*****  Tasti D- Lite, 821 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, Florida 33139 (305) 532-6855.

Tasti D- Lite is a “hole in the wall” take-out joint located in Miami Beach…what exactly it sells, I don’t know…except that it is called Tasti D- Lite. The best way to explain the “product” is that when you are eating it, it looks and tastes and feels just like the soft serve stuff that Dairy Queen and Carvel make…Tasti D- Lite has something like 100 “revolving” flavors and an ounce of the “whatever-it-is” only has 14-17 calories. The joint also has tons of “toppings” that you can add to the soft-serve.

Tasti D- Lite  which has been around since 1987, has tons of stores in New York and New Jersey, but for right now, there is only one joint in South Florida. Take a look at Tasti D- Lite’s website at www.tastidlite.com for flavors/locations/details.

Last night, I had a Dutch Chocolate cone…I have to tell you, that this stuff is absolutely delicious and if it really is as low-calorie as it claims to be… it’s every dieter’s dream come true. Just so you know, a couple of these cones (one of which had a topping added) ran close to 10 bucks. For right now, I am going to blame the “South Beach” location for the high-price… Based on the fact that Tasti D- Lite recently announced a very aggressive franchise program, I expect to see other South Florida locations in the near future…and my money says that the soft-serve will be cheaper outside of the South Beach area.

Anyway…Tasti D- Lite is terrific. It is absolutely delicious.

The joint in South Beach is open Monday-Thursday 11am-11pm…Friday-Saturday 11am-1am…Sunday 11am-midnight.

*****  Splitsville Bowling Billiards & Dinner Lounge, 615 Channelside Drive, Tampa, Florida 33602 (813) 514-2695.

If you do some checking, earlier today I did a writeup on Lucky Strike Lanes an upscale-bowling joint located in Miami Beach. In that review, I told you that Lucky Strike was a terrific 21st century bowling alley/sports bar combination. I also mentioned that Lucky Strike Lanes is a chain operation with something like 15 joints, one of which is located in Florida.

I just wanted you guys to know, that there is a single-joint-operator in Tampa, Florida who in my opinion has “outdone” Lucky Strike Lanes. The joint I am talking about is Splitsville. I have been to Splitsville exactly twice…10/1/05 and 7/29/06. I didn’t bowl, but ate dinner.  Splitsville’s website is www.splitsvillelanes.com. Take a close look at the photos/menu/pricing/other details… I found Splitsville’s decor more creative… its menu “deeper”… its food” better” and its price-points “more” customer friendly.

Comparing Lucky Strike and Splitsville is like comparing a Six Flags amusement park to a Disneyland or Disney World or Universal Studios…Lucky Strike is terrific, Splitsville is incredible.

This bowling alley/sports bar concept is a great idea…I just thought you would enjoy comparing two “takes” on the same basic “concept.”

*****  Lucky Strike Lanes, 1691 Michigan Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida 33139 (305) 532-0307.

A few months back, this guy Barack Obama got me thinking that I should take-up bowling again…If I recall correctly, the last time that I bowled was around 7 years ago at Don Carter’s All Star Lanes in Boca Raton and I didn’t even crack 100. Not sure on this, but I think that the time before Don Carter’s was at Leader Lanes in Brooklyn, New York sometime around 1964…Even back then I was a sub-100 bowler.

Anyway…last night I tried a joint called Lucky Strike Lanes which is the 21st Century’s version of the bowling-alley. For all of you Ray Bluths, Don Carters and Dick Webers out there, this joint is hi-tech bowling alley “meets” sports bar.

Take a few seconds and visit Lucky Lanes’ website at www.bowlluckystrike.com where you will find photos of this joint/menu/and other details. For those of you too lazy to go to the website, Lucky Lanes is a phenomenal looking “neon lit” bowling alley which has a fantastic-upscale-looking sports bar.

Now let’s talk food…Lucky Lanes is not and I emphasis the word “not” a full scale restaurant…Let’s call it a very good-very moderately priced “finger food” joint. If you check this joint’s menu, you will find that it has plenty of  chicken, seafood, meat skewers…boneless chicken”fingers”…pizzas…salads…burgers…sandwiches… and desserts…Trust me, you will find something to eat and surprisingly for a South Beach joint at TGI Friday’s prices. On the actual bowling part of the gig, shoe rental goes for something like $4 and depending on the time of the day, figure a per-player-per game fee of between $5-7. Let’s do some real quick math here…4 people bowling 2 games around 9pm are going to spend something like $16 for shoes and $56 for games for a grand total of $72 and that doesn’t include food or drink. Not too terrible…but not something that you are going to be doing every night. By the way, Lucky Strike does have a bunch of adult and kid party packages (that require a minimum of 8 bowlers) which provide shoe rental/bowling/food & beverage at discounted prices.

Lucky Strike Lanes is a chain operation with something like 15 locations. For right now, there is only one joint in Florida. Keep it to yourself, but I have heard that Lucky Strike is planning to open locations in Plantation and Coconut Grove sometime in the very near future…but that’s just a rumor for right now.

Lucky Strike only has 14 lanes, so if you plan on “bowling” I would suggest that you have a confirmed reservation. The joint is a kid’s paradise during the day and does tons of birthday parties. Although kids can bowl during evening hours, Lucky Strike really is an adult joint when the sun goes down.

Lucky Strike is “doing for bowling” what Dave & Buster’s is “doing for the game-room arcade”…namely, taking a time tested/time worn concept and putting a fresh-new-updated version out there that both kids and adults will enjoy.

Lucky Strike is open Friday-Monday 11am-2am and Tuesday-Thursday 11am-1am.

Just so you know, somethings never change…last night I bowled an 82 and a 91.

*****  Pizza Rustica, 863 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida 33139 (305) 674-8244.

Pizza Rustica is a small pizza chain which currently has 7 South Florida locations and a handful of locations elsewhere.

This joint’s concept is real simple…slices and salads are ordered/picked-up at the counter …there is something like 20 different topped slices and maybe a dozen or so different salads. You can check Pizza Rustica’s website at www.pizza-rustica.com  for menu/pricing/locations/and other details.

I have eaten “dinner” in the Delray Beach joint at least 5 times and the Miami Beach location 3 times…and I have to tell you that the pizza is pretty decent. Pizza Rustica has a very simple formula for making its pizzas…rectangle-shaped pizza shells are pre-baked and then filled (and finished off) with the various “toppings.” I have “sampled” bbq, NY steak, margherita, chicken parmesan, sausage and pepperoni slices and like I said before, the stuff is pretty decent…the same goes for a chicken caesar salad that I have had several times.

Every time that I have been at Pizza Rustica, the joint has been jammed. As for pricing, maybe a buck more than you are use to paying at your neighborhood pizza joint for a nice-size slice, same on the salad.

Pizza Rustica: Order at the counter…Pick-up at the counter…Grab a table.

Pizza Rustica is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner.

       Joe’s Famous New York Style Pizza, 21401 Powerline Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33433 (561) 483-7900.

Joe’s is a “hole-in-the-wall” order at the counter joint. Joe’s has pizza, calzones, strombollis, subs and a few other items.

The other day, I stopped by Joe’s and grabbed a couple of slices and a Coke. Absolutely horrendous pizza. Can’t tell you about the other stuff this joint makes.

Joe’s won’t be seeing me again…and if you are smart, Joe’s shouldn’t be seeing you either.

For those of you who want first-hand knowledge, Joe’s is open 7 days a week from 10am-11pm.

*****  Fuji Asian, 22191 Powerline Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33433 (561) 392-8778.

Fuji Asian is located in Boca Raton. It is a Japanese Restaurant, but its menu does have a handful of Chinese dishes.

Last Sunday Night (8/3/08)  was my first “time” in this joint and I have to tell you that I was very impressed by the decor/food/service….I did find the menu a bit pricey for a neighborhood-strip center restaurant. Rather than my describing the joint’s decor as a combination of “Raider’s Of The Lost Ark and Aladdin” do me a favor and take a look at Fuji’s website at www.fujiboca.com which has a handful of pictures of the restaurant’s interior…the website also has menu/prices/other details.

It goes without saying, that this Japanese joint has the full gamut of Japanese stuff like sushi, sashimi, miso soup, teriyaki chicken, sake.

Just so you know, I didn’t eat any Japanese food, but “sampled” the Chinese menu…won ton soup,  shrimp fried rice, steamed pot-stickers, roast pork, General Tso’s chicken…the Chinese stuff was as good if not better than my favorite neighborhood Chinese eat-in/take-out.

As for the Japanese part of the menu, the three folks that I was with absolutely raved about the shitake mushroom soup, miso soup, yellowtail snapper, shrimp & vegetable tempura and California roll-tuna roll-salamon roll.

Now…you know and I know, that Jeff Eats has impeccable taste…As for the three folks I was with, these were the same people who just a few months ago told me  “There is no chance whatsoever that Big Brown will lose the Belmont.” Based on the Chinese food alone, I highly recommend Fuji and would bet that the Japanese stuff is also terrific.

Fuji is open Monday-Friday for lunch and dinner…and Saturday-Sunday dinner only.

*****  Panda Express, 970 North Congress Avenue, Boynton Beach, Florida 33426 (561) 375-8637.

Unless you have been living under a rock…you know what a Panda Express is…For you rock-dwellers, Panda is a national chain of fast-food Chinese joints. If you check Panda’s website at www.pandaexpress.com you will find that most of its locations are in Mall-Food-Courts…the website will also provide you with menu/prices/and other assorted details.

Now…I am going to let you in on a little secret. One of Jeff Eats’ favorite “Sunday Afternoon South Florida Outings” is to drive 26 miles from my home to Sawgrass Mills and kill 3 hours while Mrs. Jeff Eats and family shop. Before I snuggle into a Books A- Million armchair to read, I religiously “sample” all of the free food-passings in the food-court before I mosey over to Panda’s outlet and order Orange Chicken, White Rice, Egg Roll and a Large Coke…you get a ton of food for under 7 bucks. For some reason, I find that Chinese food drenched in MSG tastes absolutely great when you eat it in a food-court setting.

Now…for the really great news. Panda Express has recently “evolved” from being just a mall-food-court outlet into being a fast-food joint with in-line- locations in strip centers and free standing buildings.

The other day, I tried an in-line Panda Express which recently opened in Boynton Beach…same menu and prices as the Sawgrass Mills’ joint…same MSG…by the way, there is a Barnes & Nobles right across the street from the Boynton location, so if I had wanted to do some after-eating reading I could have done so.

Panda Express has locations all over South Florida…just off the top of my head, I know that in addition to the Boynton and Sawgrass joints there are outlets in Coral Gables, Davie, Homestead, Miami, Miami Gardens, Pembroke Pines, Sunrise…

Like I said before, I really enjoy Panda’s mall-food-court quality food…some people say that I am a reincarnated truck driver ( no insult intended to the truck drivers of the world).

If you are like me and “go” for this kind of food, I guarantee that there is a Panda Express near your home or office.

In a future writeup I will discuss my fanatical obsession with Auntie Anne’s Pretzels…but for now, that’s a story for another day.

       Oasis-by-the-Sea, 1211 A. North Surf Road, Hollywood, Florida 33019 (954) 922-4800.

This past Saturday Night (8/2/08) I was on the Broadwalk in Hollywood. Around 9:30pm I and 4 others decided to “grab” some pizza in Oasis-by-the-Sea which is just one of the many joints which line the Broadwalk…these joints are usually open 7 days a week from 8am-midnight and serve breakfast-lunch and dinner and have seating inside and outside right on the Broadwalk. You name the food and these  honky-tonk joints usually have it… pizza, chicken wings, subs…All of these joints have all kinds of “specials.”

Anyway…We ordered a $14.00 Large Pizza/Pitcher of Beer or Soda “Special.”

I have to tell you, that the pizza was one of the worst tasting pizzas that I have ever eaten. There is absolutely no question in my mind, that this pizza was a frozen piece of crap being passed-off as being freshly made…and if it wasn’t a pre-made frozen pizza, the pizza-baker should be immediately fired by the owner, assuming that they are not one and the same.

I can’t tell you about the rest of the food that this joint serves…what I can tell you, is that the pizza is disgusting.

Stay away from Oasis by-the-Sea.

*****  Fat Lou’s Sports Entertainment & Grill, 1040 W. Hallandale Beach Boulevard, Hallandale Beach, Florida 33009 (954) 458-3787.

Do me a favor and check Fat Lou’s website at www.fatlous.com. The website has menu/prices/and a ton of pictures that should give you some idea as to what this joint is all about.

Just so you know, Lou’s isn’t  exactly a sports/bar as it only serves beer and wine, in fact it doesn’t even have an actual bar…in addition, you won’t find the obligatory 40,000,000 flat screen tv sets, maybe there are 6 or 7.

Let’s call Lou’s a hoagie-grinder-sub-hot dog-hamburger-gyro joint that serves great food.  The website describes the joint as a “Chicago Eatery” and the owner is apparently a Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bears fanatic…as the decor is dedicated to these two teams. As a matter of fact, today while eating lunch, every tv set was playing the Cubs vs. Pirates game.

The website I gave you has menu/pricing details. Let’s just say, that Lou’s makes great wings, salads, burgers, subs, hot dogs, french fries, onion rings…At today’s lunch, I “sampled” a N.Y. Jumbo Hot Dog, a ribeye steak hoagie, a chicken parm hoagie, buffalo style wings, french fries, onion rings, and a hamburger…No, I didn’t eat alone.

There is wait-staff service…but you get your own “unlimited” soda- beverages from two dispensing machines…Lou’s has something that I have never seen in any other restaurant…the machines have both Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola products side by side…This afternoon, I must have had 3 glasses of Coke, and 2 glasses of Pepsi.

Casual? I think if you check Webster’s for the definition of CASUAL, you will find a picture of this joint.

Anyway…check Fat Lou’s website to fully “appreciate” as to what is going on in this joint.

Fat Lou’s is open 7 days a week…Monday-Saturday 11am-midnight…Sunday 11am-8am.

*****  Mr. Zhang’s Fine Chinese Cuisine, 4650 Donald Ross Road, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33428 (561) 624-2946.

The other day I gave you guys a writeup on a Chinese joint… Uncle Joe’s Chinese Restaurant. Take a look at the review…I think that it is one of the better Chinese restaurants down here in South Florida.

Now for the hook…The guy who owns Uncle Joe’s also owns Mr. Zhang’s which is  basically an upscale-white tablecloth version of Uncle Joe’s. Both joints have terrific food…Mr. Zhang’s menu is a bit more extensive and something like 20% more per dish.

So…if you want to “dine” in a regular old Chinese joint…Uncle Joe’s. If you want to “dine” in an upscale- white tablecloth joint…Mr. Zhang’s.

Either way, I am telling you, that you won’t go wrong.

Mr. Zhang’s is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. Check its website and www.mrzhangchinese.com  for menu/prices/details.