MenuPages

• Tonight at North One 10: Barbecue and Beer Blast with sloppy joes, mango and shrimp skewers, lamb spare ribs, kimchi slaw and grilled salmon. Starts at 5:30 p.m., ends at 11 p.m. and costs $50.

• Jam to the music of Before Trees, a mix of jazz and funk, tonight at Vino Miami. Party starts at 10 p.m.

• Dogma Grill is having a party for its fifth birthday tomorrow from noon to 4 p.m., with music, balloons and birthday cake free for everyone. Plus, there will be $1 beers, and specials on hot dog combos.

• Learn to master holiday appetizers at a Tania's Table cooking class on Monday. The two-hour class costs $45 and starts at 11 a.m. Check the website for more information, or call 305-932-9425.

For years, Michael's Kitchen was a mainstay in downtown Hollywood; now executive chef Michael Blum has crossed the county line and moved south.The second incarnation of Michael's Kitchen is opening up tonight at the Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort. It took a while, but they'll finally start serving dinner tonight at 5 p.m. We're working on getting the menu online, but in the meantime, check out the options here.

Michael's Kitchen [Official Site]
Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort [Official Site]

• Tere gives Dolores, but you can call me Lolita two thumbs up. (For the food, that is. Not the name.) [FoodTastic!]

• Frozen turkeys getting thrown out after Thanksgiving. You'd think the supermarket would find someplace to send them. [From the Test Kitchen]

• Is Gatorade "the sucker's fruit punch?" [The Hungry Man]

• Can wine and fries be considered part of the fruit and vegetable groups? [Restaurant Gal]

• Vote for your favorite steakhouse! Lord knows you've got a lot to choose from. [Stuck on the Palmetto]

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is leading a nine-mile march from downtown Miami all the way to Burger King headquarters near the airport. The reason is BK's refusal to demand that its tomato providers pay an extra penny per pound to its workers. (Most tomato pickers in South Florida earn about 45 cents for each 32-pound bucket they pick.) Eric Schlosser (he of Fast Food Nation fame) actually summed up the whole story quite nicely in yesterday's New York Times:

In 2005, Florida tomato pickers gained their first significant pay raise since the late 1970s when Taco Bell ended a consumer boycott by agreeing to pay an extra penny per pound for its tomatoes, with the extra cent going directly to the farm workers. Last April, McDonald’s agreed to a similar arrangement, increasing the wages of its tomato pickers to about 77 cents per bucket. But Burger King, whose headquarters are in Florida, has adamantly refused to pay the extra penny — and its refusal has encouraged tomato growers to cancel the deals already struck with Taco Bell and McDonald’s.

This month the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, representing 90 percent of the state’s growers, announced that it will not allow any of its members to collect the extra penny for farm workers. Reggie Brown, the executive vice president of the group, described the surcharge for poor migrants as “pretty much near un-American.”

The coalition negotiated with Burger King, and three representatives attended the company's annual meeting, which ended yesterday, but no agreement was reached:

"If you're going to pay people for a measure of work, it's important to measure the work and a person accurately," said Steve Grover, head of quality assurance and regulatory affairs for Miami's Burger King Corp. He said he wasn't convinced that could be done under the coalition's proposal.

Burger King said that it based the decision on the fact that it has no direct relationship with the growers. Unlike Taco Bell, it purchases tomatoes from repackaging companies, generally located near the farms where the tomatoes are picked.

We tried to create a map of the route, although it didn't turn out as clear as we'd hoped. But it gives you a good idea of where the marchers will be. They began this morning at the Goldman Sachs offices downtown (Goldman Sachs owns a large stake in BK) and will be at the Burger King headquarters by 3:30 p.m. for a rally.

Penny Foolish [New York Times]
Burger King rejects tomato price hike, but offers job help [St Petersburg Times]
BK protesters march through Miami streets [Miami Herald]
Coalition of Immokalee Workers [Official Site]

It appears Howie Kleinberg has a sense of humor after all. He's completely embraced his bulldog image from Top Chef; his new restaurant, which should be open in two or three months, will be called Bulldog Barbecue.

If you can't snag a seat, you'll still have the opportunity to chow on Kleinberg cuisine when the 32-year-old opens his restaurant -- Bulldog Barbecue -- in North Miami within ''the next two to three months.'' Sister Amy is his partner; mom Susan -- a former VP of catering at Barton G -- will do the decor. He'll focus on the menu -- namely lots and lots of pork.

''We spent a lot of time in the Carolinas growing up and felt the area between Aventura and North Miami was really lacking in great barbecue places,'' he says. ``Of course, there's Shorty's, but it's so far south.''

Love the name.

''It's a play off the show, my attitude and how people saw me,'' he says.

It'll be an intimate space -- ''It's easier to grow than to fill 250 seats'' -- and will do a lot of takeout.

'Top Chef' to open BBQ spot [Miami Herald]

It's Thursday, so it's time to see which reviews this week made the cut and which didn't. We'll start with the good ones, of which there weren't too many. Here's a not-too-flattering but informative one for Carmine's La Trattoria:

I just recently went to Carmines for the first time. The food was delicious, I ordered the Salmon with Spinach and it had a great honey mustard sauce. The atmosphere was kind of boring and quiet with a lot of older people. We went around 6pm, if your younger, go later when they play music. Our waitress was good but not friendly. She rarely smiled and had an attitude like we were bothering her(and my family is not needy). Im not one to complain, the food was great! The seating was awkward, seats were uncomfortable(we sat at a table w/ chairs). It's pretty pricy and everyone elses food at the table didnt look so great. I wouldnt reccommend this restaurant to anyone else and I probably wouldnt end up there again if it were up to me. =)

There were, however, plenty of comments that didn't make it onto the site. Here's one for Kefi Restaurant & Lounge:

I walked into the restaurant on a Friday night to find an unexpected atmosphere. Stone finish on the walls, classy table set ups, and a DJ in the lounge area. I went there for a nice dinner with my girlfriend and found a new place for Friday and Saturday night. I found it refreshing to see a DJ playing house/ lounge music throughout the restaurant. I also got 3 for 1 drinks during the happy hour. I recommend this place to anyone looking for a new place to frequent.

located next to the dump for a good reason

Remember La Boîte à Pizza? Looks like they'll be opening the first or second week of December. And they're looking for a pizza chef and delivery driver. Applicants for both positions need to be "passionate by the cooking and the world of pizza's culture." Both, of course, are necessary when working with the pinnacle of culinary achievement that is the fajita pizza.

Pizza chef for La Boîte à Pizza [Lah-Bwhat-Ah-Pizza] [Craig's List]
Delivery Driver (with their own car) // La Boite a Pizza [Craig's List]
French Pizza Chain Takes On South Beach [MP: South Florida]
La Boîte à Pizza [Official Site]

• The Herald leads with an interesting roundup of wine tastings at different wine shops and restaurants/bars in the area. And for once, the few comments left on the article are actually helpful, in that they offer additional places to taste wine and refrain from devolving into racist/ignorant/idiotic drivel. [Miami Herald]

• Linda Bladholm visits Sushi Cafe, which is actually a Korean restaurant known as Shilla. Oh, and they serve hot pot! Yum! [Miami Herald]

• Victoria Pesce Elliott is at Moonchine Asian Bistro this week, and she gives the Thai-sushi spot two-and-a-half stars. Sushi is creative, although not necessarily authentic, and the garlic stir fry is excellent. [Miami Herald]

• Not everything on the Upper Crust Cafe menu is great, but if you stick to the recommended dishes (Cap'n Crunch mahi mahi, ravioli, osso buco), you'll have an excellent meal. [Miami Herald]

• The only things you really need to avoid at Maison D'Azur are the dinner rolls. That should be easy enough. [Miami New Times]

• So few Korean restaurants in South Florida, yet two are reviewed on the same day. John Linn visits New Soul Korean Restaurant in Lake Worth and has to practically drag his parents in to try it. They left singing the praises of Korean cuisine. [Broward-Palm Beach New Times]

• Watering Holes time! Go take a peek inside Little Munich in Lake Worth, where the food and beer are both decidedly German. [Palm Beach Post]

• From Charles Passy's review of III Forks: "Yup, another steakhouse. It's hard to believe there's enough demand to support so many of these local shrines to sirloin." We don't understand it either. Anyway, at this particular steakhouse, the steak is excellent, but the menu is "traditional to the point of tedious" (isn't that the case with most steakhouses?) and the non-steak items are fairly lackluster. [Palm Beach Post]

Last month, we blogged about the Miami Beach City Commission's move to limit bar and restaurant seating in the area south of Fifth Street in an effort to reduce noise and traffic. Well, earlier this week they voted unanimously in favor of it:

On Tuesday, the Miami Beach Planning Board voted 6-0 to approve a new measure that limits the number of seats and the occupancy requirement for restaurants and bars belonging to hotels and apartment complexes in the area south of Fifth Street.

Under the new rule, which must be approved by the City Commission before taking effect, the seating is determined by the number of units in a hotel or apartment property. For example, a property with 100 units can have only 100 total seats in its bar or restaurant, and the occupancy limit would be 150. Special permits would be required for exceptions.

South Of Fifth Restaurants Might Have To Scale Back [MP: South Florida]
Planners OK Miami Beach restaurant limits [Miami Herald]
Prime One Twelve [MenuPages]
Prime One Twelve [Official Site]
DeVito South Beach [MenuPages]
DeVito South Beach [Official Site]

We know we've got to cover it, as it's a pretty big deal, but we're not huge users or fans of the Zagat guides, and we're not all that interested in which restaurants dropped one point in the estimation of a vast assortment of people who are "unfortunately quoted" in "two- or three-word" "phrases" that can drive us "nuts." But, you know, it's still useful sometimes. If you want to, go pick up your copy of the South Florida survey.

You might also want to check out the discussion going on at Chowhound about it and what Deborah Hartz of the Sun-Sentinel has to say.

Zagat South Florida's New Rankings are up [Chowhound]
Zagat's 2008 South Florida Guide Available Today [From the Test Kitchen]

There seems to be a rumor going around that Dean & DeLuca will be opening a store in Aventura sometime soon. Naturally, we were intrigued, so we made a few calls, specifically to someone in the PR department. She double-checked with certain higher-ups in the company and learned that sadly, there are no plans for any stores in Florida at the moment. At least we'll always have the catalog, right?

Is Dean and DeLuca coming to Aventura. [Chowhound]
Dean & DeLuca [Official Site]

Damn, those look tasty. We haven't really gotten into the whole sliders craze (a little overrated, we think), but we have to say that we'd have a hard time straying far from whatever table held these lovely little things. They were shot by Sara of All Purpose Dark at the Funk, Fashion and Friends event, catered by Barton G.

Barton G [MenuPages]
Barton G [Official Site]
Photo: All Purpose Dark

Looks like we finally got an opening date for Andú Restaurant & Lounge. Sort of. We're told "late December." A few stats:

• Owned by brothers Antonio and Juan Pablo Viejo (How old are they? They seem kind of young, like our age, which makes us feel like slackers.)
• Executive chef Nate Martin, who was a sous chef at Nikki Beach for three years
• Consulting chef Jason McClain (of 8 1/2 and Nikki Beach)
• 4,600 square feet, 150 seats (60 in the lounge, 90 in the main dining room)
• They'll be doing lunch, dinner, and brunch, and will open until 5 a.m. on weeknights

As for the menu, it's "eclectic Mediterranean." Entree prices will range from $18 to $29. Here are some samples (we don't have the whole menu yet, just a few items):

• Mediterranean chef salad with chicken, jamon Serrano, chick peas, grilled vegetables, egg and asiago
• Goat cheese-crusted lamb loin with Provençal vegetables and orzo risotto
• Milk-fed veal parmigiana with eggplant caviar, oven-roasted tomatoes and lemon caper emulsion
• Porcini mushroom cannelloni with herbed ricotta and truffled sage jus
• Slow-baked macaroni and cheese with manchego crust
• Maine lobster mashed potatoes with scallions and English peas
• Florida orange glazed doughnuts with white hot chocolate
• 'Pineapple dreams': thinly sliced pineapple atop creme brulee with a scoop of vanilla pineapple malt

We were a little disappointed at first when we heard "Mediterranean," because it's been done, but after reading the menu descriptions, it certainly sounds more interesting than most Mediterranean menus we've perused. And we're totally craving a manchego-laced mac 'n' cheese right now.

Restaurants Turn To Facebook For Buzz Among The 20-Something Set [MP: South Florida]
Fun On Facebook With SoFla Restaurants [MP: South Florida]

The University of Florida is mourning today, after the death yesterday of Dr. J. Robert Cade, the man who in 1965 invented Gatorade, which has subsequently brought the university lots and lots of money. And it all began with a rather, um, interesting question posed in infantile terms:

Now sold in 80 countries in dozens of flavors, Gatorade was born thanks to a question from former Gators Coach Dwayne Douglas, Cade said in a 2005 interview with The Associated Press.

He asked, "Doctor, why don't football players wee-wee after a game?"

"That question changed our lives," Cade said.

Cade's researchers determined a football player could lose as much as 18 pounds - 90 to 95 percent of it water - during the three hours it takes to play a game. Players sweated away sodium and chloride and lost plasma volume and blood volume.

Using their research, and about $43 in supplies, they concocted a brew for players to drink while playing football. The first batch was not exactly a hit.

"It sort of tasted like toilet bowl cleaner," said Dana Shires, one of the researchers.

"I guzzled it and I vomited," Cade said.

UF doc who invented Gatorade dies at 80 [Miami Herald]

Photo: Gainesville Sun

We're totally craving one of these right now. We've always been partial to the ones at La Suiza Bakery, likely because that's where our family would go every Sunday morning to pick up a box of pastelitos and croquetas and a loaf of Cuban bread.

Where's your favorite place to pick up pastries, Cuban or otherwise?

Photo: Flickr

We didn't do a user review roundup last week because of the holiday, so we'll make up for it now by offering quite possibly the most entertaining review we've ever read, although it wasn't for the South Florida site. This one came in for our New York version, for a restaurant called Re Sette:

i was invited to re sette to have dinner whith my freinds and whith had bat time food was good but service was terible they have waiters what they dont speak inglish at all. its berry sad that this type of restaurant dont have service.

Re Sette [MenuPages]
Re Sette [Official Site]

We just came across a feel-good story from the Times-Picayune about a couple, Luis Bernhard and Sandra Bahhur, whose dream to own a New Orleans restaurant finally came true. They came close, were wiped out by Katrina, moved to Miami, realized they really wanted to be in New Orleans, returned, and had their dreams saved by a $10,000 gift. It's all very moving, really. But we were intrigued by what they said about Miami:

"How do we leave?" Sandra asks. "We had unfinished business here. I mean, Miami is gorgeous; really gorgeous. But when we'd go out to dinner, we'd realize how much we missed New Orleans, how much we missed the friendly environment of the city's restaurants, and the variety of life here. In Miami, every restaurant is high-end Italian. And, truthfully, Miami is pretty high strung."

UPDATE: We just finished the article (yes, we posted before reading the entire thing), and man, waterworks. Again. Seriously, we're not sure what's wrong, but this is the second day in a row. Newspaper reporters just keep hitting us with these sappy restaurateur stories. But it is such a moving story, and we know what it's like to have to rebuild after a devastating hurricane. Good luck to you Luis and Sandra.

A stranger's kindness makes a restaurant dream come true [Times-Picayune]

• The Restaurant At The Setai has a new Sunday brunch with dim sum carts. But that's not all — there's also waffles, pancakes, brick oven pizza, Chinese, Thai and Indian stations, roast beef, lamb, pork, seafood and desserts. We're exhausted just thinking of all of that food. The post includes a more detailed description — try reading it all in one breath! [Chowhound]

• Is Jaguar a Miami institution in the making? Most seem to answer in the affirmative. [Chowhound]

• Alesh is trying out the local CSA for the first time, and check out the bounty already in November! [Critical Miami]

• Have lots of vegetarian friends/relatives? Take them to Maroosh, where they will be able to eat their fill without feeling like second-class diners. [Miami Dish]

• Charles Passy wonders if the 'jinxed location' does in fact exist. We're of the opinion that a really great restaurant can succeed even in formerly 'jinxed' spots. (See also: La Porteña.) [The Hungry Man]

The Gables has a new eatery, Zabor World Cuisine, in the old Max's Grille spot. The restaurant, which opened on Saturday, picks and chooses foods from around the globe for its menu. Actually, after just glancing at the menu, we'd say that it's mostly confined to Asia. There's a good amount of sushi and some Thai staples. (That chicken panang curry better be damn good if they're charging $16.) But wait! Then there's the "executive chef's entrees," which include decidedly non-Asian items like quiche, risotto, Australian lamb, rib-eye, rotisserie chicken, churrasco, pasta and veal chops. We're confused. Soon, as in within the next hour, we'll have the menu online.

Zabor World Cuisine [MenuPages]

Thanks to alert chowhound mialebven we learned of some opening day festivities at the Chipotle that's opening up at 6290 S Dixie Hwy in South Miami. The grand opening is on Friday, November 30, and the first 100 customers get a free t-shirt and a card for a free burrito, good on their next visit. There will also be raffles for free burritos for a year (how many is that? Do they give you one for each day? That's a lot of burritos...) and for a round-trip airline ticket.

But the free food is on Wednesday, all day, from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. Full menu, plus drinks -- and everything is free!

Chipotle is coming to NMiami [Chowhound]

A great article in the Sun-Sentinel about Check Please! in South Florida. The first few episodes have been taped, and the show will premiere in January.

David Manilow, who first created Check, Please! for Chicago's public television station, says it's successful because it's so democratic. Every show includes diverse guest critics and restaurants in different locations with varying price points and every kind of food imaginable. The secret is in mixing it up.

"What the show did was give people a sense of passion," says Manilow. "This is my place. I understand this place. I love this place."

It's great when everyone likes it. Even better TV if they don't.

"It's like, 'Are you calling my baby ugly?'" says Manilow, who was getting ready for a taping of a new episode featuring a "goth chick" and a "silver-haired attorney." She suggested a heavy metal burger bar.

"That's truly the beauty of it," says Manilow.

Everyone's a (restaurant) critic -- on a new show coming to Channel 2 [Sun-Sentinel]

David Bouley has left Evolution, which closed recently, and is planning to open David Bouley at South Beach in the Ritz-Carlton, according to The New York Times. The menu will be like the one at New York's Upstairs at Bouley. And NY Magazine has heard rumors that Laurent Tourondel will be taking over the space and opening it up in a few weeks. We're a little confused about the Evolution space and where this new Bouley restaurant will be, or if there's even going to be one. But hey, speculation is fun!

Off the Menu [New York Times]
Will Laurent Tourondel Clean Up David Bouley's Miami Mess? [New York Magazine]

Does tryptophan affect tear ducts? Because we're welling up after reading this, a great article about the owner of Arbetter Hot Dogs who is fighting cancer in his pancreas and liver. Ronnie Arbetter has spent his life serving hot dogs and supporting local high school sports, and now he's been told he doesn't have more than a year left:

Doctors first told him he would survive for no more than six months. He's going on seven now, ``and I'm still doing about the same. . . . I don't look to the future too much. I just go day by day.''

When the Red Sox, also going day by day, reached the World Series in 2004, Arbetter's Hot Dogs quickly became a sanctuary for fans. When the team whipped St. Louis for its first World Series title since 1918, Ronnie fulfilled a promise of his late father and ladled up free baked beans. Bob Arbetter died in 2002, and ''the night they won, we looked up into the sky and said a few little prayers,'' Ronnie says. 'I told him, `Dad, what a day you missed.' . . . It was almost typical of how the Red Sox would break your heart. We're talking since 1960 he was waiting to serve baked beans. We were thinking about him that day all day, sharing stories of what he would have been like.''

In October, when the Sox swept the Rockies for another Series championship, there were more free beans, and Ronnie was feeling well enough to serve them.

''I had a blast,'' he says. ``It really made me feel good. It was very uplifting just seeing the customers again and all those wacky fans. I'll admit, I thought the Sox were done when they fell behind three games to one to the [Cleveland] Indians. To watch them come back and win like that and then to sweep was just great.''

Cancer hasn't dimmed hot dog slinger's passion for sports, helping others [Miami Herald]
Arbetter Hot Dogs [MenuPages]
Photo: Flickr

What do you do with your Thanksgiving leftovers? We haven't gotten too creative yet, mostly just turkey slices with cranberry-horseradish chutney (something we discovered this year that we absolutely LOVE) and mayonnaise. And our boyfriend's aunt (who hosted this year) made turkey soup with the carcass and some veggies. We likely would've just made stock, but we like the idea of turkey soup. Some enterprising people made a pizza with their Thanksgiving leftovers (pictured above) -- not sure we'd want to go there.

What do you usually do with your Thanksgiving leftovers?

Photo: Flickr

We're heading out to start prepping for Thanksgiving dinner. (We're in charge of desserts and still have a few purchases to make). We were planning on pumpkin cookies, among other things, but after seeing these adorable turkey cupcakes, we're thinking they might be a lot of fun to make.

Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone, and see you on Monday!

Photo: Flickr

The turkey carving video got us thinking about turkey preferences for Thanksgiving. See, we're big fans of dark meat, which makes us feel like such weirdos, since everything is so geared to maximizing the white meat. We enjoy white meat as well, but we prefer the juicier bits of dark meat, and on Thanksgiving (and any occasion that involves roasted poultry actually) the demand for white meat is so high that we rarely get more than a taste of the breast meat. The upside, of course, is having a whole section of the turkey for yourself that few people will want.

So tell us what part of the Thanksgiving turkey is your favorite!

Are you dreading the inevitable carving of the bird tomorrow? The New York Times suggests carving like a butcher — in the kitchen, on a flat surface — instead of tableside like a chef:

“I don’t cut like a chef, I cut like a butcher,” said Ray Venezia, the meat director for the four Fairway markets, a third-generation butcher and one of the biggest turkey purveyors in New York City.

Instead of slicing the meat from the roast at the table, Mr. Venezia’s carving protocol calls for the biggest pieces, the breasts and the thighs, to be removed whole, then boned and sliced on a cutting board. “Trying to carve from the carcass is like trying to cut it off a beach ball: it’s all curved surfaces and it moves around under the knife,” he said. “Give me a flat cutting board any time.”

Roger Bassett, the owner of the Original Turkey in Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, uses the same method for the 30 turkeys carved and served at his store every day. “Cutting a turkey the traditional way, where you leave the meat on the bird and cut down, you can’t cut across the grain,” he said. “The pieces you end up with are all stringy because the fibers are long instead of short.”

Just a few suggestions for Thanksgiving dinner, if you're planning on eating out. Make your reservation soon, as time is running out!

• Hyatt Regency in Weston: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, turkey, ham and key lime pie, all available for $28 or $15 for kids 12 and under. The Thanksgiving dinner will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and again between 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

• Le Bistro: three courses of pumpkin soup, turkey with stuffing, and pumpkin pie for $30 ($12 for kids 12 and under). Reservations available between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

• Shula's on the Beach: butternut squash soup, turkey, salmon fillet, and your choice of a pie (pumpkin, pecan or apple) for dessert. $38.95 per person between noon and 10 p.m.

• Taverna Opa: A five-course meal will be available after noon for $19-23 depending on the choice of main course. You get hot appetizers, cold appetizers, a Greek salad, a choice of turkey, spit-roasted lamb or pork, and dessert. The regular menu will also be available.

• Giorgios Grill: Here, the seating begins early, at 11 a.m. Again, the prices vary by choice of main course, from $19 (traditional turkey dinner) to $53 (surf 'n' turf), almost most are in the $20s. Lots of options, from pork to lamb to salmon or sunfish. Dinner comes with a Caesar salad or New England clam chowder and a pumpkin pie or tiramisu for dessert.

• Kavanagh & Morrissey's: For $25.95 ($14.95 for kids 12 and under), you get butternut squash soup or Caesar salad; herb-rubbed free-range turkey with andouille cornbread stuffing and cranberry sauce or Colorado rack of lamb; mashed potatoes and baby vegetables; and apple or pumpkin pie. The Thanksgiving dinner starts at 3 p.m.; the regular menu will also be available.

Did anyone actually go to Matsuri this past weekend, when the restaurant was supposed to re-open after renovations? We have called and called and called, and it's a promising sign that we aren't constantly getting a busy signal. At least it rings. But no one picks up. We know they've got a new menu, but communication's been a problem.

In the meantime, we're giving you a dish from their old menu: mori awase, a sampler of toro, yellowtail, tuna, squid, snapper, saba, conch, surf clam, uni and negi toro maki.

Photo: Flickr

• Thanksgiving Weekend in West Palm Beach. [Chowhound]

• A positive review for Maison D'Azur. [Chowhound]

• Mahi-mahi, coconut rice and string beans at Cafe Maurice. [All Purpose Dark]

The second Mari Nalli's Gourmet Quesadillas is scheduled to open in CocoWalk on Tuesday (one week from today) at 11 a.m. The first location, in Coral Gables, has been well-received since its opening in January. We're told that there will likely be free food available one or two days before the opening while the employees train. Might be a good time to try one of these fancy quesadillas!

Mari Nalli's [MenuPages]
Formula for Fine Food [New Times]

Versailles has a post-Castro plan in place, which isn't all that surprising. What is surprising is that owner Felipe Valls just put it together last year when Fidel ceded power to his brother. The celebrations on Calle Ocho and the media craziness made him realize that when the dictator does croak, his restaurant is going to be in the center of the mayhem. (Of course! Anyone could've told him that years ago.)

Valls has a team of employees ready to cordon off the parking lot and control traffic. He has assigned parking spots for an undisclosed amount to media outlets seeking a prime perch to cover the inevitable celebrations as thousands swarm Calle Ocho.

And CNN, the first American media outlet to open a bureau in Havana, has not only secured a parking space, it has made arrangements to rent a Valls-owned building overlooking Versailles -- taking over empty second-floor offices and putting dibs on phone lines and electrical outlets.

The part we found interesting is towards the end of the article, where Valls mentions that on the day that Castro stepped down, thousands crowded around the restaurant, but not inside; a day of huge political upheaval in Cuba actually means a loss in business at Versailles. Not that they're sweating it:

''We're proud that it's going to be celebrated here, but number-wise, it's actually a negative,'' said Felipe Valls Jr. ``We don't mind. We're happy to lose half our sales that day.''

Landmark Versailles has its own 'Cuba plan' [Miami Herald]
Versailles [MenuPages]

So we covered Palm Beach on Friday, and even then we're sure we missed some. (Feel free to add in the comments!) Here's a list we've put together of restaurants in Miami-Dade that'll be serving up a Thanksgiving dinner.

• Casa Juancho: For $23 per person, you get a salad, thyme-roasted turkey with stuffing, pecan sweet potato crisp, green and yellow beans, and pumpkin pie or pumpkin flan.

• GNU Restaurant & Lounge: Salad, soup, choice of three mains (turkey breast, Atlantic sea bass or Pacific tuna, or risotto with beef tenderloin) and dessert (flan de calabaza or apple pie a la mode). We're giving you only the bare bones of the menu here, but it certainly looks tasty. That meal is $45 per person, which includes one glass of house red or white wine. Children under 10 get a kid-sized portion for $12.

• Dogma Grill: Yes, the new North Miami location is giving away free turkey dogs. Doesn't really count as a Thanksgiving dinner in our book, but we figured we'd throw it out there.

• Palm Restaurant: They're offering a pre-set menu of soup, salad, roasted sliced turkey with potato-sage stuffing and green beans and dessert for $35. We just called the restaurant and were told that they already have 375 reservations, so it might be difficult to get in; your best chances, we're told, are for a noon or 4:30 p.m. reservation.

• And in the interest of not being repetitive and long-winded, we're just going to link to this excellent list compiled by a Miami Herald staffer. It's got plenty of choices for a Thanksgiving dinner.

Thanksgiving restaurant specials [Miami Herald]

We were in Chicago when Cereality opened there several years ago, and we thought it was a genius idea, in that it would regularly separate idiotic college students from large sums of their parents' cash. We really, really cannot understand the need to pay $4 to $7 for a bowl of cereal.*

Down here in South Florida, we have The Cereal Bowl, which is pretty much the same thing. (We're sure the company executives would disagree, although they wouldn't have much of a case given that they're all serving the exact same products. The same ones you can buy in a supermarket, by the way.) So, where were we? Yes, The Cereal Bowl. There's one conveniently located close to the University of Miami.

But now there's a new player in the game: The Cereal Connection (so. over. it.) in Plantation, which, according to the Sun-Sentinel, has been a big hit since it opened in August. The Cereal Connection also professes to "save the Earth one bowl at a time;" in fact, that's the first thing that pops up on the website. But there isn't really any explanation as to how they're going about saving the world one overpriced bowl of cereal at a time. Not that we're all that invested into it.

Cereal eatery opens in Plantation [Sun-Sentinel]
Cereal Connection Opens in Broward [Stuck on the Palmetto]

Cereality [Official Site]
The Cereal Bowl [Official Site]
The Cereal Connection [Official Site]

* We just checked the list of Cereality stores and saw that they just opened a branch in Newark Airport. Now that's not a bad idea, given the nature of air travel and delays and being stuck at the airport, etc. If stuck at said airport at an odd hour and surrounded by greasy airport food, we might at that point consider parting with $4 for a bowl of cereal.

Two would-be thieves messed with the wrong security guard very early this morning at Palacio de los Jugos in Hialeah.

The septuagenarian, a security guard who was trained in the Cuban marines, kicked the gun out of the hand of the armed man, drew his own weapon and chased both men away. It was all captured on surveillance cameras.

What struck us though is the mention that the owner of the restaurant, Jose Gutierrez, has a $35,000 security system with 16 cameras. Plus a security guard. We expect this type of surveillance at places like jewelry stores (actually, they'd need more), stores in crowded malls, etc. But a juice bar and sandwich spot? Seriously? Do they even have that much cash on hand? If we were to rob a business, we don't think we'd choose a juice bar; perhaps these were rookies who decided to start out small. So good thing the security guard was there.

Guard, 70-something, disarms 'rookie' robbers [Miami Herald]

• Scotch eggs are apparently something that people fear. We don't quite understand. We've never had one, but a hardboiled egg wrapped in sausage meat and deep fried sounds pretty damn good to us. [MP: Philadelphia]

• Still more problems for the fishing industry from the oil spill in San Francisco Bay. [MP: San Francisco]

• Wow. That's definitely the craziest parfait we've ever seen. [MP: Chicago]

• Just in case you were interested in making your own turducken, here's an instructional video. [MP: Boston]

• Tonight at Books & Books, an event in Spanish: Raquel Roque, author of Cocina cubana, a compilation of her family's favorite Cuban recipes, will be speaking tonight. The newest edition of the book has five new chapters on cocktails, smoothies/shakes, sandwiches, baby food, and recipes from other Latin American countries. The event starts at 8 p.m., and there will also be live music in the courtyard from the Carl Ferrari Group.

• It's Champagne night tonight at Wolfe's Wine Shoppe! The tasting runs from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. and costs $20.

• On Monday at Wolfe's, they're featuring zinfandels that pair well with turkey, just in time for Thursday's festivities. Also 7-9 p.m. and $20.

• Are your kids little monsters at the dinner table? Take them to Mimi's Manners Etiquette Lunch on Saturday, where kids ages 6 to 12 can learn how to properly conduct themselves at the table. The event, at the Ritz-Carlton in coconut Grove, starts at noon and costs $58. Call 305-644-4675 for more information.

We're all about the cooking on Thanksgiving. We cannot wait to one day have our own place someday (an apartment with three roommates doesn't count) and invite the whole family for a dinner we cooked ourselves. No potluck -- we're kind of control freaks like that. But we understand that most other people aren't quite as neurotic, and some might even enjoy -- gasp! -- a night out at a restaurant. So we've cobbled together a list of places that will be open, featuring turkey specials, etc. It's pretty long, so long that while our original intentions were to do all in one post, we've decided it'll be best to split them up. This time, Palm Beach County.

• Gigi's Tavern: $26.95 per adult, $10.95 for kids under 12. That includes pumpkin soup or salad, turkey breast with cornbread stuffing, sweet potato casserole, green beans amandine, mashed potatoes, apple cobbler or pumpkin pie and a glass of wine or a non-alcoholic beverage. That sounds like a lot of food for under $30. Perhaps there's a catch? Or perhaps we're just too jaded?

• Bogart's Bar & Grill: soup or salad, roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, green beans, pumpkin cheesecake or pecan pie will set you back just $24.95 for those 21 and older. We're not sure if it costs less for young 'uns, or if they eat for free or not at all. And if you're not so much into the turkey, you can order from the regular menu too.

• La Cigale: This one's a little pricier at $32 per person, half that for kids under 12, and there are seatings at 3 p.m., 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. You get butternut squash soup, Caesar salad or smoked salmon salad, roast turkey with chestnut stuffing, brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Or for the turkey-phobic (don't laugh -- we have a cousin like this), there's leg of lamb or wild Atlantic salmon. And for dessert, apple tart or cranberry pie or ice cream, and coffee or tea. (Wonder if an ice cream + cranberry tart is an option.)

• Sundy House Restaurant has something going on for Thanksgiving. If only they'd answer the phone. Perhaps try after 6 p.m., when they open for dinner.

• Banana Boat: They'll have the regular menu, but starting at 11 a.m., you'll be able to get a turkey or ham dish for $15.95, with mashed potatoes, stuffing and a vegetable.

• Poppies Restaurant & Deli: they've got two seatings, at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., for which you need reservations. You've got three main course choices: turkey with the trimmings, poached salmon, or sliced beef brisket. With that, you get a salad, fresh green beans, dinner rolls, stuffing, sweet or mashed potatoes, a non-alcoholic drink and a special holiday dessert, all for $21.95 for adults or $16.95 for kids 10 and under.

Palm Beach County restaurant happenings [Sun-Sentinel]

Photo: Lucky Oliver

• We too have heard things like "but it's so nice to see the seasons" from both Floridians and non-Floridians alike. But after spending four years in Chicago, we wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments expressed by Restaurant Gal. Fall foliage and snow are pretty for approximately one hour, maybe two, and then they cease being fun because you remember they have to be raked/shoveled/picked at because you let the snow harden to ice and now your wimpy arms can't possibly get your car out of the huge pile of snow. We'll take flip-flops in December any day. [Restaurant Gal]

• The new Nexxt Cafe seems to be having some, um, problems. [Coral Gables]

• Tere learns that boxed macaroni and cheese, even the organic kind, is no good. We aren't surprised. [FoodTastic!]

• A happy couple celebrate their anniversary at Table 8 and are pleased. Aww. [mango&lime]

The Palm Beach Post printed the winners of its Thanksgiving pie haiku (pieku!) contest yesterday. They're all pretty great. One of our favorites:

Bless this festive meal.
Please let these Thanksgiving pies
Not go to my thighs.

Blueberry filling
drips from my fork to my shirt
whipped cream will follow.

We asked readers to wax poetic about Thanksgiving pies – in a 17-syllable poem, of course! [Palm Beach Post]

Take note:

Grass Restaurant & Lounge [MenuPages]
Grass Restaurant & Lounge [Official Site]

It's Thursday afternoon, time again to evaluate a week's worth of user reviews. We'll just do two this time, one good and one bad. Here's a review for The Mahogany Grille that made it past us onto the site:

The servers were on-point and the atmosphere was upscale, but not pretentious. The food was another story. Maybe its because we caught them right at closing time, but the food was not as flavorful as I would've liked. Also, when I order $15 fried chicken, I think white meat is a given....instead I got 5 legs..so do specify. I did enjoy the peas and rice and I will try them again (and update) and give them another chance at getting the food right if only for their great service.

Now, onto the ones that didn't make the cut. Here's a review for Alta Cocina, the new South Miami restaurant:

Just what south miami needed

We know you haven't yet had nearly enough steak to satiate that carnivorous appetite of yours, so we're happy to announce that yet another steakhouse will be joining the 10,000 currently dominating the Miami restaurant scene. This one is a product of Jeffrey Chodorow called Kobe Club, which currently has just one location in New York City; Miami, fortunately, will soon be blessed with the second outpost. We don't know any other details, aside from the fact that he's planning to open next year, but we do know quite a bit about the New York restaurant, thanks to the wonders of the Internet.

Let's start with the ambiance. See the photo? That is a shot of just some of the 2,000 samurai swords attached to the ceiling. They are supposedly anchored securely, although we would probably opt for the not-potentially-lethal section of the dining room. Call us wimps, whatever.

On to the food. From Frank Bruni's unflattering review in February (that led Chodorow to take out $80,000 worth of ad space in the New York Times to defend himself):

The server volunteered that number, appended with an assurance that the blades, firmly anchored, shouldn’t cause any concern.

The food and the bill should. Although Kobe Club does right by the fabled flesh for which it’s named, it presents too many insipid or insulting dishes at prices that draw blood from anyone without a trust fund or an expense account.

For the most part it feels like a cynical stab at exploiting the current mania for steakhouses in Manhattan by contriving one with an especially costly conceit and more gimmicks than all of the others combined.

Kobe Club [MenuPages]
Kobe Club [Official Site]
Giving Luxury the Thrill of Danger [New York Times]

Photo: Flickr

• Victoria Pesce Elliott finds some hits and misses in the cozy and lovely Macchiato Boutique Restaurant, located in the not-so-cozy-or-lovely Dadeland Station. The desserts, she says, are magical, and the wine list is eclectic. So after fighting the crowds at nearby Dadeland Mall (the holiday season is almost here, God help us), a lovely dessert and glass of wine might be a nice way to de-stress. It'll help later, when you have to deal with the three cars blocking your exit because each one demands your parking spot. [Miami Herald]

• Lee Klein muses aloud about why, with ocean all around, there are so few good fish eateries on Miami Beach. (We'll hazard a guess: everyone's eating steak nowadays. Overpriced steak.) But he finds excellent fish at Fusion 41, which also happens to be kosher. It's only been open two months though, so they're still working out some problems, but with some patience, it might be very good. [Miami New Times]

• Stick to the buffet at House of India. It's the best value, and you'll avoid any disputes over the check with your waiter. [Miami New Times]

• The Skordilis family moves up from a take-out restaurant to the sit-down Greek Place Restaurant in Surfside, where they serve Greek staples. [Miami Herald]

• Scallops dusted with cocoa powder? That sounds really good. Unfortunately, they seemed to have been a temporary menu item at Armadillo Beach. But there's also slow-cooked duck cured with sugar and chiles. We're drooling over here. [Miami Herald]

• The fettucine Alfredo at Il Bellagio is "spun silk swaddled in cream." Quite possibly the best description of a pasta dish ever. The food was so good that it moved Gail Shepherd, an avowed CityPlace avoider, to write "I (heart) CityPlace!" [Broward-Palm Beach New Times]

We've been busy bringing you new menus. Here's just a sampling of what is now appearing on the site:

• Moonchine Asian Bistro, 7100 Biscayne Blvd in Miami, 305-759-3999

• Takee Outee, 20234 Old Cutler Rd in Miami, 305-251-8188

• Cefalo's in the Grove, 3540 Main Hwy in Coconut Grove, 305-971-2400

• Nexxt Cafe, 101 Miracle Mile in Coral Gables, 305-567-5888

Chinese Restaurant News, the largest monthly publication serving Chinese-American restaurants, recently released its list of top 100 Chinese restaurants in the country. We're not quite sure how they come up with the list out of the tens of thousands of Chinese restaurants (seriously, there are more Chinese restaurants than McDonald's!), but we will report on the South Florida restaurants that made one of their top 100 lists:

Buffets: New China Buffet in Pembroke Pines

Regional cuisine: Takee Outee Restaurant in Miami; Hong Kong Cafe in West Palm Beach

Rising Stars: New China Buffet in Pembroke Pines; King Chef in Plantation; Takee Outee Restaurant in Miami

Signature Dish: King Chef in Plantation; China One in Pembroke Pines; South China in Cooper City; Wong's in Plantation; China Uno in Greenacres; Number One Wok in Davie; Grand View Chinese Restaurant in Miami.

Take Outs: China Sky in Loxahatchee; China A Chinese Restaurant in Oakland Park; Ho Ho Chinese Restaurant in Delray Beach

Asian Fusion: Tokyo Peking Express in Tamarac; Tony Chan's Water Club in Miami; Dragon Gourmet Buffet in Plantation; Jade Garden Restaurant in Plantation

Healthy: No. 1 Chinese Restaurant in Hialeah

Overall Excellence: Coco Palm Beach in Palm Beach

Metro Favorites: Tony Chan's Water Club in Miami; No. 1 Chinese Restaurant in Hialeah; Grand View Chinese Restaurant in Miami

Chinese Restaurant News [Official Site]
Top 100 Chinese Restaurants [Official Site]

A McDonald's in Pensacola is digging 55 holes 350 feet deep in the ground to tap into some geothermal energy. The idea is to use the Earth's constant temperature for heating and cooling.

Geothermal technology is proven to cut heating and cooling costs by as much as 50 percent by using the earth's constant, mild temperature to heat or cool water through underground loops. The loops simply use the water to move heat from the earth to the building in the winter and from the building to earth in the summer. In comparison, traditional commercial air conditioning systems are often installed on the roof top where temperatures may soar on a hot summer day. The significant energy savings of the geothermal system - as well as the projected life of the loops of more than 50 years - offsets the higher initial cost of the loop system.
Owned by John and Susan O'Connor, this will be the first McDonald's restaurant in Florida with geothermal heating and cooling when it opens later this year. Gulf Power Company and McDonald's Corporation will monitor the system the first year of operation to determine specifications for the most energy efficient system to meet McDonald's needs as well as energy savings.

Local McDonald's digging deep to go green [Gulf1]

Dogma Grill is expanding to North Miami; the fourth location is opening in early December at 899 NE 125th St. But they'll be open on Thanksgiving day, giving away free turkey dogs from 11 a.m. until noon, during North Miami's annual "Winternational Thanksgiving Day Parade," which runs right along 125th St. While we wouldn't normally go out of our way to get a turkey dog (beef and pork are far more suitable for these things), a free dog sounds like a good idea.

Dogma Grill [Official Site]

This, apparently, is what Minneapolis residents think of us. We got a kick out of the pink shirt-white suit combination, and oh my goodness, see that phone at :12? We had that exact same one in our bedroom in the late '80s/early '90s. That brought back some memories. Oh! And there's a Scarface Lounge!

Restaurant Miami [Official Site]

Alert chowhound Auger (if that is a reference to the seashell, we love it) drove past Matsuri in South Miami and saw a sign saying that the restaurant will open on Friday, November 16 at 5:30 p.m. So finally, some good news. We tried to call and confirm, but the line is still busy.

Now to get to work on getting that new menu...

Matsuri in South Miami [Chowhound]

• Alice Waters, the most influential person in American cooking after Julia Child, will be at Books & Books in the Gables tonight to discuss her latest book, The Art of Simple Food. The event starts at 8 p.m.

• Hallandale Beach is hosting its second Taste of the Town tomorrow, an event where local restaurants set up booths and visitors get to walk around sampling specialties. If you just want to browse and not taste (yeah, right), entry is free. But if you're up for grazing, it's $10 for adults and $5 for kids. It starts at 5 p.m., ends at 9 p.m. and is located in the parking lot of the Memorial Outpatient Center, 1750 E Hallandale Beach Blvd.

Despite Bud Selig's and Jeffrey Loria's claims that stadiums bringing economic prosperity to blighted areas, it's not true. (A college professor who spent most of his time studying the economic effects of stadiums on cities and neighborhoods taught us that.) Just look at what's happened to St. Petersburg's Dome District:

"I know since I opened there's been 24 restaurants or sports bars that opened up and then closed in this two block area," said Mark Ferguson, owner of Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill....

Ferguson says he and many other business owners in the dome district think they'll be better off if Tropicana Field is redeveloped into affordable housing, offices and stores.

"And that's day in day out business, rather than having 81 games where there's parking problems and other problems to go along with it," said Ferguson.

Many dome businesses support new waterfront stadium [Tampa Bay 10]

• Enrique Fernandez ponders the proliferation of braised short ribs at upscale restaurants and the virtues of an ecologically correct menu. [Consumed]

• Deborah Hartz gets invited to what sounds like a pretty spectacular meal at the Seminole casino in Coconut Creek. Unfortunately, you have to be on the guest list to get into these things, but you can read about it at her blog. [From the Test Kitchen]

• The final Miami Spice review of the year: Social Miami at Sagamore. [FoodTastic!]

• A lazy Sunday at A La Folie Cafe. [Daily Cocaine]

They're open, as of today. So go early to get your cinnamon buns and milkshakes!

Knaus Berry Farm [Redland Riot]

Photo: Flickr

Howie Kleinberg of Top Chef fame will be a guest chef at Grass Restaurant & Lounge this Thursday; it's the first in a series of monthly dinners with a different guest chef each time at the restaurant. It's $50 per person for the meal, or $75 with wine. (The extra sweat dripping from his brow is free.) Call the restaurant at 305-573-3355 for more information.

Grass Restaurant & Lounge [MenuPages]
Grass Restaurant & Lounge [Official Site]

As most of you know, we regularly scour the Craigslist wanted ads for the service industry, to keep up on who's hiring, who's opening, who needs hot, sexy female masseuses (all from reputable firms, we're sure). We've noticed a bit of trouble lately, however. Last week, a post accusing Ishq of having a mean chef-owner appeared. It also mentioned that the general manager and most of the waiters have quit. The reasons? Well, the poster takes offense that the owner requires waiters to be able to pronounce the menus in "Indian." (We're going to assume Hindi.) Is that such a crazy demand if you work in an Indian restaurant? Granted, we don't know what the owner is like — perhaps the owner really is difficult to work with — but that's the only specific complaint listed, so who knows. But someone else followed that up with a post saying "Damn that lady is mean."

On to other restaurants that seem to have a problem keeping their staff: Michael's Genuine Food & Drink. We've noticed that the restaurant posts a bunch of ads each week for waiters, bussers, dishwashers, all sorts of positions. We were wondering about the situation, and today someone asked the question for us in a post that assumed the reason was the owner and management. The person also spelled it "Micheal," so we're taking it with an even larger grain of salt than we usually do these Craigslist posts. But we're intrigued. Do you know anything about working in these places? Are the owners really that difficult, or is it just really hard to find quality restaurant workers in this town?

ISHQ DO NOT WORK HERE 530 OCEAN DRIVE [Craigslist]
ISHQ Sucks! I agree with last posting [Craigslist]
MICHEALS GENUINE FOOD???? [Craigslist]

Looks like David' Bouley's foray into the Miami dining scene is gone after just a few short months. Not that we're surprised; they'd scaled back over the summer, closing a section of the restaurant, and it was clear that the place had been struggling. We thought they might try to see how the high season would treat them, but no. The food had received mixed reviews, although the chowhounds are mourning the loss of the sushi chef and the bartender, both of whom were supposedly very good.

UPDATE: We just found a Miami Herald article about the closing, although every time we try to click on it, the computer goes spastic. It's been like that with every Herald article since yesterday. But from the blurb we managed to see, the close is temporary, supposedly for a management change.

Evolution closed...indefinitely... [Chowhound]

Evolution [MenuPages]
Evolution [Official Site]

It's business Monday over here at MenuPages today. First, we wondered whether or not the Canadians will be descending upon our fair state. Now, we're marveling at the way that Miami-Dade, even with the condo glut and the looming economic problems, is bailing out the rest of the state:

While the rest of Florida has seen dramatic declines in consumer spending, Miami-Dade went in the opposite direction, with spending jumping between the summers of 2006 and 2007. The increases were enough to raise the amount of annual sales taxes collected in Miami-Dade by $118 million, to a total of $2.58 billion.

While tax collections in Miami-Dade grew by 4.8 percent, Broward County’s tax collections grew by 1.6 percent, and such tourist meccas as Orange and Osceola counties saw 1 percent growth.

The good news out of Miami-Dade contrasts to spending declines all the way from Pensacola to West Palm Beach to Naples. It’s a downturn that forced lawmakers to slash $1 billion from the state budget during an October special session. And more cuts could soon be on the way: This week, state economists are expected to project a $2 billion budget shortfall for the coming year.

That shortfall would be much worse if it weren’t for Miami-Dade. Florida’s 6-cent sales tax is the lifeblood of the state budget, producing more than $20 billion a year for lawmakers to spend on everything, including schools, prisons and healthcare for the poor. Nearly 12 percent of all state sales-tax collections during the fiscal year that ended June 30 came from Miami-Dade.

Miami-Dade economy helping bail out state [Miami Herald via Real Estate Miami blog, because the Herald's website is sucking right now]

We've got two contradictory stories today. First, an article from the Associated Press claiming that the weak U.S. dollar will attract more Canadians than usual to sunny Florida for the season:

During the next six weeks about 450,000 Canadian visitors are expected to visit Broward, a second home during the winter for many. Attracted by South Florida's warm weather and beaches, they will pour about $1 billion into the local economy, said Nicki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitor's Bureau.

"We expect record numbers from our good friends in the north this year," Grossman said. "Greater Fort Lauderdale will be high on the travel list for Canadian snowbirds."

The Canadian dollar has risen almost 20 percent in value against the U.S. dollar this year, achieving one-to-one parity for the first time since 1976. On Wednesday, the Canadian dollar was worth $1.1039, its highest level in the post-1950 era of Canadian floating exchange rates.

"I haven't met one person this year that wants to stay in Florida," said Boynton Beach resident Dory Kilburn, who heads the Boynton Intracoastal Group, a Canadian advocacy organization. "They all say they are getting out."

Lopsided property taxes favoring year-round residents are a major culprit, and proposed property tax cuts are getting a cool reception north of the border. Still, talk of leaving might be saber rattling - except that it comes as Arizona, the Carolinas and other states are stepping up efforts to lure the flock.

In the last few months, [Gary] Brissenden said, the majority of people he has talked to say they are planning to leave Florida. It's not a small number.

"We have held meetings throughout Ontario. I have had perhaps 5,000 people at meetings," he said. "Of those coming to Florida, about 70 percent are saying, 'We are going to sell our place.'"

Weakness of U.S. dollar may bring more Canadians to Florida [Associated Press]
Canadians may give Florida cold shoulder [Palm Beach Post]

• Kavanagh & Morrissey's is hosting a happy hour tonight sponsored by Dewars 12 whisky. The two-for-one drink specials continue until 7 p.m., so get going now.

• The Falcon House is hosting "Jammin' for Knuckles" tonight and tomorrow night, a musical event to raise money for a chimpanzee with cerebral palsy. The show tonight is at 9:30 p.m. and tomorrow night at 10 p.m.

• Get your fill of barbecue tonight at North One 10's Barbecue and Beer Blast. But not your typical slow-smoked meats barbecue; it's more like mango and shrimp skewers, lamb spare ribs and grilled salmon. It's $50 per person and continues until 11 p.m. tonight.

• And here's the requisite wine event: a wine class on Saturday at Cefalo's in the Grove, which includes meats and cheeses paired with wines. Cost is $60. For more information, call 305-971-2400.

• White Castle latkes. Ugh. Thanks, MP: Philadelphia. We will now have that image in our head for the rest of the day.

• MP: San Francisco bemoans an oil spill in the Bay that might affect the fishing and crabbing industries.

• MP: Chicago informs us that the Hyde Park Co-Op, where we did the majority of our food shopping during college, is closing. We are not sad. At all.

• MP: Boston has ice cream for breakfast. We can totally get behind that idea.

The Hungry Man's "Weekly Dish" usually features a plate of food that he enjoyed. This week, however, he took a departure and instead featured a "Dish of Disgust:" Domino's new Oreo pizza. Yes, he says, it is that bad:

There’s just one problem: Oreos are great on their own (one of the few commercially made cookies I’ll consider eating, in fact). They’re even better when dunked in milk. But they just don’t work when used as a topping for a way-too-crackly crust that tastes like a graham-cracker that has gone through the dry-cleaner’s. (Trust me, there’s really something off about it.) And the glue that holds topping and crust together? An overly sweet white icing that looks like, well, glue. (Seriously, Elmer’s should sue these folks.)

The Weekly Dish (of Disgust): Domino's Oreo Pizza [The Hungry Man]

• Lee Klein finally gets someone else to interview him but is disappointed when he realizes there are no recorders or notepads to record it for posterity. He does, however, get some Girl Scout cookies out of it. [Miami New Times]

• We, too, lament the lack of restaurants that focus on local food. [Plenty Magazine]

• Pork Belly! We're big fans. As are the chowhounds, it seems. [Chowhound]

• A hog snapper that looks mighty tasty. [Daily Cocaine]

• Looks like Cefalo's in the Grove is a good place. Check it out! In the meantime, we'll try to get that menu. [FoodTastic!]

Just yesterday, we managed to get menus for a few more new (new to the site, that is) restaurants onto the site:

• Kefi Restaurant & Lounge, 18851 NE 29th Ave in Aventura, 305-466-1115

• Surf Road Taco, 101 NE 3rd St in Hallandale, 954-239-0128

• Tavern-n-Town (just the Tavern menu; Town opens in December), 500 Simonton St in Key West, 305-296-8100

• Pilikia by the Pool, 1751 Collins Ave in Miami Beach, 305-538-1411

• Hot Shots Bar, 3868 N University Dr in Sunrise, 954-748-4232

It was a pretty slow week in terms of user reviews. As usual, let's start with the ones that didn't make it onto the site. This review of Christine Lee's in Jupiter comes from a user in Port St. Lucie:

we are in need of your establishment in or near port saint lucie fl. we have hundreds of families here who are in need of a good chinese resturant who support you every day look into a community called tradition very new 3,000 families right on 95, lots of land available for more resturants

The Fried Twinkey is GOD above all other foods you must love the twinkey

Arrived and had choice of indoor or outdoor seating. Since it was the first cooler day, we sat outside for the sunset and water view. Appetizer was conch fritters--six very small, very greasy fritters for 7.95. Salad was heart of lettuce with very good creamy garlic dressing. Ordered surf and turf special--ribs and crab legs. Food was served slightly warm. Ribs were dry, crab legs didn't taste fresh, and potato side was just so-so--tasted like it was out of a can. Bugs were EATING US ALIVE--no-see-ums! Halfway through dinner a few staff members mentioned that yes, they had been bad out there--why didn't you TELL us! We couldn't finish dinner fast enough, and are now covered with lots of very itchy bites.

It is doubtful we will be back, sorry to say.

The poll this week at Stuck on the Palmetto is for the restaurant with the best service in South Florida. Where do you usually get treated well when you go out to dinner? Head over there and let Rick and Alex know!

This Week's SotP Reader's Favorite [Stuck on the Palmetto]

It's Book Fair Time!

• Padma, apparently, is not actually the ice princess she appears to be on television. Also, her cookbook sounds like it's got some tasty recipes. And avoid the article's comments section; any mention of Padma brings the sleazeballs out of the woodworks. [Miami Herald]

• More books! This time: poems about cooking. Sometimes they're recipes, sometimes they're not. [Miami Herald]

• Wait, more books! A profile of Molly O'Neill, who will also be at the book fair this weekend. [Miami New Times]

• Two-and-a-half stars from Victoria Pesce Elliott for Barchetta on the Bay. The food is "pretty good" and the view is "stunning." Also, she saw a dolphin just a few feet from her table! [Miami Herald]

• Vito's on Key Biscayne is deemed a great neighborhood Italian restaurant. We now have a sudden craving for tiramisu. [Miami New Times]

• Gail Shepherd extols the virtues of stone crab, as both an environmentally-friendly and delicious product. And the stone crabs at Nick's Fishmarket of Hawaii are particularly delicious. [Broward-Palm Beach New Times]

• The Whale Raw Bar & Fish House, opened up by the same people who owned the now-defunct Whale's Rib in Deerfield Beach, earns two-and-a-half stars. [Miami Herald]

• Watering Hole time! McCarthy's Restaurant & Pub in Tequesta re-opened with new owners, but the same Irish spirit. [Palm Beach Post]

• French Corner Bistro & Rotisserie in West Palm Beach wins over Charles Passy. [Palm Beach Post]

We'd read a bit about the Pharmed bankruptcy and fraud investigation, but we didn't pay much attention. (Unfortunately, since our work revolves around food/menus/restaurants, we tend to tune much of everything else out.) Turns out we should've read more closely. Pharmed's owners, brothers Carlos and Jorge de Cespedes, also own the two Chispa restaurants. According to this Herald article, the Gables location has closed, although they plan to keep the one in the Doral open:

The restaurant had been designed in part to host dinners in which pharmaceutical reps invited doctors and their office employees to hear presentations on new drugs. The areas, which could be cordoned off for privacy, had screens for viewing video and PowerPoint presentations as well as microphone hookups.

Such dinners have come under increased scrutiny from regulators, and the pharmaceutical industry itself had tightened requirements on who could attend the free dinners.

''Obviously, this was not a decision we came to easily or without a great deal of consideration,'' co-owner Mike Tomas said in a prepared statement. ``For now, we're refocusing our efforts on our Doral location with an eye toward expanding the Chispa brand to other parts of South Florida and beyond.''

Gables' restaurant Chispa has closed [Miami Herald]
Pharmed: Alleged fraud part of federal probe [Miami Herald]
Chispa Restaurant & Bar (Coral Gables) [MenuPages]
Chispa Restaurant & Bar (Doral) [MenuPages]
Chispa Restaurant & Bar [Official Site]

We're all about restaurant openings today! This one's pretty interesting actually, and we like that there's a YouTube video to go with it. Miami-bred rapper Rick Ross and San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore are planning to start a franchise of hip-hop-themed restaurants called Grub Spot. The first location? Miami Gardens. The focus is on healthy wraps, sandwiches, snacks and energy drinks created by students and alumni from Johnson & Wales and Florida A&M. As you can see in the video, the restaurant will also be selling hip-hop magazines, music and clothing.

Judging from the YouTube video, work on the interior seems to be progressing nicely, and they should have it up and running fairly soon. (Actually, we just now read to the very end of the article to which we're linking, and it mentions that Ross' charity will be distributing turkeys to needy families during the restaurant's grand opening on November 17.)

Rick Ross Helps Launch 'Hip-Hop Grub Spots'; Rapper Gives Back For Thanksgiving [All Hip Hop]

Eye On Miami witnessed some overzealous cops subdue a woman as she was walking outside of the Aventura Whole Foods. He even got photos of the incident, before a WF manager told him to lose the camera:

Granted, a woman did create a ruckus in the Whole Foods Store. Probably couldn't find the granola. I heard the screaming but couldn't see anything. She left with no one accompanying her -- on her own. She was headed for her car. A cop car pulled up. She turned around and walked towards the cop. She was agitated and I said to myself, Good Lord, this woman is going to get beat up. Sure enough the cop started to try to grab her. She got upset. She tried to pull away screaming in protest...he fell to the ground holding her, she was then slammed into the sidewalk. Four or five cop cars later, the well dressed woman was subdued.

The inside the store witness said a white lady and a black lady got into an argument and some food was thrown. The store manager sided with the white lady which got the black lady very angry. I don't know if the Manager’s alleged bias is what prompted the food hurling. I asked the eye witness, was it a big deal in the store? He said: No.

Photo: Eye On Miami

Except we don't know the name yet. But we do know they plan to open next week on Johnson Street, although they're still lacking cooks and waitresses. We've left a message and are waiting for information about it, but if you've driven by or know anything about the place, let us know!

NEW Cuban Restaurant on The Beach [Craigslist]

Padma's back everybody! Only for the weekend though. She'll be signing copies of her latest cookbook, Tangy Tart Hot and Sweet: A World of Recipes for Every Day, on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Miami Book Fair. Govind Armstrong will be there at the same time, though in a different building, signing copies of his book, Small Bites, Big Nights: Seductive Little Plates for Intimate Occasions and Lavish Parties. (Note to publishers: shorter titles please!)

Also of culinary interest: A panel called "Why we eat what we eat: The evolution of American tastes" on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. featuring David Kamp (he of United States of Arugula fame), NYT food reporter Molly O'Neill, and Julia Child biographer Laura Shapiro.

There are, of course, many other interesting events going on at the book fair (including a performance by the Rock Bottom Remainders, of which we are intrigued), but over here we're very one-track-minded, and there aren't too many food-related happenings at the fair this year.

Miami Book Fair [Official Site]

Thanks to Lan Nghiem-Phu at Miami Every Day Photo, we learned of another Granny Feelgood's opening in Aventura. (The current location is in downtown Miami.) We just called and were told that they may open in December.

Granny Feelgood's [Miami Every Day Photo]
Granny Feelgood's [MenuPages]

Photo: Miami Every Day Photo

• FunKey Nutz claims that some of "South Florida's best singers" show up to karaoke nights on Tuesdays. We've never been to a karaoke event that featured people who could remotely qualify as some of an area's best singers, but we're willing to allow that perhaps the crooners at FunKey Nutz are an exception. Anyone willing to find out for us? Karaoke starts tonight at 8:30.

• Casa Toscana is hosting a tasting of wines from Sicily, Apulia, Tuscany, Veneto and Piedmont this Thursday at 7 p.m. It'll cost you $15 per person, but you get complimentary appetizers with the wines. Call 305-757-4454 to RSVP.

When did these Bonefish restaurants start popping up everywhere? We're getting another Bonefish Grill, this one in Coral Gables, at 2121 Ponce de Leon Blvd. Doors open for lunch on November 19.

But if you have a pressing desire to get in earlier, the restaurant will be hosting a charity event on Saturday, November 17 for Neat Stuff, a South Florida-based group that helps provide clothing to needy children. And it's not a bad deal: donate $25 and get complimentary drinks, appetizers and a main course tasting. Now that we think about it, this is a great way for the kitchen and waitstaff to do a test run, and there's charity involved, which means good press! Yes, it's a genius idea, and if we ever open a restaurant (not likely), we plan to do something similar.

To RSVP for the event, call 305-638-5878.

Bonefish Grill [Official Site]

Cured meats and cheese? Yes please! A lovely plate from Bugatti in Coral Gables, from which it has been difficult to acquire a menu.

Photo: miami fever's Flickr

• Some photos from Epcot's Food & Wine Festival. [Restaurant Gal]

• Some chowhounds have put together a lunch group; here's a review of their first outing at Table 8. [Chowhound]

• Need recommendations for two gals on South Beach? Here's a good place to start. [Chowhound]

• Deborah Hartz wants to hear from you: what restaurant do you consider a destination when you go out to eat? Reply on her blog. [From the Test Kitchen]

We are geekily excited about this; back when we were in college in Chicago, we used to watch Check, Please! with our roommate all the time. (We watched lots of public television — couldn't afford cable.) The show, which started in Chicago, invites three ordinary people in each episode to name one of their favorite restaurants; then all three visit each restaurant and discuss the establishments afterward. It's become so popular that it's spawned spinoffs in the Bay Area and now in South Florida, which is scheduled to start airing in the last week of January. The South Florida version will be hosted by Michelle Bernstein. (Seriously, how does this woman find the time to do so much?) From the WPBT2 blogs:

Hosted by celebrity chef and local restaurateur Michelle Bernstein, the concept of the show is to allow South Florida residents the unique opportunity to be "food critics-for-a-day." The first four shows featured a variety of restaurants, from barbecue joints to high-end bistros, stretching from Miami-Dade up to Palm Beach county.

The guest reviewers were just as diverse, from a retired New York police officer in West Palm, to a hotel concierge on trendy South Beach, to a skydiving instructor from Ft. Lauderdale.....proof that everyone - from all walks of life - has an opinion on food! And speaking of opinions....when the cameras rolled, the sparks flew, as the guests passionately discussed, debated, and celebrated their dining experiences.

Yes, readers, we scour the Craigslist hospitality ads so you don't have to. Here we present the best of the bunch:

• We chuckle when we read "FOH" and "BOH." They just look funny to us, you know? Anyway, Brosia Miami, a soon-to-open Design District restaurant, is looking for positions in front of and in the kitchen. You should all check out the restaurant's website too; the website will offer you a virtual glass of sparkling or flat water with or without water while you wait for the restaurant to open. You get refills too!

• Calling all gauchos! Seriously! A Brazilian steakhouse in Islamorada needs you. The ad is in Spanish, but the restaurant is Brazilian, so we're guessing they need gaúchos (ga-OO-shos) instead of gauchos (GAO-chos). Anyway, they'll train!

• Bourbon Steak, the upcoming Michael Mina restaurant in Aventura, is hiring. And they offer benefits! Medical, dental, even a 401K! Also, travel discounts. We're not sure what that means, but we like the sound of it.

• Or, you could bypass all of the long hours in the kitchen and try out for The Next Food Network Star, which will be holding a casting call in Miami tomorrow.

We're willing to bet it wasn't a fancy gourmet burger involving ground sirloin and brie. Our cooking repertoire at that age consisted of oatmeal cookies and cornflake-crusted chicken fingers. Joey Yarwick, a 12-year-old from San Diego, would've kicked our pre-teen ass in a cooking competition. His gourmet burger creation, "Au Brie Burger a la Francais," won the Red Robin "The Next Gourmet Burger Kids' Recipe Contest" and will be featured on Red Robin menus. We're...jealous. His burger creation sounds incredibly rich and decadent: ground sirloin, croissant, brie, potatoes, butter, cream, (ah, the blissful ignorance of youth, before those cholesterol numbers begin to creep up) fresh rosemary, and pomme frites. We tried to find photos of the burger but unfortunately were unsuccessful. The three burgers selected as runners up: "Totally Tuscan Turkey Burger," "Chicken Al-FRED-o Burger," and "Oh My Thai Burger." Seriously, who are these kids? Did they get parental help here? Wow.

12-Year-Old San Diego Boy Invents America's Next Gourmet Burger [CNNMoney]
Red Robin [Official Site]

Pollo Tropical is going trans-fat free. The chicken never had any trans fats, but some of the sides and baked goods did; trans fats were in the oil used to fry plantains, yuca and french fries and in the key lime pie, tres leches, dinner rolls and the spare rib marinade. But that's all gone now, and Pollo Tropical executives say that customers won't notice any difference in taste.

In other Miami-based fast food chain news, Burger King's profits are up 23 percent for the first quarter (the three months that ended on September 30), thanks to some shrewd marketing campaigns tied in with "The Simpsons Movie" and "Transformers." The article contains lots more boring figures, all of which come to the same conclusion: people are eating at Burger King. A lot.

Pollo Tropical sheds the trans fat [Miami Herald]
Pollo Tropical [Official Site]
Burger King 1Q profit up 23 percent on promotions, strong sales [Herald Tribune]
Burger King [Official Site]

Please forgive us any typos over the next few days. We had an unfortunate incident yesterday in the kitchen involving a butternut squash, a very sharp mandolin, and our right pointer finger that necessitated a trip to the emergency room. No stitches, but lots of blood. We're now learning that typing with a bandaged finger is very, very slow.

Photos of menus? Love it. We need more of these. Please. Especially those restaurants that have large plastic-covered menus that are so difficult to smuggle out of the restaurant. (No, seriously we don't do this!)

Tap Tap Haitian Restaurant [MenuPages]

Photo: miami fever's Flickr

• A mafia-controlled restaurant in MP: Philadelphia!

• A deconstructed McRib from MP: Chicago! (Warning: appetite loss may occur.)

• A bacon costume from MP: Boston!

• Dungeness crabs from MP: San Francisco! (Okay, not scary. More like delicious. But they have claws!)

We cannot express enough how much we love the idea of Sleepless Night, despite the fact that we usually are in bed by 10 and up by 5:30. (We have years of swim practice to thank for that.) But have you checked out the staggeringly awesome list of events on Saturday night/Sunday morning? Even with 13 hours, there's no way you could get to see everything. And the best part is that most of it's free, even the shuttle buses that will be running all over Miami Beach from 5 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Sunday.

Here are the restaurants that will be participating in some capacity in this awesome endeavor:

• Tamarind Thai Restaurant, where you can see an exhibition by artist Judy Levinson called "Color Celebration." If you get there 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., you can meet the artist too.

• Tamara will be serving a jazz breakfast from 2 a.m. until 6 a.m.

• Enjoy a poolside barbecue at Pilikia Restaurant from 9 p.m. until midnight.

• Talula will be featuring the art of Rita Klint in the dining room, tapas at the bar, and live music in the patio from 6 p.m. until 4 a.m.

• Nu-jazz and house at the Van Dyke Cafe.

• There will be music and dancing alfresco all night at Da Leo Trattoria.

• Check out the belly dancers and fire dancers at Touch from 9 p.m. until midnight.

• Singers from the Miami Lyric Opera will be performing at Tuscan Steak from 11 p.m. until 2 a.m.

• And, finally, Table 8 is teaming up with LEBO Studios to "blur the line between fine art and fine dining."

• A satisfied customer reviews La Provencal in Coral Gables. [Chowhound]

• Anything that calls for two cans of condensed milk is okay by us. [Babalu Blog]

• The best restaurants to check out during Sleepless Nights this weekend on Miami Beach. [FoodTastic!]

• Deborah Hartz learns that slow-cooker risotto isn't all that great. Best to stick to the stovetop method. [From the Test Kitchen]

VideoJug: How To Make Chicken Nuggets

These are supposed to be healthy chicken nuggets. We're not sure if breaded, fried chicken counts as all that healthy, but we do agree that it is nice to know that these chicken nuggets contain the usual stuff you find in a kitchen pantry — flour, eggs, chicken, bread crumbs — and none of the preservatives that go into the fast-food versions. At any rate, it's an interesting step-by-step video narrated by a British man with a pleasant accent. Enjoy!

Via Slashfood

We really can't get into football; baseball is more our thing. So we were focused on the postseason, and then the next thing we knew, the Dolphins were halfway to a perfect losing season. Not good. And to add insult to injury, the Patriots are 8-0. (Small consolation: at least the Jets are sucking it up too.)

But we thought that this must really be affecting sports bars in the area: either people aren't going to the bars to watch the games, or they're drinking heavily to escape their sorrow. Clearly, we overestimated the Dolphins' influence. Thanks to the many South Florida transplants who root for their home teams, bars are doing just fine on Sunday nights. And apparently Dolfans aren't the type to use large quantities of beer to drown out the sting of an 0-8 record — at least not publicly. Here's what we learned:

Joey's Sports Bar in Pompano Beach: Rob Lugo, a manager there, laughed and said "It hurts everybody," although he said they get lots of fans of other teams: the Patriots, Steelers, Browns, Cowboys and Giants. "I don't think Dolphins fans care about the Dolphins anymore," he said. "If they were 6-2 or 5-3, yeah, there'd be more Dolphin fans."

Hot Shots Bar & Billiards in Sunrise: From Pete Olsson, a bartender: "Nobody really gives a crap. Everybody here is from somewhere else. Cowboy fans, Eagles, Pittsburgh, New England. Pretty much everybody except for the Dolphins. If they were winning every single game, it wouldn't make any difference."

The Ale House in Davie: This place is right next to the Dolphins training facility, so manager Ted Lynch said that lots of Dolfans do come to watch the games, although he also sees a good amount of Steelers fans. (Are there really that many Pittsburgh natives in South Florida?) The Dolfans are still showing up, but they're not staying quite as long. Once the game seems hopeless, they wrap up their tabs and head home, likely to do something that takes their minds off of football.

Shula's Steak 2 in Miami Lakes: Even at Shula's, they're not feeling too much of a sting, according to Dave Gergely, the director of sports entertainment. "We’ve always been a bar that’s served all different teams, but like any sports bar in South Florida, when the home team is doing well, business is better," Gergely said. Still, they show every game and get lots of customers who root for other teams, so in the end, an 0-8 record doesn't hurt too much. At least not financially.

The growing season is about to get underway, which means that the Dinner in Paradise series is back. The dinners are held roughly once a month at the farm for no more than 60 people at a time, each of whom pays $150 for a six-course meal with wine pairings. Each meal will showcase the locally grown produce in season. Chefs take turns making the meals; Allen Susser, he of Mango Gang fame, will kick off the series on December 2. For more information about the dinners, and a list of participating chefs, check out the Paradise Farms website or call

Paradise Farms [Official Site]
Time again to dine in Paradise -- top chefs on board [Miami Herald]

Photo: Paradise Farms

At MenuPages, our legions of users submit reviews regularly for their favorite (and often least favorite) restaurants. Some make it onto the website, others don't. Here, we'll go over the week's best and worst reviews.

First, from the scrap heap. This one comes from Anonymous, who appears to have a shouting problem. He/she writes about Testa's Palm Beach:

OF THE MANY RESTAURANTS IN PB THIS OLDIE HAS STAYING POWER. ONE DINNER HERE AND YOU'LL SEE WHY. THEIR SUNSET MENU, A COMPLETE MEAL IS UNBELIEVEABLE. THEY DONT SKIMP ON ANYTHING. I GO THERE EVERY TIME I GO TO KRAVIS OR CITIPLACE. ITS TOO BAD I DONT LIVE CLOSER

the greatest food you will ever taste and have. indulge in the greatness of sauces well thats my review

This is a coffee shop and bakery, with the bakery counters right in the small room. Tables are crowded together, and the place is noisy, but the brioche french toast is worth it all. Not a place for relaxed dining but great for breakfast or lunch. We wanted fruit salad which was not on the menu and they provided it with no problem, so ask for what you want.

We're doing something a little different today, as we're bored with the old review roundup formula of going by county. Instead, we're just going to run down Thursday's best restaurant-related reviews/features for you in one concise post:

• Enrique Fernandez gives a rundown of classic Cuban restaurants that have stood the test of time and that haven't watered down the food. All good choices, although we wondered at the absence of Las Culebrinas; it wasn't even in the newcomers list. He's got a list of standard Cuban restaurant menu items, with descriptions, for those unfamiliar with the cuisine.

• Lee Klein is also in roundup mode, as he writes a review about three restaurants that serve very different, although equally delicious, food: the student-run restaurant at FIU's School of Hospitality & Management, Lula Kebab House, and Orale Taqueria Mexicana, otherwise known as the taco truck that sets up in Douglas Park.

• Gail Shepherd goes to Il Mulino in Fort Lauderdale and gets stuffed. The two things you must eat there: burrata and the walnut-encrusted sea bass with risotto.

• Two-and-a-half stars to Pancho's Backyard in Dania Beach, one of the few Mexican-Cuban restaurants that actually work, apparently.

• The Post has an interesting price comparison [pdf] between Whole Foods and the new Publix GreenWise; we didn't count, but we think GreenWise won by just a bit. Mostly, it's a wash -- the prices tend to be pretty even.

• And of course, we have to mention the Beer Guy's Watering Holes feature: Harry's Banana Farm in Lake Worth, which has been there since 1954. It used to be named Harry's Open Door, but it became Harry's Banana Farm in order to sponsor a Little League team that couldn't take money from a bar. So, now it's the oddest banana farm in Florida.

Photo: A pan con bistec at Islas Canarias. By Donna E Natale Planas, Miami Herald.

Behold, the future of the comment card. Most paper comment cards are filled out by only 1-5 percent of diners; this contraption, however, has gotten a 75 percent return rate from diners at a mongolian barbecue restaurant in the Tampa area. The man behind the contraption, Ken Todd, came up with the idea after a bad experience at a restaurant; he wanted to convey his displeasure without making a fuss.

Todd started a business, got a patent in 2000 and ended up partnering in 2002 with Dallas-based Long Range Systems, a producer of restaurant paging systems. The idea is simple: At meal’s end, your check arrives on a black clipboard with a keyboard embedded in it. Hmm, that’s fun. Feel like taking a quick survey? Sure.

Survey pads are placed in a docking station, the data is downloaded every night and the restaurant is sent a pdf of the results the next morning. “A lot of measurement devices don’t isolate individual servers,” says Todd. “We generate a report every day that rates individual servers on whatever the restaurant is trying to measure. A restaurant can instantly react, and servers can be coached and counseled.”

Survey Says... [The Mouth of Tampa Bay]