Naughty Santa shenanigans, hula dancing holiday hotties, happy hour toy drives at surf bars — must be December in South Florida. This week’s calendar is filled with opportunities to get into the spirit, whether you’re looking to slam a few craft beers with some hip pals in Fort Lauderdale, celebrate…
Dessert at a restaurant in South Florida is not for the faint of heart. A drizzle of caramel, a pouf of cream, the sheen of fresh-cut fruits, or the siren of chocolate can undo even the most disciplined among us. As a purist, I’m enamored with dark, single-origin chocolate, riveted…
There’s a sizable Vietnamese population in D.C. where I moved from, so it’s easy to find decent pho and a respectable banh mi. Here? Tougher to find either: It appears South Florida isn’t having the same banh mi love affair as elsewhere, which seems about right, since Vietnamese immigrants don’t…
Chef Steven Zobel is the chef behind East End Brasserie at the Atlantic Resort & Spa, the subject of this week’s restaurant review. Having moved here from New York this past summer, Zobel earned accolades during his tenure at Triomphe from the New York Times and New York Magazine. Despite long…
Weekend Update City Correspondent Stefon was back this weekend to tell us the newest and brightest night spots to visit for the holidays in New York City. Though Seth Meyers wasn’t too crazy about Stefon’s first pick Heeeeeeey, which is owned by overweight television game show host Fat Sajak,we’re going…
Kicking off the morning with our occasional a.m. roundup of interesting links.Which holiday cookie are you? No, this is not an inane quiz from a women’s magazine. It’s one from The Washington Post to help you figure out what type of cookies you should bake.Speaking of. . . turns out, some…
The Hard Rock Cafe is 40 years old. We know it sounds crazy and we hardly believe it ourselves. It seems like only yesterday that we waited in line for over an hour to get a burger with a little flag on it and look at guitars hanging from the…
We love Will Ferrell. Not only is he funny, but he’s a marathon runner, an internet genius (check out funnyordie.com), and a pro-bono beer lover.According to AdWeek, Ferrell approached Daren Metropoulos, co-owner of Pabst Brewing. Metropoulos told AdWeek, “Will Ferrell approached Old Milwaukee about creating ads because he’s a big…
The holidays are here. It’s time to impress your friends with your thoughtful taste in gifts. To show your foodie friends how much you “get them,” here are some of my favorite food finds in the world of cooking, grilling, and being a culinary nerd…
A wide purple straw punctuates this indulgently sweet drink. It’s not green tea flavored, but the avocado special. And special it is, resembling a blend of avocado and McDonald’s once a year shamrock shake. Those aren’t chihuahua pellets lining the bottom of the cup. They’re tapioca bubbles, of course. Once…
If you’ve always wanted to see grown men and women scarf down copious amounts of meat for a cash prize, then the Martorano Masters Meatball-Eating Championship at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is your opportunity to see professional eaters do some serious damage to both meatballs and their…
The City of Pembroke Pines is hosting their annual tree lighting ceremony and Snowfest Saturday, December 9th from 2 – 6 p.m.This family-friendly event will feature music, children’s games, a visit from Santa Claus and 50 tons of snow! …
Restaurants and bars that align Himmarshee may not be able to open on Sunday. At 4:30 a.m the power will be cut on the street to move The Shippey House, the residence of the second judge of Broward County that had been built in 1914. The cottage will be moved…
Two Florida institutions associated with boozing and boobs are getting lifts. …
Gather round boys and girls, because Clean Plate Charlie wants to share a little Christmas story — courtesy of Anthony Bourdain.We’re sure you’ve heard about Santa Claus and how he brings presents to all good little children. But we want to tell you about who visits naughty little children -…
To the neophyte cook, is there any object more suspect, more chock-full of dangers unknown, than a thick, raw chicken breast?An experienced chef doesn’t worry about chicken. But to me, on a particular evening last summer, as a neophyte cook fresh off my first rice cooker and utterly lacking in…
Fort Lauderdale is no slouch when it comes to street food, with plenty of options like The Whole Enchilada, My Market, Primanti’s, and of course, LaSpada’s. Yet when it comes to a sit-down midday meal that offers more than sandwich shop, the question remains: “Where should we go for lunch?”…
Charm City Burgers in Deerfield reopened this afternoon after a month long renovation. The kitchen hood replacement was the catalyst for the remodeling, the plans for which were designed by owners Mike Saperstein and Evan David. The duo took over Charm City Burgers in 2009 from an acquaintance who was…
As much as some cookbooks have become coffee-table decorations, I appreciate a book that inspires a cover-to-cover read or motivation to cook the hell out of it. Though I’m no Carol Blymire, who has worked her way through French Laundry and Alinea, my copies of Gourmet and The Lee Brothers…
Top Chef fans can meet season-five winner Hosea Rosenberg at tonight’s Sweet Dreams charity event to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charity in Fort Lauderdale at the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek.This is the fifth-annual Sweet Dreams event, which features celebrity chefs, food, and holiday entertainment. The event runs today, December 8,…
Avril Lavigne is known for her bad little skater girl image more than her culinary skills. To be honest, we picture her getting a burger and shake at the local mall food court as a culinary adventure. It’s just something about her black eyeliner that doesn’t say “chef de cuisine”. …
This is exactly what I wanted,” said my coworker Lisa as she forked through butternut-squash tortelloni. At an outside table at SpoonFed, she mused on missing the brisk Cleveland fall, when squash is among the season’s pickings at farmers’ markets. She had ordered a dish that reminded her of home…
