Fans of Creolina's rejoice! John Tanasychuk at the Sun-Sentinel reports that the restaurant is definitely re-opening in Davie in September.

His new restaurant, Creolina’s Dixie Take Out, will be located at 13150 W. State Rd. 84 in the Randal Plaza. There’s a Dunkin’ Donuts and a McDonald's in the same plaza.

...

The house specialties—étouffée, jambalaya, beans and rice—will remain. But prices will be lower. Jambalaya was $8.95 a lunch and $12.95 at dinner. It will be $6.95 all day at the new Creolina’s.

The chef will also add classic Southern dishes, many of which he’s offered as specials. Look for country fried steak, chicken and dumplings, pulled pork and country-style ribs. Sides will includes corn bread, greens, black-eyed peas as well macaroni and cheese.

Looks like Palm Restaurant, one of the original Merrick Park tenants, has closed up, according to an article in today's Herald:

The Palm, the swanky steak house that adorned its walls with caricatures of celebrities like tennis star Pete Sampras, singer Jewel and Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle (pictured), has called it quits in Coral Gables.

One of the original Village at Merrick Park restaurants, The Palm served its last meal on Sunday, the company's Washington, D.C., headquarters confirmed.

Since The Palm opened in October 2002, Fleming's and Morton's had joined it on the Gables steak-house scene along with veterans Ruth's Chris and Christy's. Service continues at The Palm's longtime Bay Harbor Islands restaurant, according to a manager there. The chain has more than two dozen locations nationwide.

Gables Palm is gone [Miami Herald]
Palm Restaurant [MenuPages]
Palm Restaurant [Official Site]

Photo: mag3737/flickr

We got word today that Creolina's in Fort Lauderdale is closed. The restaurant, open since 1991, served Louisiana-style Cajun food for 17 years and now is likely another casualty of the recession. It seemed popular, and it's not like there's much competition on the Cajun food front.

There's no answer at the restaurant, and an attempt to reach owner Mark Sulzinski was rebuffed, so we're not quite sure what's going on, but if you have any information, let us know!

UPDATE: Thanks to Pete and Mike, who left comments below, we learned that the building's owners didn't renew Creolina's lease so that they could expand their bar next door. But there's hope: apparently Sulzinski is looking for some space to re-open in one of the western suburbs.

Creolina's [MenuPages]

Cita’s Italian Chophouse opens today in Coconut Grove. We can’t wait to try it, particularly since owner Ed Benitez is also bringing on board pastry chef Antonio Bachour (ex- of Nobu, Talula and DeVito). The Grove can pose difficulties for even the best of restaurateurs (the fabulous Christabelle’s Quarter was pitifully empty for brunch this weekend), but Benitez’s heart appears to be fully invested in the endeavor. “I wanted to create the kind of restaurant that I would visit regularly and welcome as a part of my community. I was emphatic about creating a concept where the food quality and service were absolute top-of-the-line, with an atmosphere as down-to-earth as the Grove itself,” he says. The 1,475 square foot restaurant was built out and designed by Benitez himself, who is also an avid fisherman. Cita’s will be serving premium cuts of beef, day boat fish selections and pastas made in-house daily.

These are the restaurant hours:
Dinner, Sunday – Thursday, 5 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. - midnight.
Brunch, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

If you beat us to sampling it, don’t forget to report back!

Cita's Italian Chophouse [Official Site]

We've got three new steakhouses coming our way, because clearly we have not yet had our fill of red meat. These really seem like the wrong types of places to be opening during a recession, right? Anyway, here they are:

• Morton's hasn't quite saturated the market enough, despite the recent opening of the branch in Coral Gables. A new Morton's will open up in The Crown apartment building on 40th Street and Collins Avenue on Miami Beach sometime either late this year or early next year. We imagine it'll likely be the latter. The company is also planning to open its first branch in Broward County later this year in the Broward Financial Center in Fort Lauderdale.

• BLT Steak, Laurent Tourondel's take on the American steakhouse, has chosen Miami Beach as its fifth location. It'll be located inside the Betsy Hotel. We made a couple of phone calls, but no one could give any specific information about the progress of the restaurant, except that it will be opening in the fall.

• Cita's Italian Chophouse definitely has an opening date: July 22. It's opening at 3176 Commodore Plaza in Coconut Grove. The focus, we're told, will be premium cuts of beef, fresh fish and homemade pastas. We're still working on getting a menu, but here are a few sample dishes: veal-pork-beef meatballs topped with whipped ricotta, fried basil and tomato sauce; papardelle with beef tenderloin, porcini mushrooms and wild herbs in a Cognac sauce; short ribs marinated in Barolo for 24 hours before being braised topped with whipped ricotta; and for dessert, something called chocolate sabotage, a sampling of five chocolate desserts.

Chocoholics can't quite complain about Peterbrooke Chocolatier's modus operandi. The Jacksonville, FL-born chocolate company dips everything from Oreos and pretzels to potato chips and s'mores in mouth-watering European chocolate. According to the company, they're even the people who invented chocolate-covered popcorn. Now, Peterbrooke is posing a threat to waistlines across Coral Gables, with the opening this week of its sweet shop at 227 Aragon Avenue (305-446-3131). On top of all the diet damage it already poses, the chocolatier plans to remain open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, just in case any of us should suffer from a late-night case of the munchies. Somebody please get me a bigger pair of pants!

Peterbrooke Chocolatier [Official Site]

VIP Wine Club has recently opened a new store on Sunset Drive at the intersection with 87th avenue. We checked it out while waiting for our shoes to be shined at a nearby shoe repair shop. At 11:00 am, it was too early to drink, but we did scope out the atmosphere. Rich wood wine racks line one side of the shop/restaurant,while display cases for food stuffs and cigars dot the opposite wall. A sleek bar finishes the room, which is also decorated by Jorgen's paintings of long-necked women. The cool dim room is a welcome respite from the heat and hurry of the Sunset strip mall, and the servers are friendly. Tapas and dinner specials are economically priced and the wine selection is extensive. The only drawback I can see to for this franchise is the location. Tapas usually start the night and there is not much in the way of entertainment or other restaurants/bars nearby. However, VIP Wine Club also functions as an actual club with membership dues that pay for sommelier seminars and wine tastings, so a night at the Club might be sufficient in and of itself.

VIP Wine Club [Official Site]

Looks like Artfish on the Mile is gone, according to some very observant chowhounds. It's a shame, because we heard that it was really quite good. But it's not surprising, given this exceptionally slow summer and the insanely high rents on the Mile. It didn't even last a year.

Coral Gables 6/24/08 Dinner $25-35 p/p (w/o alcohol). What's a hot spot for that kind of money? [Chowhound]
Artfish on the Mile [MenuPages]

We love the name. We're a bit...ambivalent...towards anchovies, but it wasn't long ago that we were in the vehement "no anchovies!" camp. The restaurant isn't new to northern Palm Beach County residents, but it's just re-opened in its new spot on Alt A1A in Lake Park. No seats here; it's strictly take-out. They pack enough food for two, unless you specify for more, and come with detailed cooking instructions. The menu is filled with Italian-American standards; the best options, we think, are the baked pastas (ziti, stuffed shells and lasagna) and dishes like chicken or eggplant parmesan would likely hold up well to reheating. We also like the idea of "take & bake" pizzas, which are prepared on-site and cooked at home. Pizza is always best right out of the oven anyway. And you can even get anchovies on it!

No Anchovies! To Go, 9339 Alt A1A in Lake Park, 561-840-7771

We've got two openings of note today. First, the much-anticipated Philippe is now serving food at the new South Beach hotel Gansevoort South. It's fitting that the southern outpost of this posh Manhattan hotel would also feature a New York restaurant. The menu will most likely very closely resemble that of the original restaurant in New York, which specializes in peking duck.

The Capital Grille also opens today in Palm Beach Gardens. The steakhouse chain already has locations in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, so with this new opening, it's saturated the South Florida market.

Menus for both restaurants should be online tomorrow.

Philippe, 2305 Collins Ave in Miami Beach, 305-674-0250
The Capital Grille, 11365 Legacy Ave in Palm Beach Gardens, 561-630-4994

Gansevoort South [Official Site]
Philippe Chow [Official Site]
The Capital Grille [Official Site]

Karu & Y is officially closed, for good this time. Despite the talk of re-opening the restaurant with a new menu, we had a feeling that wasn't going to happen, especially in this market. The Miami Herald reports today that the club/lounge is joining the restaurant's shuttered status:

Celeb not-so-hot spot Karu & Y is way done.

The $25 million downtown Miami restaurant closed in February and now Y Ultralounge, the other glitzy half of the complex, has shuttered its doors, too.

Opened in September 2006, Karu never could seem to shake the fact that it was on the edge of an impoverished section of Overtown. High-end patrons often had to be escorted to their cars by bodyguards, and kids on bikes peddled around the entrance asking for money.

Attempts to contact the restaurant/lounge owners were unsuccessful.

Karu's former publicist, Susan Brustman, had high hopes when the restaurant opened, saying then: ''In other cities, restaurants have turned neighborhoods around,'' she said.

Karu & Y: Stick a fork in it [Miami Herald]
More News On The Karu & Y Closing [MP: South Florida]
Closed: Karu Restaurant & Y [MP: South Florida]

The Fish House just opened a new restaurant off of Dixie Highway between Kendall Dr. and 104th Street (the same shopping center as Trattoria Luna and Hooligan'sr). The waitress lured us in by promising us a 10 percent discount on our meal for being the first customers of the day. The restaurant has been open for a little over a week and offers the same fresh seafood of its two other locations, one on 8th street and 121st avenue and the other on Miller and 100th avenue. Instead of the customary rolls and butter, The Fish House serves their signature smoked fish dip with saltine crackers. We both loved the dip and crackers, but missed having some fluffy bread around to soak up the remains of our lobster bisque (creamy and delicious) and the garlic butter sauce from our mussels.

The Fish House [MenuPages]
The Fish House [Official Site]

Remember when Paula at Mango & Lime provided us with a sneak peek of Fratelli Lyon back in February? Well, it's finally opening today for lunch and dinner. Check out Paula's post for descriptions of the food; here, we're just going to give you a sampling of a few items from the menu which we think are interesting. The entire menu will be available on MenuPages South Florida tomorrow.

• We're salivating just reading the "antipasti - salumi" section: mortadella, coppa, sopressata, bresaola, prosciutto di parma, finocchiona and speck. The "antipasti - formaggi" features cheeses that hail from Lombardy, Piedmont, Tuscany, Parma and Val D'Aosta. We're intrigued by "la tur," a slightly-aged triple milk cheese (cow, goat and sheep) from Piedmont.

• Where there is good cheese, we expect there is good pizza. The menu offers four pizzas: margherita, quatro formaggi, ligure and amatriciana.

• And we haven't even hit the primi yet; this menu takes a while to peruse. Looking for something filling? We'd opt for the tagliatelle with braised beef and veal ragu. On the lighter side, there's spaghetti with breadcrumbs, zucchini and olive oil.

• Secondi options include roasted young chicken, calf liver, grilled hangar steak, grilled duck breast, sea bass and a seafood casserole.

The wine list is extensive too, featuring only Italian wines (of course); many are offered not only by the bottle, but in 100 mL or 250 mL portions.

Fratelli Lyon, 4141 NE 2nd Ave in Miami; 305-572-2901

Sneak peek: Fratelli Lyon [Mango & Lime]

We just recently got the menu at Pacific Time, which opened its doors in its new location in the Design District yesterday. Here's a sampling of the menu:

• grilled sardines panzanella style with Tuscan gallo negro and Florida tomatoes
• pan-broiled sweetbreads with pancetta, wood-aged sherry vinegar and arugula
• ginger scallion pancake with Key West pink shrimp, shiitake and champagne
• grilled local swordfish with red onion puree and young organic arugula
• panko organic chicken paillard with arugula and Florida tomatoes

Pacific Time [MenuPages]

Photo, of herb and truffle roasted chicken at the old Pacific Time: wrestlingentropy/flickr

The best way to get your restaurant some free publicity before it even opens its doors seems to be to give it a racy or controversial name. Remember all the hullabaloo about El Carajo when it first opened? Here's another one: Better Than Sex, a bakery opening today in Key West. The opening has been covered in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Naples. Granted, they all ran the same AP story, but still — do Orlando residents care that much about a bakery that is opening an eight-hour drive away?

According to the story, a sampling of menu items includes: Missionary Crisp, Pump-in Pie and Pop My Cherry Cheesecake. We'll work on getting the rest of the menu, as soon as we can find a phone number for this place...

Better Than Sex dessert shop to open in Key West [Sun-Sentinel]

The last remaining Mark's is gone:

Mark's at the Park in Boca Raton's Mizner Park unexpectedly closed its doors Thursday, the last of four restaurants led by award-winning chef Mark Militello to shutter in the past two months.

The much-heralded South Florida chain has disappeared quietly. Both Militello and the restaurant's owner, Michael Freundlich, are mum on the reason for the closings.

Freundlich, managing partner of the Mark's restaurant group, on Monday referred calls to Militello, who in turn, directed questions to Freundlich's corporate offices in Boca Raton.

"Mark was the operator. He was responsible," Freundlich said.

Militello's response: "They made all the decisions."

Mark's Restaurant no longer at park [Palm Beach Post]
Afternoon Roundup: Mark's South Beach Closing Tonight [MP: South Florida]
Closed: Mark's Las Olas [MP: South Florida]
Mark's Mizner Park [MenuPages]

Giardino Gourmet Salads, which currently has locations in Coral Gables and Doral, will be opening up a new branch on South Beach this month. They specialize in interesting salads that mix a variety of unusual ingredients — think watercress, brie, pistachios and plantain chips — with savory homemade dressings and croutons. Our favorites are the Habanero (spicy watercress, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, avocados, cucumbers and plantain chips tossed in a citrus culantro vinaigrette) and the Fizz (arugula, strawberries, gorgonzola and roasted garlic). Their prices have gone up since the first store's opening in the Gables; it's now $6 instead of $5 for a piccolo, $8 instead of $7 for a basta, etc., although the add-ons, including meat, are still the same price. For the quality and the freshness of the ingredients, Giardino is a welcome addition to the South Beach fast food scene.

Giardino Gourmet Salads - Coral Gables [MenuPages]
Giardino Gourmet Salads - Doral [MenuPages]
Giardino Gourmet Salads [Official Site]

The Smoking Rabbit is closed, according to a commenter over at consumable Joy. That sure didn't take long. Given how empty the place was when we visited, we're not surprised that they couldn't survive an economic downturn. Still, we'll miss those shoestring fries.

The same commenter also noted that it's been replaced by Bellini Italian Bistro. No details yet, but we should have them shortly.

Poof Goes the Restaurant: More Every Day [consumable Joy]
Can The Smoking Rabbit Survive On Ocean Drive? [MP: South Florida]
The Smoking Rabbit [MenuPages]
The Smoking Rabbit [Official Site]

We spotted this "coming soon" sign this weekend at Coconut Grove. From the looks of the inside (no tables yet, but a bench and a counter), this restaurant is still a ways from opening. But we look forward to having a sushi spot in the Grove. Although after reading what the Coconut Grove Grapevine had to say, we are questioning just how soon we will be eating sashimi in the shade.

What's up with Akashi? [Coconut Grove Grapevine]
Akashi Japanese Restaurant - South Miami [MenuPages]

Something is very, very wrong in the Mark Militello South Florida empire. Three weeks ago, his restaurants on South Beach and in West Palm Beach closed, and yesterday the Las Olas location unexpectedly shuttered:

The mood among employees at Mark's Las Olas on Thursday was somber.

"We're all heartbroken. It's really a shame," said John Marron, a Mark's Las Olas server for 14 years.

Marron said a manager notified him of the closure Thursday but offered no explanation for the decision. "Everyone's kept in the dark," he said by phone, noting that employees had been fearing the announcement since the other locations closed.

Militello on Thursday downplayed the newsworthiness of the closing. "This whole thing is so unimportant," he said, when asked about the string of restaurant closures.

Your last option in the area for Militello's cuisine is Mark's Mizner Park in Boca Raton.

Las Olas restaurant becomes third in Mark's group to close in recent weeks [Sun-Sentinel]
Afternoon Roundup: Mark's South Beach Closing Tonight [MP: South Florida]
Mark's Las Olas [MenuPages]
Mark's Mizner Park [MenuPages]
Mark's Las Olas [Official Site]

Photo: Babyfro [Flickr]

The Hungry Man informs us that the CityPlace location of the famed Columbia Restaurant is closing its doors. In fact, it's already been deleted from the company's official website; the West Palm Beach location is no longer listed on top. Here's what Charles Passy had to say about it:

I can’t say I’m surprised. Or disappointed.

I made it only once to the West Palm Columbia. I loved the airy space — and I loved the wine list (probably the deepest collection of Spanish wines in all of the Southeast, if not all of the United States) — but the food was no great shakes. A Spanish restaurant lives and dies by its paella. Columbia’s version was middling at best. In fact, it wasn’t as good as the paella I’ve had at Cabana, the hip Cuban eatery in downtown West Palm.

Moreover, I’m not so certain that Columbia’s other locations are worth the hype. I haven’t been to the Tampa original, but I did visit a Columbia in Clearwater once. The food was so bad I ended up writing management a letter of complaint. Methinks there’s been a fair bit of coasting-on-the-legend going on…

Another CityPlace casualty: Columbia crashes [The Hungry Man]
Columbia [MenuPages]
Columbia [Official Site]

We're big fans of bringing restaurants to Miracle Mile. We like the idea of the street being a dining destination. But lately we've been questioning the types of restaurants moving. And today, we learned that The Cereal Bowl will be opening its second location at some point this summer, right on the Mile. We just don't get the appeal. Anyway, we tried making some phone calls, but no one seemed to know when or where exactly the chain would be moving in. But it's definitely coming.

The Cereal Bowl [MenuPages]
The Cereal Bowl [Official Site]
Opening: Cereal Connection [MP: South Florida]

Photo: cerealfan25 [Flickr]

• Tonight's the last night for Chef Mark Militello on South Beach; his restaurant in the Nash Hotel is closing its doors. Is this a case of a chef spreading himself too thin? (Militello has three other restaurants in Boca, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm.) The restaurant has a great reputation, but as one chowhound put it, people often forget about it when making reservations or giving recommendations.

• How do you pronounce RA Sushi? We always thought it was "R-A," but when we called today to ask about new locations, we were corrected. It's "rah." At any rate, South Florida is getting two more "Rah" Sushis in the coming months: one in Pembroke Pines, which is already hiring and should be open by early May, and another in South Miami. The latter is taking a bit longer, and we were told the company is hoping for a July opening.

Mark's South Beach [MenuPages]
Mark's South Beach [Official Site]
RA is set to open our 2nd Florida location!! (Pembroke Pines) [Craigslist]
RA Sushi [MenuPages]
RA Sushi [Official Site]

Photo of the lobster pasta at Mark's South Beach: The Blissful Glutton [Flickr]

We drove by the old 5JJJJJ location on Bird Road recently and noticed a large sign advertising the upcoming opening of "El Pimiento Spanish Deli & Wine Shop." We peeked inside — the interior looks about ready for business, but it was still very much closed. So we tried calling the old numbers we had on hand for 5JJJJJ, but those were dead ends. (Oddly enough, those numbers now belong to former employees of the restaurant; we're not quite sure how that worked out.) Finally, we put two and two together: this is the second location of the popular El Pimiento in Miami Lakes. That, but not much else, was confirmed by someone at the Miami Lakes location. No opening date yet, but we'll keep you posted.

El Pimiento [Miami.com]

The Rascal House is officially closed. They served their last pastramis on rye and egg creams on Sunday, to teary-eyed folk who remembered many a good meal there. There is a small bit of good news; the Epicure Market that is planned for the space will be keeping some of the recipes, which will likely show up in the deli and bakery sections of the store.

Death of a deli: Rascal House closing for good [Miami Herald]
Rascal House Closing In April [MP: South Florida]
Rascal House [MenuPages]
Rascal House [Official Site]

Photo: MMChicago [Flickr]

Good news: Kris Wessel has been given the go-ahead from Tallahassee and will be opening Red Light tonight at 5 p.m. No menu yet, though we'll try to have one by the weekend.

In the meantime, check out our interview with the chef from last week.

Ask The Chef: Kris Wessel [MP: South Florida]

According to Frodnesor over at Chowhound, the Nexxt Cafe on Miracle Mile, which has been open for just a few months, is now sporting a sign that says "permanently closed." Guess they never quite recovered from the health code violations in late 2007.

What would you like to see come to the Mile next?

Nexxt Cafe (on Miracle Mile) [Chowhound]
Nexxt Cafe [MenuPages]
Nexxt Cafe [Official Site]

Photo of the Thai steak salad at Nexxt: brandon shigeta [Flickr]

The Dune Oceanfront Burger Lounge just opened yesterday at the Ritz-Carlton on Key Biscayne, but the burgers first appeared at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival's Burger Bash. They didn't win, but they were up against some stiff competition.

The burgers start at $16 for "The American Classic"; on the other end is a plate of Kobe beef sliders with sauteed foie gras and picolit grape jam. That is one pricey burger. But hey, at least the fries are included. You can also get a Chicago-style hot dog and a mini burger or a burger with fresh bacon and blue cheese froth. And if you'd like a cocktail with that, well, that'll set you back another $15.

Dune Oceanfront Burger Lounge [MenuPages]
Dune Oceanfront Burger Lounge [Official Site]

Slainte Irish Pub opened in Boynton Beach just in time for St. Patrick's Day. They've been partying all weekend with music, Irish dancing and tons of bangers and mash, corned beef sandwiches and fish and chips, but you can still catch the tail end of the festivities today.

Slainte [MenuPages]
Slainte [Official Site]

Jeffrey Chodorow opens his second South Florida branch of China Grill in Fort Lauderdale today. The menu is much like the one at China Grill Sobe. Here are a few of the more intriguing items:

• Thai shrimp cakes with cactus-mango salsa and black mole vinaigrette
• Plum- and sesame-glazed lamb spare ribs (pictured above)
• Duck two ways: pan-seared breast, confit of leg, caramelized Asian fruit salsa, and lychee black vinegar reduction
• Sake-marinated "drunken" chicken with ponzu sauce, sweet crispy onions, and Asian slaw

Dinner service starts at 6 p.m. tonight, and lunch won't begin for another couple of weeks. But, unlike other China Grills, this location will start serving breakfast on Monday, since it's inside the Fort Lauderdale Grande Hotel.

China Grill [MenuPages]
China Grill Sobe [MenuPages]
China Grill [Official Site]

Photo: Kat n Kim [Flickr]

The county's first standalone Chick-fil-A is opening in Doral on Thursday, which means if you want to be one of the 100 people who will get a year's worth of free food, you might want to head over there and start camping. Now. According to the press release:

A one-year supply of free Chick-fil-A(R) Combo Meals (52 coupons) will be awarded to each of the first 100 adults, age 18 and older with identification, at the new stand-alone restaurant in Doral. The line can begin forming up to 24 hours prior to the opening, with the prizes being given away on March 13 sometime between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. The restaurant will open for business immediately afterward.

Launched in 2003 to mark the opening of the chain's first stand-alone restaurant in Arizona, the First 100 Fans promotion continues to draw Chick-fil-A raving fans from all over the country. Armed with tents, computers, games and even swimming pools, campers turn the grand opening event into an all-night tailgate party.

"When we started the First 100 Fans promotion we were stunned when someone arrived 18 hours in advance and asked where he could wait in line," said Chick-fil-A, Inc. President Dan Cathy, who has camped out at dozens of openings. "Almost five years later, we've given away more than $7 million in free Chick-fil-A food across the country to raving fans who've braved snow, wind, rain and triple-digit temperatures to help us celebrate the opening of each new Chick-fil-A."

Miami-Dade County's First Stand-Alone Chick-fil-A Restaurant Opens March 13 in Doral [Miami Herald]
Chick-fil-A [Official Site]

Photo: Flickr

We were just told that Pardo's Chicken, a rotisserie chicken chain from Peru, will be opening in Venivici's old spot in the Gables sometime soon. The only current U.S. location is in New York City, and we found quite a few reviews for it:

• From Goodies First:

We tried half a chicken brasa and half parrillero, the brasa being rotisserie style and parrillero a grilled boneless fillet. Who knows what the advertised 14 secret ingredients were, but salt is definitely one of them.... I preferred the classic spit-roasted version, both styles were juicy throughout, no cottony white meat. There are quite a few sides to choose from, we got yuquitas, commonly called yucca fries, which are rapidly becoming one of my favorite fried starches, and tacu tacu, which are croquettes of beans and rice mashed together into fat little logs. Mayonnaise and a creamy aji sauce using yellow South American chiles come on the side. Despite the cute name, tacu tacu was kind of dull, I would’ve expected more pizzazz from a fritter. I might try canario beans instead if I went again.

• From Chowhound:

While I only room enough for a quarter chicken, I was extremely impressed. The skin was super crispy and flavorful the spicing permeated every nook of the chicken. Moreover, they give you two accompanying sauces, one of which, the green peppercorn, is superb (the other, homemade mayonaise, paled in comparison).

Pardo's Chicken [Official Site]
Pardo's [MenuPages]
Pardo's [Goodies First]
Pardo's chicken - Just as good as now-defunct El Pollo [Chowhound]

Photo: Flickr

Thanks to a helpful chowhound, we learned that the renovations at the Fontainebleau, which should be done by July 2008, will include a number of restaurants, one of which will be a steakhouse. Of course. Anyway, here's the rundown of what's coming to the Fountainebleau sometime this year:

• Gotham Steak: Alfred Portale, of Gotham Bar & Grill, is behind this one. From the fact sheet: "The restaurant will expand upon the modern American steak house featuring raw seafood towers, an expanded menu of prime and exotic meats and a wine selection of more than 500 wines from around the world."

• "Italian Restaurant": This one apparently still is unnamed. What we do know is that it'll be helmed by Scott Conant and will feature a regional Italian menu. Conant currently has two New York City restaurants: L'Impero and