*****  Havana, 6801 South Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, Florida 33405 (561) 547-9799.

Havana is a terrific Cuban joint. Check its website at www.havanacubanfood.com for menu/prices/details.

I have been stuffing my face at this joint for years. Not certain on the number, but I probably have eaten at Havana something like 15 times. Havana which has been around since 1993, has a 2-story dining room which is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-11pm and Friday-Saturday 11am-1am…The joint also has a take-out window that is open 24 hours.

Havana’s menu is loaded with appetizers, soups, sandwiches, entrees and desserts. I can’t remember them all… but the chicken fajitas, flank steak, Cuban sandwich and spicy hamburger are some of my favorites.

Havana’s food is terrific…The prices are right…The decor is Cuban (whatever that is?)…The service is good…Tee shirts/shorts are just fine…The joint’s hours are great.

*****  Alligator Alley, 1321 East Commercial Boulevard, Oakland Park, Florida 33334, (954) 771-2220.

Alligator Alley calls itself a “Taproom & Music Hall.” The best way to handle this one, is for you to go Alligator’s website at www.alligatoralleyflorida.com …after reviewing the site you’ll know whether or not this “hole in the wall” joint is for you.

I found Alligator Alley to be an absolutely great joint… its menu is loaded with terrific appetizers, salads, wings, burgers, sandwiches, bbq, seafood/meat entrees…Alligator has won local “awards” for its gumbo…BUT food isn’t this joint’s only game…

Alligator Alley which is open Wednesday-Saturday 7pm-2am is the home to local and national recording artists who play every night…the schedule includes, blues-jazz-rock-punk-funk…Sometimes there is a cover charge and other performances are free.

Alligator Alley is a joint where you come to eat, drink and enjoy top-notch music and performances. If this sounds like your type of place, plan on spending the evening…

*****  Cap’s Place Island Restaurant, 2765 NE 28 CT, Lighthouse Point, Florida 33064, (954) 941-0418.

Got a real- good seafood joint for you, Cap’s Place Island Restaurant. It is absolutely imperative that you check Cap’s website at www.capsplace.com for menu/prices/photos/details…the site “tells” you the whole story about this joint which has been around for something like 80 years.

Delicious food. Great service. Moderate prices (you get what you pay for, but this joint ain’t exactly running bargain basement deals). Real low-keyed ambiance, tee shirts/shorts are just fine. If you have already gone to Cap’s website, you know that you have to take a short boat ride to get to the joint…that’s part of the fun of eating at Cap’s.

Cap’s menu is loaded with seafood stuff…it is a bit light on chicken/meat dishes…but non-fish eaters should be able to handle the situation…

Cap’s is a famous “joint.”…Winston Churchill, FDR, JFK, Al Capone, Meyer Lansky, Casey Stengel, The Temptations, were all customers…so be smart and make a reservation.

The joint opens at 5:30pm for dinner Tuesday-Sunday, closed on Monday.

       Rita’s, 9858 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida 33434 (561) 479-1740.

Rita’s is an “ices-custard” chain which currently has locations in 18 states…for right now, South Florida has joints in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Pembroke Pines, Royal Palm Beach and Tamarac, with plans to open loads more. Take a look at Rita’s website www.ritasice.com for locations/menu/details.

The other night around  7pm, I stopped by the “newest” Rita’s in Boca Raton. The joint had a line of about 15 people…Give or take, one or two people, every person had a “buy one get one free coupon.”…so we’ll have to wait and see if the “following” is for real or not.

I will tell you, that I found the Rita’s signage to be very confusing…the joint has a ton of products and supposedly makes 4 flavors of ices fresh each day…there is low-calorie stuff, sugar-free stuff. After getting my ices (lemon), I hung-around a for 20 minutes or so and noticed that almost every person on line had to have the counter-people explain the menu-offerings…this is not a good sign to me (pun intended)…After-all, Rita’s isn’t trying to do brain surgery here.

I will tell you, that the the ices that I had were no big deal and I found absolutely nothing so spectactular at this joint, that would make me run back real soon.

I could be wrong here, but I think that I would rather be the franchisor of this concept than the franchisee who has to make his/or her daily living from this business.

*****  Catfish Deweys, 4003 North Andrews Avenue, Oakland Park, Florida 33309 (954) 566-5333.

Got a real good, low keyed “seafood” joint for you…Catfish Deweys. Nothing fancy, so tee shirts/shorts are just fine. Check-out Catfish’s website at www.catfishdeweys.com for menu/prices/details.

Good food…good prices…good service. Nothing “gourmet” here, but plenty of stuff to choose from. There are “specials” all-the-time, so the price is always right. Just one quick observation…for non-seafood-lovers, the menu is a bit limited for my taste. You guys should be able to find something to eat, but I think that a few more “dishes” would help the situation.

Catfish Deweys has been around since 1984. The joint does lunch and dinner 7-days a week…11:30am-10pm.

If you like catfish (and who doesn’t?) this is the joint for you…don’t worry, Catfish Deweys has plenty of other seafood selections.

*****  Bagels N More, 2368 North Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33305 (954) 564-4610.

You know and I know that there are more bagel joints in South Florida, than there are  Chins in a Chinese phonebook (line courtesy of Soupy Sales circa 1964). To be perfectly honest with you, these “hole in the wall” joints are “on paper” basically all the same…decent enough bagels, eggs, appetizing and deli…nothing “gourmet” just nice places to catch a reasonably priced breakfast or lunch…they usually serve “National Brand” deli and open at 7am and close at 3pm. Every so often, “one” of these joints surprises on the upside and does something that makes it stand-out just a bit. Maybe it’s the food…maybe it’s the service…maybe it’s the decor… Over the past few years, I have tried to point out bagel joints that are the “best of breed.”

Bagels N More is one of the better bagel joints down here in South Florida. Take a look at its website at www.bagelnmore.net for menu/prices. Besides having delicious food and competent service…Bagels N More offers an array of “specialty” bagels and  “gourmet” sandwiches that most bagel joints wouldn’t even attempt…such as grilled mahi and peppered smoked salmon & bacon. For sure, this joint has all of the  “expected” breakfast-lunch stuff, but its willingness to expand  on the basic-bagel-joint concept…makes it a member of the “best of breed.”

Bagels N More is open Monday-Friday 7am-3pm and  Saturday-Sunday 7:30am-2:30am.

*****  Alfonso’s Arthur Avenue Deli, 3429 Galt Ocean Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33308, (954) 533-0351.

You can thank me later for giving you Alfonso’s Arthur Avenue Deli…the consummate “hole in the wall” Italian deli/restaurant combination. This joint is an absolute “must try.” You name it and this joint probably has it, or will make it for you…Eat-in/Take-out soups, salads, pizzas, sandwiches, pastas, cannolis, deli meats, cheeses.

I am telling you that Alfonso’s makes some heavy duty great stuff…my last sojourn netted me a chicken parmigiana sub ($8.95), a sausage/peppers/onions sub ($8.95), a slice of pizza ($2.75) and a cannoli ($1.25)…and no, I didn’t eat everything in one sitting.

Alfonso’s is open Monday-Saturday 9am-7pm and Sunday 10am-5pm.

*****  Southport Raw Bar, 1536 Cordova Road, Fort Laudredale, Florida 33316 (954) 525-CLAM.

You guys sure are lucky…Yesterday (10/06/08) I told you about a great South Florida seafood joint named Tarks…and today you get another great South Florida seafood joint named Southport Raw Bar.

Southport is an absolute dynamite place…it is sort of like Tarks on steroids. Take a look at this joint’s website at www.southportrawbar.com for menu/prices/details. After checking the site, I think you will agree that Southport should absolutely be on your “to go” list.

Southport is located on the intracoastal…Indoor/outdoor patio seating (be smart and sit outside)…great food, great service, great prices…Primarily seafood, but it has just enough of the other stuff, so no one will go without eating. This is a real easy-casual joint, so make sure that you are in tee shirts/shorts or less. If you are looking for “fancy”…Southport which has been around for something like 30 years isn’t your game.

Southport is open Sunday-Thursday 11am-2am and Friday-Saturday 11am-3am.

No fooling around…make it your business to check this joint out and bring your out-of-town friends with you. After your pals eat at Southport they will appreciate why you tolerate hurricanes.

http://members.aol.com/tarksdania/tarksclamstand.html. This is the consummate/ultimate “hole in the wall” seafood joint…mini-sit down-counter/and a few tables. If you wear anything but tee shirts/shorts you will look real and I do mean real…silly.

Take a look at the menu/prices listed on the website…real reasonable prices and absolutely great food. Although this joint is seafood “oriented”…the chicken wings and steak are also very good.

Like I said before, this is a hole in the wall…so do yourself a favor and don’t plan on showing up with loads of friends…seating is real-sparse.

Tarks has been around since 1966…It has an enormous “local” following, so when you are stuffing your face, speak “Danian.” If you are looking for fancy, this joint ain’t for you.

Tarks is open 7 days a week 11am-10pm except Saturday 11am-11pm.

I highly recommend Tarks… its food-decor-menu-prices-service make it the perfect “seafood” joint.

*****  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.