***** Blue Stone Circle *****

Last night I attended a private party at the Woodfield Country Club in Boca Raton. The Club sponsored event “Summer Kick-Off” was held in the main ballroom and was attended by 315 guests.

The evening’s entertainment was provided by BLUE STONE CIRCLE a 6-member band based in Orlando, Florida. This was one of the best party-bands that I have seen in South Florida. Just so you know, Blue Stone Circle is the “house band” at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaretiville at Citywalk-Universal Studios. Blue Stone Circle has played there, Tuesday-Saturday nights for the past 7 years. Prior to its current gig, the band worked Disney’s Pleasure Island for 5 years.

Blue Stone Circle is a terrific cover band…great versions of Shout-Good Loving-Sweet Caroline-Brick House. The band’s playlist is loaded with hits from the 1950s-2010. Check the band’s website www.bluestonecircle.com for video.

The next time you are in Universal’s neigborhood, check Blue Stone Circle (5 guys and 1 gal) out…they really are that good!!

One final thought, if you need a great party band…this band should be on your short list. I am telling you, they really are something very special.

***** Bruegger’s, 2146 North Federal Highway, Boca Raton, Florida 33431 (561) 391-7993.

Bruegger’s is a “self serve” franchise bagel joint…according to its website www.brueggers.com there are currently 290 locations in 24 states.

For a point of reference…think Einstein Bros. Bagels or Offerdahl’s Cafe Grill—and you pretty much got the menu–price points–decor-of Bruegger’s. The above website has full menu details…to shortcut it for you, all types of bagels & cream cheeses, breakfast/and other sandwiches, soups, salads.

A recent outing had me “sampling”…asiago parmesan bagel, everything bagel, pumpernickel bagel—very very good, soft on the inside and just crispy enough on the outside. I also did, a western omelette on a toasted onion bagel and a 4-cheese broccoli soup—each was quite good.

To be perfectly honest with you, I like the “action” of the NY style- bagel-deli joints–you know— formica tables, sassy waitresses, loud countermen…that said, Bruegger’s ” mid America white bread” approach to the bagel business was a real nice outing.

Bruegger’s does breakfast and lunch 7 days a week.

***** Orange Leaf Self Serve Frozen Yogurt, 16950 Jog Road, Delray Beach, Florida 33446.

This is an easy one…Orange Leaf Self Serve Frozen Yogurt—is a “self serve frozen yogurt” joint. If you check www.orangeleafyogurt.com you will find that this a franchise operation which currently has joints in Arizona, California, Hawaii and a whole bunch of other states …and that the Delray Beach store, which opened about 3 weeks ago, is the chain’s first spot in Florida. Just so you know, there are plans to open a second location in Mizner Park in Boca Raton. The website will also give you flavors and toppings.

The concept is simple…something like 13-14 different flavors. Tons of toppings. You get a cup and fill it all by yourself with all of the yogurt and toppings that you want. Then the cup is weighed at the front register and you pay by the ounce…figure something like 33 cents an ounce.

I was in there the other day and I really like the concept. I have seen other “versions” of the-help yourself concept- in Tucson and Los Angeles, namely “By The Ounce” and “Yogurtland”… That said, if you “got a heavy hand” those 33 cents really pile on, so out of nowhere a cup of yogurt could cost you 4-5 bucks a pop….soooo— go easy filling those cups.

Now you regular readers know that old Jeff Eats isn’t the biggest fan when it comes to yogurt…I’m more a Dairy Queen, Carvel, kinda guy and I love Italian ices. Anyway…Mrs. Jeff Eats and Daughter Jeff Eats loved the stuff and my “personal” sampling wasn’t all-that unpleasant. Between the three of us we “had” pistachio, oreo cookie, snickers, strawberry banana. Like I said, figure with toppings you are gonna spend $4+.

Now something for the franchisee of this joint. Personally, I think that your Jog location stinks. From what I can tell, you spent a nice penny on your build-out, but the strip center that you are in has absolutely no foot traffic whatsoever. Take it from me, you need a ton of people at 4 bucks a pop to make a go of a yogurt/ice cream store down here in South Florida. After the novelty wears off, I think that you will find it really rough sledding based on the location. As for your second spot in Mizner Park…I think before you sink your hard earned cash into that location, that you think it over again real hard. Mizner EXCEPT for weekend nights is DEADSVILLE. Feel free to drop me a line anytime and I’ll be more than happy to give you a list of what I think are far superior locations.

Orange Leaf is open 7 days a week.

***** Biddy Early’s Irish Restaurant, 3419 North Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33309 (954) 567-1990.

Biddy Early’s is an “Irish Pub”…you know what these joints look like, so we won’t waste time discussing the decor.

I recently had dinner “sampling”…philly cheesesteak sandwich ($7.95), cheeseburger ($7.95), shepherds pie ($9.50), chicken pot pie ($9.50), fish n chips ($10.95)…the food is just fine—that said I found the menu a bit skimpy in the selection department…like I said, the food is okay, nothing special, just decent enough pub food.

You can check www.biddyearlysflorida.com for menu/prices/photos. By the way, Biddy’s got the requisite dart night, poker night, live music night…

I’m gonna call this a NEIGHBORHOOD joint…like, if you live in the neighborhood, it’s worth a shot.

Biddy Early’s is open Monday-Thursday 11:30am-1am, Friday 11:30am-2am, Saturday 9:30am-2am, Sunday 11am-1am.

Buffalo Wings & Rings, 4443 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, Florida 33073 (954) 978-9688.

Buffalo Wings & Rings is a “sports bar”…playing the wings & curly french fries card. I recently did dinner at the Buffalo Wings in Coconut Creek which has both indoor and patio seating. From what I understand, another location is under construction at 1501 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach. Just so you know, Buffalo Wings is a chain operation…according to its website it has 50 locations in 13 states. You can check locations/menu/photos at www.buffalowingsfl.com.

Buffalo has a nice menu…plenty of appetizers, soups, salads, wings, sandwiches, burgers…I did boneless wings and curly fries. The wings were lightly breaded and there was something like 45 different sauce combinations. I mixed it up and did garlic parmesan, sweet & sour, teriyaki—the wings were fair…sauces were bland, same-fair goes for the curly fries. I also did a bacon cheeseburger and a pulled pork sandwich—also–just fair.

Let me be blunt…for a joint that supposedly specializes in WINGS…Buffalo didn’t get the job done.

Like I said before, this is a “sports bar”…booths, real casual, full bar, tv sets galore. You know the drill.

The joint is open, Monday-Saturday 11am-2am and Sunday 11am-midnight.

***** Nexxt Cafe, 700 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, Florida 33139 (305) 532-6566.

This afternoon (Good Friday), I was down in South Beach- playing “tourist” with my wife and two visiting kids…Lincoln Road was absolutely packed. Anyway…I gave Nexxt Cafe an “American style diner with a full bar” a shot…think Cheesecake Factory with indoor and huge-outdoor patio seating and-you got the picture. Check www.nexxtcafe.com for menu.

Nexxt’s menu is loaded with “everything” that your little heart could desire…appetizers, salads, pizza, pastas, mexican stuff, burgers, sandwiches, meat/seafood/chicken entrees. The prices aren’t bad. Service is good. The food is very good. The portions are very-very generous.

For lunch, I sampled…burger sliders (4 for $9.95), orange chicken ($18.95), caesar salad with grilled chicken ($14.95), beef stir fry salad ($13.95). All 4 dishes were very good. I will tell you, that the orange chicken which came on a bed of white rice, was one of the best “orange chicken” dishes that I have had in recent memory. The sauce was extremely tasty and the chicken had a super thin crust. Let me also mention, that the orange chicken dish can easily feed 3 people, samething for the caesar salad, absolutely humongous. The beef stir fry is good for 2 people.

Now, you and I both know, that much of South Beach is nothing but a “tourist trap”…well, Nexxt Cafe gives tourists and “us” locals a great meal for the money.

Just a heads up…a 15% gratuity is automatically applied to parties 5 and under and 18% is applied to parties 6 and over…

The joint is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-11:30pm and Friday-Saturday 11am-12:30am.

***** JP’s Bagel Place, 2649 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, Florida 33020 (954) 921-9483.

On December 12, 2008, I told you guys about JP’s Bagel Place…well, until a few days ago, I hadn’t been back–and things were just as terrific as I remembered.

JP’s Bagel Place in Hollywood is a “bagel-deli-diner”…maybe the joint seats 20 people. Check JP’s website www.jpsbagelplace.com for menu/prices/photos.

I love–and–I do mean love, hole in the wall joints like JP’s…nothing fancy, nothing expensive—just, good food, good service, good prices. JP’s has been around since 1982, so you got to figure…it must be doing something right.

A recent outing had me doing…western omelette (home fries, plain bagel $5.95), cheeseburger & fries ($4.95), chicken parm sub (chips, $6.25), philly cheesesteak sub (chips $6.50). Like I said before, good solid DINER FOOD.

JP’s does breakfast & lunch…Monday-Friday 7am-2pm and Saturday-Sunday 7am-1pm.

***** Porto Bella Italian Restaurant, 9770 South Military Trail, Boynton Beach, Florida 33436 (561) 738-5600.

If you can handle it, I got a real good–casual–reasonably priced-red sauce Italian joint for you…in Boynton Beach. Typical “mom & pop” decor inside…huge outdoor patio seating area. When you check Porto’s website www.portobellaitalian.com for menu/prices– also take a look at the “tons” of photos that are there—that outdoor patio is something a little different than your neighborhood pizza-joint..but don’t-you worry– your shorts and tee shirts are gonna work just fine.

Porto has a real nice menu loaded with appetizers, salads, pastas, subs, pizzas, meat-seafood-chicken entrees. Just so you know, with those entrees, you get a soup/or salad-pasta side-garlic rolls…

At this point of the discussion let me tell you, I really enjoyed Porto. This is basically a neighborhood joint, yet it is REALLY DONE WELL. Good food. Good service. Good Prices. Good–“ambiance.”

The other night I “did” chicken cacciatore (on the bone $18), shrimp scampi ($22), zuppa di clams red sauce linguine ($19), veal parmigiana ($18), eggplant parmigiana ($14), chicken marsala ($19). Like I said before, real-good food.

You know and I know “all about” the red sauce joints that dot the South Florida landscape…seemingly, every strip center has one of these restaurants, come to think of it, sometimes even two or three of them- (you do know that most landlords down here, don’t believe in giving tenant’s “exclusives”…don’t you?) Anyway…Porto Bella is like a breath of fresh air—on a nice Florida night, that outdoor patio is dynamite… throw in the good food, etc. and you got a winner.

Porto Bella is open Monday-Thursday 11:30am-9pm, Friday-Saturday 11:30am-10pm and Sunday 4pm-9pm.

***** Papa Giuseppe Restaurant & Pizzeria, 660 Linton Boulevard, Delray Beach, Florida 33444 (561) 272-8585.

About a week or so ago…I found this real casual-resasonably priced “red sauce–mom & pop” Italian joint in a crap-strip center in Delray Beach. Trust me on this one…from the outside, it looks like a real dump, but inside it’s a really cool looking “pizza joint” with a handful of round tables and booths. Absolutely and I do mean ABSOLUTELY nothing fancy here, so feel free to where your favoirte shorts and tee shirt ensemble.

Anyway… the two guys who own Papa Giuseppe (Giuseppe-that figures and Tony) really know how to make some delicious stuff. The menu is loaded with appetizers, salads, soups, pastas, pizzas, subs, meat-seafood-chicken entrees. They have plenty of lunch specials and the “expected dinners”–soup or salad–garlic rolls–entree–pasta side.

A recent taste-test had me doing veal parmigiana ($16.95), chicken marsala ($13.95), red snapper marinara ($18.95), penne alla vodka ($13.95), chicken alla giuseppe ($15.95–grilled chicken, roasted peppers, broccoli, melted mozzarella cheese), large pizza ($11.95). Like I said before, the guys who own this joint know how to cook…I absolutely loved the food.

Just so we are 100% straight here, we are NOT talking upscale gourmet Italian food here…we are talking, neighborhood mom & pop–red sauce–pizza joint stuff. To be perfectly honest with you, I could eat stuff like this every night, along with God only knows how many Coke refills.

If you live or work in Papa Giuseppe’s neighborhood…try it. The joint is open Monday-Saturday 11am-11pm and Sunday 1pm-10pm.

***** Rickey’s Sports Bar & Grill, 8389 Pines Boulevard, Pembroke Pines, Florida 33024 (954) 744-4697.

Rickey’s Sports Bar & Grill is a “Sports Bar & Grill” located in Pembroke Pines. The joint has got some great hours for those of you who don’t have to eat by 5:30pm…Monday-Friday 4pm-4am and Saturday-Sunday noon-4am.

Now for sure, Rickey’s ain’t curing cancer here…but I got to tell you- for a “sports bar” this joint’s food is really good. You can check out all of the appetizers-soups-salads-sandwiches-burgers-wings-seafood/chicken/meat entress at www.rickeyspinesrestaurant.com. In addition to a real-good menu-selection, the prices are reasonable, there is a full bar and Rickey’s got the requisite load of flat screen tv sets…does anyone call them color tvs anymore?

I recently did…full rack of bbq babyback ribs ($17.95), bacon cheeseburger ($7.25), philly cheesesteak sandwich ($7.95), 12oz rib-eye steak ($12.95), grilled garlic shrimp with linguine ($10.95), tuna & chicken salad platter ($7.95—everything was real good.

Over the years, I have eaten in tons of sports bars…most of the time, the food in these joints is OK…but nothing to write home about. Now–not quite a first class letter, I’m gonna call Rickey’s a postcard. Enough…with the cute patter…I enjoyed the food and will definitely keep Rickey’s in mind for a second and third visit.