*****  Muncheez, 6640 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida 33141 (305) 868-8282.

Muncheez is a “hole-in-the-wall” American-fast-food joint. Something like 2 tables inside and 2 tables outside. Take a look at www.eatatmuncheez.com for menu/prices.

Muncheez is my kind of joint…wings, chicken fingers, burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, salads, onion rings, french fries. Order and pickup at the counter.

In a recent outing, I was like a pig in sh@t… cheeseburger and fries drenched in ketchup, grilled Sabrett hot dog topped with mustard and sauerkraut, onion rings and a Coke. Just what the old cardiologist ordered.

Muncheez is a real good place to know about, when the “urge” hits (which in my case is every day). The joint is open Friday-Saturday 8am-midnight and Sunday-Thursday 11am-11pm.

*****  La Sandwicherie, 229 14th Street, Miami Beach, Florida 33139 (305) 532-8934.

Do you know why the Avenue de Chames-Elysees is lined with enormous-shade-oak trees?…So the marching German troops don’t get over-heated.

Anyway…La Sandwicherie is an absolutely dynamite “French Sandwich” joint…check its website www.lasandwicherie.com for menu/prices.  By the way, you won’t need 3 years of high school French to figure out that… La Sandwicherie is really just a “sub-grinder-hero” joint playing the French “angle”… When you check its menu, you’ll be greeted by all your American favorities like, roast beef, turkey, tuna… nothing French about most of its stuff…prices are neighborhood-sub joint prices.

By the way, my taste-test consisted of two sandwiches… lettuce/tomato/onions/ mayo/ham/turkey-sub and a grilled toast with ham & swiss… and a caesar salad.

La Sandwicherie makes some great sandwiches and salads…throw in a juice-bar and gourmet coffees and you got everything that “clubbers” and the rest of us need…as the joint is open 7 days a week 10am-5am.

*****  Beef O’Brady’s, 1179 Royal Palm Beach Boulevard, Royal Palm Beach, Florida 33411 (561) 795-8500.

Beef O’ Brady’s is a “sports bar.” Just so you know, this is a chain operation…which currently has 265 locations spread-out through 22 states. Take a look at its website at www.beefobradys.com for menu/prices/locations. South Florida is loaded with these joints… just for starters, a quick look at “locations” turned-up spots in Royal Palm Beach,  Cooper City, Davie, Homestead, Miami, Miami Lakes. If this type of joint is your game, you’ll probably find one near your South Florida home.

You know what Beef O’Brady’s decor is…big bar, booths, gazillion flat-screen tvs.

Let’s talk food…the menu has all of the stuff that you expect…tons of appetizers, salads, wings, burgers, sandwiches, meat/chicken/seafood entrees. By the way, the prices are “neighborhood sports bar” prices, very reasonable. The service is just fine.

Are we talking anything really special here?…nope. However… Beef O’Brady’s is as good as the other sports-bar chains that dot the local South Florida landscape…you know the players, Duffy’s, Fill In The Blank Ale House, Hooters.

Anyway…with all of the football that’s coming, I just thought you’d like to know about another “player” where you can watch the games…and have decent-enough burgers, wings, and fried-stuff galore.

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

*****  Cantina Cabo, 9858 Clint Moore Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33496 (561) 477-1899.

If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.

Cantina Cabo is a “Casual Mexican” joint located in Boca Raton. The owners of Cantina Cabo also own 3 Mexican joints in NYC and Cabana Las Palmas (West Palm Beach) and Caba ElRoy (Delray Beach).

How they got here…about a year ago, Cantina Cabo’s owners opened a “semi-upscale” seafood joint named Fulton & Front in Boca Raton. The joint failed miserably…  it was recently remodeled and converted into Cantina Cabo which opened a few weeks ago.

If you are looking for… a good (now who would look for a bad?)-casual-reasonably priced Mexican joint…Cantina Cabo is for you. The menu is loaded (here is where 3 years of high school and 2 years of college Spanish pays off) aperitivos, ensaladas, fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, rellenos, quesadillas y burritos.

In a recent “taste-test”..steak fajitas, beef tacos, shredded chicken enchiladas, char-grilled salmon and sauteed shrimp all did just fine.

Cantina Cabo is open Monday-Thursday 11:30am-10pm, Friday 11am-11pm, Saturday noon-11pm and Sunday noon-10pm.

*****  Scully’s Tavern, 9809 Sunset Drive, Miami, Florida 33173 (305) 271-7404.

A Christmas present…Scully’s Tavern, located in Miami.

Scully’s is an absolute “must try.” Take a look at this joint’s website www.scullystavern.net for menu/prices/deatils. When you check the website, there are a handful of photos that will have you thinking that… this is a neighborhood “run-of-the-mill- pub”…loaded with the standard flat screen tvs and mediocre food. WRONG!!! Okay, its got the tv screens, but the food in this joint is off-the-chart…I am telling you, that many of the dishes that this joint makes, rivals the stuff served in some of South Florida’s top-rated restaurants. Throw in the fact, that the prices are neighborhhod-pub prices and you got a home-run joint.

A recent outing had 4 of us downing… appetizers of 16 scampi-style chicken wings ($9.50)…fried calamari ($4.95) and stuffed mushrooms ($7.95)… small caesar salad ($3.95), greek salad ($6.25), spinach salad ($5.95), cheddar bacon burger ($6.95), marinated flank steak sandwich ($9.25), charbroiled dolphin sandwich ($9.25), teriyaki chicken breast sandwich (7.50), corned beef on rye ($5.95).

Let me repeat myself…the food is absolutely terrific. The menu is loaded with appetizers, soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches, and various lunch/dinner entree “specials” like baby-back ribs, lobster tails, prime ribs.  In keeping with the “pub theme” the joint also has the requisite karaoke nights, band nights, etc.

I am telling you…try this joint. Scully’s is open Monday-Thursday 11am-1am, Friday 11am-3am, Saturday & Sunday noon-1am

*****  Little Hoolie’s Sports Bar & Grill, 13135 SW 89th Place, Miami, Florida 33176 (305) 252-252-9155.

Little Hoolie’s is a “neighborhood sports bar” located in Miami.  Let me send you to this joint’s website www.littlehoolies.com for menu/prices/entertainment schedule.

Little Hoolie’s has the “typical”…bar–gazillion flat screen tvs– menu loaded with appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches,  wings, pastas, meat/fish/chicken entrees. The food is good…the prices very reasonable…the service is just fine.

Just so we are straight…if booze-tvs-food were the “game” here, this would be a joint for NEIGHBORHOOD FOLKS ONLY. But… Little Hoolie’s has something going for it, that makes it a “destination” spot for others on Friday and Saturday nights…that “something”… the joint hosts some of the best cover/and originals bands in South Florida.

A recent visit introduced me to a band, “Mr. Nice Guy” www.mngband.com …and I have to tell you, that my party of 4 had an absolute blast, eating/drinking and listening/dancing to these guys. By the way, I checked the websites of past/future booked bands and Little Hoolie’s has talented bands working its stage. There are no cover charges.

So…if you live in the neighborhood, you now know about a real good 7-days a week sports bar. For the rest of you…if you like your sports bar with some dynamite rock ‘n roll music, you got Little Hoolie’s on Friday & Saturday nights.

By the way, the joint is open 7 days a week 11am-3am.

*****  III Forks, 4645 PGA Boulevard, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33418 (561) 630-3660.

III Forks is an “upscale-white table-cloth steakhouse.”

Just so you know, III Forks has three locations…one in Palm Beach Gardens, another in Austin and one in Dallas. III Forks is currently building a fourth location in Boca Raton.

Over the past year or so, I have eaten in the Palm Beach Gardens’ joint twice. Take a look at III Forks’ website www.3forks.com for menu/price/details.

III Forks is a not a “cheap date”…that said, the food-service are top-shelf.  Unlike many of its brethern, the staff doesn’t take itself too seriously…in good conscious, IF you want to spend the money, there are only three  South Florida “upscale steakhouses” that I can honestly recommend, III Forks, The Striphouse (Palm Becah Gardens) and Manny’s (Miami).

*****Now for something that “maybe” of interest to some of you…III Forks’ has a very interesting New Year’s Eve Party planned. Basically, you get a party with Blood Sweat & Tears and The Miami Sound Machine for regular menu prices. If you don’t want to eat dinner, for $25 you get a drink and can dance in the lounge area. Now keep in mind, that  lead singer David Clayton Thomas is no longer with BST… and the same goes for Gloria Estefan and TMSM.

Personally, I go the movie-Chinese Restaurant route on New Year’s Eve…but III Forks’ “deal”  does look very interesting.

For the record…III Forks is open for dinner Monday-Thursday 5pm-10pm, Friday & Saturday 5pm-11pm and Sunday 5pm-10pm.

*****  Romeo’s Pizza, 13889 Wellington Trace, Wellington, Florida 33414 (561) 793-7100.

Let me start by saying that Romeo’s Pizza is a  “mom & pop-Neighborhood-red sauce-Italian” joint…operative word here, NEIGHBORHOOD…like you eat-at/ take-out from Romeo’s, because you live or work in the neighborhood.

Let me send you to Romeo’s website at www.romeosofwellington.com for menu/prices…there are also a handful of pictures which will give you some idea of what this joint looks like.

I recently had dinner at Romeo’s… and I gotta tell you, that I enjoyed the veal parmigiana ($14.95), shrimp scampi ($14.95), chicken francaise ($12.95) and  large cheese pizza ($11.99) that was ordered. You know the “deal” at these type of joints…soup or salad–garlic knots-entree-pasta side.

Is Romeo’s one of the best “mom & pop” red sauce joints that I have been to? Not really… but Romeo’s is a good neighborhood restaurant. I liked its modern decor…which luckily has no trelis-railroad cars. The service was very pleasant. The portions’ size was just fine. The prices, pizza joint “reasonable.”

Like I said before, if you live in the neighborhood…Romeo’s is a good joint to know about. Romeo’s is open 7-days a week for lunch and dinner.

*****  Gun Club Cafe, 1145 Royal Palm Beach, Royal Palm Beach, Florida 33411 (561)792-8723.

Gun Club Cafe is a DINER. Just so you know, in addition to the Royal Palm Beach joint that I ate in, Gun Club has two other locations in West Palm Beach.

I have no idea why anyone would name a restaurant GUN ANYTHING, but I am assuming that the name came from the original restaurant’s location which is 4631 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach.

Anyway…this joint is terrific. Imagine a Denny’s-type layout and you got the basic decor…and that’s where the similarities end. If Denny’s copied this joint’s business model, Denny’s would be a dynamite chain…but then again, if the Queen had —– she would be King. 

Gun Club Cafe is open Monday-Saturday 6am-8pm and Sunday 6am-3pm. This joint’s menu is loaded and I do mean loaded with breakfast-stuff, appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers, meat/seafood/chicken entrees. The food is “diner-excellent.” The service is right is real good and the prices are very-very reasonable.

Like I said before, DINER…eggs-waffles-pancakes, burgers and fries covered in ketchup, BLT sandwiches, tuna salad on rye toast…I am just drooling thinking of all of the great-stuff this joint pumps out.

Gun Club Cafe is my kind of place.

*****  Centanni Italian Restaurant, 10107 Southern Boulevard, Royal Palm Becah, Florida 32411 (561) 792-7677.

Got a real good ” neighborhood red sauce Italain” joint for you…Centanni Italian Restaurant. Operative word here…NEIGHBORHOOD…like you live or work near Centanni.

Centanni’s food is very good…service is very good…prices are extremely reasonable. The menu is loaded with appetizers, soups, salads, subs, pastas, pizzas, meat/seafood/chicken entrees. Another beautiful thing about this joint is that it doesn’t have those silly dining trelises, that make you think that you are eating in a “train.” For sure, Centanni’s looks Italian but in a retro-modern way (if that’s possible)….like an upscal gelato joint. Anyway, I like the decor and the fact that tee shirts and shorts are just fine.

A recent taste test of, baked meat lasagna, steak pizzaolo, veal parmigiana, zuppa di clams and red snapper piccata…passed with flying colors. As for pricing, “same” as your favorite neighborhood pizza joint…by the way, Centanni has a “real-value” menu at lunch-time.

If you are in Centanni’s neighborhood, you now know about a real good eat-in/take-out joint. The joint is open Tuesday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm and Sunday 4pm-10pm.