Coal-Fired Pizza: Is It Charred or Just Burnt?

Coal-fired pizza has become the norm in South Florida thanks to pizza joints like Anthony’s Coal-Fired that cook with anthracite. The intense heat of coal brings the temperature in these ovens up toward 1,000 degrees. Ideally, it creates a crackly thin crust with bits of char all over it.Fans of…

Feasting on Pompano at Marumi Sushi

My family and I went out for an early Father’s Day dinner Saturday night at Marumi Sushi in Plantation, recently named our Best Restaurant in Broward County. Dad was thrilled since it was only his second visit and he really wanted to try Marumi’s fresh, whole fish again. For $1.20…

Doggy Bag: This Week in Charlie

This week on the blog:Taste Gastropub is cooking some ‘cue on Mondays.What’s more American than a Third of July Fish Fry?Get your cheap lunch fix at the Whole Enchilada.We wrap up our interview with bestselling vegan chef Tal Ronnen.The Cooking Channel hits the ground running with new shows and classic…

Anatomy of a Winner: Marumi Sushi, Best Restaurant in Broward

When I told a coworker about my choice to pick Marumi Sushi as Best Restaurant in Broward, he was elated (he’s a fan). “Of course, I love Marumi,” he said to me. “But I also think it’s great that you’re choosing a tiny, ethnic restaurant as opposed to a typical…

Choose the Glam for Your Hamburger

Unleash your inner Jeffrey Steingarden and decide whose hamburger, er… Glamburger will reign supreme (but you don’t have to be a dick about it) in the Cheesecake Factory’s “Great Glamburger Challenge.” For six weeks in April and May, the national chain known for its endless crowds and monstrous portions solicited…

Eten Food Co. a Rare Inexpensive Option on Las Olas

Las Olas has lots of pricey options, but aside from the Floridian, that solid-for-breakfast-dead-for-dinner mainstay, and old stalwart bakery Gran Forno, there are few places to score a quick and cheap lunch. So that’s the hole Eten Food Co. is hoping to fill, with takeout-only soups, sandwiches, and prepared foods.Eten…

Todd English’s Mozzarella Challenge Hits Da Campo Osteria

Todd English’s Da Campo Osteria in the Il Lugano Hotel is known for its table-side mozzarella. What exactly is table-side mozzarella? It’s when a chef comes out of the kitchen with a bowl of warm curd, dons a pair of rubber gloves, and literally hand-pulls fresh mozzarella for you table-side…

Where Are We Eating?

Delicately seared fish a glistening rare in the middle. Corn succotash and parsnip puree. Local turnips. If it sounds like an amazingly prepared plate, it is. Just tell us: Where are we eating?Bonus: Name the variety of fish for extra kudos…

Food & Wine‘s Best New Chefs Overlooks South Florida — Again

Another year, another list of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs. And none of them is from South Florida. The food magazine’s annual list of 10 Best New Chefs in America gathers the young, creative toques who have caught national attention over the past year. The only rule — none…

Jeremy Ford the New Chef de Cuisine at 3030 Ocean

There were some big shoes to fill at 3030 Ocean in Fort Lauderdale after former Chef de Cuisine and Hell’s Kitchen contestant Paula DaSilva left last month to take over at the Eden Roc Resort in Miami Beach. But today, Executive Chef Dean James Max has just named DaSilva’s successor…

Restaurant News: La Bodega in Boca; BBQ at Taste Gastropub

• Looks like barbecue has gone viral in Palm Beach County, with the recent debuts of Rib Bizz and Sheila’s and the weekend smokefest at Harvest Time Market. Now Allen Susser’s Taste Gastropub has been bitten by the barbecue bug, launching Monday Night Backyard BBQ, an all-you-can-eat chowdown with a…

Doggy Bag: This Week in Charlie

This week on the blog:We recap the Burger Battle in two posts — the best, and the worst.Our custom chocolate bar from Chocomize arrived this week, and it was everything we had hoped for.To go with all the burgers, we sip some milk shakes at WPB’s Relish.Dine Out for the…

Mark Bittman Rips “Mystery” Delray Beach Restaurant

What was New York Times writer and the author of How to Cook Everything Mark Bittman doing in South Florida this week?Well, among other things, he was eating at a Delray Beach restaurant and having a not-so-good experience in the process. He wrote about the restaurant — which he declines…

I’m Eating What?! Justin’s Natural Honey Peanut Butter Blend

It’s fair to blame the Tour de France for this. Riders in that race, needing lots of calories as easily as possible, popularized the idea of eating food out of squeeze containers. So now we have snacks like Justin’s Natural Honey Peanut Butter Blend, a squeezable container of a peanut…