Recipe: Park Avenue BBQ and Grill’s Sweet Corn Fritters

My favorite thing at Park Avenue BBQ and Grill is not barbecue at all — it’s the sweet, deep fried corn fritters ordered a la carte from the menu. Unlike hush puppies or typical corn fritters, Park Avenue’s version are cakey and moist and totally absent of rough, corn meal…

LA Weekly Critic Jonathan Gold Profiled in The New Yorker

The latest issue of The New Yorker appeared this week with a profile of Jonathan Gold, the Pulitzer Prize-winning restaurant critic for our sister paper, LA Weekly.The piece called “The Scavenger” by Dana Goodyear follows Gold down a path paved with odd edibles and organ meats, L.A.’s divey-est taco stands…

Reviewing the Chains: The Bacon Melt at Checkers

It’s a classic example of the bait and switch. During one of my recent late night television binges, I found myself drawn to a commercial that seemed to repeat during every break. It was for some kind of cheesy, bacony, Texas toasty burger at Checkers. Despite seeing the commercial at…

Beer of the Week: Delirium Nocturnum

Unrepentant beer drinkers, rejoice! Each week, Clean Plate Charlie will select one craft or import beer and give you the lowdown on it: How does it taste? What should you drink it with? Where can you find it? But mostly, it’s all about the love of the brew. If you…

Yo, Lardass!

Wanna know why your gut hits your ankles when you walk? Why your thighs have more ripples than the Gulf of Mexico in a hurricane? Why your ass is big enough to blot out the sun?  The “Twinkie Casserole” (24 Twinkies topped with caramel, mini marshmallows and brown sugar, topped…

Chef Tommy Valdes at Trattoria Bella Cibo in Margate Makes His Pitch

Executive chef Tommy Valdes sure knows how to shill — the Culinary Institute of America grad and author is making a bid to be on the Next Food Network Star, a fact you’ll find plastered all over his Margate Italian restaurant. There’s even a life-sized picture of him, looking authoritative,…

Foodbuzz.com Brings Food Blogs to the Forefront

This weekend, self-proclaimed “foodies” with a gift for prose will descend on San Francisco for the first ever Foodbuzz.com Blogger Festival. The three-day gathering will culminate with an awards ceremony where Foodbuzz will hand out golden forks to the top food blogs in a number of categories (everything from “Best…

Yucca Clearly Shouldn’t be Roasted

There’s nothing like buying something that I have no earthly idea what it might be. Normally even if the packaging doesn’t have much English on it, I can deduct from the pictures what I might find inside. Whatever this is, I have no idea. There are literally four English words…

Unbelievable Dessert: Baklava Cheesecake at Satoro in Hollywood

The best thing I ate at my recent visit to Satoro Restaurant and Lounge in Hollywood was dessert. Which is not to say the rest of the meal I enjoyed a few days back was a disappointment — on the contrary, the meal whipped up by chef Alexander Dziurzynski formerly of…

Roxy’s Rocks on the Roof

If you want to get high at Roxy’s, come Saturday, Nov. 28, you actually can. Legally, even. That’s when the Clematis Street complex that includes Roxy’s Pub, 10@2 Saloon and Rome Nightclub is throwing a street-wide beerfest to celebrate the debut of its rooftop bar and restaurant, Roxy’s on the…

The Office in Delray Beach Snags Mark Militello

Photo by Jacob KatelChef Mark Militello​ Chef Mark Militello has left 1 Bleu at the One Resort and Spa (formerly The Regent Bal Harbour) to join The Office, a gastropub in Delray said to be opening in late November. Last December Militello took the reigns as executive chef of culinary…

Food Fight: Cheese Steaks

In the interest of full disclosure: I was born in Philadelphia. Therefore, along with being a completely obnoxious sports fan, I have a special place in my clogged arteries for cheese steaks. I also get upset when I see the words “Philly Cheese Steak” on a menu only to find…

Order Up: Callaro’s Prime Steak and Seafood

I expected not to like Callaro’s Prime, a very old-fashioned steak house in Manalapan and subject of this week’s Dish review. But my friend and New Times’ theater critic Brandon K. Thorp convinced me the 8-year-old gin joint can cook the hell out of a steak. We dined there a…

Sublime Offers Vegetarians Reprieve Via Bizarro Thanksgiving Dinner

For vegetarians, Thanksgiving is sort of like going to a Dolphins game with a Jets jersey on. I know firsthand because I practiced the lifestyle for almost four years back in high school and college. No matter how accepting your family is (and mine is pretty accepting), you’re going to…

Dish Deconstructed: Steak and Egg Burger

Pictured: Steak and egg burger on a croissant.Burger: One pound of sirloin steak, fat left on. Chop into one-inch cubes. Place in food processor. Pulse 15-18 times or until coarsely chopped and not too fine. Gently form into four equal patties.Sear: Place iron skillet in oven and preheat to 400…

Cheap Wine That Doesn’t Suck

It’s always more fun to root against the Big Guys, especially when it comes to wine. That sweet little boutique winery tucked away on some back-country road in Napa or Sonoma has a lot more cachet than a megagiant wine processing plant that looks like an oil refinery and is…

Doggie Bag: This Week in Charlie

Give it to me, Chuck.The Fins flounder, but Bash in Sunrise delivers.What’s with using acronyms as restaurant names? Still L.O.L.A. in Delray sounds like great time.This merry go round is broken down: our review of Carousel Can Can in CityPlace.Riki avoids shooting food out of her noise while dining and…

Rock ‘N’ Roll Ribs Pairs Metal with Barbecue in Coral Springs

For nearly 30 years, drummer Nicko McBrain has toured the world as part of one of the greatest rock bands of all time, Iron Maiden. He’s played arenas and festivals, in front of tens of thousands of people in places Bangalore, India and Gothenburg, Sweden, and hundreds of thousands in…

Weekend Blog Wrap

Although Clean Plate Charlie is the only food blog you need to read every day, some people just can’t get enough. Here are some highlights of other food blogs, this time focusing on some Halloween themed foods.Want to truly scare yourself this Halloween? It has nothing to do with the…

Restaurant News: Savage Beard, B.B. ASAP, Ass of Cakes?

•  A little recognition for the local folks comes from the James Beard House, where chef Adam Savage, top toque at Seacrest Grill in the Delray Beach Marriott, has been invited to strut his stuff on Dec. 3. On the menu, among other dishes, butter-poached Maine lobster with autumn cup…