***** Ovenella, 499 Federal Highway, Boca Raton, Florida 33432, (561) 672-7553.

Got a real-good semi-upscale Italian joint for you…Ovenella in Boca Raton.

You can check menu/prices/photos at www.ovenella.com. Just so we are straight, Ovenella isn’t a “red sauce” stuff your face– “$14.95” soup or salad/entree/pasta side/garlic knots’ joint…that said, Jeff Eats found it to be really-cool, modern decor, really easy going, great vibe and not taking itself too seriously.

Jeff Eats recently did dinner–“tried” fried calamari, veal marsala, chicken parmigiana, 12″ wood-oven margherita pizza, meat lasagna, gnocchi, frutti di mare, tiramisu—everything was A-OK. On the price front, like I said before, you ain’t gonna get away for $14.95 in this joint, but nothing too terrible. The pizza fetched 14 bucks, the veal marsala $26, the chicken parm $19…

Before I hop, Ovenella has a full bar and the wait-staff knew their stuff.

Let me wrap this one up-this way—Jeff Eats really enjoyed Ovenella. Every so often, it’s nice to get away from– Joe’s, Leo’s, Bobby’s, Tony’s, Vinny’s (you can insert your favorite red sauce name) where every meal is like a scene out of that movie “Groundhog Day.” To all the red sauce joints out there, please know–that Jeff Eats still loves you, just making an “editorial” point–so don’t go spitting in my food or nothing the next time I’m in!

Ovenella is open Monday-Friday 11:30am-10pm, Saturday 5pm-10pm, closed on Sunday.

Panda Gourmet Chinese Restaurant, 13900 South Jog Road, Delray Beach, Florida 33446, (561) 638-9022.

The other day Jeff Eats got the following e-mail from long time reader Bill from Delray:

From: Bill from Delray
Subject: Great new Chinese Restaurant in Delray
Message Body:
Jeff,
Wife and I have been to the Panda Gourmet restaurant in Delray twice now. The last visit was the acid test… taking my 91 year old mother-in-law with us. The food is fresh and first quality, the prices crazy low and they’ve been publishing 50% off the second entree (including early bird) in the Sun Sentinel a couple of times a week for a while.
The earlybird, by the way, includes soup, egg roll or spring roll and ice cream. Three of us ate for $34 plus tip and the entree size was not reduced because of the earlybird.
Looking forward to seeing what you have to say about this little family run hole in the wall place.
Bill
***
Bill from Delray:
Based on your recommendation I gave Panda Gourmet a “shot” this evening.

Jeff Eats “sampled” wonton soup, egg rolls, fried pork dumplings, bbq ribs, general tso’s chicken, moo shu pork, roast pork fried rice. Now- no kidding around here, EVERY ITEM had absolutely no taste whatsoever. No question about it, some of the blandest Chinese food I’ve ever eaten in South Florida. Now nothing for nothing, but I’m thinking that just maybe the early-bird coupon deals colored your opinion—because this stuff was in no way, shape or form even remotely close to being good.

Well Bill!…That’s what Jeff Eats thinks and based on my maiden voyage, I definitely won’t be returning even though the super-pleasant owners gave me a handful of “coupons” on my way out.

For those of you guys who want to make up your own “mind”…

Panda Gourmet is open Monday-Thursday 11:30am-9:30pm, Friday 11:30am-10pm, Saturday noon-10pm, Sunday noon-9:30pm.

***** SOMETHING THAT WON’T HAPPEN *****

Literally—Jeff Eats got the following e-mail 10 minutes ago.

“Hey Jeff,
The election is over and Romney lost. Since that date, the DOW has fallen close to 500 points. Personally, I think that if Romney had won, this “Financial Cliff” problem would already have been solved, but he didn’t so it isn’t.
I think that President Obama is destroying the country.
What do you think of Obama making a HUGE MOVE. He should appoint Romney Secretary of the Treasury & Senator McCain Secretary of Defense.
I think these two appointments would bring the country together.
I think that all of the Democrats out there who were worried about ABORTIONS are now seeing a financial abortion as the markets fall. Obviously the markets wanted Romney calling the shots on the country’s finances.
What do you think of my appoint idea?”
CCH
**************
Just curious what do you guys think?

***** What’s Your Favorite Mexican Joint? *****

What’s your favorite Mexican joint in South Florida?

***** Bo Leg’s B.B.Q., 250 Northeast 167th Street, North Miami, Florida 33162, (305) 303-2134.

Got a really good “smoked” bbq joint for you…Bo Leg’s B.B.Q. in North Miami.

Just so you know, this is a takeout joint—smokers setup in a strip center’s parking lot. BO is open Wednesday-Saturday 12:30pm-9pm.

If “smoked” bbq is your game, you gotta get food from this joint. Its menu is kinda limited- ribs, bbq chicken, jerk chicken, handful of sides. Bo has a handful of sauces—bbq, hot bbq, spicy mustard, hot spicy mustard.

Last week Jeff Eats “sampled” ribs and bbq chicken. Trust me on this one, delicious…I also tried all of the sauces and they were all right on the money. If I had to do a pecking-order type deal—spicy mustard, bbq, hot spicy mustard, hot bbq.. In addition to the ribs and chicken-Jeff Eats did mac & cheese and baked beans. The sides were okay, but nothing to go nuts over.

Let me wrap this one up this way, if you like smoked bbq, Bo Leg’s B.B.Q. is a must-try. It’s really good.

***** Taco Prince, 180 South Federal Highway, Boca Raton, Florida 33432, (561) 750-113.

Taco Prince—“hole in the wall” order at/pickup at the counter fast food Mexican joint in Boca Raton. For a drop of color… I remember when it use to be a Dairy Queen and then a juice bar. You can check menu/prices at www.tacoprince.com

Taco Prince’s menu is real simple… basically tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tostadas.

The “65” in Spanish that Jeff Eats got in 1966 at Erasmus Hall High School- qualifies me to tell you that the “sampled”– grilled steak taco, grilled mahi-mahi taco, grilled shrimp quesadilla, mushroom burrito were ok–but nothing out of the ordinary.

Personally, I liked the “store” better when it was a Dairy Queen.

Taco Prince is open 7 days a week.

***** Gourmet Gourmet, 4249 West Flagler Street, Miami, Florida 33134, (305) 443-8664.

Got a really good Chinese “takeout” joint for you guys…Gourmet Gourmet in Miami. Just so you know, Jeff Eats first told you guys about Gourmet a

Gourmet on 11/25/10- some things bear retelling…

Let me make this one short and simple…

Applying the world-famous Jeff Eats’ “1959 Brooklyn-Jewish Chinese Taste-Test”—wonton soup, egg rolls, bbq ribs, roast pork fried rice, general tso’s chicken, beef with broccoli, mu shu pork…Jeff Eats has to tell you, that Gourmet Gourmet is one of the better Chinese takeout joints that I’ve encountered down here in sunny South Florida. Just so you know, the food was picked-up at the store and was eaten at a friend’s apartment about 5 minutes away…For those of you who like a pecking order, I thought that the mu shu pork and egg rolls were the best items, closely followed by the bbq ribs—the rest of the stuff “tied.”

Like I said a few seconds ago, Gourmet Gourmet is a TAKEOUT—so that precludes a ton of you readers from playing this “game.” For those of you who live or work in Gourmet’s neighborhood—this is a good joint to know about.

You can check Gourmet Gourmet’s menu/prices at www.gourmet-gourmet.net.

The joint is open Monday-Saturday 11:30am-9:30pm and Sunday 5pm-9:30pm.

***** JJ Muggs Stadium Grill, 1203 Town Center Drive, Jupiter, Florida 33458, (561) 630-9669.

JJ Muggs…a “sports bar” literally right next door to Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida.

Yesterday afternoon (Sunday) around 2:00pm—Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats ate lunch at JJ Muggs Stadium Grill…the joint was JAMMED and I do mean JAMMED…every table inside and outside–taken…tons of folks standing inside and outside watching football on the joint’s flat screen tv sets.

At this stage of the game you can check menu/prices/photos at www.jjmuggsgrill.com.

Trust me on this…in my day, I’ve been to loads of sports bars when Sunday football is “on air”…I can’t remember the last time I saw so many “different” jerseys—or a crowd having such a great time as I did yesterday at JJ Muggs. Amazingly, with such a huge crowd…our waiter was right on the money–providing really great service.

For our purposes…JJ Muggs’ menu has the full the boat of appetizers, wings, sandwiches, salads, burgers, meat/chicken/seafood entrees. The “sampled” items—bacon cheeseburger, grilled chicken caesar wrap, honey mustard grilled wings, french fries. The food was ok–but nothing out of the ordinary.

To wrap this one up…I’d definitely “go back” to JJ Muggs on game-day. I loved the atmosphere, vibe, crowd. If food was the “only’ game…I’d think twice before making another visit.

JJ Muggs Stadium Grill is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner.

***** Marino’s Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant, 13821 Southwest 88th Street, Miami, Florida 33186, (305) 385-6688.

Marino’s- decent enough “mom & pop–red sauce” Italian joint in Miami. You can check menu/prices at www.marinospizzakenall.com

Let me do this one, this way…Marino’s has the full boat of appetizers, pastas, pizzas, subs, calzones, meat/seafood/chicken entrees…A recent outing “down” in Kendall had me doing a plain pizza, meat lasagna, veal parmigiana, mussels marinara, sausage & peppers, ziti marinara, minestrone soup, garlic rolls. The food, was as I said a few seconds ago…decent enough. Just so we are on the same page, Jeff Eats thought that the thin crusted pizza with a sweet sauce was right on the money–same for the garlic rolls, right on the money…the rest of the stuff was “standard” mom & pop goods.

Look! Over the past 20 years or so, Jeff Eats has eaten in so many Italian joints down here in South Florida that “sometimes” they seem to literally run together….Marino’s is shall we say, mid-pack. Defintely got the job done…tons of food, reasonable prices, pleasant service, un-ending Coke refills—but nothing that I haven’t seen/or tasted before.

Now- that I’m proof-reading what I just wrote, just maybe Jeff Eats is being “too” hard on Marino’s…the way I’m now thinking, mid-pack ain’t really all that bad—based on the fact Jeff Eats graduated 571 out of 592 in his Brooklyn Law School class of 1973.

Marino’s is open 11am-11pm 7 days a week.

***** DION DIMUCCI *****

This is a real simple one…

On December 9, 2012, Rock N” Roll Hall of Famer— DION DIMUCCI (a Boca Raton resident) will be making an extremely rare “concert” appearance at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood.

Printed below is a copy of the concert’s official press release.

Over the years, in addition to seeing Dion numerous times in the Publix Supermarket on Jog Road/Yamato Road in Boca Raton— Jeff Eats has seen Dion 5 times in concert. I am telling you–no matter how old you are, if you are a “fan” of Rock N’ Roll…you owe it to yourself to “see” this legendary performer in action.

Now, I’m not a hundred-percent sure of this– but I think that if you check Webster’s Dictionary…under Rock N’ Roll Legend you’ll find Dion’s picture.

*****

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Yaffa Mizrachi, Seminole Hard Rock, 954-327-7504, C: 954-895-6480, yaffa.mizrachi@seminolehardrock.com
Ashley Svarney, Seminole Hard Rock, 954-327-7631, C: 954-592-6683, ashley.svarney@seminolehardrock.com
Fran Folic, Bitner Goodman, 954-730-7730, ext. 117, fran@bitnergoodman.com

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dion Brings a Slice of Music History to Hard Rock Live on December 9
Tickets on Sale November 3 at Noon

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dion will bring a slice of music history and a set of his matchless classics to Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on December 9, 2012 at 7 p.m. Tickets go on sale November 3 at noon.

Dion and his music represent a special time and place … a moment when a song could mean so much and a singer could sum up what it means to be young, in love and on top of the world. Yet, Dion is more than simply a cherished memory of a more innocent time. A singer, songwriter and performer of extraordinary versatility, range and resonance, Dion is fashioning music as relevant and revealing today as in the heydays of the ‘50s when, along with a handful of other innovators, he defined rock and roll for a generation.

Dion’s musical mastery began at a very early age on the street corners and in the bars of the Bronx, New York. While Influenced by R & B, blues, doo-wop and rock and roll, Dion’s took his initial inspiration from country’s great singer songwriter Hank Williams. It was Williams’ “Jambalaya” that Dion first professionally performed for Paul Whiteman’s radio and television shows.

Dion’s further honed his style on the stoops and street comers of Cartona Avenue, where he rounded up other local singers, inventing a capella licks. Then, in 1957, he brought the best of the neighborhood rockers together – Freddy Milano, Angelo D’ Aleo and Carlo Mastrangelo to form Dion & The Belmonts, named after Belmont Avenue in the heart of the Bronx.

“I Wonder Why” was Dion’s first hit with The Belmonts, and over the next two years, the group earned a reputation not only for topping the charts but for creating some of the most vital and exciting doo-wop music on the American scene. With songs such as “A Teenager in Love” and “Where or When,” Dion & The Belmonts earned a place in the history books. A national sensation, they toured extensively and were featured artists on the star-crossed Winter Dance Party, the tour that took the lives of Buddy Holly and other musical greats. Dion was, in fact, scheduled to fly in the fateful plane that went down “the day the music died.”
But the vitality of the music lived on when Dion, venturing out as a solo artist in 1960, racked up a string of quintessential rock classics including “Runaround Sue,” “Lovers Who Wander” and the anthemic hit, “The Wanderer.” As the first rock and roll artist ever signed to Columbia Records, he continued his streak with such smashes as “Ruby Baby,” “Donna The Prima Donna” and “Drip Drop.”

In 1968, a more mature Dion shot to the top of the charts, once again, with” Abraham, Martin and John.” What followed was a string of acclaimed LPs including such moving and deeply personal offerings as Sit Down Old Friend, You’re Not Alone and Sanctuary Suite For Late Summer.

During the following 15 years, Dion devoted himself and his music to folk blues and gospel, again earning a reputation as an innovator. He also recorded a series of albums that reflected an enduring faith in God, and was nominated for a Grammy in 1985.

In 1987, Dion performed at Radio City Music Hall in New York City marking the beginning of, yet, another career phase that led to a series of special appearances including a 1988 fundraiser for homeless medical relief where he shared the stage with his renowned fans including Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and Lou Reed.

A subsequent autobiography entitled The Wanderer (William Morrow) and his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame further highlighted Dion’s contribution to the state of the musical art helping to set the stage for his active return to recording. Yo Frankie, Dream on Fire and Rock and Roll Christmas are a collection of CDs showcasing the inexhaustible creativity and sheer exuberance that has made this artist one of rock music’s most authentic legends.

Tickets are $69, $59, $49 and $39*; all seats are reserved and available at all Ticketmaster outlets online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone: 1-800-745-3000. Doors open one-hour prior to show start time. *Additional fees may apply.

About Hard Rock Live

Hard Rock Live, a spectacular state-of-the-art facility, further expands the ultimate entertainment experience at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. This 5,500-seat indoor arena has attracted more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 2005, and has regularly hosted South Florida’s greatest variety of musical acts such as Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Marc Anthony, Billy Joel, Andrea Bocelli, Tim McGraw and Carlos Santana; top comedians including Chris Rock, Robin Williams, Kathy Griffin and George Lopez; as well as major sporting events and events of major sports stars, from UFC matches to charity galas for Jason Taylor, Alonzo Mourning, Dwyane Wade and more. For additional information, please visit www.hardrocklivehollywoodfl.com or www.myhrl.com .

About Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino invites you to PLAYHARD! Play, stay, dine, and shop at South Florida’s ultimate entertainment destination. Over 90 tables offer Blackjack, Baccarat, Mini-Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker, Texas Hold ‘em Bonus Poker, Casino War and Let it Ride on a nearly three-acre casino floor. Additionally, 2,500 slots include the Native-American Casino linked Multi-Area Progressive Jackpots and Mega Jackpots. Separate high-limit rooms for table games and slots, in addition to a non-smoking room, are available for guests to enjoy. Loyal Player’s Club members also have access to the exclusive VIP Plum Lounge and VIP Chef’s Table show kitchen. The Poker Room at Seminole Paradise hosts various games and tournaments of Limit and No Limit Texas Hold ‘em, 7-Card Stud and two dollar and four dollar limit Omaha Hi Lo games. Located inside the casino is Hard Rock Cafe -Hollywood, part of Hard Rock’s 138 globally recognized rock ‘n’ roll restaurants. The Green Lodging Certified by the State of Florida, AAA Four Diamond-rated resort showcases 500 luxurious guest rooms, 19 restaurants, 40,000 square feet of meeting room space, the Body Rock Spa, 21 boutique shops, 14 bars/nightclubs and lounges, the 400-seat Paradise Live theater and the 5,500–seat Hard Rock Live concert arena. Located on State Road 7 (U.S. 441) in Hollywood, Florida. Take I-95, exit Stirling Rd. and travel west to 1 Seminole Way. For more information, call (954) 327-ROCK, 1 800-937-0010 or visit us online at www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com or www.facebook.com/seminolehardrockhollywood .