***** Ferro Pizza
8146 North University Drive
Tamarac, Florida 33321
(954) 722-3444

If you are a “follower” of JeffEats.com, you know that I absolutely love a great slice of pizza. As a matter of fact, it’s a toss-up between a greasy cheeseburger/french fries/coke—and—a couple of slices of pizza/coke as to which is my favorite “meal.”

Ferro Pizza has been around “something like” 25 years. The operative word in this joint’s name is PIZZA. This “mom & pop” restaurant (owned and operated by husband-wife, John and Valentina) makes some “heavy-duty” absolutely delicious pizza. A recent “snack” of two squares of Ferro’s sicilian pizza and a coke, reminded me of the Pizza Den, which was one of my favorite Brooklyn pizza joints (1950s-1970s).

The menu at Ferro Pizza is not solely limited to pizza. There is a full-lineup of “pretty decent” pastas, meat-fish entrees etc., so everyone will find something to eat. If you try this joint, make it your business to at least “have” a piece of sicilian pizza. I am telling you, it will make your day.

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

Council Oak Steaks & Seafood
1 Seminole Way
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida 33314
(954) 327-7501

This “upscale” steak-seafood joint is located in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. I had dinner there last Saturday night (January 6, 2007).

Council Oak’s food is FAIR. Council Oak’s wait-service is FAIR. Council Oak’s menu is OVERPRICED.

There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for you to eat at this restaurant, unless you are a guest of the Seminole Indians or someone else.

***** Bob & Eddie’s
130 South Congress Avenue
Delray Beach, Florida, 33445
(561) 276-0206

Bob & Eddie’s is the consumate “hole in the wall” Italian joint. It seats “maybe” 18 and makes terrific hot/cold heros, pizza, calzone, stromboli, pasta and parmigiana entrees. To date, I have “sampled” a chicken parmigiana hero, veal cutlet parmigiana hero, ziti with broccoli, meat lasagna and a “slice” of cheese pizza. Don’t be a “wiseguy.” No, I didn’t do “all” my sampling at one seating.

Bob & Eddie’s is basically a “take-out” joint. As for a rating, its “stuff” is probably better than 90% of the mom & pop Italian “operations” that dot the South Florida landscape. The heros are going to run you about $6-7. A veal cutlet parmigiana entree with a salad and pasta side goes for $10.95 and a chicken parmigiana entree (with salad and pasta side) is $9.75. A plain cheese pizza “runs” 10″-$6.75, 14″-$8.75 and 16″-$9.75.

Good food at real cheap prices. This is a real good joint to know about. Bob & Eddies is open 7 days a week, Sunday-Friday 11am-9pm and Saturday 11am-10pm.

***** Uncle Lui’s Restaurant
8318 West Oakland Park Boulevard
Sunrise, Florida 33351
(954) 749-1908

One of your 2007’s New Year’s Resolutions should be, to eat dinner at Uncle Lui’s Restaurant a HUNGARIAN RESTAURANT in Sunrise, Florida.

Uncle Lui’s is a my kind of a joint: 1. It is a hole in the wall, which has tables and booths covered with vinyl tablecloths. 2. It is owned and opererated by the Bodnar Family (father, mother, son and daughter) who I assume are of “Hungarian decent.” 3. The food is terrific.; 4. The portions are enormous; 5.The service is terrific. 6. The prices are ‘dirt-cheap.”

Uncle Lui’s is open Wednesday-Sunday for dinner. Just so you know, this is not an “undiscovered” joint, so be smart and make sure that you have a reservation, because if you don’t you “ain’t” getting in. From what I can figure, the Bodnars basically have three seatings, 5pm, 6:30pm and 8pm, but at times this “seating” thing doesn’t exactly run like clockwork (then again if I recall “my” history, it’s the Swiss that make the timepieces and not the Hungarians.)

Just a heads-up: You can order ala carte at Uncle Lui’s, but the way-to-go, is by ordering one of the 15 price-fixed dinners on the menu. These dinners are priced between $11-16 and include soup or salad, entree, one side dish, coffee and dessert. In addition, every meal comes with a complimentary appitezier of potato pancakes and “family style servings” of creamed spinach and red cabbage.

A recent dinner, allowed me to sample 4 entrees: roast duck, veal goulash, chicken paprikash and chicken francese. I am telling you, the food was terrific and the doggy-bags were loaded.

Try this joint.

Gaucho Rodizio
4060 North Federal Highway
Lighthouse Point, Florida 33064
(954) 784-7667

ALL YOU CAN EAT JOINTS like Gaucho Rodizio are “popping” up all over South Florida.

Big buffets, complemented by guys “going from table to table” with enormous skewers loaded with steak, veal, chicken and lamb.

Gaucho is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. Depending on when you “go,” a meal is going to run you between $20-$40 a person.

Do you know what a “bunch of crap” is? Dine at Gaucho and you’ll find out. This joint is just a big waste of time.

One other little tidbit. Desserts are not included in the ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET. If you want a “good laugh,” you should see the look on customers’ faces when they get their bills, which include a per-dessert charge. Just an observation, but the “MO” of this joint, is apparently to have waiters with dessert carts visit each table (remaining silent that desserts cost extra) and encourage customers to sample different offerings. Then, and only when a customer “bitches” to the management about the dessert-bill, the management “magnamiously” removes the charges.

Be smart, stay away from this joint.

***** La Stella South Restaurant
3801 North University Drive
Sunrise, Florida 33321
(954) 748-4788

Let me start by saying, that La Stella is one of just a handful of restaurants in South Florida, that I will actually “discard” my shorts for and put on a pair of pants, in order to “go” eat. Now don’t get me wrong, this neighborhood hole-in-the wall joint, is not the most fancy joint in the world, but I think that its decor-food-service warrant my “gussing-up” a bit.

The food in this Southern Italian Restaurant is terrific. I recently had a stuffed veal chop valdostanta that was as good as any that I have ever eaten. This joint makes some absolutely delicious pastas, fish and meat main dishes. I have eaten in this joint three times and steak pizzaiola and lobster tail fra diavolo entrees were delicious. Just so you know, all entrees come with a soup or salad and a pasta side. La Stella’s prices are “give or take” a few dollars more than the local mom and pop joints that dot the South Florida landscape.

La Stella is open Saturday-Sunday for dinner. Try this joint, it is an absolute “gem.”

***** Juno Beach Cafe
13967 US Highway 1
Juno Beach, Florida 33408
(561) 622-1533

Today ( Wednesday, December 27, 2006) is your lucky day. Earlier today, I told you guys about Captain Charlie’s Reef Grill as being one of the best places for seafood in Juno Beach, not to mention all of South Florida. Now I am going to “give” you Juno Beach Cafe, which is one of the best breakfast-lunch joints in Juno Beach. Just think, you now have all 3-daily meals “covered” courtesy of www.JeffEats.com.

Juno Beach Cafe is a small hole-in-the wall joint. Tee-shirts/shorts are the dress-code of the day. There is seating inside and on an out-door patio. Suffice it to say, that this joint makes “great breakfasts.” You name it, Juno Beach Cafe has it. This joint does breakfast-so-well, that on Sunday from 7am-2pm, breakfast is all that the joint serves. Juno’s menu also has an assortment of salads, burgers, wraps, sandwiches etc., This joint’s food is terrific.

Juno Beach Cafe is open 7 days a week, Monday-Friday 7am-3pm, Saturday-Sunday 7am-2pm.

***** Captain Charlie’s Reef Grill
12846 US Highway 1
Juno Beach, Florida 33408
(561) 624-9924

Let me make this writeup as brief as possible.

Captain Charlie’s Reef Grill serves some of the best seafood in all of South Florida. You can wear a tee shirt/shorts to this joint. I guarantee you, that if you like fish-seafood, you will absolutely-positively love this restaurant.

This joint has been around something like 15 years and is always jammed. Captain Charlie’s is open Monday-Saturday for lunch & dinner and on Sunday for dinner only.

Just a quick heads-up. How many times in the past have you asked a waiter or waitress: What’s good? What do you suggest? Is this good? Be smart, when you are ordering at Captain Charlie’s, make sure that you ask your waiter or waitress for their “recommendations.” There are daily specials and new dishes constantly being added to the menu, so “these guys” know what the best stuff coming out of the kitchen is, on a daily basis.

***** Green’s Pharmacy
151 North County Road
Palm Beach, Florida 33480
(561) 832-0304

Let me start by saying, THAT YOU HAVE TO TRY GREEN’S PHARMACY.

Green’s Pharmacy has been in business since 1938. If you check the history books, you will find that during the 1920s-1960s America’s landscape was dotted with drugstore-diner combinations (bet you didn’t know that I could sound so poetic). Rather than beating around the bush, Green’s is a “throw-back” in time with the same decor/combination it had when it opened 68 years ago.

Green’s is open 7 days a week for breakfast & lunch, Monday-Friday 7am-4pm, Saturday 7am-3pm & Sunday 7am-2pm.

Just so you know, Green’s is not just a “great photo shoot.” Terrific breakfasts, burgers, sandwiches, salads and ice-cream are the “real attraction” here. Personally, I enjoy “dining” at its 30 seat counter, but its 20 or so tables will allow “you” to spread-out a bit, if that’s your preference.

Green’s is a great place. Just imagine, that after you have eaten a delicious well-done cheeseburger, ketchup-soaked french fries and a chocolate milkshake, you can also buy your choice of Tums, Rolaids, Pepcid Complete, Alka Seltzer or Mylanta to “complete” a perfect meal.

Don’t miss this joint. It is worth a special trip.

***** Tom’s Place
1225 Palm Beach Boulevard
West Palm Beach, Florida 33401
(561) 832-8774

Yesterday, I told you “guys” about a terrific joint named Betty’s Soul Food Restaurant & B-B-Q. If you haven’t read Betty’s “story,” take a minute “so that” you can “follow” what I am now going to tell you about Tom’s Place.

In the 30+ years that I have been visiting/and or living “full time” in South Florida, there has seemingly always been a Tom’s Place to eat at. My earliest recollection of eating at Tom’s, was at a location (small free-standing building) at the intersection of Dixie Highway and Glades Road in Boca Raton (by the way, Bucky’s Bar-B-Que now occupies the same location). Now, I am not sure as to the exact dates, but after years at the Dixie/Glades spot, Tom’s relocated to a much larger free-standing building located on Federal Highway in Boca Raton and spent a number of years “packing the joint.” Now, I am not sure as to how long Tom’s was at the second location, but I do recall that about 3-4 years ago it closed “for no apparent reason.” To bring you up to date, Tom’s then re-opend in the Summer of 2005 at the West Palm Beach location listed above.

Tom’s Place is a BBQ-Soul Food restaurant. Tom’s is open for lunch-dinner, Tuesday-Thursday 11:30am-9:30pm, Friday 11:30am-10pm and Saturday noon-10pm.

Now for the “hook” to Betty’s ( I have been so busy “yapping” about Tom’s locations etc. that I almost forgot Betty’s altogether).

Betty’s is what I would call a real BBQ-SOUL FOOD RESTAURANT. Betty’s location, its outdoor/indoor decor, its menu and its food are the REAL McCOY.

Tom’s Place is “also” a bbq-soul food restaurant. Tom’s menu is similar to Betty’s, but not a “clone.” Let me put it to you this way, the fact that Tom’s was located in Boca Raton for almost 30 years and has ” located-relocated” 3 times, each time to a bigger and better location, “should tell” you, that Tom’s may just be a bit more “commercialized” than Betty’s is.

If you want to learn what really good Southern BBQ-Soul Food is all about, Tom’s or Betty’s are the places to go. That said, in comparing the two joints, Betty’s would be Yale and Tom’s would be Staten Island Community College.