Mario’s Osteria, 1400 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33431, (561) 239-7000.

I gotta ask you guys to pleasssse indulge me…do me a favor and read Jeff Eats’ Mario Of Boca (7/21/08) and Bova Cucina (6/6/09) reviews—it’ll save me a whole lot of explaining.

Anyway…this guy Mario is now back with a new Italian joint…Mario’s Osteria in Boca Raton. For you folks who want to know about Mr. Bova’s restaurant career- check the Sun Sentinel and you’ll find loads of details…you’ll also find the hows?/whys?/whens? concerning his unfortunate business relationship with Scott Rothstein Esq—Florida’s own “Bernie Madoff.”

Now let’s talk about the “dinner” that I just did…

First, the good news… Mario’s is “one” gorgeous looking semi-upscale Italian joint.

For color—Just a hunch here, but my gut tells me that “Mario” has some partners “here”—don’t know any details, but I suspect someone ELSE is bankrolling this joint…but I’m just guessing here (wink wink wink!). For the record, I’m assuming that you folks know the story how “Mario” lost a ton of money–getting crooked by Rothstein. If you don’t, some of you might find it an interesting read.

Second, the not so good news…the large pizza, meatball sub, chicken parm sub, garlic knots, French fries—were all LOUSY. An absolute waste of money. The pizza had no taste and the crust was a soggy mess…the meatballs tasted like something out of an Army rations can…Sorry I stand corrected, the rations’ stuff tastes better.

Let me wrap this one up real fast…don’t waste your time.

Wait! I was just thinking, let me give you guys an early Thanksgiving gift…here’s the 2-”Mario” reviews I mentioned at the top of this rant…

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Mario’s of Boca (Boca Raton)

Posted on July 21st, 2008 · Boca Raton Italian

Mario’s of Boca, 1901 North Military Trail, Boca Raton, Florida 33431 (561) 392-5595.

Before we start, take a look at Mario’s wesbite at www.mariosofboca.com. Gorgeous place, great menu, reasonable prices…it is all “spelled out” for you on the website…WRONG!!!

Mario’s has been a Boca Raton “fixture” for something like 23 years…this Southern Italian joint literally owned (notice I said “owned” not “owns’) the Boca Raton market with lines continuously out the door. Well something happened (and I don’t know exactly what it was) to Mario’s changing it from a great joint into a mediocre second rate joint…kiss the lines goodbye.

I’ll make this as simple as can be…over the past 3 months I have had dinner at Mario’s twice…each time the food was horrendous and the service even worse, if that’s possible. Both times, the joint was literally being run by high-school kids ( no insult intended to the youth of America, but you know what I mean). Just so you know, I “sampled” veal parmigiana, veal chop milanese, chicken parmigiana, chicken scarpiello and shrimp scampi…they were all lousy…by the way, the veal parmigiana was in the same league as eating the sole of your Reebok sneaker…Just so we are straight, the people that I ate with all agreed, that the food was terrible and that the service amateurish. There was one redeeming thing…Mario’s garlic rolls are still terrific.

One final thought…when I was a kid, the big player in the premium ice cream business was Good Humor…the big player in coffee shops was Chock full o’ Nuts…the big player on the highways for hotels/food was Howard Johnson’s…everyone of them failed to stay at the top and are just bit players today. Mario’s was the kingpin.
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Bova Cucina (Boca Raton)

Posted on June 6th, 2009 · Boca Raton Italian

Bova Cucina, 1901 North Military Trail, Boca Raton, Florida 33431 (561) 392-5595.

You know…if you dress a monkey in a $2,500 suit (in this case the suit is a great looking restaurant), it’s still a monkey.

Do me a favor and read my review for Mario’s of Boca (July 21, 2008)…it wasn’t very favorable.

Well the owners of Mario’s, recently changed the joint’s name to Bova Cucina and started a “dinner-promotion”…last month it was $8.95, this month it’s $9.95…the “deal”…soup or salad, garlic rolls, entree, pasta side and they throw in a cannoli for dessert.

Well, it’s still the same monkey dressed in the “$2,500 suit”…and the food is still mediocre.

The other night the joint was jammed with “bargain hunters”…trust me on this, the portions are small and like I said before, the food isn’t very good… your favorite neighborhood “mom & pop” serves better stuff.

Fool me once, shame on you…fool me twice, shame on me.

***** 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.