So airline travel may be out of the question for the time being, and you’re bummed that your planned trip to California’s wine country this fall has been nixed. Distress not, fellow enophiles. You can, believe it or not, tour and taste the vineyards of our own tropical back yard…
As animals we know instinctively that eating is vital to our existence. Hunger is a primal urge. Without food our bodies can’t sustain themselves. As human beings, however, we may suspect that dining out, as well as writing and reading about it, is somewhat less important. And in the wake…
I’ve always been curious about the sign I see on a building just off Interstate 95 advertising Best Food Online (www.bestfoodonline.com). Turns out the company, which offers gourmet food products, from anchovies to escargots, is based right here in South Florida. The site is organized neatly, with an alphabetical list…
When I met the man who would become my husband, I gave him the lowdown right off the bat. “I’m always right,” I told him. “If I’m not right, my sister is. And if my sister’s not right, my mother is.” He got the picture: I don’t like to be…
Perhaps the glut of sushi bars in South Florida has finally inspired a trend toward retro: Sushi Yama (7050 W. Palmetto Park Rd., Boca Raton, 561-362-6416) is one of several restaurants recently to install hibachi grills. Now patrons can enjoy Japanese steak house items à la Benihana — knife-rapping, shrimps-in-the-chef-hat,…
I used to go to Weston the way a tourist goes to Miami. I would stare at the static landscape of this planned city, where phone lines and other technological detritus are buried in order to avoid marring the singular view. I’d marvel at the customs of the locals, especially…
If it’s crazy, as some foodies say, to adore arepas, then the insane will feel right at home at Arepa Madness (16644 Saddle Club Rd., Weston, 954-385-8085). A Venezuelan arepa shop, this bare-bones joint offers dozens of varieties of the corn cakes, which are toasted, spread with margarine, and stuffed…
In my next life, I want to be a bigtime football coach in South Florida. Sure, the job has its challenges, but if I can tough out the two-a-days, the media scrutiny, and my players’ nigh-inevitable encounters with the criminal justice system for a couple decades, I’ll get my own…
How easy is it to get confused by the numbers at Sisters Subs (66 Indian Trace, Weston, 954-385-6300)? Very. Despite the fact that only four sisters own the place, fifty-odd items on the menu are named for women — such as the “Beverly” (egg salad, bacon, and cheese on a…
Ask any restaurateur what the business is really like and you’ll be treated to a litany of common complaints: picky health inspectors, unreliable purveyors, incompetent staff. Query Robert Nguyen and you’ll get a more up-close-and-personal, not to mention illicit, point of view: officials who require payoffs in return for doing…
Most of us have probably never considered the lack of an upscale Glatt kosher restaurant in the Palm Beaches a problem. But an emerging Jewish population that observes the strict rules of kosher dining has apparently created a demand for a restaurant that serves meat products but no dairy, in…
Imagine walking into a hardware store, asking a clerk to point you in the direction of the hammers, and having him say something like, “Well, I’m not really into hammers. Can I show you something in a wrench?” Or fancy, when shopping for a car, a sales associate who confesses…
The responses I have been receiving to my critique of Gatsby’s can be pretty much summed up this way: Most people hate kids and don’t want to dine anywhere near them. The only thing more annoying, these same folks say, is sitting next to a table of smokers. Well, it…
The advantages of escaping to resort islands such as Captiva and Sanibel during the unbearable mugginess of summer are numerous. Despite a certain similarity in climate to South Florida, these islands off our state’s southwest coast are home to breezier, easier days and slightly cooler nights. Shelling on the mica-strewn…
So you want to go to Sanibel and Captiva islands (see “Captiva Audience,” page 51), but you don’t know where to eat or where to begin researching your restaurant choices. Maybe you have kids. Maybe you’re allergic to seafood. Maybe you’re just picky-choosy. Make it easy on yourself. Go to…
It’s about time. Sick of hearing complaints about the poor treatment visitors to South Florida receive everywhere from cabs to cafés, the government of Broward County has teamed up with the hospitality industry to raise the bar. The program, called “SUNsational Service,” employs experts in the field to set standards…
So you’re tired of paying double or triple retail value for a bottle of wine in a restaurant. Well don’t. Bring your own. Better still, make your own — with a little help from the Home Brewers’ Warehouse (6319 Stirling Rd., Davie, 954-583-6407). For a mere $69.95, you can buy…
The message was short and to the point: A former colleague, one who had subbed for me while I was on maternity leave, had written to my editor about a great sidewalk pasta place he had found on the Broadwalk at Hollywood beach. He was astonished that I hadn’t yet…
Now here’s an appetizing equation: Divide 100 wines by $10 and what do you get? The chance to get sloppy on a whole lot of Portuguese vinho for about a dime a vintage. If this suits your budget as well as it does mine, you’ll take a cab to “An…
Walt Disney was wrong: It ain’t a small world after all; it’s a supersize one, where you can get anything from a fast-food hamburger to a cup of java to a dry-goods store exaggerated to Honey I Blew Up the Kids proportions. Frankly I like my services scaled down. I’m…
For the first few weeks of its existence, this new burger joint located at the corner of a Commercial Boulevard strip mall was nameless. But after careful consideration, the owners decided on an evocative appellation. Now Slammin’ Patties (1501 E. Commercial Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 954-491-9995) speaks for itself, as does…
In honor of this stars-and-stripes time of year, I state unequivocally that I often feel lucky to be an American. When I look at the political situation in places like Cuba, I’m thankful that I was born in a country where we get to elect our own morons. When I…
