Chili’s Grill & Bar, 401 Biscayne Boulevard (Bayside Marketplace) Miami, Florida 33132 (305) 373-0601.

This review is not an indictment of the Chili’s Grill & Bar chain… For those of you not familar with Chili’s…Chili’s is a national chain of American-style eateries which is owned and operated by publicly traded Brinker International. Over the years, I have always found Chili’s with its enormous appetizer-salad-sandwich-burger-entree menu to be a well run…fairly priced joint, with decent food and service.

UNTIL… I tried the Chili’s Grill & Bar located at the Bayside Marketplace in Miami, Florida. Dirty (no make that filthy)…Incompetent help (from the receptionists to the waiters/waitresses)…You would be  absolutely amazed at how simple burgers and other dishes were “mangled.”

Bad news…

*****  Mo’s Bagels & Deli, 2780 NE 187 Street, Aventura, Florida 33180, (305) 936-8555.

Mo’s Bagels & Deli is a New York-Kosher Style-Bagel/Deli joint. Mo’s is open Monday 7am-4pm and Tuesday-Sunday 7am-9pm.

You know and I know, that South Florida has more New York-Kosher Style-Bagel/Deli joints than there are Chins in a Chinese phonebook…some are good, some are very good, some are great and some are lousy.

If you live in the Aventura area, Mo’s (which falls into the very good box) is a joint that you want to know about. Excellent hand-rolled bagels…delicious appetizing…very good deli meats and  other stuff like potato pancakes and soups…clean/large joint…very reasonable prices. The joint is always jammed for Saturday-Sunday breakfast…Enormous take-out business. Mo’s is located about 5 minutes from the Aventura Mall.

You now know, what you need to know, about Mo’s.

*****  Nippers Sports Bar & Grill, 21069 S. Military Trail, Boca Raton, Florida 33486 (561) 338-4111.

You know and I know, that there are more Sports Bars in South Florida than there are Chins in a Chinese phone-book.

The other day…actually it was the other night…I found Nippers which is located in Boca Raton. Take a look at this joint’s website at www.nippersbarandgrill.com for menu/prices/hours/photos/details.

Nippers’ decor is typical-South Florida…wood bar, wood booths, wood tables, flat screen tvs, pool tables and a few video games.

Nippers has two things that separates it from the other sports bar joints in the area. (1) The joint has absolutley amazing hours. Monday-Friday 3pm-5am and Saturday-Sunday 9pm-5am. A full menu is served until 4:15am every day and there is delivery service every day until 3am. (2) The food is a step or two above “usual” sports bar stuff. I recently sampled the joint’s mini-burgers, Philly cheese-steak sub, chicken parmesan sub and french fries…all were right on the money. By the way, the menu is loaded with appetizers, wraps, salads, subs, pizzas, sandwiches, burgers and entrees. The joint’s prices are exactly what you’d expect.

You folks who live in Boca Raton and the surrounding area, should take particular note of the fact that this joint is open to 5am and delivers until 3am.

       Tony Roma’s Express, 19501 Biscayne Boulevard (Aventura Mall), North Miami, Florida  33180, (305) 936-9190.

When I first got down here some 17 years ago, there were 2 major players in the bbq rib-chicken business… namely Tony Roma’s and Bobby Rubino’s. Rather than rehashing old history…as to whether or not Rubino worked for Roma and stole the concept, or vice versa, let’s just say that back then, both chains had tons of restaurants in South Florida.

Anyway…both are still around, but far from the powerhouses that they use to be. To be perfectly honest with you, I use to enjoy both, but I haven’t eaten in either chain for something like 10 years.

Yesterday, I gave Tony Roma’s “new” food-court concept…Tony Roma’s Express, a shot. Just off the top of my head, in addition to the joint in the Aventura Mall (which I tried), I know that there are locations in the Miami International Mall and Sawgrass Mills Mall…Check Tony Roma’s website at www.tonyromas.com for menu/locations/prices/and other details.

Tony Roma’s Express has something like 10 menu items…there are bbq pork ribs, bbq beef ribs, pulled pork sandwiches. I tried the pork and beef ribs. Do you know what GARBAGE is?  Well if you don’t, eat this crap and you will find out. I don’t know how Tony Roma’s makes its ribs, but they tasted as if they were boiled “to death”…thrown on a grill for a few seconds… then slathered with an absolutely tasteless bbq sauce (think Original Open Pit Barbecue Sauce diluted 50% with water)…To add insult to injury… A pitifully small order of 5 beef riblettes with barely enough meat to feed a pigeon) plus a piece of corn-on-the-cob and a medium Pepsi cost $11.43….an absolute waste of money.

Pass this joint by. Lousy food, no make that horrendous food…Small portions, (then again maybe that’s a good thing, because the food is so bad)…Overpriced.

*****  Sergio’s Restaurant, 3252 Coral Way, Miami, Florida 33145 (305) 529-0047…9330 SW 40th Street, Miami, Florida 33165 (305) 552-9626…13600 SW 152nd Street, Miami, Florida 33177 (786) 242-9790…8202 Mills Drive, Miami, Florida 33183 (305) 279-3409.

Sergio’s Restaurant is a Cuban-diner. There are 4 locations…all in Miami. Yesterday, I had lunch at the Coral Way joint which is a free-standing building, that must seat something like 150 inside and maybe 50 on an out-door patio. When I arrived at 1:30pm every table was taken and there was a 10 minute wait. All 4 locations are open Sunday-Thursday 6am-midnight and Friday-Saturday 6am-3am. From any seat in the house, you can see the open-kitchen area. Suffice it to say, there were so many cooks, waitresses, busboys, counter people working, that I lost count. This joint really bangs out (that’s a compliment) tons of food.

If you check, on July 28, 2008 I did a writeup on another Cuban joint named El  Rey de las Fritas. In that review, you will find that I fell in love with that joint’s Las Fritas, which is Spanish for Cuban hamburgers. Anyway, I was told by a parking lot attendant in Coconut Grove (go figure), that the Cuban hamburgers served by Sergio’s were as good if not better than El Rey’s burgers…so the challenge was on.

First let me tell you, that Sergio’s has a menu that is as long as your arm…it has all kinds of breakfast items, appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, salads, entrees and desserts. The menu is written in Spanish…with English translations provided in small print under each item. Our waitress spoke Spanish, our busboy spoke Spanish, the hostess spoke Spanish…everyone in the joint spoke Spanish. Lucky for me and my party… that I got a “D” in High School Spanish and the fact, that most if not all of the staff is bi-lingual, so ordering was no problem.

Now for the Cuban hamburgers…incredible. They were right up there with El Reys’ burgers…mildly spicy, with a dab of ketchup and mustard and covered in a ton of potato sticks. I had 2 of these really nice size burgers which go for $3.50 a piece. The joint also has a big-old-fashioned “orange juicer” converyor-belt  driven machine which makes fresh juice all-day long…so I had 3 glasses of juice with my burgers. Don’t ask me why, but I also sampled 2 scoops of fresh-made chicken salad….delicious.

Anyway…Based on the crowds…Based on the fact that there are 4 of these joints…Based on the long hours that these joints are open every day…Based on the fact that most entrees are no more than 8 bucks…Based on the incredible Las Fritas…I think that Sergio’s is a joint that you will absolutely positively want to try.

*****  Earl Of Sandwich, 10300 West Forest Hills Boulevard (Wellington Green Mall), Wellington, Florida 33414 (561) 296-1762.

Earl Of Sandwich is a small fast-food chain that specializes in sandwiches (that makes sense), wraps and salads. There are currently 8 locations, 3 of which are located in Florida….Tampa, Wellington and Lake Buena Vista.

Take a look at this joint’s website at www.earlofsandwichusa.com for menu/prices/hours/locations and other details.

Like I said before, right now Earl Of Sandwich only has 8 locations…The odds say, that you have never heard of this chain. I will tell you, that the Lake Buena Vista joint is located in the Downtown Disney Marketplace and another is located in  Las Vegas’ Planet Hollywood  Resort & Casino so “the word” is definitely going to spread about this chain.

As for the food…now keep in mind, that Earl’s is a fast-food…order/pickup at the counter joint…the food is heads and shoulders above the Subways and most of the sandwich/salads/wraps joints that dot the malls and strip centers of America. I have eaten at both the Wellington (2 times) and Lake Buena Vista (3 times) joints… the meatball, roast-beef and grill cheese sandwiches are as good, if not better than the ones that your favorite sub joint or diner makes. By the way, these 2 locations are not located in food-courts…they are separate restaurants with their own entrances and seating…I don’t know the setups of the other 6 locations.

As previously mentioned, the Lake Buena Vista joint is located at the Downtown Disney Marketplace. I think that if you look-up the term “goldmine” in your dictionary, you will find a picture of this particular Earl location. All 3 times that I was at this joint, there were lines out-the-door…Location, location, location combined with delicious food, fast counter service, great looking old-English decor and very reasonable prices is the name of the game there.

Earl’s location in the Wellington Green  Mall is open Monday-Saturday 10am-9pm and Sunday 11am-6pm.

*****  Country Ham N’ Eggs Restaurant, 4405 El-Mar Drive, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida 33308 (954) 776-1666.

This morning I had breakfast at a joint named Country Ham N’ Eggs. Do me a favor and take a look at Country’s website at www.countryhamneggs.com. The site has menu/prices/and other details…There are also tons of pictures and customer comments that will give you an absolutely perfect picture of what this “hole-in-the-wall diner” is all about.

Country Ham N’ Eggs has been in business since 1968. The joint does breakfast and lunch 365 days a year from 7am-2:30pm. This is the kind of joint that I absolutely love…A small eat-at counter, a handful of booths and tables and a small outdoor patio…the whole shooting match is circa 1960. Good food. Good prices. Friendly and competent wait-staff.

Let me put it to you this way…if Denny’s could duplicate Country Ham N’ Eggs’ style-food-service (but it can’t)…it would be one of the most popular and successful breakfast-lunch chains in America.  Country Ham N’ Eggs is nothing more than a local neighborhood diner…what makes it so very special, is that its owner and his employees make you feel right at home…not to mention that the food is pretty decent.

I will definitely be back.

*****  Bagels With Cafe & Deli, 1732 South Federal Highway, Delray Beach, Florida 33483 (561) 279- 4799…&…7111 North State Road 7, Parkland, Florida 33073 (954) 510-0205.

This morning I had breakfast at the Bagels With Cafe & Deli located in Delray Beach…there is also another location in Parkland.

If memory serves me correctly, the guy(s) who owns Bagels With has something like a 15 year history with South Florida. Way back when, I recall 2 Boca Raton locations, one that closed and one that was converted  literally over-night into a Too Jay’s Deli. Anyway, I don’t know what the facts and circumstances of the openings and closings were…what I do recall, is that the bagles, bialys, appetizing and breakfasts were absolutely top-notch.

Well they’re back…The joint in Delray Beach seats about 36 inside and maybe 20 outside. The stuff that this bagel-deli joint makes is as good today as it was years ago.

Like I said before, there are 2 locations…I have not yet visited the Parkland joint.

Bagels With is open 7 days a week…Monday-Friday 6:30am-4pm and Saturday-Sunday 7am-4pm.

*****  Perrini’s Pizzeria & Ristorante, 19585-M State Road 7, Boca Raton, Florida 33498 (561) 488-4371.

Perrini’s which seats 28, is a red sauce-hole in the wall-Southern Italian joint…it has been in the same spot for something like 22 years. I have eaten in Perrini’s exactly twice…the first time, something like 10 years ago and the second being this evening. There is an old saying “out of sight out of mind”…well, Perrini’s is located in a strip-shopping-center which I hardly visit. Anyway…10 years ago, I loved its pizza…

Tonight, I sampled Perrini’s veal parmigiana, chicken marsala, shrimp scampi and pizza…and I have to tell you, that the pizza was absolutely terrific…actually it was one of the best slices that I have had down here in South Florida. The other stuff was very good, but the pizza is in a league of its own.

Like I said before, Perrini’s is a hole-in-the-wall…From any seat in the house, you can see the pizza ovens, kitchen and the entire “take-out department.”  This is strictly a “mom & pop” affair, so don’t expect anything special decor-wise. You know the drill here, soup or salad/entree/side of pasta/garlic rolls…the veal parmigiana and chicken marsala go for $15.49…the shrimp scampi is a buck more at $16.49…a large pizza goes for $13.49. Perrini’s menu also has daily “specials” like a large pizza and one dozen chicken wings for $17.99.

I am telling you, that the pizza alone makes Perrini’s a home-run joint in my mind. If you live in the Boca Raton area, Perrini’s is a real good place to know about.

Perrini’s is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-11pm and Friday-Saturday 11am-midnight.

*****  Myron’s Delicatessen, 1800 SW 3rd Street, Pompano Beach, Florida 33069 (800) 843-4753.

Last night I played some poker at the Isle Casino & Racing at Pompano Park. After losing only 22 bucks (just in case my wife is reading this) I and a couple of friends had a “bite” at Myron’s Deli which is located in the casino-facility.

Myron’s is a New York City Kosher Style Deli…the joint is done-up to look like a deli circa 1950s. Just so you know, all of the restaurants at the Isle are owned/operated by the Isle of Capri Casino…take a look at its website at www.isleofcapricasino.com for a list of restaurants/hours/and other details.

Last night, Myron’s passed the pastrami, corned beef, brisket test. The sandwiches were nice sized. The meats were as good as those served in your favorite neighborhood bagel joint. As for prices, $3-$4 more than what the local joints get…Hey! come on, the casino is like a movie theatre or an amusement park,  you are what they call a “captive audience,” so you pay more, it’s just that simple. Have you seen what it costs to “feed” a family of 4 at a Heat or Marlins’ game?

You now know about a joint where you can get a nice deli sandwich, soup, knish…assuming Lady Luck hasn’t entirely wiped you out.

Myron’s is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-1am and Friday-Saturday 11am-3am.