*****  Okeechobee Steak House, 2854 Okeechobee Boulevard, West Palm Beach, Florida 33409, (561) 683-5151.

The Okeechobee Steak House has been in business since 1947. The joint is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner.

The Okeechobee Steak House is not a fancy schmancy upscale steakhouse. That said, the food is terrific and the menu is priced right. For around 35-40 bucks a head, you get salad, entree and side dishes. A similar meal at a fancy schmancy joint- which is maybe a 1/2 a notch higher in quality and service would run you $55-60.

The Okeechobee Steak House serves top quality steaks and seafood. Like I said a few seconds ago, it isn’t a fancy schmancy joint with tee shirts/shorts being pretty common there. What makes this a “beautiful” place is that it doesn’t take itself seriously like “upscale” joints do. The game here is good food and good service in a real-easy atmosphere.

Look…you don’t stay in business for 61 years without doing something right. Try this joint, you will really enjoy the food.

*****  Ralph & Rosie’s Restaurant/Lounge, 2017 South Federal Highway, Boynton Beach, Florida (561) 731-4400.

There are joints and then there are JOINTS…

This combination restaurant-lounge-drive thru-liquor store-takeout is an absolutely fantastic place to enjoy a casual lunch or dinner. I guarantee that no matter what your taste, you will find something that you will enjoy on Ralph & Rosie’s menu. Just so we are straight, this joint which has rock-bottom prices and humongous portions doesn’t serve crap. Its pizzas, burgers, salads, subs, seafood-meat-veal entrees are top-notch. Do yourself a big favor and check www.ralphandrosie.com to review all of the fantastic dishes “Ralph” (who looks just like Joe Pesci) cooks-up in his kitchen. I must tell you, that the thin crusted pizza and chicken parmigiana sub are as good if not better than that served in the 5-boroughs.

From the road (South Federal Highway), Ralph & Rosie’s looks like a dump-building which has a tiki-bar rapped around the outside. Unless you are a real “explorer,” the odds say that you have never stopped (and never will) at a joint that looks like this.

Ralph & Rosie’s consists of a a small building which houses a bar and a very small bandstand. There are no dining tables inside, but there is a nice sized out-door thatched roofed  tiki-bar which seats about 75 for dinner or lunch.

Rather than knocking myself out trying to describe this joint, take a look at the menu and pictures at the joint’s website and you will get an idea of what Ralph & Rosie’s is all about.

The food is great. The service is great. The owners are great.

On certain nights, there is free entertainment. Don’t miss Joey Dale & The Gigolos who perform on Friday & Saturday nights…this group gives Dion & The Belmonts and Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge a real run for the money.

Rather than my going on and on and on…just give Ralph & Rosie’s a try. The joint is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. Tee shirts/shorts are at home here.

This is a fabulous place to know about.

***** Lucille’s Bad To The Bone BBQ, 3011 Yamato Road, Boca Raton, Florida, (561) 997-9557 & 710 Linton Boulevard, Delray Beach, Florida, (561) 330-6706.

Friends of mine, swear by this joint which has 2 locations. They rave about the ribs, chicken, pulled pork etc. Over the years I have eaten in the Boca Raton location at least 20 times. Personally, I think that the food is just okay, nothing more and nothing less…nothing to write home about. Just so you know, the Boca joint is located about a minute drive from my home, so convenience more than anything else has played a role in my eating there.

Have you ever wondered why there are no NATIONAL BBQ CHAINS? The reason: Every region in the country seems to have its own favorite  bbq style/taste. Personally, I don’t care for smoked-products and like Chinese styled bbq ribs.

Like I said before, Lucille’s isn’t one of my favorites…that said, maybe Lucille’s makes bbq ribs/chicken that will please your tastebuds. The joint is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

*****  Park Avenue BBQ & Grille, 4796 North Congress Avenue, Boynton Beach, Florida 33426, (561) 357-7427.

Park Avenue is a small “local” South Florida bbq chain. I have lost count on how many there are, but 7 or 8 units sounds about right. Over the years I have eaten in 3 of its locations a total of something like 35 times and taken out so much food, that it’s amazing that I haven’t had to have an angioplasty done. Anyway…my last Park Avenue outing was last night (at the Boynton Beach location) and I have to tell you, that the this joint’s baby-back ribs and bbq chicken are absolutely delicious. This joint also makes corn-fritters doused in powder sugar that are terrific.

Do yourself a favor and visit a location in your area. Delicious food. Big portions. Pleasant and efficient waiters/waitresses. All kinds of menu “price specials.” Park Avenue is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. If you wear anything dressier than tee shirt/shorts you will look silly.

   d

    Le Tub, 1100 North Ocean Drive, Hollywood, Florida 33419 (954) 921-9425.

Awhile back, Gentlemen’s Quarterly (GQ) magazine rated the hamburger at Le Tub as the best hamburger in America. Well, let me tell you something…If Le Tub’s hamburger is the best in the United States, then I’m going to be elected the next Pope and I ain’t even Catholic.

The burger is crap. The staff a bunch of nasty bastards. If you think I am being harsh on this joint, “GOOGLE” Le Tub and read the numerous “customer reviews” and decide for yourself if this is a joint that you want to try.

All I can say, if you eat at this joint…YOU DO SO AT YOUR OWN PERIL.

*****  Frank’s Ristorante & Pizza, 3428 East Atlantic Boulevard, Pompano Beach, Florida 33062, (954) 785-4140.

Over the years, I must have eaten at Frank’s at least 20 times. It is basically a pizza joint which seats maybe 35-40 people. It is one of the better “mom & pop” red-sauce joints which dot the South Florida landscape. This is strictly a shorts/tee shirt venue.

My latest visit to Frank’s, was this past Friday Night as part of my annual attendance at the  Pompano Beach Seafood Festival where The Buckinghams were performing. By the way, this annual Festival is a 3-day affair and is a great event for those of you who like rock n roll music on the beach, craft booths and great food vendors.

Anway, let me get back to Frank’s…terrific pizza, veal parmigiana, chicken cacciatore and garlic rolls.

If you live in the area, Frank’s which has been around something like 9,000,000 years is a great place for a really casual lunch or dinner. Frank’s is open 7-days a week.

     Farraddays’ Steakhouse, 1800 Southwest Street, Pompano Beach, Florida 33069, (954) 972-2000.

Farraddays’ is an “upsacale steakhouse” located in the Isle of Capri Casino. I ate there last night and the $40+ steaks, $10+ salads, $9 side dishes etc.  weren’t worth the money. The food/service wasn’t bad, but were far from great. When a joint advertises/prices itself as being top-notch,  you should get terrific stuff all around. 

This joint is open for dinner Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

On a  final note, the Isle which has slots, poker and trotter-racing is a very well run operation.  In addition to Farraddays’, the Isle also has an Italian restaurant, Bragozzo…a deli named Myron’s and a buffet called Island Buffet. A cursoy look at these joints’ menus, indicated “specials” and more reasonable price points.

Just so we are clear, Farraddays’ isn’t a bad joint. It is just a very overpriced restaurant for what you get… if its menu was cut by 30% price-wise, I would be a frequent diner.

*****  Umberto’s Pizza & Clam Bar, 2780 East Atlantic Boulevard, Pompano Beach, Florida 33062, (954) 784-7110.

For you native New Yorkers out there, I got a good joint for you, that will remind you of home…Umberto’s Pizza & Clam Bar.

Great pizza…and I do mean great pizza, that will take you back to those Brooklyn-Queens-Staten Island-Manhattan-Bronx $.15 slices.

The joint has other stuff, like calzones and subs…but the game here is PIZZA. Absolutely delicious… point  the slice down and the oil drips onto the plate or the paper.

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

*****  Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlour, 128 South Federal Highway, Dania Beach , Florida 33004, (954) 023-4445.

Jaxson’s has been around something like 50 years. This is one of the greatest joints in all of South Florida, not to mention the United States, to get great home-made ice cream. The Food Channel has done several stories on Jaxson’s.

Decorated in Early American License Plate, Jaxson’s is located in a non-descript strip-shopping center in Dania Beach. The joint is packed day and night with people stuffing their faces with some of the most delicious ice cream that you have ever tasted. The portions are enormous and “individual” servings can feed 1-2-3 people. Jaxson’s also does, burgers, hot dogs, salads etc., but the game here is ICE CREAM. Personally, my favorite is a waffle with a scoop of strawberry and a scoop of mocha chip. That single dish, is big enough to serve 2-3 people. Be smart and don’t over order here, because  (1) you will be wasting a ton of great ice cream and (2) you will be wasting a ton of money.

I am telling you that you absolutely positively want to try this joint. The ice cream and food are great…the atmosphere is terrific…the service is terrific…and the “penny candy” assortment at the front of the joint will have you reminiscing about 1950’s Brooklyn-Bronx-Queens (etc,). 

There are always lines waiting to get in and for take-out. Jaxson’s is open  7-days a week…Monday-Thursday 11:30am-11pm…Friday-Saturday 11:30am- midnight…Sunday noon-11pm.

*****  Tom Sawyer Restaurant & Pastry Shop, 1759 NW 2nd Avenue, Boca Raton, Florida 33432, (561) 368-4634.

Over the years, I must have eaten breakfast/lunch in this joint at least 30 times. Imagine an IHOP on steroids decked-out in an Abe Lincoln Log Cabin motif and you pretty much got this joint. Great eggs, pancakes and waffles. No more expensive than an IHOP, Perkins or neighborhood bagel joint. Tom Sawyer also has a great selection of pastries, like chococlate cigars and huge black & white cookies.

This joint is open 7 days a week for breakfast and lunch. Just so you know, most folks eat BREAKFAST FOOD here but Tom Sawyer’s burgers, sandwiches and salads are very good diner-quality food. On the weekends, don’t be shocked to see a line out the door waiting for tables.