Ft. Lauderdale’s Cafe Martorano and its owner Steve Martorano exert the media-industry equivalent of gravitational pull. He and his restaurant attract attention. Da guy’s a star yaknowwhadamean? He’s got his landmark South Florida headquarters, a joint in Vegas, national tv spots cookin meatballs, Gail Shepherd’s writin’ about him, face on…
Michelle Bernstein returns as host of WPBT’s popular television show Check, Please! South Florida, and Season 2 , which premieres Monday, March 9th, promises to contain almost as many new twists as the latest episodes of Lost. On second thought, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit; there are really only two…
Jack in the Box is apparently testing a program to outsource their drive-through orders, routing requests for burgers and shakes to call-takers outside the country. The program is getting its first test run in Charlotte, North Carolina, where folks innocently pulling up to the order box are being taken for…
Lest you think The Inspector is a hater, this week we won’t bring you the dirt on local routine-food-inspection-reports. Instead we’ll highlight the reports reporting that there is nothing to report. These restaurants were found to be totally violation free on their most recent inspections.Pita Pit – 16323 SW 88…
Another day, another European-style new age trattoria/old world Italian bar/outdoor marketplace/espresso bar/chic urban pizzeria getting set to open. Welcome to RACKS Italian Bistro And Market, owned by Gary Rack, who evidently didn’t like the sound of the name GARYS. Mr. Rack, founder of Boca Raton’s Coal Mine Pizza, sets out…
As far as desserts go, what’s better than a cupcake? Think about it: these morsels of goodness are self-contained, portable, portion-controlled, and, when done right, can taste pretty swell. And now, they’re showing up on Las Olas. Lola’s Cupcakery is a new venture from Toronto restaurateur, Donald Kaplan, and his…
You may have noticed that it’s colder than a witch’s teet outside. I mean, I really enjoy these few months where flip flops and Bermuda shorts aren’t required attire lest you suffer heat stroke, but come on… 40s? That’s not what I signed up for, folks. So last night, feeling…
You either love a guy like Steve Martorano or you don’t. But you’ve got to make up your mind, because Martorano is everywhere. There’s no escaping his pug-faced mug. It’s plastered on the jars of his signature spaghetti sauce. He’s all over YouTube, including a rap video extolling his eggplant…
After a short hiatus, The Inspector is back to keep you abreast of current developments in the routine-food-inspection-report scene. The following information may shock you, but understand we are only providing it because it is totally public information that we all have a right to see. Here are 5 restaurants…
In light of the upcoming South Beach Wine & Food Festival, I propose a law requiring that no posted photo of any Food Network personality ever exceed the size of a postage stamp. Our fine dining establishments are much improved in terms of the quality of cuisine served, but they’ve…
Ah, the Cuban Pig Roast. There’s no greater cooking method than the outdoor-food-to-fire-method. And with the holiday pig we ate, we gotta start looking ahead to the next one. This kind of cooking is so basic, yet so delicious, it brings out the inner cave person in all of us…
This Thursday evening, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden will be hosting the Third Annual International Chocolate Festival Kickoff Party. No, I didn’t know about the first two either, but this year’s one-hour shindig (6 to 7 p.m.) features hors d’oeuvres from exceptional chef Edgar Leal of Cacao Restaurant — reason enough…
Hey, you. Yeah, you, the unemployed guy sitting on your couch surfing the Internets for a job. I would change those boxers, man. Shortly after doing that, I would head to epynomous sports pub Beef ‘O’ Brady’s for what the Sun-Sentinel’s John Tanasychuk says is a sure thing. No, not…
The Hyatt Regency Miami, which underwent a $20 million dollar renovation last year, has unveiled its’ new Pure Verde restaurant. Executive chef Michael Morris will be in charge of the snazzily-designed venue, which just months ago was a dull, aging sports bar. Morris, who previously helmed Hyatt properties in Tampa…
It’s unclear how you take the owners of one mediocre Greek restaurant, combine them with the chef from another similarly unremarkable taverna, and come up with something as wonderful as Ouzo Blue. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out that Odis Giakis, former owner/chef…
On January 3rd, Starbucks rolled out a quintet of new Tazo full leaf tea beverages that are now available in all stores nationwide. Yesterday the coffee chain hosted “TeaTime events”, which is a civilized way of saying “free samples”. I headed to the most scenic of our Starbucks, at 14th…
“Where you been, bitch?”Last week, I did something bad. Really, really bad. It was Wednesday, and I was very hungry. But I was also very busy, and short on cash. And so I decided, with a sorrowful resignation, to do something I hadn’t done in ages: I went to McDonald’s…
This month’s Slow Food Glades to Coast dinner, on Thursday January 15, focuses on our local waters with a meal hosted by Chef Dean James Max at 3030 Ocean in Fort Lauderdale. Max, as we know, has a masterly way with anything that sports fins, scales, or claws, and his…
Last night I followed a craving for fish fillets into the deepest recesses of my freezer. (Do NOT make fun — we are poor writers over here; in fact, some of us survive mainly on tuna fish sandwiches). Now, look at the image below. Do you see the writing on…
The effects of the economy are being felt in every industry imaginable, most of all the ones that entertain and nourish us. The restaurant industry, from celebrity chefs right on to busboys, dishwashers, and even food producers and farmers are more than feeling the pinch. Fine establishments in Coral Gables…
Here’s a quote from chef Johnny Vinczencz in 1997, at the tender age of 32, when South Florida’s most adored young foodist was rising as brilliantly as a solid-gold moon over Miami: “There’s so much glamour in this business that it’s easy to get caught up with presentation and looks…
I could never get it straight: Was Karu the restaurant and Y the lounge, or vice versa? No matter now, as the reopened venue’s newly christened restaurant name is Seecomar’s at Karu & Y, which I thought was a misspelling of Seacomber’s until I saw that the new owner’s name…
