*****  Mona Lisa Coal Oven Pizza, 2009 Northeast 2nd Street, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33441 (954) 420-5644.

Let me start by saying that…Mona Lisa Coal Oven Pizza is a  “must try.”

Last night, four of us ate dinner at this casual Deerfield Beach coal oven joint…and I got to tell you, that the food is absoluetly off the charts. For menu/prices check www.menuking.com.

Mona Lisa has both indoor (70) and outdoor patio (60) seating. Inside, the walls are lined with old 1930’s-40’s  gangster photos and mug shots…this joint has a real-Mulberry Street feel to it. When you see the outdoor lighting, you’ll know what I am talking about.

Mona Lisa’s menu is loaded with appetizers, salads. pizzas, sandwiches and desserts. Just so you know, this joint is an “off shoot” of the world famous Mona Lisa Pastry Shop which has been feeding Brooklyn faces for something like 80 years. This is grandson Steve’s baby…and last night, I noticed how he and his wife, Theresa visited every-table. This is strictly a “family affair”…and the personal touch shows in the top ingredients used and the relaxed-friendly atmosphere.

Let’s talk food…my “taste test” had me devouring… antipasto platter, caprese salad, roasted wings, roasted peppers, broccoli rabe & sausage, margarita pizza, bianco pizza…I’ll “discuss” the desserts later. Like I said before, the food is terrific…I am telling you, this joint’s food is top-notch and the pizza and chicken wings were some of the best that I have eaten anywhere. Not being a total-pig, I did not “sample” one of the ten-listed ciabatta bread sandwiches, but did “spot” a customer downing a grilled chicken-mozzarella-roasted red peppers-broccoli rabe…the sandwiche’s look-alone, was worth the price of admission.

I am usually not a “big” dessert eater…however, based on the fact that this joint makes its own breads, pastries and cakes in-house… I went for the whole ball of wax…absolutely delicious, tiramisu, cannolis, chocolate cheesecake…Mona Lisa also makes a flaky-crisp “lobster” shapped pastry that is-not-to-be-missed. This thing is filled with either French or cannoli creme…incredible.

Let’s talk service…pleasant, easy going.  Let’s talk price…no more expensive than your favorite pizza-joint hangout.

Mona Lisa is 1-block from Deerfield Beach. Parking is usually a “horror”…just between me and you, Mona Lisa has its own customer parking lot right behind the out-door patio.

Mona Lisa is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-11pm and Friday-Saturday 11am-midnight.

This joint is a winner.

*****  City Bar B Que Place, 1901 Northeast 163rd Street, Miami, Florida 33162 (305) 354-4747.

Got a terrific “fast food” bbq joint for you…City Bar B Que Place in Miami. Order at/Pickup at…the counter. Checkout its website www.citybbqplace.com for menu/prices.

This joint has two things going for it…(1) real good food…(2) dirt cheap prices.

A recent “taste-test” of 1/2 roast chicken ( garlic bread & 2 sides $7.95), 1/2 rack of ribs ( garlic bread  & 2 sides $8.95), pulled pork sandwich ( french fries & coleslaw $5.95) was right on the money. Just so you know, the sides sampled were fries, corn bread, collard greens and coleslaw.

Nothing fancy here. This is a fast food joint. The ribs and chicken are as good, if not better than, the stuff served by most of the full-service bbq joints down here in South Florida.

City Bar B Que Place is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-11pm and Friday-Saturday 11am-midnight.

*****  Cactus Jack & The Cadillacs  *****

This past weekend, Cactus Jack & The Cadillacs one of America’s top-rated Frat Rock–Rock N’ Roll bands played 2-shows at the Woodfield Country Club in Boca Raton. If 1960’s rock n’ roll is your “bag”…this band was made for you, covering  artists like Elvis, Bruce Chanel, The Swingin’ Medallions, The Stones, The Shadows of Knight, The Beach Boys, The Beatles and  BTO. This 6 man band which has been around for something like 25 years,  features  Randy Lobeck the renowned sax player who was a member of Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band from 1964-1973. These guys are “regulars” at  Disney World, Universal Studios and Orlando’s Hard Rock Live…not to mention, that they  are one of the hottest acts on the FSU-UF fraternity circuit.

I caught them in action at the Woodfield Country Club. Checkout the band’s website at www.bopper.com  for performance schedule.

*****  Cugini Steakhouse & Martini Bar, 270 East Atlantic Avenue, Boca Raton, Florida 33444 (561) 274-6244.

In previous reviews, I told you guys that Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach is not my “scene”…too many overpriced-crappy restaurants ripping off tourists and us natives.

Anyway…although Cugini Steakhouse is located on the aforesaid Atlantic Avenue, it is not one of the aforesaid overpriced-crappy-ripoff joints. In fact, this “American-style” semi-upscale restaurant serves some really delicious-reasonably priced stuff.  A recent outing had me downing 20 oz. bone-in ribeye steak ($38) and blackened mahi mahi ($22)…each entree came with 2-sides. In the service department…competent and extremely pleasant.

Like I said before, let’s call this joint “semi-upscale”…but your tee shirt/shorts’ ensemble is gonna work here. The joint has both inside and outside seating…so if people watching or car watching or whatever-watching is your game, Cugini has you covered. 

Take a look at Cugini’s website www.cuginigrilledelray.com for menu/prices/and tons of photos.  Just so you know, the menu isn’t gigantic, but you’ll find something to eat. One other thing, for 20 bucks the joint has an “early dinner” which gets you salad-entree-dessert.

You now know about an “exception to the rule”…that being a really good-moderately priced-no “bs” Atlantic Avenue restaurant. Cugini is open Sunday-Thursday 4pm-10:30pm and Friday-Saturday 4pm-midnight.

*****  The Palm Beach Steakhouse 33480, 191 Bradley Place, Palm Beach, Florida 33480 (561) 671-4333.

I absolutely HATE overly pretentious-Upscale steakhouses…you know the joints where you have to wear pants–entrees cost an arm & a leg–entrees come with no sides– side dishes cost more than a set of new tires—the waitstaff treats you like crap–and most of the time, the food is just ok.

Anyway, other than the “wearing of pants” part…The Palm Beach Steakhouse 44380 is none of the above.

First things first, checkout this joint’s website at www.thepalmbeachsteakhouse.com for menu/prices/details.

The Palm Beach Steakhouse is a terrific “white tablecloth upscale” restaurant. A recent outing had me “sampling” a 20-oz bone-in ribeye steak ($41), crab cakes ($32), lamb chops ($32), grilled shrimp ($35). All of the entrees came with 2- sides…and the food was dynamite. The service was friendly and professional, no “airs” whatsoever.

This joint is a winner…The Palm Beach Steakhouse 33480 is open Sunday-Thursday 4pm-10pm and Friday-Saturday 4pm-midnight.

*****  Zo’s Off The Hook Sports Grille, 2861 East Commercial Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33308 (954) 689-6757.

I ‘m gonna go-out on a limb here…but my money says, that Alonzo Mourning owns a “piece” of this sports-bar. For those who don’t know, or who could care-less…Zo just retired from the Miami Heat.

Now let’s talk about Zo’s Off The Hook Sports Grille…GREAT!! Every sports bar should be like this one. Great decor. Tons of flat screen tvs. Huge bar. Terrific food. Live entertainment. Great service. Reasonable prices.

At this juncture, you should check Zo’s website: www.zosoffthehooksportsgrille.com for menu/prices/entertainment schedule/tons of photos of the joint.

Zo’s menu is loaded with appetizers,  salads, burgers, sandwiches, meat-chicken-seafood entrees. Something for everyone.

Like I said before, Zo’s is terrific. A recent outing had me “dining” on coconut shrimp, crab-cakes, grilled salmon, cheeseburger, rib-eye steak, babyback ribs,  french fries…and I gotta tell you, the food is excellent. Now…you and I both know, that most sports bar’s stuff is  usually… shall-we-say, one step above “micro-wave.”  Au contraire, Zo’s food, is right up there with Houston’s-Cheesecake Factory–quality. Throw in those tv sets and entertainment by guys like Rod Stewart impersonator George Orr (www.hotrodlive.com ) and you got one terrific joint.

If casual-sports bars are your game…you have to try this one.

Zo’s is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday 11:30 am-midnight…Tuesday 11:30 am-11 pm…Friday & Saturday 11:30 am-1 am.

*****  Menu King (www.menuking.com)  *****

Got an interesting site for you to checkout…Menu King www.menuking.com

This site has tons of  South Florida restaurants  listed…for that matter, it has listings for restaurants all over the United States.

The site has reviews, menus, photos…in addition, the site also “sells” restaurant-discount money. You know the game, $10 gets you $20 and $25 gets you $50 etc. Totally legit site. One other nice thing, the Menu King also has a load of FREE DISCOUNT COUPONS that can be used at  listed restaurants.

Just one final note…keep in mind, that there are NO NEGATIVE REVIEWS…afterall, Menu King’s business is to generate business for the listed restaurants.

*****  La Luna Bistro, 5030 Champion Boulevard, Boca Raton, Florida 33496 (561 997-1165.

Over the years, I have eaten in La Luna something like 10 times. Just off the top of my head, I’m gonna say that this Italian joint has been in business at least 20 years. This is not a dumpy pizza joint, but even with its white-tablecloths, your tee shirt/shorts’ ensemble will work. By the way, La Luna is located in the back of a Boca Raton shopping center–Club Shoppes.

Like I said, I have eaten at La Luna a number of times. My most recent outing ( party of four) was last week and my “taste-test” had me sampling veal parmigiana, chicken marsala, eggplant rollatina, fried calamari, clams marinara, steak pizziola and meat lasagna. Just so you know, the food is very good and the prices are no more expensive than your favorite neighborhood Italian joint. Service is very pleasant.

For menu/prices/decor photos, check La Luna’s website at www.lalunabistro.com.

The joint is open 7-days a week for dinner.

*****  Rocky’s Italian Bistro, 20 Southeast 5th Avenue, Delray Beach, Florida 33483 (561) 276-8703.

Last Sunday night…around 6:30pm my wife and I were strolling around the Atlantic Avenue -area in Delray Beach. For sure, a handful of restaurants in this “faux-trendy” neighborhood have good-reasonably priced food, but there are also a number of  joints,  that are dishing out mediocre- overpriced stuff.

Now for the good news…Rocky’s Italian Bistro is one of the “good guys”…good food, good looking semi-upscale decor (but your tee shirst/shorts will work), good prices, good service.

Now don’t get wise (we had plenty of leftovers to take home)…a taste-test of clams orgenatta, veal parmigiana, chicken piccata, penne alla vodka and linguine with clams in a white sauce, was right-on-the money. The food is as good, if not better than your favorite neighborhood Italian-joint-hangout.

So…the next time you need a good Italian joint to eat in while strolling Atlantic Avenue…Rocky’s is the place for you. By the way, the joint is open 7-days a week for dinner.

       The Knife Argentinian Steak House, 401 Biscayne Boulevard (Bayside Marketplace), 401 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, Florida  33132  (786) 866-3999.

The Knife is a small  “Argentinian Steakhouse” chain.  Take a look at its website www.thekniferestaurant.com  for menu/prices/locations/photos.

Just so you know, this chain has 2-setups…some locations are “all-you-can-eat”  full buffet restaurants…and others are “food court” spots  where you can order various chicken-meat stuff.  From the website, there are full joints in Coconut Grove, Hallandale, Sawgrass and Bayside Marketplace and food courts in Miami Interntioanl Mall and Bayside Marketplace (Bayside has both types of setups.)

Anyway…a couple of  weeks ago,  I “got” a burger and  my wife “got” a  grilled chicken breast  from the Bayside food-court location. GARBAGE!! Salty crappy food. The food was so bad, that after a few bites we threw the stuff in the trashcan.

If we weren’t in such a hurry to get to AAA to watch the NCAA men’s basketball-games…I would have made a major stink to the guys running this craphole.

Based on this “outing”…I wouldn’t even think about trying the full-restaurant setup.