*****  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.

*****  Backstreet’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill, 12771 West Forest Hill Boulevard, Wellington, Florida 33414 (561) 795-0100.

Got a real-good neighborhood “American Style” joint for you…Backstreet’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill located in Wellington. By the way, back on April 16, 2008 I did a writeup on Backstreet Grille in Boca Raton…different joints with different owners…just so you know.

Backstreet’s has been around for something like 18 years. Its got a full bar, booth and table seating…nothing fancy, but it’s a very nice looking joint… your tee shirts and shorts will look great there.

Now let’s talk food…Backstreet’s menu is loaded with appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas and meat/seafood/chicken entrees. I tried the… sliders, shrimp scampi, crab cakes, dill chicken salad on rye toast, chicken sinatra, philly cheese steak and blackened mahi in a grilled tortilla. Someone in Backstreet’s kitchen obviously knows how to cook, because the food is absolutely delicious.

Backstreet’s is NOT a sports bar. It’s prices are very reasonable. Its wait-staff is right on the money. The joint is open Monday-Saturday 11:30am-2am and Sunday 5pm-2am

*****  Wings Plus, 10125 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33498 (561) 477-8838.

Wings Plus is a “chicken wing” joint…it is located in a free-standing building in the Mission Bay Plaza shopping center. Just a bit of history… the original tenant of the building in the 1990’s, was the Kenny Rogers Roaster chicken-chain, that was “racing” Boston Chicken to become the “McDonald’s of roast-chicken.”

Anyway…Wings Plus is a real casual joint. It is NOT a sports bar, but it does have a “gazillion” flat screen tvs. The menu is loaded with with very good appetizers,   salads, wings (fried or grilled with flavors galore), burgers, sandwiches and meat/seafood/chicken dishes.

 If you live in the neighborhood, this is a real good eat-in/take-out joint to know about. Wings Plus is open Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm and Sunday 11am-9pm.

*****  Bongusto Ristorante, 5640 North Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33308 (954) 771-9635.

Let’s play Tony and Carmela Soprano…Bongusto is an “upsacle” white-table-cloth Italian restaurant…that reminds me of the “semi-fancy” joints that dotted the Brooklyn landscape in the 1960’s-1970’s….decor/ambiance/food/service-wise. Now stay with me…during a recent dinner, I expected Artie Bucco the owner of Nuovo Vesuvio to come walking out of the kitchen. I “kind of don’t think” that tee shirts and shorts are going to go over-big at this joint. Check Bongusto’s website www.bongustoitalian.com for menu/prices.

Bongusto only does dinner Tuesday-Saturday 5pm-10pm.

Now for the food story…very good. I really enjoyed (there were four of us), the veal parmigiana ($22.95), veal marsala ($23.95), chicken cacciatore ($22.95), fried calamari ($23.95), meat totellini in cream sauce ($20.95), grilled sword-fish ((26.95). The service was impeccable. The prices were surprisingly reasonable and all entrees came with a house salad and pasta side.

I am telling you, from the moment you step through the front-door…you will swear that you have “gone back-in-time”…or are on a “tv show’s production-lot.”

The next time you feel like putting on a pair of pants…give this joint a try.