***** Capri Ristorante, 39 Southeast 1st Avenue, Boca Raton, Florida 33432 (561) 391-8044.

Today is “Mother’s Day 2010″…What do you call Mother’s Day without presents…”Father’s Day.”

Anyway…last night, I had dinner at a really good Italian restaurant, Capri Ristorante- which opened in Boca Raton about 3 months ago.

Just a drop of background info…Capri Ristorante is a “small chain”…it has been around since 1985–there are currently 6 locations-5 in Chicagooo-1 in Boca—5 brothers own “the whole magilla” —the Boca joint is run by brother, Joey Capri who is no Fredo—the guy built a gorgeous 170 seat-semi upscale joint-has an attentive waitstaff-real good food-reasonable prices-and is as personable as can be, as he visits every table and cooks some “signature” dishes right out on the dining-room floor.

Let me send you to Capri’s website www.capriristorante.com for menu/prices/photos/locations. Just so you know, the Boca menu/details aren’t up yet, but give or take a handful of items and a buck or two pricewise—the Chicago info/look is pretty much what Boca is all about. For our purposes, think your favorite mom & pop’s prices and your in the ballpark.

I call Capri “semi upscale”…its got whitetable cloths-dark wood-full bar-private party room—that said, your tee shirt/shorts ensemble will work here. Just so we are straight, Capri is not your “typical” red sauce pizza joint…as a matter of fact, it doesn’t have pizza-subs-calzones. But you veal parmigiana afficianados won’t be disappointed with the menu’s appetizers, pastas, meat-chicken-seafood entrees. Don’t see something on the menu, I kinda think that if you ask, Joey will have his kitchen make it for you.

Let’s talk food test…house salad, veal parmigiana, roast chicken, eggplant parmigiana, penne ala vodka, Chilean sea bass—like I said before, real good food. Gonna give the vodka sauce a special commendation here…one of the most delicious that I’ve had in a very long time.

Let’s sum Capri up this way…in the middle–not exactly your mom & pop red sauce joint and not exactly your upscale go for your lungs Italian joint. Now nothing for nothing, but I think that Capri has a real shot to become a major niche player in Boca.

I really enjoyed Capri. Give it a try.

Capri is open Monday-Saturday 5pm-10pm. For right now, it is closed on Sunday…but I’ll bet, that “come season” Capri will also be open on Sunday.

***** Bamboo Wok, 9181 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida (561) 218-6003…12040 South Jog Road, Boynton Beach, Florida (561) 742-0123…4660 West Hillsboro Boulevard, Coconut Creek, Florida (954) 427-1888.

If you do some homework, you will find that back on July 6, 2008 I did a writeup on a Chinese “take-out only” joint named Bamboo Wok…there are currently 3 locations, Boca Raton, Coconut Creek and Boynton Beach.

Since that July 6th “story”…I must have picked up food from the Boca location something like 35 times–5 times from the Boynton Beach joint and 1 time from the Coconut Creek store. The store designs are all the same…order at counter—you can see the food being prepared—in an assembly line setup. Not 100% sure on this, but there are 2 brothers and a sister—she owns the Boynton Beach spot and the other two stores are owned by one of the brothers. The food- menu-prices-portion size—are the same at all locations.

If you live or work near one of these stores, you gotta try the food. I’m gonna go out on a limb here, but the food is OUTSTANDING…this is as close to NYC Chinatown joint food as you will come down here in Florida. I am telling you—off the top of my head—the wonton soup, boneless bbq spare ribs, egg rolls, fried rice, fried pork dumplings, moo shu pork, sweet & sour chicken, general tso’s chicken, shrimp with black bean sauce…are delicious. The portions are “huge” and the prices are neighborhood takeout prices.

These 3 joints are winners.

***** Sandwich Man Pizza Too, 2001 West Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach, Florida 33445 (561) 274-3175.

Let’s call Sandwich Man Pizza Too an “ecletic fast food” joint. Order at the counter—wait for your number to be called, pickup your food.

This joint’s menu is jammed with breakfast sandwiches (kaiser roll or bagel), salads, subs (small or large), burgers, pizza (whole pies or slices). Very reasonably priced…$5-8 per sandwich.

Now for the big question.—Is the food any good? I did pizza (ok, but I know at least 25 joints that make a better slice), good bacon cheeseburger, good meatball parmigiana sub, good pastrami with melted swiss cheese sub, delicious philly cheesesteak sub, delicious sausage & peppers parmigiana sub.

Silly name (but then again you do REMEMBER it), good prices, good food.

I enjoyed Sandwich Man Pizza Too…the joint is open Monday-Friday 7am-5pm, Saturday 7am-4pm, closed on Sunday.

Piola, 1703 East Hallandale Beach Boulevard, Hallandale Beach, Florida 33009 (954) 457-9394.

Piola is a “wood burning brick oven” pizza joint—check www.piola.it for menu/prices/locations. All kinds of thin crusted pizzas, handful of appetizers. Just so you know, this is a chain operation with various locations in the United States and abroad. This review is about the Hallandale Beach joint.

Let me make this one as simple as possible. Got there about 5:45 pm this evening. Decided to eat outside…there were maybe 10 tables outside….in addition to my party of 2 there was a 4 and another 2 and that was it. Took me close to 15 minures to get a waiter to take our order…getting a “second” can of soda was like pulling teeth and not once-not even once- did the waiter stop by the table to see how the meal was going. Piola doesn’t use placemats and “our” table was sticky and dirty. I find it amazing that joints like this “don’t have the common sense” to freaking wipe-down outdoor tables after each party leaves… Our order of a plain pizza with sausage and a house salad was PASSABLE but nothing more—the sauce was borderline bland….trust me on this one— I am willing to bet that your local pizza joint has much better stuff

Piola won’t see me again.

Piola is open Sunday-Thursday noon-11am and Friday-Saturday noon-midnight.

***** Casa Macaluso, 1825 Sample Road, Pompano Beach, Florida 33064 (954) 788-0255.

First things first…it was Judith Stocks’ March 12, 2010- 3 1/2 stars Sun Sentinel review that turned me onto this “white table cloth-semi upscale-52 seat” Italian joint.

Casa Macaluso is owned by two brothers…Carlo “the chef” and Antonio “the host-manager-frontman”…they make an absolutely great team—just so you know, the veal chop parmigiana and osso buco that I “sampled” were probably the best that I’ve had since moving down here to South Florida in 1991…trust me, I’ve had tons of chops-buco, so Antonio and Carlo performed a major feat.

Casa Macaluso is a very small restaurant—it’s got 52 seats. Last Saturday night my 8pm reservation (for 4) was honored and I will tell you, that by 8:30pm every seat was taken. I will also tell you, that we were there for over 2 hours and not one single table was “turned.”

When you arrive at Casa Macaluso you are greeted by Antonio at the front door. No kidding, he treats you like a long lost cousin “all night”…and really seems to enjoy visiting every table and explaining the menu in detail. Carlo also comes out of the kitchen to visit every table. Casa Macaluso also has a staff of REAL ITALIAN WAITERS that are as competent and professional as can be. I thought that it was really cool…that each waiter was wearing a “cap” just like the one that Al Pacino-Michael and his body guards wore in the “Godfather” in the scenes leading up to his first wife getting blown up by a car bomb.

Casa Macaluso is an upscale restaurant…it isn’t a “red sauce mom & pop” joint…so there are no pizzas, meatball subs, calzones—but trust me on this…the joint’s menu has plenty of stuff like clams oreganato, cannolis, pastas…so– you’ll be just fine and will have plenty of dishes that you won’t have to ask Antonio to explain. Something interesting…although this joint is clearly steps above a local pizza joint—I think that if you showed up in a tee shirt/shorts ensemble, Antonio would have a seat for you.

Like I said before, Casa Macaluso only has 52 seats. Just so you know, it took me 2-weeks to get a dinner reservation. So, please don’t show up thinking you are going to just waltz in and catch-a-table.

Casa Macaluso is a “great outing”…this isn’t a joint for a fast bite before or after a movie. On the price front…not exactly neighborhood pizza joint prices, but nothing too crazy. That veal chop ran me $33 and came with a gnocchi side.

I really enjoyed Casa Macaluso.

The joint is open for dinner Monday-Saturday for dinner.

***** Hurricane Grill & Wings, 22191 Powerline Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33433 (561) 395-3306.

Before I get started, do me a favor and–check my June 6, 2008– Hurricane Grill & Wings (Deerfield Beach) writeup. Go ahead, I’ll wait!

Okay…the Deerfield Beach location closed awhile ago—and this past Monday (today is Wednesday), a brand new Hurricane Grill & Wings opened on Powerline Road in the spot which formerly housed The Draft House.

Now that we are-all current…this evening I “did” dinner at the new Hurricane Grill & Wings. Let me make this real simple…this new location is absolutely terrific. The joint, which can probably handle 250 people- has indoor and outdoor patio seating, 2-full bars (one in and one out), flat screen tvs galore, a great faux-Key West look, delicious food, attentive waitstaff, super reasonable prices.

This joint is a HOMERUN.

This evening I “sampled”… hurricane chicken salad ($9.99–mixed greens, grilled chicken, diced tomatoes, red onions, cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, other stuff)-it was big enough for 2 to share—1/2 lb bacon cheeseburger & french fries ($8.99)—non-breaded chicken wings (15 wings + sweet potato fries + cole slaw- $12.99)—breaded boneless wings (10 wings + kettle chips + onion rings-$8.99)…like I said before, the food was delicious. Just so we are straight, I didn’t eat “all” of this stuff by my lonesome-and- honey mustard, garlic & parmesan, teriyaki, raspberry were the toppings of choice.

Just for the record, if I counted (from the menu) correctly there are 32 different chicken wing flavor sauces. Hurricane Grill also “allows” you to create your own flavor, if playing Tom Terrific is your game.

Hurricane Grill & Wings is-not and I repeat is-not… just a wings joint. Its menu also has plenty of appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches, entrees.

If you have been paying attention, you know that I have been talking about the Hurricane Grill which just opened on Powerline Road in Boca Raton. For the record, Hurricane currently has 31 locations…if you check www.hurricanewings.com you might find a “location” closer to your home or office and menu details.

Hurricane Grill is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-11pm and Friday-Saturday 11am-2am.

***** Erica’s Breakfast & Lunch, 4953 Chalet Boulevard, Boynton Beach, Florida 33426 (561) 364-7044.

Erica’s is a “breakfast & lunch” diner located in Boynton Beach. This bare-bones decorwise- 55 seater is open 7 days a week 6:30am-2:30pm.

This morning I did breakfast at Erica’s, sampling…western omelette (6.39), sausage & cheese omelette ($6.39), blueberry pancakes ($3.39), hash browns, oatmeal–good diner food. I also had an everything bagel and a pumpernickel bagel–Just so you know, Erica’s also sells bagels “by the dozen” for $7.99…that said, Erica’s doesn’t make its own bagels—and the everything & pumpernickel bagels that I had were just passable.

Erica’s menu has the usual breakfast suspects—eggs, pancakes, french toast… 8 cold sandwiches… 9 hot sandwiches…6 salads…3 blue plate specials. The most expensive item on the menu is its BLT sandwich which goes for $7.89.

Like I said before, absolutely nothing fancy here.

I love the Erica’s of this world. Good food. Good prices. Super pleasant owner (Chuck) and waitstaff. If this joint had better bagels it would be a homerun.

A very nice joint for a good inexpensive breakfast or lunch.

***** Slainte Irish Pub, 1500 Gateway Boulevard, Boynton Beach, Florida 33426 (561) 742-4190.

Slainte Irish Pub is an “Irish pub” (that figures) located in Boynton Beach. I’m gonna figure that you know what joints like this look like, so I won’t bore you with the fine-details. You can check menu/prices at www.slaintepubs.com.

I recently did a Saturday night dinner at Slainte…and I got to tell you, the food is real good. Just so you know, I sampled hamburger sliders ($6.95), grilled chicken sliders ($6.95), roast beef sliders ($7.95), shepherd’s pie ($13.95), fish & chips ($14.95)—everything was just fine.

When you check Slainte’s website, check its entertainment schedule…every night there is live music—featuring some of the best up-and-coming South Florida bands…the waitstaff at this joint is as pleasant as can be—and seemingly isn’t pressured to turn tables, so enjoy the music during and after the meal.

Slainte is a homerun—good food & good music The joint is open 7 days a week from 11:30am-2am.

***** Eco Yogurt Lounge, 1200 Yamato Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33431.

I guess when it rains it pours…on April 12, 2010– I told you guys about a “self serve” yogurt joint, Orange Leaf which had recently opened in Boca Raton. Real simple concept, get an empty cup, you-fill it with yogurt and toppings…cup gets weighed and you pay by the ounce. Well, low and behold, another “one” of these self-serve type joints, Eco Yogurt Lounge opened last week on Yamato Road in Boca Raton. Exact same concept, something like 12 flavors, toppings, cups, scale. According to its website www.ecoyogurtlounge.com this joint is owned and operated by 2-medical doctors.

Anyway…I really-only wish these two MDs well, but they really should stick to practicing medicine. Unlike Orange Leaf, Eco isn’t a franchise…and apparently these two folks designed this store all on their own…All I can say, WHAT A MESS. The joint is “all white” with white leather couches for seating–the yogurt machines are- stuck all the way in the back of the store…let’s put it this way, when you walk in the joint, it looks like an upscale martini bar that you would find in South Beach, not a yogurt-ice cream store.

I tried the vanilla-yogurt. Nothing special one way or the other.

Eco Yogurt is open 7 days a week 11am-11pm. Like I said before, I wish the owners well, but the store’s decor “to me” is an absolute turnoff-from the get-go.

***** Piccola Italia, 1692 Coral Way, Coral Gables, Florida 33145 (305) 856-7744.

Piccola Italia is a “brick oven” takeout only—pizza joint in Coral Gables. This joint has an amazing long–very reasonably priced menu packed with pizzas, pastas, salads, sandwiches. You can check www.piccolaitaliapizza.com for menu/prices.

Like I just said, this is a takeout joint…so don’t plan on sitting down for a leisurely lunch or dinner.

Let’s talk food…I absolutely loved the 16″ thin crusted-sweet sauce pizza that I had for $12.99. I also thought that the meat lasagna ($9.95), 14″ chicken parmigiana sub ($8), tortellini alfredo ($9.50) that I had was delicious. This takeout’s food is probably as good as the stuff served by your favorite neighborhood red-sauce joint. Just so you know, I picked up–and reheated my stuff when I got home to Boca.

Got one problem with this joint…that being it’s not in my neighborhood.

If you live or work near Piccola Italia, you now got a great takeout joint to get stuff from. Piccola is open Tuesday-Friday 11am-11pm, Saturday noon-11pm and Sunday 1pm-11pm…the joint is closed on Monday.