Rita’s, 9858 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33434 (561) 479-1740.

Rita’s is an “ices-custard” chain which currently has locations in 18 states…for right now, South Florida has joints in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Pembroke Pines, Royal Palm Beach and Tamarac, with plans to open loads more. Take a look at Rita’s website www.ritasice.com for locations/menu/details.

The other night around  7pm, I stopped by the “newest” Rita’s in Boca Raton. The joint had a line of about 15 people…Give or take, one or two people, every person had a “buy one get one free coupon.”…so we’ll have to wait and see if the “following” is for real or not.

I will tell you, that I found the Rita’s signage to be very confusing…the joint has a ton of products and supposedly makes 4 flavors of ices fresh each day…there is low-calorie stuff, sugar-free stuff. After getting my ices (lemon), I hung-around a for 20 minutes or so and noticed that almost every person on line had to have the counter-people explain the menu-offerings…this is not a good sign to me (pun intended)…After-all, Rita’s isn’t trying to do brain surgery here.

I will tell you, that the the ices that I had were no big deal and I found absolutely nothing so spectactular at this joint, that would make me run back real soon.

I could be wrong here, but I think that I would rather be the franchisor of this concept than the franchisee who has to make his/or her daily living from this business.

*****  Catfish Deweys, 4003 North Andrews Avenue, Oakland Park, Florida 33309 (954) 566-5333.

Got a real good, low keyed “seafood” joint for you…Catfish Deweys. Nothing fancy, so tee shirts/shorts are just fine. Check-out Catfish’s website at www.catfishdeweys.com for menu/prices/details.

Good food…good prices…good service. Nothing “gourmet” here, but plenty of stuff to choose from. There are “specials” all-the-time, so the price is always right. Just one quick observation…for non-seafood-lovers, the menu is a bit limited for my taste. You guys should be able to find something to eat, but I think that a few more “dishes” would help the situation.

Catfish Deweys has been around since 1984. The joint does lunch and dinner 7-days a week…11:30am-10pm.

If you like catfish (and who doesn’t?) this is the joint for you…don’t worry, Catfish Deweys has plenty of other seafood selections.

*****  Bagels N More, 2368 North Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33305 (954) 564-4610.

You know and I know that there are more bagel joints in South Florida, than there are  Chins in a Chinese phonebook (line courtesy of Soupy Sales circa 1964). To be perfectly honest with you, these “hole in the wall” joints are “on paper” basically all the same…decent enough bagels, eggs, appetizing and deli…nothing “gourmet” just nice places to catch a reasonably priced breakfast or lunch…they usually serve “National Brand” deli and open at 7am and close at 3pm. Every so often, “one” of these joints surprises on the upside and does something that makes it stand-out just a bit. Maybe it’s the food…maybe it’s the service…maybe it’s the decor… Over the past few years, I have tried to point out bagel joints that are the “best of breed.”

Bagels N More is one of the better bagel joints down here in South Florida. Take a look at its website at www.bagelnmore.net for menu/prices. Besides having delicious food and competent service…Bagels N More offers an array of “specialty” bagels and  “gourmet” sandwiches that most bagel joints wouldn’t even attempt…such as grilled mahi and peppered smoked salmon & bacon. For sure, this joint has all of the  “expected” breakfast-lunch stuff, but its willingness to expand  on the basic-bagel-joint concept…makes it a member of the “best of breed.”

Bagels N More is open Monday-Friday 7am-3pm and  Saturday-Sunday 7:30am-2:30am.

*****  Alfonso’s Arthur Avenue Deli, 3429 Galt Ocean Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33308, (954) 533-0351.

You can thank me later for giving you Alfonso’s Arthur Avenue Deli…the consummate “hole in the wall” Italian deli/restaurant combination. This joint is an absolute “must try.” You name it and this joint probably has it, or will make it for you…Eat-in/Take-out soups, salads, pizzas, sandwiches, pastas, cannolis, deli meats, cheeses.

I am telling you that Alfonso’s makes some heavy duty great stuff…my last sojourn netted me a chicken parmigiana sub ($8.95), a sausage/peppers/onions sub ($8.95), a slice of pizza ($2.75) and a cannoli ($1.25)…and no, I didn’t eat everything in one sitting.

Alfonso’s is open Monday-Saturday 9am-7pm and Sunday 10am-5pm.

*****  Southport Raw Bar, 1536 Cordova Road, Fort Laudredale, Florida 33316 (954) 525-CLAM.

You guys sure are lucky…Yesterday (10/06/08) I told you about a great South Florida seafood joint named Tarks…and today you get another great South Florida seafood joint named Southport Raw Bar.

Southport is an absolute dynamite place…it is sort of like Tarks on steroids. Take a look at this joint’s website at www.southportrawbar.com for menu/prices/details. After checking the site, I think you will agree that Southport should absolutely be on your “to go” list.

Southport is located on the intracoastal…Indoor/outdoor patio seating (be smart and sit outside)…great food, great service, great prices…Primarily seafood, but it has just enough of the other stuff, so no one will go without eating. This is a real easy-casual joint, so make sure that you are in tee shirts/shorts or less. If you are looking for “fancy”…Southport which has been around for something like 30 years isn’t your game.

Southport is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-2am and Friday-Saturday 11am-3am.

No fooling around…make it your business to check this joint out and bring your out-of-town friends with you. After your pals eat at Southport they will appreciate why you tolerate hurricanes.

http://members.aol.com/tarksdania/tarksclamstand.html. This is the consummate/ultimate “hole in the wall” seafood joint…mini-sit down-counter/and a few tables. If you wear anything but tee shirts/shorts you will look real and I do mean real…silly.

Take a look at the menu/prices listed on the website…real reasonable prices and absolutely great food. Although this joint is seafood “oriented”…the chicken wings and steak are also very good.

Like I said before, this is a hole in the wall…so do yourself a favor and don’t plan on showing up with loads of friends…seating is real-sparse.

Tarks has been around since 1966…It has an enormous “local” following, so when you are stuffing your face, speak “Danian.” If you are looking for fancy, this joint ain’t for you.

Tarks is open 7 days a week 11am-10pm except Saturday 11am-11pm.

I highly recommend Tarks… its food-decor-menu-prices-service make it the perfect “seafood” joint.

*****  Pita Nosh, 2900 Sample Road (Festival Flea Market), Pompano Beach, Florida 33073, (954) 968-5747.

Delicious soups and absolutely great knishes in this food-court joint.  Just that simple.

Pita Nosh is open Monday-Friday 9:30am-5pm and Saturday-Sunday 9:30am-6pm.

Kill two birds with one stone…eat a knish and then get a $5 battery for your watch.

*****  Lynora’s Italian Restaurant, 5283 Lake Worth Road, Greenacres, Florida 33463 (561) 967-1431.

Not exactly sure how long this joint has been around, but I have been eating there since 1991.

Lynora’s “looks like” an upscale Southern Italian Restaurant…with its white-tablecloths and old-world furnishings, but it’s not. Lynora’s is actually a “neighborhood-red sauce-Italian” joint that serves delicious food at extremely reasonable prices. We are talking salad/pasta side/veal parmigiana $14.95…salad/pasta side/chicken francese $14.50…salad/pasta side/chicken marsala $14.50…salad/pasta side/shrimp marina $16.50.

Although Lynora’s has white-tablecloths and a handsome old-world decor, tee shirts/shorts are just fine. Take a look at website www.afewgoodmenus.com for menu/prices/hours/details. The folks who own this joint are super nice and really try their best to make you feel right at home.

You know and I know that “red sauce Italian” joints dot the Southern Florida landscape…seemingly they all look like, that being glorified pizza joints. Lynora’s housed in a free-standing building is like a breath of fresh air.

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

*****  “Anthology” Beatles’ Tribute Band

Take a look at the review that I did on August 10, 2008 on a joint named Galuppi’s. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

The Beatles’ tribute band “Anthology” featured in that writeup is scheduled to play Galuppi’s on Friday night, October 10, 2008.

Just a suggestion…if this type of music/food is your bag, call Galuppi’s and make a reservation. The last time out, this band blew away the joint as an enormous crowd ate/drank/sang/danced.

*****  C.R. Chicks, 731 Village Boulevard, West Palm Beach, Florida 33409 (561) 616-8819.

I have a handful of friends who absolutely swear by the “rotisserie chicken” made by Costco…I also have friends who absolutely swear by the “rotisserie chicken” made by Boston Market…personally, I think that both chickens are absolute garbage…Besides not caring one iota for the taste, I think that these birds’ immense popularity are price-driven.

Now, let me tell you about one of the “best birds” down here in South Florida…that being the ones made by C.R. Chicks which currently has 7 locations. Take a look at this joint’s website at www.crchickswpb.com for menu/prices/photos/details.

Let me put it to you like this…C.R. Chicks which is part-restaurant…part-takeout…makes absolutely great bbq chicken. The joint also makes terrific soups, salads, sides, meatloaf, pastas and sandwiches.

C.R. Chicks are absolute “holes in the walls”…takeout counter, small beach motiff dining area…end of story. The only problem I have with this “chain,” is that it only has 7-stores and the closest one to my house is 26 miles away.

If you live anywhere near a C.R. Chicks, be smart and forget about Costco and Boston Market…Maybe and I stress the word maybe (because there are all kinds of “specials”)… when all is said and done, this joint is a buck or two more expensive than those bargain basement chickens that people flock to (pun intended).

C. R. Chicks is open 7-days 11:30am-9pm. Like I said before, this is both a takeout/eat in joint…I am telling you that you definitely want to try C.R. Chicks.