, so basically any type of “dress” goes. When we arrived, the restaurant’s patio had a private party going on…from the look of things, the folks were having a blast. Inside, about half-of the joint’s tables were taken and the full service bar area had about 75 or so. For what it’s worth, Cafe Vincezo was very ‘busy” for a Saturday night in July down here in South Florida.

When you check Cafe Vincenzo’s website, you will find that it has live entertainment Wednesday-Saturday nights. Last night a really good 3-man singing group “Now & Then” dished-up doo-wop, disco and standard covers…these guys were very entertaining and had many in the bar area up and dancing.

Now let me get back to the food…is this the best red sauce Italian stuff that I’ve eaten? Nope! I will tell you, that I really enjoyed the pizza (thin crisp crust, sweet sauce)…I thought, that- the on the bone chicken scarpaiello was absolutely delicious–the rest of the food was okay- but nothing to get nuts over. Trust me, I’ve eaten better and then again, I’ve eaten worse. Based on food alone, would I go back? Sure, but like most joints that Jeff Eats has been to, Cafe Vincenzo does some dishes better than others. Hey Vinnie if you are reading this, lose the dipping bread in olive oil gig and get some real garlic bread or garlic knots on the table—throw another cutlet into the veal parmigiana dish-the portion is a bit on the skimpy side. One other thing, I love sweet marinara sauce-actually I could drink-a quart of it for breakfast every day-the one you got is a drop too sweet even for a guy like me. These few things are no biggies, easily handled.

When you check Cafe Vincenzo’s website you will find that the joint is open, Sunday & Tuesday 4pm-9pm, Wednesay 4pm-9:30pm, Thursday 4pm-11pm, Friday 4pm-midnight, Saturday 4pm-1am, closed on Monday.

Let me sum Cafe Vincenzo up for you…last night Jeff Eats, Mrs. Jeff Eats and our friends had a terrific time. The food as described was just-fine. What made the night special was, the joint’s fun atmosphere. As I mentioned, during the 3 hours that we were there, we were entertained by “Now & Then”…while they were on, people ate and moved around the room, talking to total strangers at other tables…it was like a big house party. During the evening, entertainers from other local singing groups “guest appeared” and sang with the group…I even spotted song-writer/record producer Paul Vance eating and partying with the crowd…you do recall the hits, “Catch A Falling Star” (Perry Como)–“Gina” (Johnny Mathias)–“What Would My Mary Say?” (Johnny Mathias)–“Tracy” (The Cufflinks)–“Leader of The Laundry Mat” (The Detergents)— and “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” (Brian Hyland)–don’tcha?

Let’s do it this way, for the same amount that it would have cost us to eat at almost any local mom & pop red sauce joint…we- instead got to “attend” a real fun party.

***** glassdoor *****

Got a really interesting website for you guys…www.glassdoor.com.

The site allows you to get what may-be an “inside” look into various companies.

The way the site works…type in a company’s name and you’ll find what are purported to be employee comments about working conditions, salaries, hiring practices, sales and other “good stuff.”

Jeff Eats found the site very interesting.

Of course, like you I read everything with a “grain of salt.”

***** Richie’s Gourmet Italian Ices, 898 East Commercial Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33334 (954) 772-1183.

Let me make this “one” real-simple…if you like “Italian Ices” (and who doesn’t?) you are gonna love Richie’s Gourmet Italian Ices in Fort Lauderale.

As a kid growing up in Brooklyn in the 1950s-1960s- I was literally raised on pizza slices and Italian Ices. Back then, slices were 15 cents and ices in a paper squeeze cup ran a nickel a scoop. For you purists out there, that 15-cent slice (in my neighborhood, anyway) jumped to 20 cents in 1966. Anyway…

Back then, my modus operandi was to have 2 slices with a large Coke in the pizza joint…and then get two scoops–1 lemon and 1-cherry to go. The whole “bill” 50 cents…for you math mavens, assuming that I’m talking 1964, how much did the large Coke cost?

For you youngsters out there, back in the 50s and 60s the pizza joints- for sure “had” cherry and lemon and just maybe chocolate and rainbow…but that’s it! Just so you know, back then and even today, it’s a toss-up between lemon and cherry as to which I like better.

Now- let’s discuss Richie’s Gourmet Italian Ices…

Richie’s is a walk-up/drive-thru stand…it’s been around for something like 20 years…all of its ices are homemade…it has 13 “standard” flavors every day and 3 “rotating” flavors every day…it also sells coffee–from what I understand, Richie’s does a big takeout coffee business, but Jeff Eats didn’t try a cup–because all coffee tastes the same to these tastebuds… You can check www.richiesgourmetitalianices.com for flavors/photos/other information.

Now you gotta trust me here…

I know my Italian Ices. I’ve been eating the “stuff” for over 60 years. I’ve eaten it all over and have dripped it on my shirt more times than I care to remember. To this very day, lemon and cherry are still my favorites, but over the years I’ve tried-sampled every conceivable flavor and combination. AND let me tell you, Richie’s lemon and cherry are right up there with best of breed. Not to sound sacreligious or nothing, but Richie’s tangerine and vanilla chip ain’t no slouches either.

Like I said before, if you like Italian ices you are going to love Richie’s Gourmet Italian Ices. Just so you know, Richie’s ices don’t go for 5 cents a scoop, but you knew that already.

Richie’s is open Monday-Friday 7am-10pm and Saturday-Sunday 11am-10pm.

***** Frozen Delight, 8784 Boynton Beach Boulevard, Boynton Beach, Florida 33472 (561) 200-0315.

You know and I know that ice cream stores, yogurt stores, gelato stores, juice/smoothie stores are a dime a dozen down here in sunny South Florida. In my travels, I have found that “these” stores have now become like lawyers and doctors…that being, they specialize in one area or another. For example, a store may have 67 different types of yogurt but not one scoop of ice cream…or a store may sell 359 different types of smoothies but have no yogurt

Anyway…today I found -Frozen Delight–an all in one, ice cream/yogurt/gelato/smoothie joint. Absolutely perfect for the couple or family that likes different “things.” Sounds simple, but trust me, I’ve been to many “shoppes” where Jeff Eats left happy while Mrs. Jeff Eats left pissed off beyond belief…and vice versa. There have been times when we have left a joint…where even the United Nations couldn’t have solved the dispute…Just thinking, the UN may-be the wrong “example” as its resolving-history isn’t all that good…But, I think you guys appreciate what I’m trying to say here.

Frozen Delight- has the “full boat” of yogurts, fat free yogurts and low calorie yogurts…plus all the toppings that your little heart could want. In addition, its got a ton of ice cream flavors, in-store made gelatos, fresh juices, smoothies and waffles. Mrs. Jeff Eats especially enjoyed the joint’s 8 calories per ounce chocolate and pistachio yogurt…Jeff Eats on the other hand, absolutely loved the chocolate chip ice cream and mocha gelato “calories unknown”-cone that -frozen delight’s fixed up for me.

You folks now know about a really good “multi-faceted” yogurt-ice cream-gelato joint.

One final thought…

In previous “stories” I’ve mentioned how employees can often make or break a business…

To-Frozen Delight’s owner:

Your employee Paula was FABULOUS-TERRIFIC-OUTSTANDING…this young lady, seeing that we had Jiggy the “dog” outside with us, “un-asked” presented Mrs. Jeff Eats with a dish of cold of water as she was ordering.. During the “selection period” she explained flavors and offered all kinds of free samples. She has a great smile and winning personality and really does your business justice. AND no, she isn’t related to either Mrs. Jeff Eats or Jeff Eats or any friends of ours.

Frozen Delight-is open Sunday 1pm-10pm, Monday 1:30pm-9:30pm, Tuesday-Thursday noon-10pm and Friday-Saturday noon-midnight.

***** The Burger Freak, 6880 North Powerline Road, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33309, (954) 969-0380.

Got a real good fast food-takeout burger joint for you…The Burger Freak- in Fort Lauderdale. Not too many people know about this one yet–it’s only 2 weeks old.

The Burger Freak is a real hole-in-the-wall, I’m thinking 600 sq. feet, order at/pickup at counter…there are only 6 seats, so don’t really plan on eating there. You can check menu/prices at www.theburgerfreak.com.

I’m gonna assume that you guys know what “reinventing the wheel” means. Rather than rehashing old stuff, suffice it to say, that in the past few years, America’s hamburger “business” has seen more new fast food and full service players- than there are Chins in a Chinese phonebook. It seems to me, that every day a new “one” pops up by-my-house…you know the players—chains like Five Guys, BurgerFi, Elevation, Smashburger, CG, Shake Shack…and one-offs like Between The Bun, Charm City, The Office, Gimme A Burger, HiWay…Now nothing for nothing, Jeff Eats has never met a burger and fries that he didn’t like…but you and I both know, that this burger game of musical chairs will soon end and there are going to be a ton of unhappy burger entrepreneurs out there.

Now, let’s get back to- reinventing-the-wheel…

It just seems to me, give or take a small handful, most of the new burger players out there-have actually convinced themselves that they have reinvented the wheel. I’ve heard more stories about- organic this, corn feed that, fresh this and natural & healthy that —than you can shake a stick at. I got a big surprise for them, Jeff Eats and most of you guys couldn’t give a rat’s ass about their “burger’s story”—the only thing we really care about, TASTE.

Anyway…today, I tried The Burger Freak and had a real nice chat with Adam- one of its owners. To make a long story short, these guys aren’t trying to reinvent anything. Their goal, to make a delcious burger and bang it out at a real reasonable price. These guys are “smart”—they figured out that since the wheel (in this case-the burger) had already been invented…their “hook” would be to dress-up that burger with imaginative/creative toppings. Sort of like, buying a car and then jazzing it up with fancy wheels!

Now, let’s talk food…I am telling you, this joint makes one of the best fast-food burgers that Jeff Eats has ever eaten. For our purposes, I did a 6oz. flat-top grilled hamburger/American cheese/grilled onion/mayo/ketchup/kaiser roll ($6.97) with french fries. Trust me, like I said a few seconds ago, one of the best I’ve ever eaten. The french fries were a skin-on frozen product and they were also delicious.

When you check The Burger Freak’s website, you will find that in addition to beef burgers, its also got turkey/chicken breast/veggie/mushroom burgers. The guys behind The Burger Freak are very smart…no reinventing the wheel and no reinventing the assembly line…Henry Ford and Subway already took care of that! Pick your patty, pick your bread, pick your toppings (there are literally tons of them). For the less creative, The Burger Freak has a sign-board filled with burgers and hot dogs like “The Elephant Man”–“The Tatooed Lady” that have pre-ordained toppings.

I absolutely loved The Burger Freak.

Let me go out on a limb here…

The Burger Freak would make a great “franchise”…600 square feet, circus-side show posters’ decor/limited menu/reasonable prices/delicious food. Homerun–in college towns.

The Burger Freak is open Monday-Friday 10:30am-2:30pm closed on Saturday & Sunday…Yeah yeah yeah, I know the hours sound nuts, but the location is in an industrial area—so the play here is office and blue collar workers.

* iPic Theatres, 301 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, Florida 33432 (561) 299-3000.

The other night, Mrs. Jeff Eats and I “went” to see the new film ‘Ted’ at the new iPic Theaters which recently open in Mizner Park in Boca Raton. The movie was funny…But based on the producer’s ‘Family Guy’ tv show, Jeff Eats expected that ‘Ted’ would have been funnier and edgier than it actually was…bet you guys a nickel- that you didn’t know that I’m also a well versed film critic!

iPic is an “upsacle” hi-tech theatre chain…iPic currently has one Florida location, 1 in California, 2 in Illinois, 1 in Washington, 2 in Texas, 1 in Arizona and 1 in Wisconsin.

Let me go on record right here and now- and predict that after the public’s novelty of paying $14-$24 for a ticket and 12 bucks for 5 mozzarrella sticks wears off, the guys who financially backed this concept are going to regret that they ever got talked into this deal. You guys do know, that the way these “things” get built is some guy has an idea and he talks others into “backing” him, don’tcha?

If memory serves me right, there are 8 small “theaters” in the Boca location, each sitting something like 60 people. IPic also has Tanzy-an upscale Italian restaurant in the facility. When you check www.ipictheaters.com you can check movie times/Tanzy’s menu/theater food offerings.

Now back to my rant–Give me a freaking break…When I’m on an airline, I am totally grossed out by the pillows/blankets offered. Do the folks at iPic Theaters really think that I or anyone else really needs a pillow & blanket to watch a movie in a movie-theater? Obviously they do, because the $24 reclining seats come with them.

I don’t know about you guys, but going to a movie “for me”—means, buying a huge overpriced bucket of popcorn–a huge overpriced Coke and a huge overpriced box of Goobers Chocolate Peanuts and then sitting down to watch seemingly endless trailers and finally the movie. AND…every so often, catching a second movie on a sneak in. In my book– going to the movies doesn’t “include” reclining beds, food being delivered to me at my seat, trying to sell me $1600 paintings in the lobby, pillows & blankets, real-restaurant food offerings at top dollar prices “at” the concession stand, Italian restaurants that I have to walk through in-order to get to my car parked outside.

Trust me here, the current Cinemarks and Muvicos with their stadium seating setups are about as far as I want my movie-going to be enhanced. Now, I’ve been wrong many times, but the bet here is, that the “fun” of a couple spending around 90 bucks for two seats, two alcoholic drinks and a couple of snacks will wear off real fast. I don’t know about you, but in my humble opinion, going to the movies–was never intended to require a person to have a second job to pay the fare…or for that matter- to have bedding so they could doze off if necessary. Now, for sure–you could go to iPic on the cheap…buying tickets but nothing else—but then why would you go there in the first place? The first two rows of $14 seats are so close to the screen that it…well, it had me almost actually reaching out and touching Ted (for those who don’t know, Ted is a talking Teddy Bear)!

Only time will tell, if I’m right or wrong on the Boca location. What I do know, is that Muvico in Boca Raton is no longer Muvico…it’s now “a” Cinemark. I think if you check, a few years ago- Muvico’s financial problems resulted in its sale to Cinemark. By the way, the guy who created iPic also created Muvico.

One final thought, iPic Boca has a grand total of 480 seats. My math says, that with so few seats… you sure got to sell a hell of a lot of food, booze, art to pay the rent etc.

Gotta run…the mailman just dropped off an envelope from Netflix.

***** Tsunami Subs & Wraps, 309 East Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach, Florida 33435, (561) 739-8525.

Before I get going here…some “searching” came-up with info-that, one of Tsunami’s owners-Frank Merlo- is the son of Vic Merlo who back in the early 1970s along with his brother Frank owned a sub-joint named Mike’s Submarines–which they sold to a guy named Peter Cancro who then in return “grew” the business into the Jersey Mike’s Sub chain.. Now, I know that if I was Vic or brother Frank Merlo…it would have crossed my mind at least 50 times a day for the last 40 some odd years “Why didn’t we just sell that kid-Cancro a piece of the store, instead of the whole thing?” Betcha its also entered son Frank’s mind more than just a couple of times, “If only my father and uncle had just sold 50%, I’d…” Anyway…that’s what’s called a “woulda, coulda shoulda” story and like the Merlos we all got-them.

Last week- I gave Tsunami Subs & Wraps a shot… and I gotta tell you, this joint makes some really-good subs. For the record, I “did” chicken salad–meatball parm–philly cheesesteak subs…soft crusted bread, no skimping on the fillings, three sizes for cold/two sizes for hot.

As you’d expect, Tsunami has the full boat of hot and cold subs…it also has a handful of wraps and salads. You can check menu/prices at www.tsunamisubsandwraps.com.

I know that you guys would love for Jeff Eats to play the old subs-hierarchy game here…As Bush-41 use to say…”Not gonna do it”—or maybe it was Dana Carvey doing Bush 41…anyway, suffice it to say, I definitely would eat at Tsunami Subs again…like I said a few seconds ago, the joint makes really-good subs.

That’s the story here.

The joint is open 7 days a week.

***** Little Isidore & The Mighty Inquisitors *****

You guys- should know by now, that Jeff Eats is a huge fan of doo-wop and 1950s-1960s rock n’ roll.

Over the years, when I’ve spotted a great doo-wop/50s-60s band/act down here in South Florida…I’ve conveyed the “finding” to you.

For right now, this “column” has absolutely nothing to do with a doo-wop/50s-60s band/act working in South Florida…that said, just may-be “we’ll” get lucky and some smart South Florida booking agent will discover New York based- Little Isidore & The Mighty Inquisitors…one of the coolest, hippest, campiest–oldies groups that Jeff Eats has ever seen—and hook them up with some clubs, country clubs, bars, restaurants and theatres down here.

Rather than-trying to explain what this group is all about (assuming this type of music is your deal)—check www.littleisidore.net for audio/video/info. Also check- You Tube–for some terrific video on the group.

Trust me on this one, Jeff Eats has literally seen 100s of doo-wop/60s cover/tribute bands…Little Isidore plays in a whole-other-league. When you check the video/audio on these “guys”—I think you’ll get where I’m coming from.

Like I said before, Little Isidore & The Mighty Inquisitors currently isn’t a South Florida act. Just maybe, WE can get that changed.

Puccini’s Pizzeria, 9874 Yamato Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33434, (561) 479-4211.

Puccini’s Pizzeria…small “mom & pop” red sauce chain–there are currently 4 locations in South Florida.

This evening Jeff Eats picked up a large plain pizza from the Boca Raton joint. In a former life, this particular location was “Renzo’s Pizzeria.” The joint has a handful of tables inside and outside. You can check www.puccinispizza.com for menu/prices.

Like I said a few seconds ago “all” I did was pickup a large pizza. So, Jeff Eats can’t comment on the full boat of appetizers, pastas, subs, calzones, wraps and meat/chicken/seafood entrees this joint dishes out. So…I’m only going to yap about that pizza.

Now on-to the pizza…the pizza had a real nice thin delicious crunchy crust…the cheese was nice and gooey and when the slice was folded and pointed down–the requisite brown drops of oil dripped out…the only problem Jeff Eats had was that the sauce was bland and I do mean bland–actually “boring” maybe a better word…if the sauce had been sweeter, we would be “talking” about a delicious pizza–but it wasn’t, so we aren’t!

You guys remember the Strawbs’ song “So Close And Yet So Far Away”?…

Based on this “pickup”—Puccini’s wouldn’t be Jeff Eats’ pizza “to go” joint…That said, based on the crust, cheese, dripping oil—IF and it’s a big IF, Puccini’s tinkered a bit with that sauce—it has a real shot of turning that pie around.

Like I said before, Jeff Eats only tried the pizza, so I have no idea what Puccini’s other stuff is all about.

In closing, if you guys “hear” or I “hear” that a tinkering has happened, I will try Puccini’s pizza again..

That’s the story here.