***** The Original Pancake House, 7146 Beracasa Way, Boca Raton, Florida 33483 (561) 395-2303.

The Original Pancake House is a “pancake house”…think Denny’s, Perkins, IHOP and you got the picture. There are currently, 9 locations in South Florida.

Now…for the report. The Original Pancake House (I tried the Boca Raton location) runs absolute circles around Denny’s, Perkin’s and IHOP. Just so we are straight, anything and everybody runs circles around Denny’s, which “in my humble opinion” is one of the worst run–disgusting chains in all-of-America. On the other hand, Perkin’s and IHOP are decent-enough and serve reasonably priced breakfast and other stuff…

As mentioned previously…The Original Pancake House is the best of breed. Real good eggs, pancakes, waffles, soups, salads, sandwiches. If you are looking for top-notch bagels, bialys, appetizing, this chain ain’t for you. Think rural-America and you’ll do just fine here.

If you need a break (everyone does) from the bagel-deli arena…give The Original Pancake House a shot. The company’s website www.ophsf.fdn.com has menu/prices/locations.

Depending on location..all do breakfast & lunch, some do dinner.

Pete’s Cafe Bella Sera, 7351 North State Road 7, Parkland, Florida 333073 (954) 346-7373.

I think Yogi Berra once said…”fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.”…or maybe it was Soupy Sales who once said it, or maybe it was Professor Irwin Corey…anyway—

About 5 years ago, I ate at Pete’s Cafe Bella Sera which is an “upscale–white tablecloth” Italian joint in Parkland. 5 years ago, I found the food FAIR—the service FAIR—the prices to be ridiculously and I do mean ridiculously HIGH. Shame on you Pete.

Last night I ate at Pete’s Cafe Bella Sera. I found the food FAIR—the service FAIR—the prices to be ridiculously and I do mean ridiculously HIGH. Shame on you Jeff.

Trust me on this…The veal chop parmigiana ($44.95), eggplant marinara ($23.95), chicken parmigiana (24.95) weren’t even close to being worth the money that this joint fetches.

This joint is an absolute waste of time and good hard earned money.

If you are still interested…Pete’s website www.petescafebellasera.com has menu/prices details.

***** Sun Rice Chinese Restaurant, 6300 Powerline Road, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (954) 771-7887.

Sun Rice Chinese Restaurant has maybe a 1/2 dozen tables…it’s main game is takeout. Check Sun Rice’s website www.sunriceonline.com for menu/prices.

This joint makes some real good Chinese food. A recent taste-test of won-ton soup, bbq ribs, egg roll, pan fried dumplings, sweet & sour chicken, roast pork fried rice, shrimp with lobster sauce, pepper steak…A-Ok.

Sun Rice is a NEIGHBORHOOD joint. Neighborhood prices. Neighborhood specials.

I will tell you, that Sun Rice’s food is better than most of the joints in my neighborhood…and probably yours.

Sun Rice is open 7 days a week.

***** Rustic Diner, 706 Boynton Beach Boulevard, Boynton Beach, Florida 33426 (561) 944-7268.

A few of you guys recently emailed telling me that had I had to try the Rustic Diner in Boynton Beach…so, your wish is my command.

The Rustic Diner has been open for something like 3 weeks…it is located on Boynton Beach Boulevard just west of I-95 in a non-descript strip center…its next door neighbor is a checking-cashing joint.

In a prior life, the location was the home to a mom & pop Italian red-sauce joint, Mama Jennie’s. Give or take a new paint job and a few paintings, I’m gonna bet that the Rustic’s owners didn’t do much cosmetic surgery on the decor.

Now let’s talk particulars…

The Rustic Diner seats 80…booths and tables. The menu is extremely reasonably priced and is loaded with breakfast stuff (and I do mean loaded)… the joint also has a nice selection of soups, salads, wraps, sandwiches, burgers, meat-seafood-chicken “daily specials” entrees. Just so you know, breakfast is served all-day and the joint is planning to offer a dinner-menu in the near future.

Now for my taste-test…I sampled a western omelette which “came out” of the kitchen exactly as ordered, slightly well done…it was delicious. I also gave the philly cheese steak sub a shot…like the western, right on the money…being a glutton for punishment (all for you guys), I also nibbled a cheeseburger, chicken caesar wrap, a side of french fries and an order of onion rings…let’s just say, that the Rustic Diner sure knows how to make these diner staples…from what I understand one of the guys manning the kitchen use to be the “cook” at the now defunct Lakeside Diner which was a pretty good joint in its own right.

I’m gonna let you in on a little secret…very few people know about this joint. Like I said before, it has only been around for 3 weeks or so and has done no advertising whatsoever. This is strictly a “mom & pop” operation, with the owners putting their personal touch on everything going on in the dining room… and everything coming out of the kitchen.

I love joints like this…If you want a really good breakfast-lunch in an un-assuming down to earth neighborhood diner… you gotta give Rustic Diner a shot.

***** Flakowitz of Boynton, 7410 West Boynton Beach Boulevard, Boynton Beach, Florida 33437 (561) 742-4144.

Let’s see…back on May 8, 2009 I did a writeup on a “New York Style” bagel-deli joint named, Flakowitz of East Boca. Check that review at your leisure. Basically, I said good for breakfast, not so good for lunch and dinner. Anyway…I’m not sure of the politics or business here, but from what I gather, over the years/and currently, there are and continue to be a number of Flakowitz joints in South Florida that were/are owned by different people. So…Flakowitz of Boynton is not affiliated with any other Flakowitz.

That said…this review is about FLAKOWITZ of BOYNTON. You can check the joint’s website at www.flakowitz.com for menu/prices.

Flakowitz of Boynton is one of the best “bagel-deli” joints that I have eaten in South Florida. Very good bagles. Delicious appetizing. Very good deli meats. Large portions. Very reasonable prices.

If your game is “bagel-deli” joints…Flakowitz is for you. I recently did breakfast and dinner…like I said, very good bagels (did an “everything” and “poppy”) and a delicious–western. Tried the corned beef, pastrami, brisket, tuna salad and stuffed cabbage…top-notch for a bagel-deli. Also, really enjoyed the matzoh ball soup and roast chicken.

Flakowitz is open 7 days a week 7am-7:45pm.

***** Walter’s Coffee Shop, 17009 South Dixie Highway, Palmetto Bay, Florida 33157 (305) 232-1235.

Let’s call Walter’s Coffee Shop a “greasy spoon diner.” The joint has been around (in one form or another) since 1965 and other than a flat screen tv…the joint is still 1965!

Walter’s is my kinda joint…big breakfasts, burgers, onion rings, french fries drenched in ketchup. You can booth it or sit at the counter.

A recent outing had me “doing” a bacon cheeseburger/fries/onion rings—tuna on white toast—blt. This is a DINER. Nothing and I do mean NOTHING fancy here.

I don’t know about you guys, but I grew up in Brooklyn in the 1950’s-1960’s on mom & pop joints just like Walter’s. Back then, my favorites were the “Federal” on Cortelyou Road and “George’s” on Coney Island Avenue.

You can check walterscoffeeshop.com for menu/prices/photos/other stuff.

Walter’s is good stuff. Good prices. Good service. It’s a throwback to the way things use to be, before huge chains took over the world.

Walter’s is open Monday-Friday 5:30am-2:30pm, Saturday 5;30am-1pm and is closed on Sunday.

***** Brian Bergdoll *****

Got something a little different to tell you about…Brian Bergdoll, a John Travolta–Mick Jagger impersonator. I saw this guy in action at the Woodfield Country Club on November 14th-15th…and I got to tell you, I have never seen a more dead-on impersonator than Brian. You’d swear that John Travolta and Mick Jagger were singing and dancing right in front of you. What amazed me, is the level of energy that this guy has…he was on non-stop on Saturday the 14th from 7:30pm-12:30pm and then again on Sunday the 15th from noon-3pm.

Brian’s website is www.briantravolta.com.

Just so you know, although Brian is based out of New York City.. he performs at parties,clubs and corporate functions all over the United States. I also understand that Brian’s rates are extremely reasonable.

So…if you want something special for an event…you now know about Brian Bergdoll.

***** Marley’s Island Time Bar & Grill, 800 Palm Trail, Delray Beach, Florida 33483 (561) 243-9924.

Marley’s Island Time…food with a Carribean spin. Eat inside or outside under a covered patio. The menu isn’t gigantic, but there is enough of a choice so nobody’s gonna get pissed.

I really enjoyed this joint…we sat outside. A recent outing had me doing…curried shrimp, Jamaican jerk chicken, ribeye steak, bbq ribs, broiled salmon. Like I said before, Carribean spin…but you can get some basic “American” dishes –like burgers. On the price front…that ribeye will set you back $18.50 and the ribs run $17.25…salmon fetches $18.50. The lunch menu has many of the same dishes at discounted prices. Nice sized portions. Very pleasant wait-staff.

For menu/prices…check Marley’s website www.marleysislandtime.com

Marley’s is closed on Monday…Breakfast–Saturday & Sunday… Lunch & Dinner–Tuesday-Sunday.

Just so you know, the joint’s got white table cloths…but it is real easy and your tee shirt–shorts ensemble will work quite nicely.

***** Bagel Bagel Cafe, 6370 North State Road 7, Coconut Creek, Florida 33073 (954) 427-7912.

Bagel Bagel is a “self-serve” bagel joint…order at/pickup at the counter.

For our purposes, there is a Bagel Bagel located in Coconut Creek…there are also 3 locations in Tallahassee, 1 in Ft. Myers and 1 in Orlando.

Take a look at this joint’s website www.bagelbagelcafe.com for menu details. If you are too lazy to “search” –the menu is loaded with breakfast items, specialty coffees, soups, salads, sandwiches and wraps. Prices are bagel-joint type prices…you won’t need a second job to eat breakfast or lunch at Bagel Bagel.

I like this concept. A recent outing had me “trying” tuna salad, french onion soup, grilled chicken caesar wrap, scrambled eggs with bacon/cheese on a bagel. Good stuff! Fast & Efficent! Reasonable Prices!

A nice change, from the “standard” wait-service bagel place. Real easy going…

Try this one…Bagel Bagel is open Monday-Friday 6am-5pm and Saturday-Sunday 7am-5pm.

***** Deli On Rye, 4311 North Federal Highway, Boca Raton, Florida 33431 (561) 347-1400.

Got a real good “New York Style Bagel-Deli” joint for you…Deli On Rye in Boca Raton. Just as you would expect, this hole in the wall—is located in a non-descript strip center on Federal Highway…so you’re gonna have to look real-hard for it.

Deli On Rye is not and I emphasize the word NOT…in the same league as “real delis” like Pastrami Queen, Pomperdale and Ben’s when it comes to the tradtional deli meats (corned beef, pastrami, tongue etc.)…but for a bagel-deli joint, it is one of the best that I have eaten in… down here in South Florida.

Check Deli On Rye’s website www.delionrye.com for menu/prices. One little thing that caugt my eye, the site says “Chivers Platters Available”…what in the world is a chivers platter?

Deli On Rye’s menu is loaded with appetizers, soups, salads, subs, sandwiches and all kinds of breakfast stuff. A recent outing had me “sampling” chicken salad, tuna salad, corned beef, pastrami, chicken noodle soup…the food was real good. Let’s call this joint a “hybrid”…bagel store meets deli.

Deli On Rye is open Monday=Friday 7am-4pm and Saturday-Sunday 7am-3pm.