The Ugliest Fish to Put in Your Mouth

“I’m not eating that disgusting bottom feeder,” said my friend, who happens to be a marine biologist. As a part of my Florida adventures of eating like regular people, I joined friends at Heart Rock Sushi, where fish is so inexpensive, it’s surreal. They steered the ordering, during which I…

Win Tickets to Delray Garlic Festival February 10-12

We’ve got a pair of tickets to give away to Garlic Fest, the quirky Delray Beach event that celebrates the odiferous vegetable. Why celebrate a flavor that keeps away vampires and ensures trench mouth breath that rivals the taste of stale cigarettes?Like other maligned foods, garlic has an interesting history…

Bacon-Infused Milk Shakes? Make Your Own — With Vodka

It’s almost a crime that there are no Jack in the Box restaurants in Florida. The whole creepy-child’s-toy concept used to scare the living daylights out of me when I was a kid.There were three fast-food restaurants in a row where I grew up in Brooklyn.  McDonald’s, Burger King, and…

Free Yogurt for National Yogurt Day

It’s National Yogurt day today (and you thought it was hangover-from-Super-Bowl Day, didn’t you)!  Every time we think yogurt has jumped the shark, it makes a comeback. There are still a million frozen yogurt shops, but now the trend is toward fro-yo that actually tastes like yogurt — tangy and…

Eating Chicken Wings, Squirrel, and Wu Tang Clams

Happy day after Super Bowl. Yesterday, the country ate 1.25 million chicken wings. Today, it’s wing sauce and blue cheese smoothies. Read on for today’s food-related links.1. The National Restaurant Association projects that restaurant sales will grow by 3.5 percent in 2012, with two out of five consumers reporting they’re…

Free Burger King Onion Rings This Weekend

This weekend, two teams will engage in head-to-head competition for a ring. You, however, can get yours for free.That’s right! Burger King is giving away rings this weekend. Crisp, golden, fried rings. Onion rings, to be exact.Today and tomorrow, February 4 and 5, just stop into any Burger King and…

McDonald’s Gets Me High

One of my roommates is a highly driven young entrepreneur raised in Asia by American parents, and he is an enthusiastic consumer of all ingestibles, be they solid, liquid, or smoke. Like me, his favorite foods are uni and foie gras. Like me, he loves excellent craft beer, appreciates delicately…

Food Town Throwdown: Vote Early and Vote Often (Results So Far)

If you think the pinnacle of games is this Sunday, then maybe you haven’t heard about Clean Plate Charlie’s Food Town Throwdown.Clean Plate Charlie is talking smack and taking names — pitting our favorite food neighborhoods against each other in a raging death match of wits and eats.  OK -…

South Florida’s Best Margaritas

Margaritas and palm trees belong together, so it’s no wonder South Florida is awash in tequila goodness. Clean Plate Charlie takes a look at some of the best margaritas in Broward and Palm Beach. These are finalists in the Best Of issue that will hit the stands in June –…

Where Are the Women in the Kitchen?

Back in 2008, I started spending almost as much time in restaurant kitchens as in restaurant dining rooms. What struck me was how few women work the hot line. The reasons are apparent: The hours are insane. The pay is middling. The work is grueling. Cooking in a competitive, cutthroat…

Landry’s to Buy Morton’s: Here’s Our Wish List for Its Rebirth

Houston-based restaurateur Tilman Fertitta of Landry’s Inc. has acquired 90 percent of Morton’s shares, he announced Wednesday, reports Chicago Business. The purchase means he’ll own Morton’s without shareholders’ approval. Shareholders had been trying to block the purchase because they believed the stocks were undervalued.In Florida, Morton’s resides in Boca Raton,…

Rocco’s Tacos in Palm Beach Gardens Opens Tonight

Rocco’s Tacos is opening their fourth location in Palm Beach Gardens tonight after much planning and speculation.Clean Plate Charlie announced the planned northernmost location of this taco mini-chain back in March, 2011.  The restaurant, located on PGA Boulevard in the former Ouzo Blue spot, was slated for a summer opening. …

South Florida’s Best Martinis

​Shaken, stirred, dirty, doused in fruit juices, and outfitted with spiffy window dressing, there are endless ways to get a martini — or at least a cocktail going by the name — in South Florida. Clean Plate Charlie takes a look at some of the best in Broward and Palm…

Broward Chefs at South Beach Wine and Food Festival 2012

South Beach Wine and Food Festival 2012 is a few weeks away: the Nascar of foodie weekends. Though hot tickets are sold out, there’s a slew of events with tickets available. Perhaps a local chef’s attendance might convince you to splurge. Have a weigh-in on South Beach Wine and Food…