***** New Hong Kong, 1303 C Southeast 17th Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33316, (954) 728-8897.

New Hong Kong is a Chinese takeout joint in Fort Lauderdale…it has a handful of tables for those of you who want to “eat out.” You can check menu/prices at newhongkong.com. New Hong Kong is open Monday–Thursday 11am-10:30pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm, Sunday noon-10:30pm.

The other day I got some stuff from New Hong Kong…wonton soup, bbq ribs, egg rolls, pan fried dumplings, roast pork fried rice, sweet & sour pork, general tso’s chicken (no spice), shrimp with garlic sauce, pepper steak. Now, just so we are straight…I took the “stuff” home to Boca Raton–so there was about a 30-minute lag from wok-to-table (actually, tv room couch)…trust me, I know that nothing beats real cold Chinese food (maybe pizza does) right from the frig-the next morning—but I have “factored” in a drive-sogginess quotient for this restaurant’s review.

Let me go on record, sogginess and all—New Hong Kong’s sweet & sour pork and general tso’s chicken were delicious. I’ll even go out on a limb here and tell you, that the sweet & sour pork was right up there with the best that I’ve had in South Florida. The other “items” were A-OK, but not in the same league as the general tso’s chicken and definitely not the sweet & sour pork’s… By the way, if I knew that the dish was going to be that good, I would have taken home some fried wontons…sopping up delicious sweet & sour sauce with fried wontons can become quite addictive.

To wrap things up here…

New Hong Kong is right up there with the best South Florida Chinese takeout joints that I’ve tried.

***** Mr. Nick’s Sub Shoppe, 901 South Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33316, (954) 462-1913.

Got a real good sub-joint for you, Mr. Nick’s Sub Shoppe in Fort Lauderdale. Freestanding building, order/pickup at window–tables outside under a canopy…not exactly the fanciest joint going. You can check menu/prices at www.mrnickssubshoppe.com. Mr. Nick’s is open Monday-Friday 8:30am-6pm, Saturday 9:30am-3pm, closed on Sunday.

Like I said a few seconds ago, this is a “real good” sub joint…

Mr. Nick’s has all kinds of hot/cold subs (6″ & 12″), sandwiches, burgers, franks, salads.

For the record, Jeff Eats forced himself to “try”–philly cheesesteak sub, chicken parm sub, chicken salad sub–now trust me here, the subs were all delicious, with a special shoutout to the philly cheesesteak which came with cheese-mushrooms-grilled onions-green peppers. Now I know-we could debate sub/hoagie bread here all day long…some of you guys like hard crust and some of you guys like a real soft outside— as for “me” I like it both ways–just as long as it tastes good. For the record, Mr. Nick’s goes with a delicious soft sub.

By the way, did you hear about the guy who ordered a turkey sandwich at a lunch counter. The waitress told him that they were out of turkey, so he ordered a chicken sandwich. The waitress replied, if we had chicken I would have brought you a turkey sandwich.

Anyway…If you’re like me and enjoy eating a sub under a roadside canopy…Mr. Nick’s Sub Shoppe is for you.

***** Johnny’s Diner, 104 South Semoran Boulevard, Winter Park, Florida 32792, (407) 677-6776.

Johnny’s Diner…inline-strip center “mom & pop” diner—plenty of formica going on here–cash only! The joint is open Monday-Saturday 6am-3pm, Sunday 7am-3pm. Full boat of breakfast stuff, burgers, sandwihes, salads, meat/chicken/seafood dishes.

A bit too early this morning–to get into a full blown discussion as to how the Johnny’s Diners of this world are the “fabric” of American society—how there are literally thousands of them all over the United States—how every town has its own “version” etc.

Johnny’s Diner is my kinda of place. Absolutely nothing fancy going on here. Good solid food at a reasonable price.

Recently did a Johnny’s Diner lunch—chicken salad on rye toast, meatloaf on a toasted bun, grilled cheese & bacon pita, french fries, Coke. Chicken salad ok-but not going to be running from Boca on a regular basis for it. French fries, same deal. The meatloaf which was recommended by a guy sitting next to me and Mrs. Jeff Eats at the counter—now, we’re talking-something really delicious–same for the pita. If gas wasn’t hovering around 4 bucks a gallon, I’d might be tempted to make Johnny’s a monthly episode. For those of you who aren’t shall we say “regular” readers…just kidding on that monthly episode thing.

Let me close by saying, America has “tons” and I do mean “tons” of Johnny’s Diners. Your favorite joint maybe called Joe’s or A-1 or Kitty’s–what they all have in common…mom & pop owners, hardworking waiters/waitresses, decent enough food and local customers like you and me who appreciate a “place” where we can go to- talk and enjoy our friends-family seated at a formica table or counter.

***** Royal Scoop Homemade Ice Cream, 15 18th Street, Bonita Springs, Florida 34134, (239) 992-2000.

Let me start off by saying, thank GOD that Royal Scoop Homemade Ice Cream is in Bonita Springs and not by house in Boca Raton. I’m telling you, if this fast-food ice cream/soup-salad-sandwich joint was anywhere even close—I’d weigh something like 385 lbs.

Royal Scoop has been around since 1979. Real simple concept…order/pickup at the counter, some of the most amazingly delicious homemade ice cream and yogurt going…as a kicker, the joint also has a menu of soups-salads-sandwiches. At this stage of the discussion, feel free to abandon me and check Royal Scoop’s details at www.royalscoop.com.

A recent outing had me forcing myself to try…espresso chip, mocha caramel crunch, cherry vanilla, pistachio–in addition knowing that you guys would ask, I also “sampled” the joint’s tuna-chicken salads and a grilled American cheese with bacon/white toast. Like I said before, the ice cream is amazingly delicious—the kicker here, Royal Scoop’s tuna-chicken salads and grilled cheese were also very good (which is kinda unusual for an ice cream joint–think Swenson’s, Friendly’s, Dairy Queen, Jahn’s and you may appreciate my thinking on this).

Royal Scoop is open Monday-Saturday 11am-10pm and Sunday noon-10pm.

***** Danny’s All American Diner & Dairy Bar, 4406 North Falkenburg Road, Tampa, Florida 33610, (813) 740-0606.

There is an old saying…”One picture is worth a thousand words.”—With that in mind, I need you guys to go to www.dannysallamericandiner.com—when you get there- in addition to menu/prices, you will find photos/videos which will “explain” this joint in detail. Basically, you order from a small building’s window and pickup your own food—you eat outside on picnic tables. Just so you know, Danny’s was featured on tv’s ‘Diners, Drive-ins & Dives’–that “segment” is on Danny’s site…for good or bad, thanks to Guy Fieri, Danny’s customer base is now just not limited to townies.

For you purists out there, Danny’s really isn’t a diner—actually, it’s a hole in the wall-fast food joint that does breakfast stuff, burgers, franks, sandwiches, salads, fries, ice cream, shakes.

Before we go any further, I absolutely loved Danny’s. No lying, if Danny’s was by-my house, I’d eat there at least once a week.

The other day I did lunch at Danny’s…”tried”-bacon cheeseburger, french fries, onion rings, chocolate shake. For what’s it worth, I would match Danny’s “flat-top” grilled burger/fries/onion rings/shake against the best that I’ve had down here in South Florida. There really isn’t too much more that I can say about this joint other than–its food is tremendous, its dumpy roadside building has a great retro-vibe (watch the video), its prices are reasonable and Danny- a former marine (who cooks everything) captures the essence of what American roadside food is suppose to be-and not what the McDonald’s of the world have pushed on us.

I highly recommend Danny’s All American Diner & Dairy Bar.

Danny’s is open Monday-Friday 8am-6pm, Saturday 10:30am-3pm, closed on Sunday.

The Mar-a-Lago Club

Boca Raton Hotel & Resort, 501 East Camino Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33432, (888) 543-1277.
The Mar-a-Lago Club, 1100 South Ocean Boulevard, Palm Beach, Florida 33480, (561) 832-2600.

Got something a little different for you guys…

Over the past 6 months, I and Mrs. Jeff Eats have attended several “major” catered functions at both the Boca Raton Resort & Club and The Mar-a-Lago Club. To “protect” the innocent, I’m not going to go into what type of events they were, but these were big “blow-out” affairs with heavy duty decorations, orchestras, djs, suits/ties, gowns, tuxedos.

If this isn’t your bag, no problem—I’ll catch you tomorrow.

To make this as short as possible…many South Floridians consider the Boca Raton Resort & Club and The Mar-a-Lago to be two of the “best” catering facilites in the State, not to mention the country. For the record, The Mar-a-Lago Club is owned by Donald Trump. Boca Raton Resort & Club is owned by Boca Resorts Inc. who acquired it from Wayne Huizenga in 2004.

Ever go to a wedding, bar/bat mitzvah, or other fancy party where the food and service stunk?

Now for sure…a good orchestra, a good dj, good decor, a good crowd–can make a party loads of fun. That said, every affair that I’ve attended at the Boca Raton Resort & Club and The Mar-a-Lago Club “featured” lousy food and piss poor service. Just so we are straight, I’m talking LOUSY and PISS POOR– now, I’m ball-parking here, but I’ll bet you that in my 62 years I’ve attended over 250 “big” events and Mrs. Jeff Eats and I have personally made 5- down here in South Florida alone. I think it’s fair to say, that the food/service at the Boca and Mar parties were right up there with the worst of the worst.

Anyway…you now know about 2 joints not to have a big party at.

By the way, is Trump still running for President?

Remember HYPE doesn’t necessarily make something good.

***** BUNGALOW BAR–VS–GOOD HUMOR *****

As a kid growing up in Brooklyn (1950s-1960s) at 811 Cortelyou Road Apt. 6M—two ice cream “trucks” Bungalow Bar and Good Humor competed on a daily basis for “us” kids’ business. When I think back on those days, I can’t believe that ice cream bars were 5 & 10 cents, pizza was 15 cents a slice, a small coke was a nickel, a hamburger was 20 cents, french fries were a dime, a haircut was 50 cents, for 50 cents you got to watch two movies and three-four cartoon shorts and a gallon of gasoline was going for 20 cents a gallon…I also remember my mother “buying” me and my brother an encyclopedia–one book every week for $1 until the set was completed from the local Waldbaum’s Supermarket. Crazy as it may sound to “youngters” out there- but every couple of blocks, there was a candy store, local market, bar, bakery, diner…back then most families only had 1- car, there were no shopping malls and kids either walked to school or rode the public bus which was 15 cents and the bus driver made change for you. There was no Starbucks-Costcos-Walmarts-Targets-Wendys—but there were plenty of Chock Full O’ Nuts, Nedicks, Ebingers. There were no soda machines that let you mix 100 different Coke flavors, but all of the candy stores had soda fountains and ice coolers which you stuck your hand into- and searched the freezing cold water for the bottle you wanted.

This one is open to everyone.

Tell Jeff Eats of days long past.

***** TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE *****

Two really good restaurants and two really good singing groups…

Gamaroff’s Bar & Grill in Hallandale Beach (reviewed:3/23/12) is going to have Joey Dale & The Gigolos (reviewed:2/8/12) on Wednesday night, April 25, 2012… reasonably priced delicious steaks, burgers, seafood, chicken—meets a terrific doo-wop/rock n’ roll quartet. There is no cover and you don’t even have to buy a thing to enjoy the show. If you are a fan of The Duprees, The Passions, Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge–you will absolutely positively love Joey Dale & The Gigolos.

NYY Steak in Pompano Beach (reviewed:2/15/12) is going to have The Motown Philly Express Band (reviewed:1/30/12) on Thursday night, May 18, 2012…NYY located in the Seminole Casino complex- is an upscale steak joint that makes some of the best steaks and seafood that you will ever eat. NYY’s bar/lounge will host The Motown Philly Express Band-who will have you “thinking” that The Four Tops, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles and The Temptations are in the house. There is no cover charge and you don’t even have to buy dinner.
*****
I absolutely loved Gamaroff’s food, super reasonable prices and huge portions. Based on past Joey Dale & The Gigolos’ performances, Wednesday night April 25th should be a homerun. This is one of the premier doo-wop groups in South Florida–recent appearances include the Broward Center and Coral Springs Arts Theatre.

I also loved NYY Steak’s food. Just so you know, this “one” wasn’t a cheap date, but the food was absolutely delicious. As for The Motown Philly Express, I have seen this band in action three times and they were outstanding. I am telling you, you’ll swear that Smokey Robinson is actually singing Tears Of A Clown and The Temptations are singing Just My Imagination.

You now know about two great “nights” where you can spend or not spend—and have a real great time.

***** Hurricane Cafe, 14050 US Highway 1, Juno Beach, Florida 33408, (877) 775-2559.

For our purposes we’re gonna call Hurricane Cafe in Juno Beach a “neighborhood” diner. The joint’s got indoor table/booth/counter seating–it also has an outdoor patio with a handful of tables. Your shorts/tee shirt/flip flops’ ensemble will work well there. Before you head over to Hurricane’s website www.hurricanecafejuno.com for menu/prices– you should know, that unlike many of its South Florida bretheren, Hurricane doesn’t close at 3pm–in fact it’s open 7 days a week from 7am-9pm doing breakfast/lunch/dinner. By the way, the website has a photo of the joint–like they say one photo is worth a thousand words-so you’ll know exactly what’s what.

A few days ago I “did” Hurricane for a breakfast…western omelette, banana praline french toast—both were delicious.

Hurricane Cafe is my kinda of a joint…nothing fancy going on here–just solid food. For those of you who need to know right this minute, Hurricane’s menu is loaded with all kinds of breakfast stuff, salads, sandwiches, wraps, individual pizzas, meat/chicken/seafood entrees.

As I just mentioned a few seconds ago, my outing was basically a two dish breakfast. Sorry, I can’t give you the skinny on lunch and dinner offerings–what I can tell you, is that several “local” diners told me that the joint’s salads and wraps were terrific–and singled out the yankee pot roast for special mention. Now, I know–that asking total strangers for opinions about the food-is sort of like asking total strangers leaving a movie what they thought of the picture–suffice it to say, the strangers I asked “looked” like they knew what good food was all about.

We are going to leave this one with this…

Based on the fact that I’ve eaten in tons of “mom & pop” diners, my recent breakfast and the opinions of total strangers who “looked” like they knew what good food was all about—the bet here, is that you’ll enjoy Hurricane Cafe’s food whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner.

If you eat at Hurricane Cafe, please write me and let me know if that yankee pot roast call was right. By the way, one of the strangers “polled”- picked ‘Godfather’ and ‘Godfather II’ as her favorite pictures, one said that ‘Herbie The Love Bug’ and ‘A Nightmare On Elm Street’ were his favorites and one picked ‘Gone With The Wind’ and ‘Snakes On A Plane’ as her best films —so there!

***** Hong Kong Wok N’ Grill, 185 East Indiantown Road, Jupiter, Florida 33477, (561) 746-6798.

When I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn my parent’s favorite neighborhood Chinese restaurant was Joy Fong’s on Avenue J—now I’m just guessing here, but I’ll bet you that between 1949-1966 (the year Jeff Eats started college) I, my brother, my father and my mother must have eaten in that joint something like 600 times. Now, most non-Jews (the goyim) back then, thought that “us” Jews lit candles on Friday nights—au contraire, “us” Reform Brooklyn Jews were either stuffing our faces in/or getting takeout deliveries from the Joy Fong’s of the world. Back then we didn’t call it Chinese food, we use to say we were going out for C@@@@@—(And you thought that Jeff Eats wasn’t politically correct, didn’t you?) The point I’m trying to drive home here, whether right or wrong, Joy Fong’s “food” is as far as I’m concerned the gold-standard for neighborhood Chinese joint food. Maybe a better way to explain “this”—when I eat matzo ball soup-I compare the ball at hand–in texture, consistency and flavor to the ones that my mother made.

Now that I’ve filled some space and killed some of your time, I recently had dinner at Hong Kong Wok N’ Grill in Jupiter. Now based on my Brooklyn Jewish Chinese Joy Fong’s standards I gotta tell you, this joint makes some pretty good food.

Here’s what I “sampled”—egg rolls, pan fried pork dumplings, bbq ribs, roast pork fried rice, chicken chow mein, sweet & sour pork, general tso’s chicken (no spice), shrimp with lobster sauce. As for the test results, the egg rolls, dumplings, ribs were delicious—same for the fried rice and general tso’s chicken…as for the sweet & sour pork, chicken chow mein and shrimp with lobster sauce–good, but if memory serves me right, Joy Fong’s stuff was better.

Now for the kicker here—in early 1967 my parents, my brother and I discovered Pine Gardens (which morphed into Wong Kee) in NYC’s Chinatown which made Joy Fong’s food look like rookieville. Since Pine Gardens/Wong Kee were so phenomenal, I don’t use “them” as yardsticks, because to this very date, I haven’t found any joint that makes better food.

Let me wrap this story up this way…Hong King Wok N’ Grill is a real good Chinese restaurant. If you live or work in Hong’s neighborhood give it a shot—I enjoyed it and I think you will too.

Hong Kong Wok N’ Grill is open Monday-Saturday 11am-10pm, Sunday 4pm-10pm.

You can check menu/prices at www.hongkongwokngrill.com.