***** THE GRIND—MIAMI’S BURGER BATTLE *****

Just heard about “The Grind–Miami’s Burger Battle”—sounds like it could be a-load of fun.

Printed below, is a copy of the sponsor’s press release about this “best burger” contest scheduled to be held on Saturday, March 31, 2012 in Miami, Florida.
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Wars have been won, but a battle never tasted so good!

A burger showdown will ensue on March 31st, where only the best of the best burgers in South Florida will compete under one roof for the coveted Golden Grinder and title.

South Florida has never seen a burger battle quite like The Grind. Taste 30 of the best burgers in town while washing it down with complimentary open bar including Blue Moon craft beer, wine and spirits. Guests and local celebrity judges will vote for their favorite burgers provided by restaurants in the 954 and 305 area codes. An online competition will also take place where cooking enthusiasts will submit their own recipe for the “Best Backyard Burger”. Judges include TV personalities Belkys Nerey, Adam Kuperstein and Jeff Berardelli; James Beard award-winning chef and director of The Miami Culinary Institute, Norman Van Aken; world-class restaurateur, Steven Haas; food critic, The Burger Beast; co-chair of The Miami Dolphins Foundation, Stan Rudman and Commissioner Marc Sarnoff.

The Grind is proud to have the Miami Culinary Institute on board as a partner. Students will be given the opportunity to work side-by-side with Miami’s top restaurants and chefs as they help prepare the evening’s main attraction – Burgers! For those who want to start sampling, voting and mingling an hour before general admission, VIP tickets are available and on sale now!

WHEN:
Saturday, March 31, 2012
VIP: 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
General Admission: 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE:
Miami Entertainment Complex (MEC)
50 NW 14 Street
Miami, FL 33136

Purchase tickets by visiting www.TheGrindMiami.com or at (305)461-2700.

Advanced Tickets – $75.00
Door Tickets – $85.00
VIP Tickets – $125.00

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***** Piccolino Italian Ristorante, 78 South Federal Highway, Boca Raton, Florida (561) 395-8858.

Piccolino is a “mom & pop” Italian joint in Boca Raton. It has been around since March, 2011. The entire “staff” consists of an owner/ husband-wife team (Roberto & Leonora) and 1-waiter. Maybe, there are 40 seats inside and 10 outside.

Back in May, 2011 Jeff Eats recieved an email from Owner:Roberto–asking me to come to the restaurant to try the food, blah, blah, blah. Being a “busy” man…I finally got over there with Mrs. Jeff Eats and another couple- this past Saturday night and here’s the skinny.

Let’s call this one a sleeper. I seriously doubt that a-whole lot of Boca folks or for that matter other-folks know about this restaurant. It’s an inline “hole in the wall” on Federal Highway. There is extremely limited foot-traffic in the area…As for walk-ins, the bet here, not many. Did some checking, a few months back–Piccolino did some couponing on LivingSocial–but that’s about the extent of its advertising game. The point I’m trying to make…very few- really know about this joint.

At this stage of the this story you can check menu/prices at www.piccolinoboca.com.

The aforemetioned husband, wife and “waiter” were very friendly-personable people. Amazingly, a staff of three was able to handle (with a few minor rough spots) about 35 people from the 8pm-9:45pm that I was there. For those of you looking for a $11.95- red sauce joint (soup/salad–garlic rolls–entree–pasta) look elsewhere. Piccolino’s entrees ($16-$21) come with pasta or vegetable. Pastas run $15-16. If I have one bitch with this joint’s menu—it’s kinda limited. A handful of appetizers–same for entrees/pastas–a few personal pizzas–a few specials. Now, nothing for nothing, everyone in my party of 4 found something to eat–but trust me, a few more menu items wouldn’t hurt…but then again, with a total staff of 3–I guess the joint may have to limit itself in the selection department.

Let’s talk food.

An eggplant parmigiana appetizer was absolutely sensational. I’m talking, one of the best versions that I have ever eaten.
The veal parmigiana entree was good. It would have been real-good, but it had a drop too much salt in the mix.
The sole francese was delicious as was the chicken paillard, penne alla vodka and spaghetti bolognese.

Now you know and I know, that “taste” is purely a subjective thing…with that in mind, all four of us really enjoyed the meal-and agreed that Piccolino would definitely be a joint that we would eat at again.

One final observation–Piccolino serves what I call a “standard” room temperature Italian bread. It comes in a basket with little plastic “tubs” of butter. You know—those little tubs, where you have to peel the paper off the top to get to the butter. Not Good! A joint like this, should have delicious garlic bread-or garlic rolls-or hot Italian bread with oil/garlic on the side-or hot Italian bread with large plentiful tubs of butter…Now, I know that many restaurants actually try not to serve “good” bread because they don’t want you to fill-up on the bread—and as a consequence not order “lots” of appetizers/entrees, etc.—that said, Roberto & Lenora step-up-the-bread!

Like I said before, this is a hole-in-the-wall. Nothing fancy going on here, but it’s definitely not a formica-pizza joint. It’s got a bunch of “old world” looking paintings on the wall—but like I just said, nothing fancy going on-so you don’t have to dress-up, or nothing.

To sum it up. Except for the veal parm and the bread—Piccolino hit every dish out of the park.

Piccolino is open Monday-Friday for lunch 11:30-3pm, Monday-Saturday 5pm-10pm, closed on Sunday.

***** Biergarten, 309 Via de Palmas, Boca Raton, Florida 33432, (561) 395-7462.

Last Saturday night around 10pm my wife and I- and another couple stopped by a German “bar-restaurant”—Biergarten in Boca Raton. The joint has indoor seating/huge outdoor patio seating. Real simple concept–tons of different beers, wines, specialty drinks—menu loaded with appetizers, burgers, salads, sandwiches, tacos, German style wursts-schnitzels-and other dishes—local bands and djs. The joint looks like “what” I guess a German beer garden in Germany is suppose to look like and the staff wears’ German beer garden costumes (I think!) You can check menu/prices at www.biergartenboca.com.

What a cool place!. It was JAMMED and I do mean JAMMED! I’m gonna bet here, that half the crowd was FAU/Lynn students. Although it was approaching “my” bedtime, I still “tried” a steak slider, bbq pork slider, pastrami slider, kielbasa, potato pancakes—and I’m telling you straight up, the food was absolutely dynamite. Absolutely some of the best “bar” stuff I’ve had in a very very long time. A great dj was spinning all-types of music and I understand that the bands that work the joint, play classic rock, reggae and new stuff.

Suffice it to say, the “kids” there were having an absolute blast–and us 4 old geezers did the same. Boy! If Ithaca, New York had a joint like Biergarten back in 1966-1970–just maybe, I wouldn’t have been so anxious to graduate from Ithaca College-to get back to Brooklyn. In all fairness, Bobby Comstock & The Counts was a great band, but if memory serves me right, the food at the Dewitt Clinton Hotel where they worked- wasn’t even in the same breath as Biergarten’s grub.

Biergarten hasn’t been around for very long. I’m guessing here, but I think something like 6 months. The joint is located in the “Pink Plaza” in Boca Raton…the spot that it’s in- has over the years-housed more restaurants than you can shake a stick at. I maybe going out on a limb here, but I think that the landlord has finally found a long-term tenant.

Let me close by saying, no matter how old or for that matter young you are—you gotta try Biergarten.

Biergarten is open Sunday-Monday 11am-midnight, Tuesday-Saturday 11am-2am.

***** MLT Cheesesteaks and Grilled Cheese, 1541 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida 33139, (305) 672-1541.

I finally found it…heaven on earth…and who would have thunk- that it would be in Miami Beach, say hello to MLT Cheesesteaks and Grilled Cheese.

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

MLT’s menu is loaded with–cheesesteak subs, grilled cheese sandwiches, sliders, waffles, mac & cheese, salads, desserts. Order at/pickup at the counter.

Now you gotta trust me here, I had a philly cheesesteak sub (rib eye, grilled onions, Cheez Whiz) which was right up there with the best that I can ever recall eating. I also “tried” a grilled cheese sandwich (American cheese/bacon/fried egg on egg challah) that was absolutely off the chart. Being a total pig, I also “did” a bbq short rib slider and a Krispy Kreme bread pudding—that sealed the deal for me-that being, that MLT must be what heaven is all about.

Let me close by saying…you gotta try this joint!

MLT is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-4:30am.

***** Jer-Z Boys Burgers & Fries, 4528 North University Drive, Lauderhill, Florida 33351, (954) 533-8474.

Got an absolutely terrific fast food “burger & fries” joint for you…Jer-Z Boys in Lauderhill.

Jer-Z Boys has been open, give or take a month—it’s located in the “requisite” South Florida strip center—seats about 150—order at/pickup at counter. You can check menu/prices at www.jer-zboys.com.

Right about now you must be saying…Oh no, not another new fast food burger joint in South Florida!

Now you and I both know, that these self serve yogurt–cupcake–burger “openings” are getting a bit over-done (pun intended). Look! That’s what American capitalism is all-about—in the end, it’s survival of the fittest. How it all shakes out remains to be seen, but there is no question in old Jeff Eats’ mind, that a HUGE shakeup in all three-businesses is a slam dunk and just around the corner.

Now, that I got “that” out of the way—I absolutely loved Jer-Z Boys. I thought that the grilled cheeseburger and french fries were right up there with best of breed. Unlike many of the other players out there, Jer-Z Boys’ menu isn’t limited to just burgers and fries…the joint also has Nathan’s hot dogs, sausage subs, chicken and pork sandwiches, salads. Just so you know, I also did a sweet sausage/peppers & onions sub—this sandwich alone was worth the price of admission, delicious.

To beat a dead horse (burger business concept) even deader…forgetting, the huge guys like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King—a Five Guys and BurgerFi were within a 5 minute drive from Jer-Z Boys. Like I said a minute or so ago, the burger segment seemingly gets more crowded by the minute. Let’s end this one with this—If quality, taste, price point, selection, service are the deciding factors…Jer-Z Boys has a bright future ahead of it.

Jer-Z Boys is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm.

***** SHAKEDOWN *****

Who was the guy who said “Cheap is cheap?”–or for that matter, “You get what you pay for?”

With that in mind, got a great idea for you-which disproves the above “quotes” and others of the same ilk

Shakedown—One of South Florida’s top party bands is appearing TONIGHT from 9pm-1am at Boston’s On The Beach in Delray Beach. And-guess what, you can see them for NOTHING, NADA, ZIP, ZIPPO, FREE…

Shakedown has a playlist that’s got stuff from the 1940s right up to today’s current hits. This 10 member group is fronted by Diane DeNoble who is also the lead singer of On The Roxx (see 1/18/12 review) a top-notch 1980’s retro band.

At this stage of the this game, you can check www.shakedownentertainment.com for band info. You can also check www.bostonsonthebeach.com for Boston’s menu/prices.

By the way, Boston’s On The Beach is a terrific “American Style” restaurant/bar that does breakfast-lunch-dinner 7 days a week. It’s been around for years and has a huge entertainment calendar of some of South Florida’s best bands. In the very near future, I’ll get a full Boston’s On The Beach writeup out to you guys–based on what I just typed four seconds ago, you kinda know where my head is on this one.

***** The Paramount Days In Coral Springs *****

Way back on February 8, 2012 Jeff Eats’ did an article **** The Paramount Days In Coral Springs ***** Joey Dale & The Gigolos *****

To quickly refesh your memories, on Friday night- March 2, 2012 a terrifc oldies-doo wop concert produced by Joey Dale is scheduled to be held at the Coral Springs Center For The Arts.

Anyway…shortly after that story ran, I received an email from Joey Dale. Suffice it to say, he so enjoyed the writeup, that he forwarded to my attention 2 $65 tickets for the show-to be given to one of Jeff Eats’ readers.

So, if you want to take a shot at the tickets, send Jeff Eats an email—use either the “CONTACT” which is at the top-of the site or the “COMMENT” space attached to the article. Please! only one email per person—To make it interesting, the 14th email received will be seeing the show on Joey. By the way, I won’t publish the emails received until the “contest” is over, this way, you won’t be able to try-and-figure the pecking order.

For you wise-guys out there, if 14 emails on this promotion aren’t received by February 29th, Jeff & Mrs. Eats will be using the tickets.

For the non-winners, don’t be cheap—you can buy tickets online or at the box-office.

By the way, Joey & The Gigolos is appearing this coming Saturday Night–February 18th at NYY Steak which I reviewed yesterday. The group will be in the lounge area and there is no charge to see them.

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March 3, 2012…Amazingly, Jeff Eats didn’t receive 14 emails….so, I and Mrs. Jeff Eats will be using the tickets. I’ll let you guys know how the show was.

***** Tamiami Subs, 14261 Southwest 120th Street, Miami, Florida 33186, (305) 752-4949.

Look! I have never met a hamburger, slice of pizza, donut or for that matter a sub–that I didn’t like. That being said, there are definitely degrees of “like”–with some likes bordering on “love.”

With the above scale in mind:

(1) I loved–loved the garlic steak.
(2) I loved the honey mustard chicken sub.
(2) I really liked the bacon cheeseburger sub.
(3) I liked the pastrami sub.

You regular readers know that I’ve been in more “sub” joints than my waist cares to remember. Awhile ago, one of you guys asked me to “rate” in order–my favorites. Like I wrote then, that’s really impossible, because this food tasting gig often becomes a big blur-and it’s hard to pick (and minutely differentiate) one particular chicken salad from another. Let me just say, I ain’t gonna forget that garlic steak sub—delicious sliced steak, great bread and a garlic sauce that was sensational-and the fact, that I don’t recall another sub joint that makes this sub.

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

Tamiami Subs is open Monday-Friday 10am-7pm, Saturday 10am-5pm, closed on Sunday.

***** NYY Steak (Seminole Casino Coconut Creek) 5550 Northwest 40th Street, Coconut Creek, Florida 33073.

Go figure!

One of the best-“upscale steakhouses” in South Florida is located at the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek- in Coconut Creek…That’s right, the casino where you-gotta wear an oxygen mask because the cigarette smoke is so brutal—as part of a recently completed $150,000,000 renovation/expansion has opened an absolutely georgeous looking steakhouse with fabulous food and service. You can check www.seminolecoconutcreekcasino.com for menu/prices/photos. By the way, NYY is a joint venture–Seminole Indians/New York Yankees (there is another NYY at Yankee Stadium).

NYY…New York Yankees, get it? All kinds, of New York Yankee black/white photos, autographs…no dark wood–or dim lights here…but rather, a great looking open kitchen, light oak woods, bright lights, plenty of glass. Like I said before, an absolutely gorgeous looking joint.

When you check NYY’s menu, try not to get sticker-shock…no question about it- that $51.75 24oz bone in ribeye is “high” even for an upscale steakhouse–Now, I maybe going out on a limb here, but I think- that casino-joints like NYY get a ton of customers using their casino “PLAYER’S CLUB” rewards/points to pay the bill. If I’m right—the restaurant can charge more than what most folks would consider “normal”- because many customers aren’t using real-money. So, if you go there, I think you will find that many of the “diners” are eating on-the-arm.

At this juncture of the discussion, let me tell you that NYY looks totally out of place at the Seminole Casino. Nothing for nothing, but the Seminole Casino isn’t in this boy’s opinion–an upscale looking property. Now, there may-be something more developing at the Seminole Casino that’s gonna get it looking more like the Hard Rock operation in Hollywood-so NYY may eventually make sense, but for right now, NYY looks like a fish out of water. Personally, I don’t see non-casino players making special plans/reservations to eat at NYY, despite the fact that its food is absolutely dynamite.

A recent dinner had me “doing” the aforementioned 24oz ribeye, 28oz porterhouse ($54.75), veal chop milanase ($44.50), roast chicken ($28.50), lemon pepper halibut ($31.50), steak fries ($9.50), lobster mac & cheese ($11). Every item was delicious. On the service front, excellent without the “snotty” know-it-all attitude you find at many upscale steakhouses.

There are two ways to play NYY Steak. You can gamble your heart out…and accumulate points to spend or you can just fork over cash or your credit card at the end of the meal.

NYY Steak is a homerun…pun intended!

NYY Steak is open Monday, Thursday-Sunday 5pm-11pm. The joint is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

***** Gimme A Burger, 1200 East Hillsboro Boulevard, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33447, (954) 708-2553.

Tried this 2-month old “fast food” burger joint out last week. You can check menu/prices at www.gimmeaburger.com.

Here’s the skinny…

I “sampled” a single patty cheeseburger, french fries, onion rings, meat quesadilla…I enjoyed the burger and fries. The onion rings and quesadilla were ok–but nothing to write home about.

When you check Gimme’s menu, you’ll note that in addition to burgers and fries, its got salads and other stuff—so the non-burger eaters out there are covered.

At this stage of the review, you must be wondering where a joint like Gimme A Burger “rates” compared to shall-we-say Five Guys or one of the other “upscale” fast food burger joints dotting the South Florida landscape—let’s call it ‘fair”…based on my outing-it definitely isn’t a heavy-weight contender.

Gimme A Burger is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-8pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-9pm.