Jack Mancini Hires Kevin McCarthy as Executive Chef of M Bar

 Kevin McCarthy, former head of Armadillo Cafe and the new chef at M Bar, chatted with Clean Plate Charlie about what he’s planning for the Las Olas restaurant.  Clean Plate Charlie: What have you been up to since you decided to close Armadillo Cafe in 2009?McCarthy: I’ve been working on a bunch…

Five Public School Cafeteria Fails

On Monday, in South Florida, thousands of hormonal, angst-ridden youth made their way back to school for another year of FCAT-prep higher learning. If you just groaned a little it’s probably for one of two reasons…..

New York Times‘ Bruni Quiets Bourdain, for Now

Former New York Times food critic Frank Bruni sides with Paula Deen on the op-ed page in the aftermath of Anthony Bourdain’s calling Deen “the most dangerous person to America” for “telling an already obese nation it’s ok to eat food that is killing us.””Ill-timed elitism” is what he calls it,…

Recipes for Surviving a Hurricane

Patty Canedo is a chef in Palm Beach. She writes frequently about her kitchen exploits in this column, Half-Baked. Hurricane Irene may be sparing South Florida, but you can always bookmark this info for the next tropical disturbance — or pass it along to your friends up North. During the biggies…

Food Events This Weekend in Broward/Palm Beach

Barring any unforeseen changes in weather (ahem, Irene), seismic activity, floods, or locust swarms, there will be plenty of food events this weekend — ideally none will involve your having to mix Ramen noodles with a bottle of tepid water and a can of “emergency hurricane” tuna that’s been collecting…

South Florida’s Fourth Yard House Slated for Boca Raton

Boca Raton’s Mizner Park is next up to receive its very own Yard House, a 10,000 s.f. behemoth of a restaurant that offers 130 taps and seating for 400. The restaurant chain plans to open one restaurant a month around the country beginning in March of 2012. The Boca Raton…

Philippe by Philippe Chow Opens in Boca Raton

Philippe by Philippe Chow opens tonight in Boca Raton on Palmetto Park Road, bringing instant celebrity and fine Chinese cuisine to Boca Raton.The 500-seat restaurant will feature noodle-maker Cheng, who has demonstrated his art on the Martha Stewart Show. He’ll demonstrate his noodle-making skills nightly at 8:30 for diners.The Boca…

Weeknight Joint: Fort Lauderdale’s Himmarshee Bar & Grille

A food writer friend used to talk of weeknight joints: local hangouts Sunday to Thursday, yet come Friday, overcrowded with weekend warriors, stilletto’d 20 somethings, touristas, and neighborhood folks. Some people love a scene. When service, food, and space is compromised, it’s not my thing. Himmarshee Bar & Grille is…

Fuck You Yelper Collects Website’s Most Asinine Comments

Tricia & Johanna: Yelpers – watch more funny videos Among my favorite links today is one brought to my attention by our colleagues over at LA Weekly. Behold Fuck You Yelper, the Tumblr dedicated to collecting jackass comments on Yelp. The company’s rendition of online democracy is great in theory…

Gaysha New World Sushi Debuts in Wilton Manors This Weekend

Charismatic sushi chef and scenester Takeshi Kamioka will unveil his new restaurant in Wilton Manors this Thursday: Gaysha New World Sushi, an ambitious project that’s a fusion of style and sustenance. Thursday night marks the christening, with DJ Mikey from Radio-Active Records spinning…

No Reservations: Anthony Bourdain in Kurdistan

We’re going to call this the non-food season of No Reservations. Sure Tony always winds up eating…something….but it looks like this year Anthony Bourdain is in it for the adrenaline rush (or its a ploy for an Emmy).  This week proves our point. Anthony Bourdain and his crew travel halfway…

Become The President of Dunkin’ Nation; Free Yogurt Deal

Like it or not, the 2012 Presidential elections have begun. For the next year, we’ll be subjected to campaign speeches, debates, nasty commercials and lots of baby kissing by candidates who are about as in-touch with the public as martians are.  At some point, you’ll probably scratch your head and…

4th Annual Pairings Tickets, Free to the Cleverest Captions

Clean Plate Charlie is giving away two tickets to the 4th Annual New Times Pairings, the food and wine event on September 15th from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Broward Town Center for the Performing Arts. The event offers access to food and wine pairings from over thirty restaurants…