*****  Times Square Pizzeria, 6006 Southwest 18th Street, Boca Raton 33433, Florida  (561) 393-6757.

For the past 15 years, Time Square Pizzeria was a “neighborhood-hole in the wall pizza joint” where I practiced speaking Italian, “Two slices and a large Coke.” The joint made a decent slice…end of story–almost.

About six months ago, Times Square closed…and started a construction project which resulted in its demolishing its existing space and combining it with an empty store next door. The “new” Times Square re-opened for business a few weeks ago and is now a “real” Italian Restaurant…it has large booths and redwood tables for dining…and a wait-staff.

Last night I gave this joint a try… and I have to tell you, that Times Square is probably as good if not better than your favorite neighborhood joint. The menu is loaded with pizzas, pastas, subs, appetizers, chicken/meat/seafood entrees. Just so we are straight, we are not talking gourmet stuff here…we are talking, soup or salad/garlic rolls/ pasta side/shrimp scampi $16.95…veal parmigiana $16.95…chicken marsala $15.95.

If you live in the Boca Raton area, you now know about a “new” joint for eat-in and take-out. Times Square is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner.

*****  Pastrami Queen, 7132 Beracasa Way, Boca Raton, Florida 33433 (561) 391-8989.

My computer’s search engines tell me that “this” is the first review of Boca Raton’s newest “kosher-style deli”…so say hello to Pastrami Queen. Let me start by saying, that this joint has a pedigree history…that being, it is owned by the same family which owned/operated the famous (and I do mean famous) Pastrami King in Queens, New York and Pastrami Queen in Manhattan. Just so you know, over the years, I must have eaten in the two New York locations something like 50 times…the food was absolutely delicious and the portions enormous.

Last night, I gave the newest location a try…Pastrami Queen has only been open 1 week and  based on my first outing, this restaurant has a shot to develop into a Boca Raton landmark. Pastrami Queen looks like an old New York deli circa 1960-1970…there are large take-out display cases and maybe seating for 60. The joint is still being “decorated” but it has a very warm-simple- neighborhood feel to it. Pastrami Queen’s menu is 7 pages long and is literally packed, with every “dish” that your little heart (and not your cardiologist’s) could desire…soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, knishes, potato pancakes, eggs, chicken/meat/fish entrees…like I said, you name it and this joint probably has it. Last night I “sampled” a meat platter of brisket-pastrami-corned beef which came with a side of french-fries ($14.99)…the meats were delicious and the fries gave Nathan’s Famous a run for the money…by the way, there was enough meat, cole slaw and rye bread to feed 3 hungry people. I also tried the roast chicken and sweet potato fries… they were also terrific.

Like I said before, this joint has only been open 1 week…but you wouldn’t know it. The wait-staff was efficient and the food was prepared exactly as ordered. I guess it doesn’t hurt having owners Gary and Denise in the “front-of-the-house” and Paul ( formerly Ben’s Kosher Deli’s dining-room manager) keeping a close eye on the kitchen-staff.  Pastrami Queen hit the ground running…and the food is as good as the stuff that the New York joints served.

Although Pastrami Queen is basically a neighborhood deli, it goes the extra mile in the “food-presentation department”…art deco plates, fries served in cannisters lined with faux newspaper, fried chicken delivered to the table in buckets a la Colonel Sanders… matzoh balls the size of softballs.

Just so we are straight…Pastrami Queen is not and I repeat not, a “bagel joint”…it is a deli-restaurant. Pastrami Queen is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner 11am-9pm.

I am telling you…Pastrami Queen is going to develop an absolutely huge following…you now know about a terrific joint long before the masses do.

*****  Randazzo’s Little Italy, 150 Giralda Street, Coral Gables, Florida 33134 (305) 448-7002.

Got a terrific Italian Restaurant for you to try…Randazzo’s Little Italy. In addition to having delicious food…efficient wait-staff…large portions…reasonable prices…Randazzo’s has an owner who if you piss him off, could actually knock you out…the joint is owned/operated by former cruiser-weight boxing champion Marc Randazzo.

The best way to describe Randazzo’s decor-ambiance is ADRIAN’S…let me explain. Rent yourself a copy of Sylvester Stallone’s latest Rocky film, “Rocky Balboa”…in the film, Rocky is a retired boxer who owns/operates a restaurant named after his late wife, Adrian…Rocky’s joint is decorated with a combination of stuff which includes boxing memorabilia and Rocky walks around the joint “schmoozing” the clientele.  Randazzo’s which has a red/white table cloth setup, is decorated with all  kinds of photos of “this and that” and boxing memorabilia… it is owned/operated by a retired boxing champion, who likes to “schmooze”…sound familiar?

Anyway…this is a terrific place. It has limited seating and the two times that I ate dinner there, it was jammed with “tons” of folks waiting for tables. This joint has all of the usual dishes and many portions are enough to feed two or more…ask the server when ordering…no need to over-order/over-spend. By the way, if you don’t like the food, keep it to yourself, as Marc had one of the best left-hands in his divsion.

Randazzo’s is open for lunch Monday-Friday 11:30am-2:30pm, Monday-Saturday for dinner, closed on Sunday.

You can check menu/prices at randazzoslittleitaly.com.

*****  Mamma Leone’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria, 7100 Fairway Drive, Palms Beach Gardens, Florida 33418 (561) 694-8184.

Mamma Leone’s is a “hole-in-the-wall-red-sauce” joint which has been serving some-pretty decent stuff for something like 15 years.  Mamma’s menu is loaded with pizzas, pastas, meat/chicken/seafood entrees. Just so we are straight, as if you didn’t know, Mamma’s is not serving gourmet food…but is a very good neighborhood joint, that turns out decent-enough food at very reasonable prices.

Over the years, I have eaten in this joint exactly 3 times…I have “sampled” the tortellini alfredo, baked ziti, chicken parmigiana, chicken cacciatore, veal marsala, shrimp scampi and veal piccata…like I said, we are not talking gourmet stuff here, but each dish was as good as that served by the local joints in my neighborhood.

Mamma Leone’s prices and service are right in-line with what you would expect from a neighborhood Italian pizzeria joint.  If you live in the area, this is a very good joint to know about for eat-in and take-out. By the way, Mamma always runs a handful of specials…the latest being– $8.95 “Sunset Special” that includes entree, glass of wine and cannoli dessert…

Mamma Leone’s is open Monday-Saturday 11am-10pm and Sunday 3pm-10pm.

*****  Tony’s Authentic Brooklyn Pizza, 23269 State Road 7, Boca Raton, Florida 33428 (561) 483-6464.

Call it coincidence…during the past two months, four people who don’t know each other…told me that Tony’s Authentic Brooklyn Pizza made one of the best slices in South Florida.

Tonight,  I gave this “hole in the wall” joint which seats maybe 16 inside and 6 outside a try.  Guess what?…Tony’s makes one of the best slices in South Florida…the crust was thin and crispy, the sauce just sweet enough and the right amount of oil dripped when the slice was folded/and pointed down. In addition to the pizza, I had a small-tossed salad ($3.99) that was big enough to feed two and was as fresh and crisp as can be. By the way, a slice goes for $2.25, with a large pie running $12.99.

In addition to pizza and salads, Tony’s has a full lineup of subs, pastas…the joint also has wings and burgers… For some unknown reason, Tony’s doesn’t have the usual “stable” of  soups or veal parmigiana. Based on the pizza and salad, my money says that Tony’s other stuff is also very good.

I have to tell you, that Tony’s slice reminded me of my Brooklyn days and and all of those 15 cents slices that I devoured on my way home from Erasmus Hall High School…Like I said before, the pizza was absolutely delicious.

If you live in Boca Raton or near-by, give this joint a try. Tony’s is open Monday-Saturday noon-9pm and Sunday 5pm-9pm. By the way, Tony’s as you would “expect” is located in an obscure neighborhood strip-center…so get some directions before you make the trip.

    Prime. One. Twelve. 112 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33139 (305) 532-8112.

Prime. One. Twelve. is an “upscale” steakhouse located in “South Beach. For years, friends of mine (who shall remain nameless) have told me that it was an absolutely incredible restaurant and that it was probably the best steak joint that they had ever eaten in. Being the investigative reporter that I am, I and three others gave Prime a shot last night (Saturday)…

Prime. One. Twelve is a an upscale steakhouse that is expensive, even when compared to similar joints like Morton’s, New York Prime and Ruth’s Cris that dot the South Florida landscape… for example…forgetting about the steaks, most sides go for $13. To be perfectly honest with you, the food was just okay…the chef or the owners must own a salt-mine or something, because every dish from the steaks…carmalized onions… mashed potatoes was oversalted. The steaks were passable, but trust me on this, not worth spending what some people make as a day’s pay-for.

Like I said before, this joint is located in South Beach. Last night, it was absolutely packed when we arrived at 8:10pm and still had people waiting to be seated when we left at 10:20pm. This joint is what I call a “scene” joint….People go there to see and be seen. The crowd inside and “hanging-outside” were all pretty sharp looking…Prime isn’t just about the food, so let’s call it a food-scene joint. Take a look at Prime’s website at www.prime112.com for menu/photo/details…by the way, there is a mute button, so you don’t have to listen to Frank Sinatra singing in the background…

My personal take-on this dining “experience” is that this joint which draws the well-heeled/celebrity crowd has location, location, location going for it and not much else.

One final and positive note…joints like this, are usually populated by mangers and wait-staffs that do their best to intimidate customers with their “scripted” menu-knowledge (you know what I am talking about)…last night we had one of the most pleasant, relaxed, personable and efficient waiters that I have come across in years…his name is Chris and Prime. One. Twelve has a real winner in this guy…maybe Prime. One. Twelve should let Chris cook the food and re-price the menu…because for right now, as far as I am concerned, the food isn’t very good and the prices are absurd.

*****  Tropical Acres Steakhouse, 2500 Griffin Road, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33312 (954) 989-2500.

A few reviews ago, we discussed  the never-ending search to find “moderately” priced steakhouses (Manero’s 8/28/08 & Raindancer 8/29/08) that serve great food at reasonable prices and have waiters-waitresses who don’t treat you like crap…say hello to Tropical Acres which has been in business since 1949. Checkout this joint’s website at www.tropicalacres.com for menu/prices/details.

Tropical Acres has terrific food…steaks, seafood, not to mention a handful of Italian dishes. Great wait-staff…and prices that are something like 50% less than those charged by the Robber Barons…they and you know who they are. The joint is just fancy enough to warrant your throwing on a pair of long-pants, but I think that shorts won’t get you “shown” the door.

Like I said before, the joint has been around since 1949, so just maybe it has been doing something right. Tropical Acres is open 7 days a week from 4:30pm-10pm…please note that it is closed on Sundays, July-October.

*****  Tobacco Road, 626 South Miami Avenue, Miami, Florida 33130 (305) 374-1198.

Tobacco Road has “in-one-form-or-another” been in business since 1912…as a matter of fact, it holds the oldest liquor-license in Miami-Dade. Do yourself a favor and go to this joint’s website at www.tobacco-road.com where you can checkout history/menu/prices/details.

Just so we are straight…Tobacco Road is a grungy bar which 7 days a week…upstairs/downstairs/outside has some type of live-music playing…this joint covers everything… rock, latin, funk…you name it. The menu is limited, but the burgers are absolutely terrific and there are always “specials” like “Lobster Night” being run….You go to a joint like Tobacco Road for the “whole package”…decent food, beer/booze, reasonable prices, grungy “ambiance”…and MUSIC.

Unless, you are a real uptight character, I guarantee that you will have a great time at this joint which is open 7 days a week from 11:30am-5am.

*****  Scotty’s Landing, 3381 Pan American Drive, Coconut Grove, Florida 33133 (305) 854-2626.

First let me start by saying, that tee shirts/shorts are considered “formal wear” at Scotty’s Landing.  This joint doesn’t have a website, so picture an outdoor bar/restaurant where you eat and drink under a huge striped awning…the joint is located right on Biscayne Bay, and has enough appetizers, salads, sandwiches and burgers at diner-prices to please everyone. Gourmet food?…now let’s get serious. If you looked-up the word “casual” in your Webster’s, you’d find Scotty’s picture…this joint is all about the weather, the view and eating and drinking outside with no drama!

Scotty’s is why we all live down here in South Florida…take your New York friends to this joint and I guarantee that after they eat, they will run to a real estate broker to find them an apartment or a condo for next “Season.”

Scotty’s is open for lunch and dinner Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm and Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm.

*****  Boca Pita Express, 7158 Beracasa Way, Boca Raton, Florida 33433 (561) 750-0088.

If glatt kosher fast food is your game, I got a real good joint for you, Boca Pita Express located in Boca Raton. Boca Pita covers all of the bases…burgers, hot dogs, philly steak subs, salads, soups, pita sandwiches, sushi and all kinds of Chinese dishes including honey chicken, sesame chicken and  pepper steak.

Boca Pita is an absolute hole in the wall…maybe 25 can eat inside and 10 outside…order at the counter-pickup at the counter.

Tonight I “sampled” a hamburger, spicy sausage pita sandwich and General Tso’s chicken…all were delicious. As for pricing, the burger was $4.79, the spicy sausage $8.99 and the General Tso’s chicken with a fried rice side and egg roll $14.99.

Like I said before, if glatt kosher is your game, Boca Pita is a place that you should know about. The joint is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-9pm, Friday 11am-3pm…