*****  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.

*****  Flakowitz Of East Boca, 1999 North Federal Highway, Boca Raton, Florida 33432 (561) 368-0666.

First…there is another Flakowitz joint in Boynton Beach, which I have yet to try.

Flakowitz is a “bagel-deli” joint that does breakfast-lunch-dinner. For the sake of brevity, let’s just say that Flakowitz is better suited for breakfast than it is for lunch & dinner. Good bagels and eggs. As for lunch and dinner, the joint is a bit of a  “stretch.”  For sure it has all kinds of appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches and meat/chicken/fish entrees…but in 2-lunches and 2-dinners, nothing and  I do mean nothing, “rang my bell.” 7-nights a week, this joint  features $10.95-dinners which include soup or salad-2 side dishes- entree-coffee & dessert. The joint’s luncheon deli-meats are also just passable.

By now you should have the picture…a bagel joint, that doesn’t do lunch or dinner particularly well…unless we are talking price.

So…we go to Flakowitz Of East Boca for breakfast…and we go elsewhere for lunch and dinner…just that simple.

*****  The Boys Farmers Market, 14378 Military Trail, Delray Beach, Florida 33484 (561) 496-8123.

If you can “handle” its  parking-lot…with senior citizens “backing in and backing out” non-stop…The Boys Farmers Market is an absolutely great place to shop for fruits, fresh squeezed juices, vegetables, baked goods, cheeses, wines, candies, prepared  chicken/seafood/meat dishes.

Just guessing here, but The Boys’ probably has something like 30,000 square feet of indoor space jammed with top quality FOOD. All the free samples that you’d like…and everything sold, runs circles around joints like Publix, Winn Dixie and Albertsons, not to mention-probably cheaper.

My family has been shopping at The Boys Farmers Market for years…and I have been amazed by two things…namely, that we have never been involved in a fender-bender in its parking lot & the great stuff that it sells.

The Boys has its own bakery, squeezes its own juices and prepares its own “take out” food. This joint is an absolute-winner. If you live in the Delray Beach area, you probably already know about The Boys…for those of you who don’t, you got to go shopping there…just be careful in the parking lot.

The Boys Farmers Market is open 7 days a week.

*****  New York Comedy Club, 8221 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33434 (561) 470-6887.

Got a great idea for you guys…New York Comedy Club in Boca Raton.

The joint is located in the back and I do mean “back” of a  Boca Raton strip-center. Thursday-Saturday nights, New York Comedy features…headliners and newcomers. You need a “ticket” to get in…and you have to “buy” 2-menu items….either drink or food. Tickets range in price…but “just a real  good educated guess here”…if you call in advance, you can usually score complimentary passes. On the food…decent enough. Nothing gourmet…appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches, desserts. Trust me, you won’t get tomaine poisioning. As for food-drink prices, surprisingly reasonable.

Last Saturday night, I was comped 4-tickets to see comedienne, Judy Tenuta. Had an absolute blast at the 11pm show and the whole bill with tax-tip was $44…4 sodas-2 coffees-2 appetizers (pot stickers & chicken wings). Take a look at the website at www.nyccboca.com for schedule/menu/prices.

I repeat…you need a ticket to get in. I repeat…if you are real pleasant, you probably can get “comp” tickets, unless we are talking a major-major headliner like Robert Klein or David Brenner.

Terrific place. Real casual. Super pleasant owners, managers and waiters/waitresses.  Decent enough food-prices. As for “the show”…it all depends on who you see.

*****  Whitestone Band  *****

I recently caught Whitestone Band …a classic Rock N’ Roll Band which has been playing South Florida since 1995, in action.

If 1950’s-70’s rock/disco is your bag, you will absolutely love this 5-member group which performs dead-on covers of  recording acts such as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Four Seasons, Jay & The Americans, The Tokens, Dion & The Belmonts, The Hollies, The Bee Gees and The Village People. Checkout the band’s website at www.whitestoneband.com for dates/video/playlist.

What makes this band exciting, is that all 5-members can “really sing”…and no tracks or tapes are used to enhance the performance. When these guys perform, you’d swear that it was Jay Black holding that “note” on Cara Mia…or Frankie Valli crooning  Sherrrry. Of note, one of the frontmen, is Nick Mancuso who also performs as a member of  The Legends Of Doo Wop who have performed on PBS-tv and major concerts in the United States and Europe.

If you check the band’s schedule, you will find that it works South Florida clubs-bars, private parties and public venues…so you should be able to catch them in action.

Like I said before, if 1950s-70’s rock n’ roll/disco is your cup-of-tea…you will love Whitestone Band.

I had an absolute blast watching this band in action.

*****  Kentucky Fried Chicken, 1601 North Federal Highway, Boca Raton, Florida 33432  (561 ) 395-4660.

The other day (April 27th), I told you guys about my  Sawgrass Mills’ Burger King outing and how much I enjoyed Burger King’s new “burger shots.” Well…yesterday, I “visited” the Kentucky Fried Chicken location in Boca Raton, to try the new “Kentucky Grilled Chicken” that it started selling in mid-April.

Now, unless you have been living on Mars for the past 30 years…I am going to assume, that you know what a Kentucky Fried Chicken joint is all about…I am also going to assume, that like me, you probably haven’t been in one of these joints in let’s say 29 years…Just so you know, I “do” my take-out fried chicken at either Fran’s (Boca Raton 6/20/08) or Maryland (Pompano Beach 12/1/08), so when I get the urge, Kentucky Fried Chicken doesn’t even enter my mind.

Anyway…like I said at the top of this review, I went to KFC to try its new “Kentucky Grilled Chicken”…so this is not a discourse on the joint’s fried products.

At this juncture, check-out KFC’s website at www.kfc.com for menu/prices/locations…one thing I do know, is that no matter where you live or work, one of these joints is close-by.

Now let’s talk– grilled chicken… there are legs, breasts, thighs and wings. The joint has a $4 meal that gets you 2-pieces, 2 sides and a biscuit. The chicken is topped with “secret ingredients” and is made in an oven…now for the review, DELICIOUS. The chicken (I tried 4 pieces)  had char-marks, was moist, had a slight bbq flavor taste…and like I said,  it was really good.

So…you now know about Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Kentucky Grilled Chicken.

*****  Trattoria V, 10130 Northlake Boulevard, West Palm Beach, Florida 33412 (561) 630-2042.

Trattoria V is a “mom & pop” Italian joint… very good food, good service, good prices. Trattoria V is open Monday 11:30am-9pm, Tuesday-Friday 11:30am-10pm, Saturday 1pm-10pm and Sunday 1pm-9pm.

Trattoria V’s  dinner menu is  loaded with appetizers, salads, soups, pastas and meat/seafood/chicken entrees…pizzas/calzones/sandwiches are available on its lunch menu. The joint is a “drop fancier” than your standard run-of-the-mill-pizzeria-joint…but, your tee shirt/shorts’ ensemble could work here at dinner- time…operative word being “could”…but I think men’s pants is a better call.

A recent “dinner outing” had me trying veal parmigiana ($18.95), eggplant parmigiana ($13.95), penne a la vodka ($15.50), zuppa de pesce ($25.95) and shrimp scampi ($19.95)…like I said before, pizza/calzones/sandwiches aren’t on the dinner menu. The food is very good…probably as good if not a drop better than your favorite neighborhood hangout.

You now know about a very good “mom & pop” Italian joint.

One final thought…www.southfloridadines.com has “discount money” for this joint…so if you want to give Trattoria V a shot, you have a way to save some cash on your meal.

*****  The Cheesecake Factory, 600 East Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301 (954) 463-1999.

I’ m gonna go out on a limb here…and guess that you guys know what The Cheesecake Factory “is”…for those that don’t, a “Casual American-Style” joint.

The Cheesecake Factory has been around for something like 30 years and has restaurants all over the United States…for the record, there are 14 in Florida. Just off the top of my head, I know that within the past 2-years I have eaten in Cheesecakes in Aventura, Boca Raton, Coconut Grove, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Palm Beach Gardens and Miami. My latest “outing” was last night at the Las Olas location.

I call The Cheesecake Factory the “go to place.”…like when you need a real good meal–real good prices–real good portions–real good service. Take a look at this joint’s website www.thecheesecakefactory.com for menu/prices/photos/locations. The menu is something like 12-million pages long and trust me on this, you will absolutely positively find something to eat…appetizers, salads, sandwiches,  pastas, pizzas, meat/seafood/chicken entrees, desserts. Your 5 year old, your teenager, your 97 year old grandma…will all enjoy eating in this joint.

Unless I am getting senile here…the decor in all locations is identical (Mayan Indian meets Inca Indian meets Horoscope)…same goes for the menu. How they do it is beyond me, but the waiters/waitresses are the most competent and pleasant group going. Let’s put it this way, The Cheesecake Factory is one of the “top” players in the casual-dining sector.

Over the years, I have eaten sliders, chicken pot stickers, meat loaf, grilled chicken, fried cheese,  cobb salad, eggs…and of course cheesecake. This is just a partial-list…and let’s just say, I have never had a bad meal.

If you have eaten in The Cheesecake Factory…you know that I “speak the truth” when I tell you, that this a terrific restaurant. Big meal-small meal, dessert…this joint has you covered.

Like I said before, my last Cheesecake outing was last night at 6pm at the Olas location…had tickets for  the 8pm performance of  The Jersey Boys at the Broward Center. Great sliders and pot stickers with a Fresca. By the way, you don’t want to miss that-show.

The Cheesecake Factory is open Monday-Thursday 11:30am-11:30pm, Friday-Saturday 11:30am-12:30am and Sunday 10am-11am.

*****  TooJay’s Gourmet Deli, 3013 Yamato Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33496 (561) 997-9911.

TooJay’s is a “New York Style” deli…which has 27 locations in Florida. If you check its website www.toojays.com in addition to menu/prices you will find a listing of locations.

Just so we are straight…TooJay’s is not a top-notch deli in the same vein as joints like Pastrami Queen, Ben’s Kosher Deli or Pomperdale Deli. Simply put, TooJay’s serves decent enough food at very reasonable prices. Nothing great, but nothing terrible.

Over the past 16 years, I must have eaten in/taken-out from  a TooJay’s something like 25-30 times…let’s just say, that convenience more than anything else was the “reason why”…as there are 3- locations all within 5 minutes of my home.

Let’s sum this one up…NY style deli, loads of appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, meat/chicken/fish entrees and desserts…decent food…reasonable prices. When I “think” TooJay’s I think white bread…not rye bread.

TooJay’s is open 7 days a week for breakfast-lunch-dinner.

*****  Burger King, 1280 West Sunrise Boulevard (Sawgrass Mills), Sunrise, Florida 33323 (954) 846-9023.

Now, I don’t want to get all nostalgic with you…but as a kid and teenager growing up in Brooklyn I was literally raised on Nathan’s hot dogs and french fries…and White Castle’s sliders. Before I go any further, nobody and I mean nobody makes french fries as good as Nathan’s…

Now, Let’s talk about Burger King.

Yesterday, I was “shopping” in Sawgrass Mills…actually, my wife was shopping and I was trying to kill 2 1/2 hours between the food court and sleeping/reading at Books A Million. To make a long story short…I gave Burger King a shot, trying its new product “BURGER SHOTS” which are sliders that come 2-to a package for $1.39 and $1.64 with cheese. Not bad, not bad at all. I ordered 4  cheese-burgers covered in ketchup/mustard and topped with a pickle slice and like I just said, they were pretty decent.

Just so you know, until yesterday I couldn’t even hazard a guess as to the last time I’d eaten in a Burger King or for that matter a McDonald’s or Wendy’s…I will tell you, that for years I had “wondered” why these 3 chains never added sliders to their menus…the same goes for hot dogs.

One other quick thought…the reason why White Castle’s sliders are square and have little holes in them…to save grill space and the holes allow the slider to cook-through without turning it over.

The next time you want a good-cheap slider…think Burger King.

The Burger King in Sawgrass Mills is open Monday-Saturday 10am-9:30pm and Sunday 11pm-6pm.