Thirsty Turtle Seagrill, 9908 Yamato Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33434 (561) 852-6244.

Thirsty Turtle Seagrill is a “sports-bar”…dark wood decor, sports memorabilia on the walls, flat screen tvs, pool table, live music (Wednesday-Sunday nights)…there are 3 locations, Boca Raton, Juno Beach and Port St. Lucie. Check the joint’s website at www.thirstyturtlefl.com for menu/hours/pictures.

I recently gave the Boca Raton location a shot… The good news, although the menu features “seafood” there are enough appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers, wings and meat/chicken entrees  so no-body is going to starve. The bad news is, that after trying the cheeseburger, philly cheesesteak sandwich, wings, clams casino, fried shrimp, bbq ribs, french fries… the food is just passable.

You and I know both know, that most of these “ale house sports-bar” restaurants are not exactly bastions of  great-food. Most of these joints have just “ok” food (microwave-city), pleasant service,  reasonable prices, loads of tvs and are real casual.

 Going in…you know what you are “in for.” With that in mind, Thirsty Turtle is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner.

*****  The 9 Best Coal Oven Pizza Joints In South Florida  *****

Over the past few weeks, a number of  you guys…asked me to name my favorite  South Florida coal-oven pizza joint. It was a “tough call”…

Here’s a list for you…by the way, you may find a wood-fired or a brick-oven joint thrown into the mix. In descending order…with only PIZZA being rated.

1. Carolina’s Coal Fired Pizza & Pasta  (Delray Beach) (5/27/08)

2. Mona Lisa Coal Oven Pizza (Deerfield Beach) (4/24/09)

3. Tucci’s Fire N Coal Pizza (Boca Raton) (5/15/09)

4. Andiamo! (Miami) (8/29/08-brick oven)

5. Pieducks (Miami) (11/28/08-brick oven)

6. Giovanni’s Coal Fired Pizza (Parkland) (3/9/08).

7. Sicilan Oven (Lighthouse Point) (3/14/09-wood fired)

8. Scarfone’s Coal Fired Pizza (Coral Springs) (6/6/08)

9. Bella Cucina Wood Fire Pizza (Palm Beach Gardens) (1/13/09-wood fired)

Now, you may or may not be asking…How come Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza which has locations all over South Florida, isn’t on the list? Answer…the above 9 joints are better.

If you check my writeups, you will find other… very good coal oven/wood fired/brick oven pizza joints…it was a close call, but these are my 9 favorites.

One of these days, when I am feeling super ambitious, I’ll get you a list of my 9 favorite “regular” pizza joints.

*****  Doris Italian Market & Bakery  *****

The other day, I told you guys about a terrific “market”…The Boys Farmers Market (5/6/09) located in Delray Beach.

Now let me tell you about another terrific “market”…Doris Italian Market & Bakery which currently has 5 locations… Hollywood, Plantation, Coral Springs, Boca Raton and Pembroke Pines…another spot in Sunrise is scheduled to open in the very near future. For full details/addresses check Doris’ website at www.dorismarket.com

Just so you know, Doris started out in Hollywood in 1947 as a neighborhood Italian meat-market. Today’s locations, are probably 7,500-10,000 sq. ft and have a full range of meats, seafood, baked goods, fresh produce, prepared foods and grocery items. Although it calls itself an “Italian Market & Bakery”…Doris’ baked goods and prepared foods are not limited to Italian “style” food…unless  stuff like bbq ribs, tuna salad, shrimp salad, egg salad, chocolate chip cookies are Italian food.

Over the years, my family has shopped countless times at Doris’ Boca location…and I have to tell you, that its baked goods and  prepared foods…are outstanding. This joint’s cakes, breads, pastries are top-notch…its Italian “dishes” are as good, if not better, than the stuff served by your favorite neighborhood pizza joint.

The way I look at Doris…outstanding joint for baked goods,”take home” food, fresh meat-seafood…by the way, Doris makes a chicken salad which is one of the “best” that I have eaten…As for produce and grocery items, your local Publix is better…Prices?— local supermarket prices.

Doris is open Monday-Friday 8:30am-7pm, Saturday 8:30am-6:30pm, Sunday 8:30am-5pm.

*****  Buongiorno Pizza & Pasta, 4379 Northlake Boulevard, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33410 (561) 799-2686.

Got a good “mom & pop–neighborhood–red sauce” Italian joint for you…Buongiorno Pizza & Pasta in Palm Beach Gardens.

A recent “outing” had me sampling pizza, veal parmigiana, chicken cacciatore and penne ala vodka…everything was A-OK. Very pleasant service and very reasonable prices. Like many of its strip mall “brethern” Buongiorno takes the–“soup or salad, garlic knots, entree with side of pasta” route…veal parm $15.95, chicken cacciatore $15.45 (don’t ask me, where they came up with that $.45 number), penne ala vodka $13.95.

Like I said before, this is a good NEIGHBORHOOD joint…operative word here, NEIGHBORHOOD…like you live or work in Buongiorno’s neighborhood.

Buongiorno’s menu is loaded with appetizers, soups, salads, pizzas, pastas and meat/seafood/chicken entrees. The joint also has chicken wings and burgers.

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

*****  Dubliner Irish Pub, 435 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, Florida 33432 (561) 620-2540.

Personally, I wouldn’t give you 5 cents for most of the Irish “pubs” in South Florida…darkly lit-dark wood-beer joints, with mediocre food, at best.

Dubliner Irish Pub located in Boca Raton’s Mizner Park…is the exception to the rule. For sure, it has the dark wood interior–and dark lighting… but its food is terrific. A recent outing had me “sampling” prime rib sliders, hamburger, shepherd’s pie, french fries and macaroni & cheese…all absolutely delicious. Throw in top-notch djs and bands (Thursday-Saturday) covering the 1960’s-2009, reasonable prices/pleasant waitstaff and an out- door dining patio for “people watching” the Mizner Park crowd…and you got a real good joint.

Dubliner’s menu has all of the “Irish” standards…plus loads of appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches and meat/chicken/seafood entrees. It’s got a real nice beer selection and hard stuff.

Dubliner Irish Pub is open 7 days a week 4pm-2am.

*****  Tucci’s Fire N Coal Pizza, 50 Northeast 1st Avenue, Boca Raton, Florida 33432 (561) 620-2930.

Regular, Jeff Eats’ readers know that…I love a good pizza. I don’t care if it’s brick-oven, wood oven, coal oven, this oven or that oven…just as long as it tastes good. You also do know that I speak fluent Italian…”Give me two slices and a large Coke.”…don’t you?  Over the past 3-years or so, South Florida has been “hit” with a ton of new pizza joints which play the “coal oven-chicken wings” card…guys like Anthony’s, Coal Mine, Carolina’s, Mona Lisa, just to name a few…and by in large, they are all pretty decent… of course, some are better than others…that’s why Jeff Eats is here.

Anyway…last night, I gave Tucci’s Fire N Coal Pizza in Boca Raton a shot. The joint which has been open for something like 3 months… has indoor seating for about 50 and maybe 10 outside. The menu has 4 appetizers, chicken wings, escarole & beans, eggplant rollatini and sauteed broccoli rabe & sausage…2 salads, Italian and caesar…loads of coal/wood cooked pizzas…2 desserts, cheesecake and cannoli…beer and soda by the bottle.

Let’s make this review easy. I had an Italian salad, margherita/ricotta/sausage pizza, chicken wings. The food was delicious. The salad was cold, fresh, crisp… The chicken wings were seasoned with garlic and carmalize onion, The pizza was thin crusted, crisp, perfectly well-done, right on the money sweet sauce…As for service, pleasant as can be…Price-wise, small wings (10) $9.95, salad which could have feed 3 ($10.95), pizzas–depending on what you order (that’s obvious) start at- small ($13.95)-large ($17.95).

Tucci’s Fire N Coal Pizza is a really good coal-oven pizza/chicken joint.  I enjoyed its food and casual “hole in the wall” atmosphere. By the way, you can check Tucci’s menu/prices at www.tuccispizza.com.

Tucci’s is open for lunch & dinner Tuesday-Sunday…the joint is closed on Monday.

*****  The Field Irish Pub & Eatery, 3281 Griffin Road, Dania Beach, Florida 33312 (954) 964-5979.

With a name like The Field Irish Pub & Eatery…you know exactly what this joint is all-about. If for some reason you have been living on Mars for the past 50 years, check www.thefieldfl.com for menu/and so many photos that your head will spin.

The Field has a menu loaded with appetitzers, salads, sandwiches, burgers, meat/seafood and chicken entrees…and a bar with loads of beers and hard stuff. I tried the joint’s corned beef & cabbage, fish & chips, chicken pot pie and hamburger… between me and you, the food is just okay.

So Jeff Eats, if the food is just okay, why do we want to spend an evening at this Irish pub?…THE MUSIC: Tuesdays “2 of Us” Lennon McCartney tribute act…Wednesdays “The Hot Rod Show” starring Rod Stewart impersonator, George Orr…Thursdays-Fridays-Saturdays “Celtic Bridge” a 5-member band playing “real” Irish music.

So, we want to eat, drink and party at The Field,  Tuesday-Saturday nights. You are on your own, Monday and Sunday nights.

The Field Irish Pub & Eatery is open 7 days a week for lunch & dinner.

*****  Jimmy’z Kitchen 1542 Alton Road, Miami Beach, Florida 33139 (305) 534-8216.

Not exactly sure what to call Jimmy’z Kitchen…so, we’ll label it as a “yuppie hole-in the wall diner”…take a look at this joint’s website at www.jimmyzkitchen.com for menu/prices/ photos.

Jimmy’z has salads, sandwiches and meat/chicken/seafood entrees…A recent “outing” had me trying a tuna salad sandwich (mayo), chicken salad sandwich (mayo), blackened mahi-mahi, philly steak sandwich and sliders… 

Jimmy’z story is real  simple… Very-good food. Reasonable prices. Pleasant service. Take it from me, that philly steak sandwich ($9.75) and those 3 mini-burgers/cottage fries ($12.99) are absolutely sensational.

Jimmy’z is open 7 days a week 11am-10pm.

*****  Seagull’s Diner, 891 Donald Ross Road, Juno Beach, Florida 33408  (561) 775-1542.

Seagull’s Diner is my kind of a joint…neighborhood diner, where you get great breakfasts-lunches…real and I do mean real casual. Unfortunately for me, I don’t live close-enough to Seagull’s Diner, to make this joint a daily or for that matter  even a monthly sojourn …for those of you who do (live close), I am telling you, that this joint could easily become a “staple” in your life.

Just so you know…I tried this joint, after seeing its listing with  South Florida Dines www.southfloridadines.com …checkout the site and under “S” you will find a video-menu-text about Seagull’s Diner.

Seagull’s Diner is a “mom & pop” joint…like I said before, terrific breakfast & lunch menu…As expected, Seagull’s is located in a non-descript South Florida strip-center…if you weren’t expressly looking for this joint, it would not be the easiest place to find. Seagull’s menu is packed and I do mean packed with breakfast stuff, appetizers,  salads, sandwiches, burgers…I did a chicken salad on rye toast, tuna salad on white toast, cheeseburger and fries–outing…just right.

Not to beat a dead-horse…but, if you look in Webster’s under “neighborhood  small town-mom & pop diner” you’d probably find this joint’s picture.

Seagull’s is open 7 days a week from 7am-3pm. One final thought, South Florida Dines has some of that “discount money” for this joint…so you can save a few bucks, if you want to give Seagull’s a shot.

*****  Allora Pizzeria Ristorante, 420 US Highway One, North Palm Beach, Florida 33408 (561) 296-9295

Let’s call Allora Pizzeria a good local “mom & pop red-sauce” Italian joint. Not worth schleping 38-miles (one way) to eat there, but the food is probably as good if not a drop better than most of the red-sauce joints that dot the South Florida strip center landscape. Take a look at Allora’s website www.allorapizza.com for menu/prices/photos.

A recent taste-test had me sampling pizza, cheese calzone, baked ziti, chicken cacciatore, linguini with white clams sauce and veal marsla…like I said before, good joint…assuming that you live or work in the neighborhood. Allora’s menu is loaded with appetizers, soups, salads, pizzas, pastas and meat/seafood/chicken entrees. You know the basic-dinner-drill…entree comes with soup or salad/pasta side/garlic knots. Reasonable prices/pleasant service.

You now know about a good Italian joint for eat-in/take-out…Allora is open Monday-Saturday 11am-10pm and Sunday 4pm-10pm.