Deep-Fried Oreos Are the Chocolate Bomb

Ever bite into a deep-fried Oreo? A favorite treat of fairs and carnivals from Texas to Tequesta, these battered and fried versions of the classic cookie are stellar. They’re coated in funnel cake batter and fried so that the batter forms a balloon-like crust. The chocolate part of the cookie…

Kitchen Nightmares Overhauls Le Bistro in Lighthouse Point

This season of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nighmares has the British chef visiting two South Florida restaurants. The first, Le Bistro, had its television debut on Thursday night. If you missed the episode and didn’t TiVo it, you catch it in its entirety here…

Breakfast of Champions: Sausage Balls?

It took her a good 30 seconds of sniffing, poking, and staring before she’d just try the damned thing.”I don’t know about this,” Joanna said.”Trust me — it’s different than you think it will be.”We were in the kitchen again, this time with a platter of sausage variants that I…

Doggy Bag: This Week in Charlie

This week on the blog:The Meatist rails against flavorless, overpriced cuts of beef.Garlicky hummus is easy to make at home, and here’s how.Our list of 100 Favorite Dishes continues with French toast, foie gras, and fish tacos.If you remember Dan’s Original Submarine’s in Fort Lauderdale, you probably remember their amazing…

Elevation Burger Set to Open Monday in Coral Springs

Elevation Burger, the 100% sustainable, free-range, grass-fed beef burger joint, will open for business come Monday, March 15.The Arlington, Virginia-based burger chain’s slogan, “ingredients matter,” translates to organic burgers that are ground on premises, hand-cut French fries cooked in pure olive oil, and milk shakes made to order. The Coral…

Via Luna Debuts at the Ritz

There’s a new moon rising at the Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale and it’s called Via Luna.  The unpretentious, moderately priced Italian grill takes the place of the Ritz’s ritzier Cero, which struggled to find an audience despite generally positive word of mouth. Via Luna will host its official grand opening party…

Food Events on the Radar

• The Fort Lauderdale Beach Hilton’s seafood-inspired joint, Ilios, is changing up its menu this spring, eschewing the tapas selections in favor of traditional portions. Dishes like seared Gulf Coast swordfish with Swank Farms heirloom tomato carpaccio are entirely local in origin, while speck-wrapped seared tuna with warm English pea…

Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar, Now in Boca, Wins Some, Loses Some

Transplanted from its Clematis Street location and set in the heart of Boca Raton, Rocco’s Tacos offers pricey Mex-ish bar food, a club-like atmosphere, and plenty of tequila to help it all down. Back is the tableside guacamole, fresh avocado pulped in a stone molcajete, along with onion, peppers, tomato,…

El Guanaco Taqueria y Antojitos Brings El Salvador to Fort Lauderdale

We were already stuffed when we started looking at dessert, having just feasted on fluffy pupusas larded with stringy cheese, crispy fried tostones, and pollo à la plancha smothered with a rustic sofrito of tomatoes, onions, and peppers. But after all that food, what my friend and I really longed…

Don Carlin Does Cuban Out West

A lunchtime plate of steak palomilla with rice, black beans, and tostones costs just $6.99 at Don Carlin Cuban Restaurant. The steak is thin and cooked on the griddle till it chars nicely, then topped with a mix of cooked Spanish onion and raw diced red onion, bell pepper, and…

Duo Debuts at Gulfstream

“They’re off!” at the Village at Gulfstream Park. The restaurants, that is.  Close on the heels of the recent opening of III Forks come the debuts of two more eateries at the sprawling Hallandale shopping-entertainment-residential complex, Cantina Laredo and Tonino Lamborghini’s Caffe Corsa.  The Gulfstream Cantina (501 Silks Run, 954-457-7662)…

100 Favorite Dishes: Fish Tacos From Tryst

As a countdown to the Best Of Broward Palm Beach 2010, coming in May, Clean Plate Charlie is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in South Florida. Send your own nominations to John.Linn@BrowardPalmBeach.com…

Order Up: El Guanaco Taqueria y Antojitos

You’ve never had tortillas like the ones made at El Guanaco, the subject of this week’s Dish review. They are soft, thick, and made to order, and whether filled with slow-stewed lengua or presented on the side with a bowl of oxtail stew, they’re stellar. The thickness is what does…

The Office in Delray Beach Names New Chefs

After Executive Chef Mark Militello was ousted at the Office, two new chefs have stepped in to take his place. Executive Chef Larry LaValley will now run the kitchen at the popular new gastropub. LaValley previously served as chef de cuisine at the South Beach location of Militello’s ersatz eatery,…