***** Russo’s Submarine Sandwich Shop, 1477 Military Trail, West Palm Beach, Florida 33415, (561) 964-1014.

Russo’s Submarine Sandwich Shop is, a submarine sandwich shop…there are 2 locations in West Palm Beach and 1 location in Lake Park. You know the setup—order at/pickup at the counter.

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

The folks who own this “mini” chain definitely have their act together. A recent outing netted me…meatball sub (large 12″–$6.39), tuna salad sub (large $12″–$5.59), turkey/ham/cheese (large 12″–$6.19)—delicious sub rolls, enormous portions, delicious fillings.

Just so you know, Russo’s menu is kinda on the limited side…with 8 subs and 5 salads. Subs come in two sizes…small 9″ and large 12″.

If you are a sub eater—you will definitely enjoy Russo’s. This “mom & pop” chain runs circles and I do mean circles around- the big boys like Subway, Quizno’s, Firehouse.

Russo’s is open Monday-Wednesday 9:30am-7pm, Thursday-Saturday 9:30am-8pm, closed on Sunday.

***** Napoli’s Pizzeria & Grill, 4469 South Congress Avenue, Lake Worth, Florida 33461, (561) 439-5904.

Over Jeff Eats’ life span—I’ve eaten in something like-give or take- 230 South Florida Italian joints. For sure, some are better than others…that said, unless we are talking the high end of the Italian restaurant spectrum—most of the “mom & pop”- red sauce joints are basically all the same…some have better this and others have better that…but on the whole, most of them walk to the same beat…Decent Food. Decent Prices. As you guys know, when I do come across an exception to the rule, one way or the other—I try and give you the skinny.

Anyway…the other day I had dinner at Napoli’s…”tried” the pizza–veal parmigiana-chicken marsala-crabmeat alfredo-meat lasagna. Everything I had was A-OK. You can check menu/prices at www.napolisrestaurant.net.

For those of you who don’t just drop everything to check restaurant websites, Napoli’s menu has the full boat of appetizers, subs, calzones, pastas, pizzas, meat-seafood-chicken entrees…it also plays the requisite entree-pasta side-soup or salad-garlic knots game.

It’s really quite simple…if you are looking for a good- very reasonably priced-red sauce “outing”…Napoli’s is a good place to know about.

Now for the kicker to this story, Napoli’s makes an absolutely delicious NYC style pizza–Trust me here-I’ve eaten a ton of pizza down here in South Florida and Napoli’s slice was right up there with the best of breed.

Napoli’s is open Monday-Saturday 11:30am-10pm and Sunday 4pm-9pm.

***** Junior’s Pizza & Subs, 1787 North Congress Avenue, Boynton Beach, Florida 33426, (561) 374-9099.

Junior’s Pizza & Subs…casual–reasonably priced–mom & pop–red sauce–handful of flat screen tvs—Italian joint, in Boynton Beach.

If you live or work anywhere near this joint…you gotta give it a try. The pizza is terrific (thin-sweet sauce)–same goes for the wings, penne alla vodka, veal parmigiana sub, sliced steak pizzaiola sub, fried calamari marinara.

Junior’s menu has the full boat of appetizers, salads, hot/cold sub, pastas, pizzas, calzones, meat-seafood-chicken entrees. You can check menu/price details at www.juniorspizzabar.com.

Junior’s is heads and shoulders above most of the pizza joints which dot the South Florida landscape.

Junior’s is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm and Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm.

Cup ‘N Saucer Restaurant, 6169 Jog Road, Lake Worth, Florida 33467 (561) 966-4997.

Just had Sunday breakfast at Cup ‘N Saucer– a “mom & pop” breakfast- lunch diner located in Lake Worth.

Based on the breakfast that Jeff Eats had…how this joint has managed to stay in business for something like 20 years is beyond me.

My order was quite simple…western omelet/hashbrowns/plain toasted bagel. The omelet was so salty that it was borderline inedible… The hasbrowns were undercooked, with the potatoes being nearly raw. The bagel tasted like a piece of whitebread. This was probably the worst breakfast that I’ve had down here in South Florida. By the way, my friend Mike who joined me for breakfast had a farmers omelete (sausage,onions, peppers, tomatoes & cheese) found his omelet to be oversalted-the hasbrowns undercooked and his english muffin to be tasteless. Just for the record, both Mike and I left something like 90% of our breakfasts untouched…22 bucks down the drown.

Look, I’m no cook…what I do know, is that over the years I’ve eaten tons of omelets and the “things” that we were served- were bad-news. I wasn’t back there when they were being cooked, but I suspect that the “cook” making these things, scrambled a few eggs and then shoveled the filings between the folded eggs. That’s not how omelets are suppose to be made. Rather than playing Julia Child and waste everyone’s time here, trust me on this one…the omelets were disgusting—same for the potatoes—same for the english muffin and bagel. I believe the rule is 3-strikes and your are O U T.

One of my favorite things, is a “leisurely” Sunday breakfast…you know what I’m talking about—when you go to a diner and just take your sweet time eating a large-breakfast. Well, this morning—Mike and I couldn’t get out of this joint fast enough.

If breakfast was any indication of what this Monday-Friday 6:30am-2pm, Saturday-Sunday 7am-3pm breakfast-lunch joint is all about…how it has stayed in business for 20 years should rank as the “Ninth Wonder Of The World.”

To be fair. The joint is clean—and service was pleasant and competent. I must also tell you, that at 10:15 am the joint was very busy. Could I be wrong here? NOPE— the food was atrocious!

***** Relish Burger Bar, 401 Northwood Road, West Palm Beach, Florida 33407, (561) 629-5377.

Got a big-time winner for you guys… Relish Burger, an upscale/fast food/order at-pickup at counter burger joint—in West Palm Beach. Not really too much to say about Relish, other than it makes absolutely delicious burgers, fries, wings, shakes,— has something like 1,000,000,000 burger toppings—and has turkey, buffalo, tuna, mahi mahi, veal, crab, lobster, shrimp- burgers for the folks who gotta be “fancy”…You can check this joint’s website www.relishburger.com for menu/prices.

A recent outing had me doing…cheeseburger with sauteed onions ($6.28), french fries ($2.49), raspberry bbq grilled chicken wings (6-$5.59), chocolate truffle shake ($4.69)…no fooling around here—this is about as good as it gets in fast-food land.

Like I said before…Relish is a winner.

Relish Burger is open 7 days a week 11am-10pm.

***** The Lodge Beer & Grill, 200 South Federal Highway, Boca Raton, Florida 33342, (561) 392-5003.

Got something interesting here for you guys…The Lodge in Boca Raton–a hole in the wall wine/beer- bar/restaurant. Check the joint’s website www.thelodgeboca.com for menu/prices/photos.

The Lodge has something like 37 different beers –a half dozen, give or take- wines…and a menu, with maybe a dozen appetizers, one salad, one chicken sandwich and five burgers. You beer drinkers out there will be like pigs in sh@t! Old Jeff Eats isn’t a drinker…I’m an EATER, so when I walked into The Lodge and read the menu, I was concerned.

Outrageously good and I mean OUTRAGEOUSLY GOOD…steak sliders, fried chicken sliders, bacon cheeseburger, french fries, onion rings.

The Lodge is open Monday-Friday 4pm-2am, Saturday 11:30am-2am, Sunday 12:30pm-2am.

***** Chef Carlin Restaurant, 6941 Sunset Strip, Sunrise, Florida 33313, (954) 749-7472.

Chef Carlin- is a real good, casual, very reasonably priced, “mom & pop” Cuban joint, located in Sunrise, Florida. Check www.chefcr.com for menu/prices. The website also has a short video that gives a nice-tour around the restaurant.

Now, despite what you might think, Jeff Eats is far from being an expert on Cuban food…I know it’s hard to believe, but what is, is! I think, that my aversion to Cuban and other “forms” of Latin food—goes back to those “D’s” in Spanish, that I got at Brooklyn’s J.H.S. 62 & Erasmus Hall High School. Actually “aversion” maybe too strong of a term…let’s just say, that Latin food wouldn’t be on my “last meal” list.

Anyway…sometimes compromise is in order—so when friends wanted to try Chef Carlin… diplomat-Jeff Eats acquiesed.

Now…if I wasn’t- biased, I would tell you, that the black bean soup ($1.95), chicken noodle soup ($1.50), breaded steak ($8.50), shrimp creole ($9.95), roast chicken ($7.95), flan ($2.00)—were absolutely delicious…by the way all entrees come with, rice-black beans-sauteed plantains.

If Cuban food is your bag, you’re gonna love Chef Carlin.

Chef Carlin is open Monday-Saturday 11am-8pm. The joint is closed on Sunday.

***** C. R. Chicks, 2240 Northwest 19th Street, Boca Raton, Florida 33431, (561) 33431.

C. R. Chicks is a takeout/eat in “rotisserie chicken” joint…if you do some checking, on October 1, 2008- I gave this South Florida chain an absolutely rave-review. Back then C.R. had 7 locations—in about 8 hours-32 minutes a Boca Raton store will be added to the lineup.

Last night, C.R. Chicks’ Boca joint held a “Private Grand Opening Party” where a chance to try EVERY item on the menu was there for the taking…and I took! In no particular order—chicken, meatloaf, potato pancakes, mashed potatoes, brown rice, chocolate chip cookies, primavera linguine, apple pie, chocolate banana cream pie, caesar salad, bbq pulled chicken sandwich, brown rice, cole slaw. I was like a pig that died and went to heaven.

Let me make this “update” as simple and short as possible—C. R. Chicks makes terrific rotisserie chicken–in addition, there are delicious soups, salads, sandwiches, pastas, sides, desserts—and a meatloaf that will make you forget the one that your mom made/makes (I’m assuming she made/makes a real-good one).

You can check menu/prices/photos/locations at www.crchickswpb.com.

For those of you out there who swear by Costco’s rotisserie chicken…GET REAL!

C.R. Chicks is a winner!

C.R. Chicks is open 11:30am-9pm–7 days a week.

***** Racks Downtown Eatery & Tavern, Mizner Park-402 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, Florida 33432, (561) 395-1662.

Just had dinner at Racks Downtown Eatery & Tavern…a terrific-casual-moderatley priced American-Style joint, which opened in Mizner Park about 3-months ago. Based on this first outing…I will definitely be back for another go-round. Now if you-can…think The Cheesecake Factory with-shall we say–s t y l e…and you got Racks. Better yet, check www.grrestaurant.com for menu/prices/pictures and you’ll get a real good feel for what’s going on at this joint.

First things first. Racks has indoor and outdoor patio seating. There is a full bar and the guys who own this joint—must have spent a fortune decorating inside and outside. Check the photos on its website and you’ll see what I’m belly-aching about.

This evening, Phil was our waiter…and the guy was good. He knew the menu cold—and took our order without writing down one single item…and yes, everything ordered, showed up—cooked right and on time. He also made sure that water glasses, soda glasses, coffees were always filled.

A taste test-in no particular order-of… garden salad, caesar salad, bacon cheeseburger, french fries, crabcakes, macaroni & cheese, wood oven roasted chicken, filet mignon, key lime pie—like I said, I will definitely be back. The food was delicious…absolutely nothing to complain about—-EXCEPT…Racks should know better—the ketchup & mustard which were served in “old” fashioned yellow and red plastic squeeze bottles were COLD. I don’t know about you… but this Brooklyn boy knows…that french fries are suppose to be drowned in room temperature ketchup not COLD ketchup. I also know that sauerkraut on a Nathan’s hot dog is suppose to be hot and that no one in their right mind would ever put ketchup on a hot dog!

I really enjoyed Racks… stylish, yet casual. It’s got a great vibe, but be forewarned, someone in the cd-department loves to play Led Zeppelin and The Romantics…to that someone, you are playing the “music” way and I do mean way—too loud.

Racks is open 7 days a week 11:30am-2am.

***** Jacky Lee’s Chinese Cuisine, 10422 West Atlantic Boulevard, Coral Springs, Florida 33071. (954) 227-8988.

Jacky Lee’s is a takeout-only Chinese joint in Coral Springs.

Based on a recent takeout order…I’ll bet you a buck, that Jacky Lee’s food is better than the stuff- you pickup/get delivered from most of your favorite haunts.

A taste test of… wonton soup, egg rolls, fried dumplings, bbq ribs, honey garlic chicken, shrimp with lobster sauce, roast pork egg foo young—brought me to the above stated conclusion.

Jacky Lee’s is one of the best Chinese joints that I’ve gotten food from down here in old South Florida.

Jacky Lee’s is open 7 days a week.