*****  Bongusto Ristorante, 5640 North Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33308 (954) 771-9635.

Let’s play Tony and Carmela Soprano…Bongusto is an “upsacle” white-table-cloth Italian restaurant…that reminds me of the “semi-fancy” joints that dotted the Brooklyn landscape in the 1960’s-1970’s….decor/ambiance/food/service-wise. Now stay with me…during a recent dinner, I expected Artie Bucco the owner of Nuovo Vesuvio to come walking out of the kitchen. I “kind of don’t think” that tee shirts and shorts are going to go over-big at this joint. Check Bongusto’s website www.bongustoitalian.com for menu/prices.

Bongusto only does dinner Tuesday-Saturday 5pm-10pm.

Now for the food story…very good. I really enjoyed (there were four of us), the veal parmigiana ($22.95), veal marsala ($23.95), chicken cacciatore ($22.95), fried calamari ($23.95), meat totellini in cream sauce ($20.95), grilled sword-fish ((26.95). The service was impeccable. The prices were surprisingly reasonable and all entrees came with a house salad and pasta side.

I am telling you, from the moment you step through the front-door…you will swear that you have “gone back-in-time”…or are on a “tv show’s production-lot.”

The next time you feel like putting on a pair of pants…give this joint a try.

*****  Fatburger, 947 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida 33139 (305) 534-9696.

Fatburger is a “national fast-food hamburger” chain. For right now, there are only 2 Florida locations…Miami Beach and Clearwater. I have eaten in both joints.

Fatburger’s decor is “steel-retro-diner.” Take a look at its website www.fatburger.com for menu/prices/details.

Now, I know it isn’t saying much…but Fatburger runs circles around McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King.

Now…if it’s a choice between Five Guys Burgers (www.fiveguys.com) and Fatburger, we go Five Guys all the way.

When/If… “In-N-Out Burger” (www.in-n-out.com) and/or “Whataburger” (www.whataburger.com) get here.. its Five Guys…In-N-Out…Whataburger…Fatburger.

 Anyway…If you want a real-good fast-food burger, you can’t go wrong at Fatburger.

The Fatburger in Miami Beach is open Monday-Wednesday 10am-2am, Friday-Saturday 24 hours and Sunday 7am-2am.

 ***** Abe & Louie’s, 2200 West Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida 3343 (561) 447-0024.

Abe & Louie’s is an “upscale-white tablecloth” steakhouse. There are currently two locations, Boca Raton and Boston. Let me send you to its website www.abeandlouies.com for menu/prices…there are also photos, so you should have a pretty good idea as to what this joint is all about.

Steady readers know, that my main “problem” with these type of joints, is that they “are usually full of themselves”…most of the time- the food is pretty decent, but the prices are extremely high and the service is often pretentious and condescending.

Now let’s talk about a recent dinner for two at Abe & Louie’s…

On a recent Saturday (8:30pm) we arrived “reservation-less”…the joint was packed to the rafters, BUT the very pleasant hostess found us a table in the bar-area where seating was on a “first come-first served” basis… We had an excellent waitress who knew the menu inside-and-out…Our order, onion soup ($8), caesar salad ($8), bone-in rib eye steak 24oz ($42), bone-in filet mignon ($45), onion strings ($8) and sauteed mushrooms ($8)…

Now about the food…the onion soup was salty, the caesar salad was just fine, the bone-in-rib eye was stringy and tasteless, the bone-in filet was delicious but ridiculousy small, the onion strings and sauteed mushrooms were good and could have served four people.

So…what do we have here? Let’s start with the bill…do the math, with 6.5% tax and 20% tip that’s over $150 and we drank tap-water and had no desserts. Service,  very good. Food, passable.

For sure, you can “finesse” what you order and come in with a slightly lower tab…but I  really don’t enjoy using a calculator when I eat out.

Abe & Louie’s is open Sunday-Friday 11;30am-11pm and Saturday 11:30am-midnight.

       Clock Restaurant, 10050 Calle Comercio, Boca Raton, Florida 33428 (561) 451-0703.

The  Clock Restaurant  does breakfast-lunch-dinner. It is open 7 days a week 6am-10pm.

It is a “coin flip” as to which is worse…Clock Restaurant or Denny’s.

How joints like this stay in business is anyone’s guess.

*****  Brass Monkey Tavern, 7 Lake Worth Road, Lake Worth, Florida (561)  968-9559.

Got a real-nice sports bar for you…good food-service-prices. Brass Monkey’s decor is sports-bar (tv sets, bar area, wood booths and tables) but it could also be “Mexican” then again “Italian”…when you are eating in this joint, you’ll know what I am talking about. Let’s just say, I like this joint’s layout because it doesn’t look like your “run of the mill” sports bar.

Before we go any further…Brass Monkey is a neighborhood joint. The operative word here, being NEIGHBORHOOD. So…if you live in Miami, or Coral Springs, or Weston (you get the picture), I wouldn’t be gassing the car up for a trip. On the other hand…if Brass Monkey is a realtively close neighbor, you now know about a joint where you can get some decent… appeizers, soups, salads, wings, burgers, sandwiches and meat/seafood/entrees.

By the way, Brass Monkey is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-2am and Friday-Saturday 11am-3am. The joint has live music Thursday-Saturday and other “entertainment” scheduled.

*****  Pancho’s Backyard, 433 East Sheridan Street, Dania, Florida 33004 (954) 921-2209.

Let’s call Pancho’s a “Mexican” joint that also makes a handful of Cuban and Argentinian dishes. Take a look at its website www.panchosbackyard.net for menu/prices.

Pancho’s is a casual restaurant…so feel free to wear your tee shirt/shorts ensemble. The menu is packed with quesadillas, empanadas, burritos, tacos and fajitas…you will definitely find something to eat.

This joint’s food is very good. I recently “sampled”…pork and shrimp fajitas, fried steak, grilled chicken breast, grilled pork chops and broiled chicken. Prices are reasonable and the service was just fine.

Now mind you… “we” wouldn’t be driving 20-30 miles to get to this joint, but if you live in Pancho’s Backyard (pun intended)…this is a good bet for a casual/reasonably priced Mexican-latin  lunch or dinner.

The joint is open Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm and Sunday 2pm-9pm.

*****  The Daily Creative Food Co., 2001 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, Florida 33157 (305) 573-4535.

Let me start by saying…I really enjoyed my “taste test” of… Asian sesame chicken salad, crab-cake sandwich, pulled bbq chicken sandwich, reuben sandwich and tuna-blt sandwich.

The best way to describe The Daily Creative Food Co…is a Panera Bread/Salad Creations/Subway/Jamba Juice/Starbucks combination on steroids. The joint has a menu that literally could choke a horse… loaded with soups, salads, sandwiches, coffees, smoothies and desserts. Don’t believe me? Check its website www.thedailycreativefoodco.com for menu/prices.

The Daily Creative Food Co. is a “one stop shopping” joint…order at the counter–food delivered to table.

Like I said before, I really enjoyed the food that I ordered. As for price-point, nothing too terrible. Steady readers know, that I usually don’t “go for” joints that “try and do it all”…this is an exception to the rule.

If you live or work in The Daily Creative Food Co.’s neighborhood…you got a real good eat-in/take-out joint that is open (now get ready for this) Monday-Wednesday 6am-6pm, Tuesday 3pm-6pm, Friday 6am-6pm, Saturday 7am-4pm and Sunday 8am-5pm.

*****  Mamma Mia’s Trattoria, 8855 Hypoluxo Road, Lake Worth, Florida 33467 (561) 963-9565.

There are literally tons of joints named Mamma Mia’s dotting the South Florida landscape. Just so you know, we are talking about Mamma Mia’s Trattoria which is located in LAKE WORTH.

Let me start by saying that…this “RED SAUCE-ITALIAN” joint is excellent. Unlike most of its neighborhood brethern, Mamma Mia’s is beautifully decorated in “stone-walls/mahogany tables. I don’t know about you.. but I am tired of walking into “mom & pop” joints and seeing booths enclosed in trelises. Anyway, Mamma’s decor is great looking, but tee shirts and shorts are just fine. By the way, the joint has an absolutely “huge” out-door patio…so if you like eating outside (that figures) you are covered.

Mamma’s menu is loaded with appetizers, soups, salads, subs, pastas, brick oven pizzas and meat/seafood/chicken entrees. The prices are neighborhood joint prices and the service is solid.

Now let’s talk food…delicious. A “taste test” of baked clams oreganatte, chicken sorrentino, chicken scarpiello (on the bone), veal marsala, eggplant parmigiana, gnocchi, meat lasagna and frutti di mare…tells me, that I definitely want to eat here again.

For those of you who live in Mamma’s neighborhood…you got a real winner for eat-in/take-out.

Mamma Mia’s is open 7-days a week for lunch and dinner.

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

My money says…that every “neighborhood” in America has a joint just like JP’s Bagel Place…for sure, the names are different, but the decor-ambiance-food-service-prices are basically the same.

JP’s Bagel Place in Hollywood, has been around since 1982. This joint is a “neighborhood” diner and seats maybe 20. JP’s does breakfast-lunch, Monday-Friday 7am-2pm and Saturday-Sunday 7am-1pm. Take a look at its website at www.jpbagel.com for menu/prices.

JP’s Bagel is not a “typical” South Florida bagel-deli with 522 types of bagels and 91 different cream cheese spreads…but rather, shall we say, a mini-diner/lunchonette…very similar to those that dotted the United States in the 1950’s-1980’s…long before guys like Starbuck’s arrived on the scene. Guaranteed, this joint’s waitresses will “remember” you after you have eaten there once or twice.

I love joints like JP’s…real easy going atmosphere, terrific wait-staff and cheeseburgers/fries that go for $4.75 and chicken parm subs for $6.25.

If you live in JP’s neighborhood, you now know about a great place for a casual-inexpensive breakfast or lunch.

By the way, as a kid growing up in Brooklyn in the 1950’s-1960’s “my” JP’s were, The Federal Restaurant, George’s Restaurant and Sammy’s Lunchonette…and that $4.75 cheeseburger/fries cost 40 cents…but, that’s a story for another day.

***** Grand Lake Chinese Cuisine, 7750 Okeechobee Boulevard, West Palm Beach, Florida 33411 (561) 681-1388.

I got a Chinese Restaurant that is absolutely terrific. That’s right TERRIFIC.

You have to try…Grand Lake Chinese Cuisine located in West Palm Beach. It’s not fancy, but it’s not as “dumpy” as most of the joints down here in South Florida. So much for decor.

Grand Lake has a very extensive menu…it’s got all of my “1950’s Brooklyn” favorites as well as dishes that I am too scared to try. Throw in something like 50 different dim sum…and you got an “extensive” menu.

Just so you know, there were six of us…wonton soup, roast duck noodle soup, egg rolls, pan fried pork dumplings, bbq spare ribs, roast pork fried rice, sweet and sour pork, general tso’s chicken, honey garlic chicken, shrimp with garlic sauce, t-bone steak, moo shu pork and peking pork chop. Everything was delicious.

Put Grand Lake on your “must try” list. The joint is open 7 days a week 11am-11pm and its dishes are “neighborhood” prices.