*****  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.

*****  Rosalita’s Tex-Mex Grill, 5949 Congress Avenue, Atlantis, Florida 33462, (561) 964-5747.

Last night, I ate at a Tex/Mex joint aptly named Rosalita’s Tex-Mex Grill…and I have to tell you, that the food, service and ambiance were absolutely terrific. This family-owned joint, has been around something like 13 years and I am sorry that I didn’t “get there” sooner…Take a look at Rosalita’s website www.rosalitas-tex-mex-grill.com  for menu/prices/photos/details.

Just so you know, tee shirts/shorts are just fine… reasonable prices…plenty of  good food for the money…very pleasant wait-staff…and a very relaxed easy going decor.

Last night I got to practice my Spanish…ordering, tortilla soup, taco salad, chicken quesadilla, beef taco, chicken taco, cheese enchilada and shrimp fajita. Amazingly, the waitress got the order perfect…so there is still hope for folks (like me) who got a “D” in high school espanol.

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

*****  Hong Kong Cafe’, 2100 45th Street, West Palm Beach, Florida 33407 (561) 845-6698.

Hong Kong Cafe’ is an “all-you-can-eat-Chinese-buffet” joint. Large selection of soups, seafood/beef/pork/chicken dishes, sushi and desserts…clean, well run…decent food…lunch $7.25…dinner $10.25 (Monday-Thursday) $11.25 (Friday-Sunday).

If I counted correctly, there were 40 different face stuffing items. Gourmet food?…not exactly, but the food for a buffet joint was quite good. The won ton soup, bbq ribs, snow crab, honey chicken and egg rolls had me going back for seconds.

If you live in Hong Kong’s neighborhood, this is a good place to know about. Tons of decent food for dirt cheap money.

Hong Kong Cafe’ is open for lunch Monday-Friday 11am-2:30pm, Saturday noon-2:30pm and Sunday noon-4pm…and for dinner Monday-Thursday 5pm-9pm and Friday-Sunday 4:30pm-9pm. By the way, the snow crab is only served at dinner-time.

*****  Christina Wan’s Mandarin House, 644 North Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33304 (954) 527-0228.

Christina Wan’s is an “upscale” Chinese joint… but don’t worry, you can wear your tee shirt/shorts ensemble. Check Christina Wan’s website www.christinawans.com for menu/prices/photos/details.

Let me do it this way…wonton soup (4/5)…pan fried pork dumplings (4/5)…barbeque ribs (3/5)…sweet & sour chicken (3/5)…broccoli beef (4/5)…mu shu pork (4/5)…shrimp with lobster sauce (4/5)…chicken chow mein (4/5). I could run the averages, but math isn’t my strong suit…so let’s just say, that Christina Wan’s will definitely be seeing me again.

Pretty looking joint…decent service…good food…menu prices that aren’t exactly bargain-basement, but they won’t send you to the poorhouse.

Christina Wan’s is open Monday-Thursday 11:30am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11:30am-10:30pm and Sunday 1pm-10pm.

*****  New Chinatown Restaurant, 5958 South Dixie Highway, Miami, Florida 33143, (305) 662-5649.

My “on-going quest” to find good New York Chinese Food down here in South Florida brought me (last night) to a joint named New Chinatown Restaurant in South Miami. Now hear this…the round-trip car ride of 110 miles was worth the $3.89 per gallon.

Not exactly upscale…but probably nicer looking than your neighborhood favorite, New Chinatown has been in business something like 25 years. The menu is loaded with all of the standards and I have to tell you that the wonton soup/egg roll/roast pork fried rice/ spare ribs/General Tso’s chicken/lobster cantonese/pepper steak were all very good…this was some of the best Chinese food that I have eaten in South Florida. Would this joint make it in New York City’s Chinatown?…I think it would.

New Chinatown is open Monday-Thursday 11:30am-11pm, Friday-Saturday 11:30am-11:30pm and Sunday noon-11pm.

This “one” is a rare find…

*****  Phyllis G’s Engima, 2717 North Federal Highway, Delray Beach, Florida 33483 (561) 243-6372.

One of my favorite “American-Style” restaurants in all-of-South Florida is Phyllis G’s Engima. Over the past few years, I must have eaten in this joint at least 25 times. Just so you know, this is not a fancy joint and tee shirts/shorts are just fine…Phyllis G’s in a former life, was a gas station.

This joint’s menu is packed with soups, burgers, meat/chicken/seafood entrees. I am telling you…the food is as good as the stuff served in some of South Florida’s finest-famous-expensive joints. Last night I had grilled lamb-chops ($22) that came with salad, potato and vegetable side, that were absolutely incredible… I also “sampled” the chicken marsala, onion soup and snapper francaise…all terrific.

You “have to”…make that you “must try” Phyllis G’s. This is a very casual joint, that gives you tons of great food, at very reasonable prices. Super pleasant owners, easy going servers… complete the package.

Phyllis G’s is open 7 days a week for dinner.

*****  Original Big Tomato, 12447 South Dixie Highway,  Pinecrest-Miami, Florida 33156 (305) 233-3344.

Got a great “fast-food” pizza joint for you…Original Big Tomato, which is located in Pincrest-Miami. This joint which has been around since 1994 makes some absolutelty delicious pizzas, wraps, salads, and panini sandwiches. The system is real- easy… order at/pickup at the counter and grab a table.

Check this joint’s website at www.bigtomatopizza.net  for menu/prices/details.  The website also has photos of the above mentioned pizzas-wraps-salads-panini…I can attest, that the food you get looks exactly like the stuff shown…and it’s terrific.

If you live in Pinecrest, the odds say that you already know about this joint…anyway, Original Big Tomato is open Monday-Thursday 11am-9pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-10pm and Sunday noon-9pm.