***** Frankie & Johnny’s Corner Ristorante, 2701 Oakland Park Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33306 (954) 561 0805.

Got an outrageously good–casual–moderately priced- Italian joint for you…Frankie & Johnny’s located in Fort Lauderdale. The joint has something like 6 inside tables—bar seating (when I was there, loads of people were eating at the bar)—outside patio seating. Just a suggestion, have a reservation, as this is a real-tight-small restaurant and apparently has a huge following.

Just so you know, Frankie & Johnny’s doesn’t have a large menu…that said, even you “veal parm” eaters out there, should have no problem finding something delicious to eat. My recent “outing” was for dinner…the restaurant has a certain “vibe” to it…can’t put my finger on it, but I really enjoyed the “people watching” and the “closeness” of the tables. Don’t know why, but the characters of A Bronx Tale would probably feel right at home here.

Like I said before, the food is very good. A recent outing had me doing…linguine in white clam sauce, chicken milanese, gnocchi, clams oreganata, lasagna, chicken/peppers/sausage. Check www.frankieandjohnnys.com for menu/prices/photos.

Something- very different than the “red sauce” joints that dot the South Florida landscape.

Frankie & Johnny’s is open Monday-Friday 11am-4pm for lunch and 7 days a week for dinner 4pm-11pm.

***** Il Toscano, 2282 Weston Road, Weston, Florida 33326 (954) 385-5883.

Great looking- moderatley priced- upscale white tablecloth-Italian joint located in Weston. That said…your “dungarees” will work here (Do they still call them dungarees?) Terrific professional white jacketed wait-staff..

Take a look at www.iltoscanoweston.net for menu/prices/loads of pictures so you’ll know what this joint looks like.

Let me make this one short…Il Toscano is one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve been to down here in old South Florida. It is a great looking joint…the food is terrific and fairly priced…the service is excellent. The joint has indoor and outdoor patio seating—and a full bar.

A recent outing had me doing…spiedino romano ($7.95—fried mozzarella)—veal marsala ($18.95)—chicken parmigiana ($16.95)—shrimp parmigiana ($24.95)—penne alla vodka ($13.95)—gnocchi pesto ($12.95). Entrees come with pasta side…the food is outrageously good. That spiedino romano is worth the price of admission-alone.

Il Toscano is a dynamite restaurant…if you don’t live in the Weston area…it’s worth the schlep.

Il Toscano does lunch Monday-Friday 11:30am-3:30pm, dinner Monday-Thursady 5:30pm-10:30pm, dinner Friday-Saturday 4pm-midnight, dinner Sunday 4pm-10:30pm.

***** Good Eats Grill, 7525 North State Road 7, Parkland, Florida 33067, (954) 575-3287.

Three Times The Charm?

Good Eats is a casual-reasonably priced-American Style joint that opened 2-weeks ago in Parkland. A deli and a diner already “failed” in the location, so just maybe—Good Eats has a shot.

Good Eats is so new, that it doesn’t have a website, yet. Take a look at www.southfloridadines.com…this site “sells” restaurant-discount coupons. If you check, they have a $30 coupon for Good Eats for 15 bucks. In addition, Good Eats’ menu is there as well as a video which will give you some idea of what the joint looks like.

Just a bit of history…like I said before, Good Eats is the third “restaurant-tenant” trying to make a-go of it, in a large shopping center on State Road 7. Personally, I think that the location stinks…I never tried the deli or diner which were previously there, but I know the location…and like I said IT STINKS…the center although relatively new–isn’t all that strong—and Good Eats’ spot is “stuck” in a corner at the end of the center.

Anyway…I recently tried Good Eats and really enjoyed the food. The menu has loads of appetizers, salads, burgers, wings, sandwiches, pizzas, pastas and meat-seafood-chicken entrees. I did a roast beef-melted cheddar cheese-kaiser roll sandwich ($7.95) that was absolutely delicious… the same goes for 1/2lb hamburger & fries ($7.95), philly cheese steak hoagie ($9.95 they call it a hoagie I call it a sub…now I’m sounding like Maurice Chevalier or was it Fred Astaire?), individual grilled plain pizza ($6.95).

Trust me on this one, the food is really good. The service is as pleasant as can be. The prices are just right.

Hopefully, Three Times The Charm—because the folks that own this joint are turning out a real nice product.

Good Eats Grill is opened Monday-Thursday 11am-10:30pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-midnight, Sunday 11am-9pm.

***** Antonino’s Pizzeria & Restaurant, 15964 West State Road 84, Sunrise, Florida 33326, (954) 385-6400.

Antonino’s is a “mom & pop red sauce” Italian joint located in Sunrise. You know the drill here—pizza, pastas, subs, meat-chicken-seafood entrees “come with” soup/or salad, pasta side, garlic rolls.

A recent outing had me doing—chicken milanese ($12.99), eggplant parmigiana ($11.95), veal marsala ($13.95), sausage & peppers ($10.95). large 16″ plain pizza ($12.50). The food is okay—but nothing out of the ordinary….the story in a nutshell—decent enough local pizza joint. You can check www.antoninospizzaonline.com for menu/prices.

Antonino’s is open Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm, Sunday noon-10pm.

***** New York Prime, 2350 Executive Center Drive, Boca Raton, Florida 33431, (561) 998-3881.

New York Prime is an “upscale steakhouse” located in Boca Raton.

This is a re-review…the original review July 23, 2008 was a “so-so” finding.

Over the years, I have eaten in this joint a number of times. My last outing was this past Saturday night with an 8:30 pm reservation. Let’s just say, that from the crowd, it appears that the “recession” didn’t hit New York Prime. Wall to wall people…with a 30-minute wait to “honor” that 8:30 pm reservation.

I have mixed “feelings” on New York Prime. The food is delicious and the service is as good as it gets…that said, there is something about this joint which doesn’t sit right with old Jeff Eats. Can’t exactly put my finger on it, but each and every-time I have eaten there, I find the joint surreal…the latest outing had me “defining” the feeling- as “New Jersey Houswives comes to Boca”—a lot of plastic surgery going on here…I’ll leave you guys to figure out what this all means…let’s just say that the crowd to say the least is eclectic.

Let’s talk food…Delicious—-chopped salad ($9.50–enough for 2 people), 22 oz. bone-in-ribeye steak ($39.50), garlic chicken ($23.50), petite New York strip steak ($34), large sauteed onions ($11), large southwestern creamed corn ($11), large hash brown potatoes ($12).

Let me sum up the experience…excellent food, excellent service, prices aren’t too terrible. Loud track/live keyborad music… with people singing along (and I do mean singing along at the top of their lungs to folks like Neil Diamond, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons and Dion & The Belmonts)—if you are looking for a quiet-intimate–or even a dinner where you can hear yourself talk, New York Prime at least on a Saturday night, isn’t the joint for you.)

Take a look at New York Prime’s website www.centraarchy.com for menu/prices. New York Prime is open 7 days a week 5pm-11pm.

Every once and awhile, a joint like New York Prime is a real good place for an upscale steak-seafood dinner. Like I said before, the food and service are top-notch and the prices not toooo bad. The “show” is also something to see.

——
New York Prime (Boca Raton)
Posted on July 23rd, 2008 · American Boca Raton Seafood
New York Prime, 2350 NW Executive Center, Boca Raton, Florida 33431 (561) 998-3881.
This evening I ate dinner at New York Prime an upscale steakhouse…you know exactly what this kind of joint is all about…where a 22 oz. bone-in-ribeye goes for $42…where a baked potato goes for $7.50. Personally, if I closed my eyes and just ate, I couldn’t tell you if I was in New York Prime, Abe & Louie’s, Chops, Morton’s, Ruth’s Chris… as they all play the same tune, give or take a different “note” here and there. As for tonight’s food, it was okay, nothing great…the steak was very fatty…the hash browns bland, your neighborhood bagel-deli makes better ones and doesn’t charge $11…the onion rings and sauteed onions sides were good, but pricey at $8 and $11 respectively.

For information about menu/prices/hours… check this joint’s website at www.centraarchy.com.

Just for fun…Do a bit of homework here…look at the menu prices and figure out what “your” theoretical meal would cost. I think your calculator will show, that unless you eat like a bird… a no alcohol-no appetizer-no dessert meal is going to run you something like 60-85 bucks a head.

Last night, my party of 4 dropped $300+…everyone agreed that the food was just fair and was way overpriced. For that kind of money, you would expect at least one “Boy! that sure was delicious” comment…don’t you think?

I know people who swear by this joint…Personally, I think it’s “a- big- to-do-over-nothing.” The same goes for most of the upscale steak joints in South Florida, with one exception that being the Strip House (see review 5/9/08) in Palm Beach Gardens which doesn’t take itself all that seriously.

***** 620 Subs, 805 North Federal Highway, Boca Raton, Florida 33432, (561) 620-7827.

Got a real good sub/hoagie/grinder joint for you…620 Subs located in Boca Raton.

The joint has a few indoor seats…so let’s consider this joint a “takeout.”

620 menu features “cold subs”…the selection isn’t huge with maybe a dozen to choose from. It also has a handful of salad plates. Of course, the joint has loads of stuff to put on top of your roast beef–turkey-salami–tuna…like, mayo, mustard, ketchup, onions, lettuce, tomato, pickels, sweet peppers.

Just so you know—I “tried” roast beef, ham, tuna and turkey subs—and the sandwiches were all delicious– piled high on a real-good Italian bread -crusty on the outside and as soft as can be on the inside.

620 Subs has 3 sub sizes…4″–8″ and 12″. The 4 inch sub is an absolutely great deal. For something like 5 bucks, you get the sub, small bag of chips and a can of soda. The 8″ & 12″ run between $6-11.50.

Just so you know—not to ruin 620’s business, the 4″ sub deal is more than enough for one person and 2 people will easily be stuffed sharing either an 8″ or 12″ sub.

Now I know– someone out there is wondering where 620 Subs ranks in the hierarchy of South Florida sub shops. Not gonna play that game, but I assure you, you won’t be disappointed getting a sub from this joint.

620 Subs is open Monday-Friday 10:30am-6pm, Saturday 11am-3pm, closed on Sunday.

***** One Of The Bests Bialys In South Florida *****

You can do the formal- research…for our puposes let’s describe a bialy as—a round chewey baked flat yeast roll with a depressed center filled with chopped onion.

If you check…over the years, I’ve “given” you guys-loads of joints that make terrific bagels. To be perfectly honest with you, up until 5 days ago, I hadn’t found a “GREAT” bialy down here in sunny South Florida. For sure, joints like Sage (Hallandale Beach), Bagel City (Boca Raton), Gramercy Bagels (Delray Beach) make a “nice” bialy but not a “GREAT” one. Anyway…like I said, 5 days ago I found a great-bialy.

Here goes…

One -of the best bialys in South Florida-can be found at The Boys Farmers Market, 14378 Military Trail, Delray Beach, Florida 33484 (561) 496-8123— You can read my May 6, 2009 writeup about this grocery-market for background info on this joint.

Now, you and I know that a bialy has to be toasted. The Boys sells a 6-pack of bialys in its bakery area for $2.89. I am telling you, that at first-glance they (the bialys) don’t look too impressive…but when you get home and pop one of these suckers (I squashed mine- so that they fit right into my toaster without cutting them) into the toaster, the bialy that pops out is absolutely sensational.

Now you know…

***** Ft Lauderdale Pizza & Pasta, 2100 East Oakland Park Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33306 (954) 566-5226.

Ft Lauderdale Pizza & Pasta is a ” neighborhood-red sauce–mom & pop” Italian joint. You can check www.ftlauderdalepizza.com for menu/prices.

Now, let’s not over think this one…it’s a NEIGHBORHOOD joint, that gives you a nice bang for the buck.

I recently did dinner (you know the drill—soup or salad, garlic rolls, entree, pasta side) “sampling” chicken parmgiana ($11.95), veal marsala ($13.95), penne ala vodka ($10.95), zuppe de clams over liguine in white clam sauce ($13.95), veal marsala ($13.95), large plain pizza ($10.50)…and I gotta tell you, that the food wasn’t half bad. Have I had better? Sure! That said…

Now-Key word here–NEIGHBORHOOD…so, if you live or work in Ft Lauderdale’s neighborhood, you now know about a relatively inexpensive joint where you can get- a real casual-decent enough Italian meal.

Ft Lauderdale Pizza & Pasta is open Monday-Saturday 11am-10pm and Sunday noon-10pm.

***** Buttercream Cupcakes, 1411 Sunset Drive, Coral Gables, Florida 33143 (305) 669-8181.

Call it a fad…call it a craze…call it whatever you’d like…gourmet cupcake stores are popping up all over South Florida (not to mention the United States).

Real simple concept— freshly baked cupcakes and coffee.

To be perfectly honest with you, I think that this concept will prove to be a short-lived fad but in the meantime, I checked-out Buttercream Cupcakes in Coral Gables…order and pickup at the counter—inside and outside seating—cupcakes run in the $2.75 neighborhood—at least 8 different flavors. A recent outing had me “sampling” chocolate, vanilla oreo, vanilla peanut butter, chocolate coconut. Let me make this real simple, really good stuff…an absolutely delicious product.

Just so we are straight…this recommendation is coming from a guy who can devour 8 glazed Dunkin Donuts while in the car on the way home— and to this very day…actually buys Hostess CupCakes (chocolate cake with white creme filling, chocolate icing/white squiggle icing) at Publix.

Like I said before, Buttercream Cupcakes are delicious. The joint is open, Monday-Thursday 11am-9pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-10pm, Sunday noon-9pm. You can check www.buttercreamcupcakes.com for “cupcake schedule.”

***** Pizza Kitchen, 12715 South Dixie Highway, Miami, Florida 33156 (305) 256-9459.

This is a follow-up to Jeff Eats’ Pizza Kitchen story dated 10/6/09.

Pizza Kitchen is a mom & pop neighborhood “takeout pizza” joint…no tables inside and 3 little plastic tables outside, so don’t plan on eating “there.” Also- don’t plan on paying with a credit card, because it’s cash only. By the way, back on October 6, 2009 I did a review on Pizza Kitchen…just checking to see if this joint is as good as I originally thought…and it is.

Pizza Kitchen makes absolutely delicious NY-style pizza…in addition to pizza there is a handful of subs and salads, but the game here is–pizza. That said…the joint also makes garlic bread-sold by the loaf which is absolutely dynamite. By the way, Pizza Kitchen in addition to pies also sells individual slices.

I recently did a plain old pie…slice was thin, crisp, sweet sauce and when folded-pointed down dripped oil…I am telling you, this joint could easily compete with most of the pizza joints in the 5 boroughs. Also did a garlic bread topped with mozzarella…suffice it to say, it was a 3-Tums night. Like they say, “no pain no gain.”

Pizza Kitchen has been around for something like 20 years. Big, loyal following. I wish this joint was in my neighborhood, but the 111 mile round trip was worth the gas which I got for the bargain price of $2.73 a gallon.

Pizza Kitchen is open Monday-Friday 11am-9pm, Saturday noon-9pm and Sunday noon-5pm.