Top Chef 7 Florida Casting, in Pictures

Jacob KatelProspective Top Chef contestants shoot the shit while they wait their turn to see the casting director.​Top Chef 7 is officially on its way to your signal box, and Magical Elves, the production company behind the hit Bravo series, was in Miami on Sunday looking for talent. Prospective contestants…

Brazilian Steak Joint With a Great Burger? Who Knew?

Brazilian  steak joints aren’t supposed to have great burgers. Meat on sticks, yes. Endless salad bars, sure. But Zed451, that slick-looking Mizner Park restaurant with mixed reviews, has one fantastic burger. Here’s how they get there:1. The toasted and buttered brioche bun is light and fluffy enough so you can…

Order Up: Carousel Can Can in CityPlace

This week in Dish, we take a look at one of CityPlace’s nightspots, Carousel Can Can: Any respectable Frenchman would probably shoot bouillabaisse through his nose at the idea of comparing West Palm Beach’s CityPlace and Paris’ cancan heyday, but there are a few similarities. CityPlace sure is bumping these…

Mediterranean Food is FLIFF’s Ménage à Trois

Mediterranean Food6:30 and 8:30 p.m. tonight at Cinema Paradiso, 503 SE Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale, as part of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. Call 954-525-3456, or visit fliff.com. Mediterranean Food (Dieta Mediterránea) starts with a little nugget of wisdom, spoken in Spanish but appearing on the screen in English…

LOLA Loves and Laughs in Delray

As a philosophy, “Love often, laugh a lot” is not half-bad, certainly better than Jon Gosselin’s “Loser often a little shit” or David Carradine’s “Lonely onanist loves a knot.” As a name for a restaurant it’s not bad either; nobody gets into the business unless they love it, and if…

Dinner at Bash Wine Cafe & Catering in Sunrise

I really enjoyed my grilled, bone-in pork chop basted in Coca-Cola sauce and apple chutney at Bash Wine Cafe in Sunrise. The chop could’ve been a touch less done, but the Cola sauce was wonderfully balanced — not overly sweet like I’d expected — and the chutney was soft and…

Doggie Bag: This Week in Charlie

What up, Chuck?Gabba gabba, hey? No, no… gabba gabba Gabbiano.Augustus, save some room for later!Johnny V. is always up for a round of duck, duck, meatball.Crustacean perfection has hit Delray Beach.Todd English is coming to CityPlace to sow his Wild Olives.Bamboo Fire in Delray Beach lights our fire. This tip’s…

Butts and Cubes? Yeah, Those are Some Good, Cheap Meats

Just because it’s spendy doesn’t make it good, as the series of “Mummy” movies keeps hammering home again and again. But the reverse is true as well: it doesn’t have to cost a ton of money to not suck. Witness the $15,000 film Paranormal Activity for example. What does this…

Bamboo Fire Café in Delray Beach Is Worth the Wait

It was about 7 on a Wednesday night when we arrived at Bamboo Fire in Delray Beach. We picked out a cozy seat near the restaurant’s front window looking out on Fourth Avenue. Fifteen minutes later, we were still waiting to be recognized by someone other than the riotous five-top…

Peniel’s Palace in Fort Lauderdale Boasts Inexpensive Southern Cooking

This fishbowl restaurant off Broward Boulevard brings inexpensive Southern cooking to a shopping complex already inundated with lunch options. But with home-style food this fast and fresh, Peniel’s Palace may yet find its crowd among the express-lunch set. A daily special of catfish is plunked into the deep fryer to…

Bova Ristorante in Boca Raton Closes

With all the restaurants closing their doors lately, it’s easy to get a little jaded. But it’s a shock when a powerhouse like Bova Ristorante quits, which, according to employees at the restaurant, is just what happened Saturday night.The restaurant, at 1450 N. Federal Highway in Boca Raton, closed for…

Pete’s Tuscan Hibachi Grill Closed, to Possibly Reopen in December

Pete’s Tuscan Hibachi Grill was the Joey Bishop to Cafe Bella Sera’s Sinatra: classy, oddly entertaining, a good sense of humor. But now, the unique concept that fused Japanese hibachi-style cooking with Italian-American eats is officially closed.The Parkland restaurant, which sat right next door to owner Pete Lombard Jr.’s successful…

Reef Rd Opens on Clematis

Can the folks behind Rocco’s Tacos do for seafood and rum what Rocco’s did for tacos and tequila? We’re about to find out with the debut of Reef Rd Rum Bar, which opened right across Clematis Street from the wildly popular nouveau taqueria.   Local moguls Big Time Restaurant Group, Rocco…

Order Up: Bamboo Fire Cafe in Delray Beach

Do me a favor: take a look at that plate of curried Florida golden crab pictured above and imagine a scenario in which you can eat it and stay clean. Then I’d like you to please share your findings with me. Because after I was done the savory, spicy dish…

Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine Lobster Roll Rolls In to Delray

If you’re not a subscriber to our weekly Café Bites dining newsletter for Broward and Palm Beach counties, here’s a taste of what you missed this week. Click here to subscribe. Take one Bean, many boatloads of succulent Maine lobster, and a smart-looking little eatery on Delray Beach’s Restaurant Row…

Johnny V’s Duck Meatballs Deserved Better

A few days have passed since YOLO’s Moonlight, Meatballs, and Martinis event last Thursday, and I’m still blown away by the judging results. It wasn’t who won — Noodles Panini took first, followed by YOLO at second, and Mancini’s at third.But what I couldn’t believe: Johnny V’s didn’t even place.I…

Doggie Bag: This Week in Charlie

This week according to Chucky:Troy’s Bar-Be-Que in Boynton Beach has great ribs and pork, but skip the sides.Women love the Frenchified eats at Mustard Seed Bistro in Cooper City.More eateries hit the skids this week, as Italian Oven Cafe and Frankies 124 shove off.Riki greasy spoons with her new beau…

Weekend Blog Wrap

Although Clean Plate Charlie is the only blog you need to read every day, some people just can’t get enough. Here are some highlights of other food blogs.How can you possibly look at the picture above and not start craving snickerdoodle cupcakes? Lucky for you, you can click here and…

Eating ‘Round the Globe at Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival

All Whole Foods locations in Florida are doing a promotion until October 18 giving customers a shot at free tickets to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, so I considered it my duty to go on an investigatory road trip. If you’ve already been, you know the drill: Each “land”…