***** Cucina Rustica and Pizza, 1000 US Highway 1, North Palm Beach, Florida 33408 (561) 355-0361.

Had dinner the other day (or is it night?) in a really-nice “white tablecloth” Italian joint in North Palm Beach…Cucina Rustica and Pizza. Now don’t get nervous… although Cucina’s got tablecloths, your tee shirts and shorts will do-just fine in this “establishment.” On the pricing front…neighborhood prices…dinners come with salad and pasta side.

I did a real simple “taste test”…chicken marsala ($15.95), eggplant parmigiana ($12.95), cheese ravioli in a pink vodka sauce ($12.95), veal parmigiana ($16.95), large plain pizza ($11.95)…everything was right on the money. I especially liked the veal parm which was tender–in a real nice marinara sauce and the chicken marsala, soft as butter.

Cucina Rustica’s menu has the full-boat of appetizers, salads, pastas and numerous pizza-combinations. Very pleasant servers…and like I said before, reasonable prices.

Cucina Rustica’s decor…bright, airy, no crazy boxcar trellises.

I really enjoyed Cucina Rustica. The joint is open Monday-Saturday 11am-10pm and Sunday 4pm-10pm.

***** “Save the Deli” *****

Just finished a terrific new book which came out about 1-week ago…”Save the Deli” by David Sax…this 319 pager—will tell you things about pastrami that you never knew. South Florida establishments…Mo’s Bagels and Deli (Aventura)—Too Jay’s (various locations)—3G’s Gourmet Deli (Delray Beach)—Pomperdale (Fort Lauderdale)—Sage Bagel and Deli (Hallandale Beach)—Roasters’ and Toasters (Miami)—Bagel Bar East (Miami)—Bagel Cove (Miami)—Best Deli (Plantation)—Myron’s (Pompano Beach)—Jerry’s Famous Deli (Miami) are mentioned.

Great read.

Dickey’s Barbeque Pit

Dickey’s is a “fast-food” bbq joint…order at the counter/pickup at the counter. Dickey’s is a national chain with locations all over the United States. You can check its website www.dickeys.com for menu/prices/locations.

Lucky for us Floridians…Dickey’s for right now–only has 1-Florida location, that being in Oviedo, Florida. Last week I ate at a Dickey’s in Dallas, Texas and the food was borderline-horrendous. I tried the pulled pork, bbq ribs, bbq chicken…absolute crap. Not…going to bore you with the gory details, but just imagine a drumstick made of corrugated cardboard with the heaviest smoked-smell imaginable

Forewarned is Forearmed…Dickey’s website indicates that “new” Dickey’s Barbecue Pits will soon be opening in Homestead and Miami Lakes.

***** Charm City Burger Company, 1136 East Hillsboro Boulevard, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33441 (954) 531-0300.

Back on April 17, 2008 I did a review on a “burger” joint named Charm City Burger Company. If you check that review, I absolutely loved the food. At that time, the joint had only been open for something like 3-months…and I questioned its “longevity” based on its piss-poor location. To make a long story short…the joint is still around– has new owners– has a cult-like following—and the food is absolutely DELICIOUS.

At this stage of this re-review check www.charmcityburgers.com for menu/prices.

All I can tell you, is that I was in the joint last week…delicious bacon cheeseburger, terrific french fries, great sweet potato fries, incredible chicken wings. sensational grilled chicken and soft shell crab rolls.

Order/pickup at the counter. Absolutely nothing fancy here. Just…outstanding food.

Charm City is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner.

***** Red Zone Cafe & Sports Theatre, 1804 Cordova Road, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33316 (954) 467-3535.

The one thing that I know about restaurants is…I want to eat in them–not own them. Restaurants in South Florida (for that matter–everywhere in the United States) come and go, literally in the blink of an eye. Anyway…there use to be a small sports-bar chain down here called The Original Steakhouse—not half bad food–pleasant service–tvs galore. And one day, about 2 years ago, it just closed—Why it closed? I have absolutely no idea…but what I do recall, is that Original’s owners just walked away from the locations leaving the physical restaurants totally intact. Now follow me…Red Zone apparently moved into The Original Steakhouses’ Cordova Road location “lock stock & barrel”…because the joint’s decor is Original’s decor right down to the oversized tv sets on the wall…I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the plates, knives, forks and spoons are also the same.

I recently did dinner at Red Zone…check its website www.redzonecafe.com for menu/prices/and loads of photos. The food is “sports bar” food…probably no better nor worse that your “average” neighborhood haunt. I did pot stickers, bacon cheeseburger, chicken parm sub, babyback ribs…like I said, SPORTS BAR FOOD.

Let me wrap this up…Red Zone has the full boatload of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers, wings and meat-seafood-chicken entrees—tv sets…

By the way, if anyone out there knows the “real story” why The Original Steakhouse just-shut-down one day—without any notice…please e-mail me with the skinny.

The joint is open 7 days a week 11am-2am.

***** CleanScores–www.cleanscores.com *****

Got a very interesting website that I think you might like to visit…www.cleanscores.com.

The way this site works is real simple…type in restaurant names and CleanScores’ data base will show you health department inspection records. Based on the records, CleanScores assigns 1-5 stars to the restaurant indicating how clean the joint is or isn’t.

Very interesting site.

***** Our Place, 2901 North Federal Highway, Boca Raton, Florida 33431 (561) 750-9745.

Got an “American-style” joint for you…Our Place, in Boca Raton. Now don’t get nervous or nothing…but the joint is located in the Boca Raton Plaza Hotel & Suites. Now, I can just imagine what’s going through your mind…not exactly the Ritz Carlton in Manalapan.

Anyway…Our Place is a good-casual joint. The menu is limited, but there are enough appetizers-burgers-sandwiches-entrees…so nobody is going to go hungry. Take a look at the joint’s website www.ourplaceboca.com for menu/prices/photos–this way, you’ll know what you are getting yourself involved with.

I gave Our Place a shot the other night and I enjoyed it…Real reasonable prices and the bacon cheeseburger– chicken cordon blu sandwich–philly cheese steak sandwich–baby back ribs…were A-Ok… better than the stuff most of the sports bars down here serve.

Absolutely-positively nothing fancy here. Lookup “casual” in Webster’s and this joint’s picture is probably there.

This is my kind of a joint. Good food. Good service. Good prices…and tee shirts and shorts are the dress of the day. The joint also has tv sets and an outdoor tiki-bar…what’s bad!!

Our Place is open 365 days a year 7am-2am. The kitchen closes at midnight.

***** Anna’s Kitchen, 19635 State Road 7, Boca Raton, Florida 33498 (561) 482-2323.

Anna’s Kitchen is a “mom & pop” red sauce Italian joint, which opened for business in Boca Raton something like 1 week ago. I just got back from eating dinner and I gotta tell you that Anna’s has a good shot of “making it” although it is located in a crappy-spot in a crappy strip center called Boca Greens Shopping Center. The reason I say this, is because– the food is good–and the fact that Anna, a middle aged Italian lady, personally visits every table making sure that everything is 100% Tonight’s “taste test” was simple… house salad, garlic rolls, pizza, eggplant parmigiana, meatballs and chicken scarpariello. Everything was just fine…I especially enjoyed the thin-crispy-sweet sauce-cheesey pizza, garlic rolls and the meatballs.

Now for sure…Anna’s which has the full compliment of expected appetizers, soups, subs, pizzas, pastas, meat-seafood-chicken entrees–has some mighty good local competition…Nino’s, Dominick’s, Augy’s (these 3 Boca players immdediately come to mind)–but, based on its 1-week outing, the joint has a real shot to develop a nice following of it own.

Just so you know, I got a couple of bones to pick with this joint. First, I found the portions on the chicken scarpariello and eggpalnt parmigiana to be a bit on the skimpy side. Next, if I have this Anna’s figured correctly, before opening, the menus of other joints were “reviewed” and Anna’s tried to price most of its entrees a buck or two cheaper…that said, Anna’s entrees come with garlic rolls and a pasta side…while the other players’ entrees come with garlic rolls, soup or salad and pasta side…so, if you do the math, if you order a house salad at Anna’s, you are roughly paying the same price as the other neighborhood joints are getting.

Anna if you are reading…make the portions BIGGER…and also include soup or salad with your entrees.

Anyway…you can check Anna’s website www.annakitchenboca.com for menu/prices.

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

***** Tommy’s Italian Restaurant, 4777 South University Drive, Davie, Florida 33328 (954) 680 0113.

I know, I’ve already used this one…there are more “mom & pop” Italian restaurants in South Florida than there are Chins in a Chinese phonebook. That said, all mom & pop joints are not equal …they rank terrible-fair-good-very good-outstanding.

I recently had dinner at a 12-table joint…Tommy’s located in Davie. This one has to be ranked OUTSTANDING. A taste test of shrimp scampi, eggplant parmigiana, sea scallops oreganata, veal marsala, fried calamari, Italian wings, linguine with meat sauce…everything absolutely delicious.

There really isn’t too much more to say, except… casual-reasonable prices-very pleasant waitstaff…an absolute must try.

Tommy’s is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner.

***** Waterway Cafe,2300 PGA Boulevard, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33410 (561) 694-1700.

Let’s see…October 7, 2009…so your “northern” relatives will soon be inviting themselves down for the holidays etc.

Got a real good-casual- moderately priced “American-style-on the Intracoastal” joint to take them to, to make them jealous…Waterway Cafe in Palm Beach Gardens. Checkout the joint’s website www.waterwaycafe.com for menu/prices/photos/entertainment schedule.

The Waterway Cafe has been around for something like 23 years. The joint has indoor and outdoor seating…personally, outdoor is the way to go, amazing view. The menu is loaded with soups, appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, pastas, chicken-meat-seafood entrees. On the weekends, local bands entertain…A recent outing had me trying cheeseburger, crab cake, lamb chops, orange chicken and broiled lobster tail. Gourmet stuff?..now let’s not be silly here…GOOD FOOD. Combine good food-outdoor dining-great water views-reasonable prices-shorts & tee shirts and you got a homerun and some very jealous relatives.

I highly recommend Waterway Cafe…joints like this, are what South Florida is all about.

Waterway is open for lunch 11:30am-4pm Monday-Saturday, 11am-4pm Sunday… and for dinner Monday-Thursday 4pm-10pm and Friday-Sunday 4pm-11pm.