Watercolors at the Bridge Hotel - Boca Raton's only waterfront dining

Watercolors at the Bridge Hotel

999 East Camino Real

Boca Raton, Florida 33432

561-368-9500

Open breakfast, lunch and dinner – call to confirm hours

www.bocaratonbridgehotel.com TO REOPEN 2014 AS ANOTHER HOTEL AND RESTAURANT

By Jane Feehan

Watercolors at the Bridge Hotel affords the only open air waterside dining in Boca Raton. That said, don’t expect the food to be commensurate with the view.

The menu offers conventional choices both for lunch and dinner – burgers, salads, wraps or chicken, beef and seafood. Nothing fancy or memorable here.  The online menu presents far more items than does the actual one at the table. I was disappointed in the salads to choose from: a Caesar, a wedge or an Oriental chicken salad ($13).  I settled on the last and though it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t great and left me wanting for more. Fellow diner ordered a turkey burger and sweet potato fries. Spartan could best describe both plates. I’ve eaten here several times and things change, including management and menu, from time to time.

No matter, the view is why patrons dine here and it’s a good one. The Bridge Hotel is at the bridge over the inlet, across from the beautiful Boca Raton Resort’s beach club.  Boat traffic, including  one (pictured at right) taking guests to and from the beach club, enhance the scene.

With live music Wednesday through Saturday beginning at 6:30 p.m. (call to confirm - things change here), there is no better place in Boca Raton to experience Florida the way it should be – outdoors along the waterfront. Service: fair 

Tags: Waterfront dining in Boca Raton, breakfast in Boca Raton, live music in Boca Raton, dining review Boca Raton Bridge Hotel

Merry Christmas from Jupiter, Florida

Pizza in Fort Lauderdale and Pompano

Below are a few of the pizza places in Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and Pompano Beach. A listing here does not serve as an endorsement although there is a link to one review. Most of these establishments serve on a takeout basis only; others are full service restaurants. Large chains not listed.

 If you have a favorite not here, post a message below.

Fort Lauderdale and surrounds

Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza: 2203 S. Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale – 954-462-5555

http://anthonyscoalfiredpizza.com

Big Louie’s

2103 East Commercial Blvd., Fort Lauderdale – 954-771-2288

1990 East Sunrise Blvd. Fort Lauderdale – 954-467-1166

3064 N. Andrews Ave., Wilton Manors – 954-564-6276

 http://www.biglouies.com/locations.html

Carina’s Stone Fired Pizza-Gelato: 4743 N. Ocean Blvd., Sea Ranch Lakes 

954-782-2045

http://www.carinaspizza.com

Correlli’s: 256 Commercial Blvd., Lauderdale-by-the-Sea – 954-229-1947

DaVinci’s Pizzeria:  3936 Galt Ocean Dr., Fort Lauderdale - 954-561-0404

Doughboys Pizzeria: 829 SE 17^th St., Fort Lauderdale - 954-761-7652 EXCELLENT

http://www.doughboysfla.com

Franco & Vinny’s Pizza Shack: 2884 E. Sunrise Blvd. Fort Lauderdale 

954-564-9522

Review CLOSED

Giorgio’s Brick Oven Pizza: 1499 SE 17^th Street, Fort Lauderdale – 954-767-8300

Johnny’s New York Pizza: 3701 N. Andrews Ave. Fort Lauderdale – 954-782-5800

http://www.johnnyspizza.com

Nick’s:  3496 N. Ocean Blvd., Fort Lauderdale – 954-563-6441

Pizza Rustica: 3327 E. Oakland Park Blvd. (east of the bridge) – 954-567-2991

Umberto’s Pizza: 3051 E. Commercial Blvd., Fort Lauderdale – 954-776-0258

Vito’s Gourmet Pizza: 6212 N. Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale – 954-772-7701

http://vitosgourmetpizzasouth.com

Zio’s:4370 N. Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale – 954-493-8886

Pompano Beach

Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza: 1203 S. Federal Hwy, Pompano 

954-942-5550

http://anthonyscoalfiredpizza.com

Big Louie’s: 2190 N. Federal Hwy., Pompano – 954-942-5510

http://www.biglouies.com/locations.html

Pompano Pizza: 1606 S. Cypress Rd., Pompano – 954-782-5800

http://www.pompanopizza.com

Rocket Pizza and Pasta: 601 N. Federal Hwy, Pompano – 954-943-5387

http://www.rocketpizzadelivery.com

Stinger’s: 1201 S. Ocean Blvd., Pompano – 954-510-7810

http://www.stingersbarpizzeria.com

Tags: Pizza places in Fort Lauderdale, Italian restaurants in Fort Lauderdale, pizza in Pompano, Italian restaurants in Pompano, best pizza in Fort Lauderdale, best pizza in Pompano

Bakeries serving Jupiter and the Palm Beaches, Florida

Below are a few of the bakeries serving Jupiter, Palm Beaches and Lake Worth areas. A listing here does not serve as an endorsement. Days and hours of operation vary, so call before visiting. Most of these establishments are bakeries only; a few serve meals or sell gourmet groceries. If you know of others (retail), post a message below.

Jupiter, Juno, Tequesta  and Hobe Sound

American Gourmet (most goods baked to order) 561-744-1660

257 US Highway 1, Tequesta, Florida

http://www.the-american-gourmet.com

Banbury Cross Bakery – 772-546-7473

8953 SE Bridge Road, Hobe Sound, Florida

Cake Kingdom – 561-222-2253

1 Main Street, Tequesta, Florida

http://www.thecakekingdom.com

DD’s Cupcake Shoppe - 561-744-4226

121 Center Street, Jupiter

http://Ddscupcakeshoppe.net

TooJay's – 561-627-5555

Bluffs Shopping Center, 4050 US Highway 1, Jupiter

http://www.toojays.com

Lucio's Gourmet Bakery & Deli - 561-626-2666
13971 US Highway One
Juno Beach (next to Juno Cafe)

Palm Beaches, Lake Worth and Lake Park

Carmine’s Gourmet Market – 561-775-0105

2401 PGA Blvd. Suite 172, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

http://www.carmines.com

Joseph’s Classic Market -561-799-0322

4409 Northlake Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

http://www.josephsclassicmarket.com

Lorene’s Loving Oven -561-881-9006

905 US Highway 1, Lake Park, near North Palm Beach

http://www.loreneslovingoven.com

Paris in Town French Café – 561-626-6017

11460 U.S. Highway One, North Palm Beach, Florida

http://www.parisintowncafe.com

See review

Starz Bakery (New York bakers – rye, bagels, rugelach, challah, Russian cake) 
561-640-0803

4619 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach

Sugar Chef Cakes - 954-571-2253
2875 S. Congress Ave., West Palm Beach
www.sugarchef.com

TooJay’s - 561-622-8131

Downtown at the Gardens 

11701 Lake Victoria Gardens, Palm Beach Gardens

 http://www.toojays.com

  
Tulipan Bakery & Cafe 561-842-4847 (wedding cakes and more)
731 Northlake Blvd.
North Palm Beach, FL 
www.tulipanbakery.com
Tulipan Bakery also at: 
561-832-6107
740 Belvedere Rd.West Palm Beach, FL

Union Bakery -561-586-6962

2111 N. Dixie Hwy, Lake Worth, Florida

Upper Crust Bakery – 561-586-5456

2015 N. Dixie Highway, Lake Worth, Florida

http://www.theuppercrustpies.com

Tags: Bakeries in Jupiter, bakery in Lake Worth, bakeries in Palm Beach Gardens, bakeries in West Palm Beach, cake makers in Jupiter and the Palm Beaches, bakeries in Tequesta, wedding cakes in West Palm Beach, New York bakery, bakeries in Lake Worth, cakes in Jupiter, cakes in Hobe Sound

Whale's Rib, Deerfield Beach - Captain Ahab would gladly dine here

Whale’s Rib

2031 NE 2^nd Street

Deerfield Beach, Florida 33441

954-421-8880

Open Monday through Thursday and Sunday: 11 a.m.-11 pm

Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m.-12 a.m.

By Jane Feehan

It’s not gourmet but Whale’s Rib dishes up some basic seafood at reasonable prices – and it’s fresh.

Shrimp, scallops, fish, fried seafood platters, sandwiches, and raw bar selections highlight a large menu priced from about $10 to $25. A combo seafood platter ($25) with lobster, a clam Casino, an oyster Rockefeller, shrimp and scallops is large enough a meal to be shared. Popular sides are black beans and rice. Fries here, resembling homemade potato chips and served with honey mustard, are excellent.  One caveat: stay away from the shrimp po-boys. Made with a few shrimp cooked tempura style (yikes) and thrown on a soft roll similar to a hotdog’s (oh dear) is as far away from the traditional Mississippi Gulf Coast and New Orleans variety as one can get. They should take it off the menu; it’s tasteless.

Whale’s Ribs hosts a loyal and spirited bar crowd but it’s also family friendly and ultra casual.  A raw bar (away from the drinking area) seats four or five. Food Network's Guy Fieri stopped in a couple of years ago to do an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It was a well-deserved media hit for the restaurant.

Service: good. Parking: tight.

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Tags: Deerfield Beach seafood restaurants, South Florida seafood, South Florida dining

"Never knew the charm of Spring" until Le Café de Paris in Fort Lauderdale

Le Café de Paris       CLOSED
715 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Closed

http://www.cafedeparislasolas.com
954-467-2900

By Jane Feehan

Many restaurants have come and gone since Le Café de Paris opened several decades ago (about five) but this Las Olas landmark remains, continuing its tradition of serving consistently good food.

No trendy, clumsy, fusion attempts here. The menu draws returning customers with the classics: Beef Wellington, Steak Dianne, Duck a l’orange ... Choose your poultry, veal or seafood with a francaise, marsala or meuniere theme - you get the picture. To round out the experience they offer Baked Alaska, Cherries Jubilee, Crepes Suzette - all very traditional and delicious and not easy to find these days in Fort Lauderdale. (Remember La Reserve, Cafe Beaujolais? Gone but not forgotten.)

Le Café de Paris provides several venues for dining, one a cozy room lined with bricks and wine bottles. Live piano music plays in the main dining area, near an attractive bar, nightly.

Not much has changed over the years except the red, white and blue awning, which fell victim to time, to Florida's heat and humidity. It was replaced not long ago with another, less eye catching beige affair with stripes of color at each end, in case some plan to return using the old awning as a landmark.landmark.

"Never knew the joy of Spring..."   from the song, April in Paris, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, 1932.

Tags: French restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, fine dining Fort Lauderdale

Gallery Grille - Tequesta's best for breakfast and lunch

Gallery Grille

383 Tequesta Drive

Tequesta, Florida 33469

561-427-8919

http://www.gallerygrille.com

(For other breakfast spots in Jupiter, Juno, see my list.)

Breakfast: Monday-Saturday  from 7 to 11 a.m.

Sunday brunch: 7 a.m.-1:30

Lunch: Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.; Saturday  11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

By Jane Feehan

It’s rare that I recommend a drive out of one’s neighborhood for breakfast but I will for Tequesta’s Gallery Grille. Located at Tequesta ‘s art plaza, not far from the village’s government buildings, Gallery Grille will surprise  - both with its ambiance and food.

It may look like a typical coffee shop from its exterior; it’s not. The dining area, a mix of tables and a large, attractive square redwood counter looks more like a place to enjoy dinner. It’s a sophisticated, yet warm neighborhood establishment.

Freshly baked muffins sit in baskets along the counter – a real distraction (a good one) when trying to decide what to order for breakfast. Their buttermilk pancakes are out-of-this-world good: light and thin but deep in flavor. I don’t eat pork so was happy to see they offer chicken apple sausages. Eggs and omelets are perfectly cooked. One can also choose Irish oat meal, croissants or fresh fruit;  their menu offers a hearty choice for breaking a morning fast. 

After sampling breakfast a few times, I went back to the Gallery Grille for lunch.  A turkey sandwich with slaw and fries was as good as the morning meal. They also make oversized salads, oyster po’ boys, fried green tomato BLTs - two items not often found in these parts - and a variety of chicken, beef and seafood dishes. Wine is available to top it all off.

No surprise that it’s always busy at the Gallery Grille. With above-the-cut–food in a stylish neighborhood setting, this eatery is a local favorite.

                                                                             
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Looking for a recipe for that favorite restaurant dish? It may be at http://www.copykat.com

Tags: Best breakfast in Tequesta, breakfast in Jupiter, lunch in Tequesta, Palm Beach Gardens breakfast, north Palm Beach County breakfast

The eyes have it - Eyeball Avenue, Jupiter Florida

It's not much more than an alley, but Eyeball Avenue connects Dixie and Federal highways in Jupiter, Florida.

Might the name have something to do with the optician there? It's one of several businesses on the street. It's hard to resist taking a photo of this eye catching sign.

Tags: Jupiter, Florida, odd street names, weird street names