Big Myth: "Bad night" at a restaurant

 By Jane Feehan

A disappointing restaurant meal can’t be chalked up to a “bad night” any more than an enjoyable one can be credited to a “good night.”

The imperative of any restaurant – any business for that matter – is quality control. It should be embedded in the business plan (hopefully there is one) and carried over to operations and culture - the whole enchilada - of an establishment.  That means quality control of staff (and chef), recipes, ingredients, menus, facilities, cleanliness and much more.

I visited a popular local café a few months ago and was turned off by garbage on the floor: straws, empty sugar packets, napkins and the like. Then I looked about the room, saw piles of dirty dishes and left. I heard the food was good, but what was in it? I happened by their outdoor tables the other day, six months later, and there again, garbage strewn about and tables laden with piles of dirty dishes. No quality control – there never was.

Another example: I ordered marinara sauce a few meals ago at an Italian place I used to dine at (and enjoy). It didn't resemble their former version or any that I've seen or eaten elsewhere. This is a staple of any Italian restaurant. And the pasta was mush. Something happened here and it wasn't a bad night. How can the basics be served like this? Is a dirty, sticky salt shaker a sign of a bad night? No quality control. I won't be back.

Can a server have a bad night? A good manager or host should be on top of things to prevent bad service. That’s service from the kitchen to the table and beyond to the check. If the server isn’t up to the job for one night or not trained well enough for the front lines, it’s management’s fault. No quality control.

Some meals may not be enjoyable because one isn’t familiar with the ingredients, was comparing it to someone else’s version or - and I see this a lot – it was more expensive than the diner was comfortable with. It doesn't mean it was bad food.Was it cooked properly and served hot? Plated attractively? If you don't like one course of a meal because it doesn't appeal to you (but seemed to be prepared right), return the food for something else. Good restaurants have no problem with “switching out” a meal. How they handle this request is also a sign of quality control.

But if a meal is truly bad one night, eating at the place is a matter of chance the next. I’ll save gambling for the casino or track, thank you, not a restaurant.

Tags: restaurants, restaurant service, principles of restaurant management.

Old School Bakery Café: baking as art in Delray Beach

Old School Bakery and Café

814 E. Atlantic Ave.

Delray Beach, Florida  33483

561-243-8059

Old School Bakery - Wholesale at 45 N. Congress Ave, Delray (561-276-0013)

http://www.oldschoolbakery.com

By Jane Feehan

It’s hard to think of grocery store bread as the staff of life it once was. With chemical preservatives, and nutritive value processed into oblivion, modern day bread seems little more than an envelope to keep sandwich fixings together. Here and there, however, throughout the country, some food artisans diligently bake to restore bread’s old reputation as a meal mainstay – and a work of culinary art. In Delray Beach there’s one such place, Old School Bakery.

European-trained baker Billy Himmelrich and his team are wowing retail and wholesale customers (including nearby Deck 84) with a scrumptious lineup of baguettes, sourdough loaves, bread crisps, Focaccia bread, raisin walnut dinner rolls and more. When I stopped in at the café on St. Patrick’s Day, an empty, flour-brushed shelf marked the spot where Irish soda bread had sold out.

Sandwiches and soups, pastries and cookies are also available at the café, making it a great spot for a continental breakfast or light lunch. Old School bakes up some of the best rugelach I’ve had in South Florida – light, flaky, and loaded with flavor The menu, written on a board, is limited to a few sandwiches and soups but I’ve never been disappointed. There’s only a table or two inside but more outside on a covered patio. There’s definitely a European look and feel to the Old School Bakery Café.

The wholesale arm of Old School Bakery, open 365 days a year, operates on North Congress Avenue in Delray. This baker's growing list of commercial patrons includes those who know good bread is the opening act or mainstay of a memorable meal. 

Tags: Delray Beach café, East Atlantic café, Delray Beach bakery, best bakery in Delray, dining in Delray, breakfast in Delray, Delray breads

Deck 84 in Delray Beach, another Rapoport winner

Deck 84

840 East Atlantic Blvd.

Delray Beach, Florida 33483

561-665-8484

www.deck84.com

Open daily at 11:30 a.m.

Brunch Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m.

Live music Saturday and Sunday 2-6 p.m.

By Jane Feehan

Delray Beach enthusiasts have another reason to visit its entertainment hub on East Atlantic Avenue: Deck 84.  Good food has kept tables filled since it opened in November, 2010.

Occupying a site at the foot of the Atlantic Avenue Bridge where Busch’s once operated, Deck 84 is the creation of successful Boca Raton restaurateur Burt Rapoport. It was no surprise to see him at Deck 84 checking on things when I visited recently, a good sign.

The menu is appealing. There’s a solid lineup of choices and price points with Light Bites, Bar Snacks, Main plates and daily specials from the Fresh Sheet. Flatbreads, soups and salads, burgers, seafood, pita sandwiches and lettuce wraps are as good as they look.

Most of the seating in this tropical-themed eatery is on a covered deck overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway but there’s plenty of enclosed air-conditioned space. Dog owners may bring their pets to designated tables on the outer perimeter of the deck. Dogs (I’m partial to these guests, but some are not) were well-behaved when I dined here.

There’s something else that speaks volumes for this eatery and other Rapoport establishments: it’s tough to get a job at one of them, my server says, because so many want to work for the company. Rapoport's formula for success appeals to everyone. 

Service: excellent, dress casual, valet parking only. Reservations on weekends suggested, especially for brunch (off the menu) and evenings. All ages.

UPDATE:  A recent return visit proved to be disappointing: a turkey burger with all dark meat was inedible, iced tea was barely darker than a plain glass of water and the music was so loud,  our teeth fillings rattled.  Let's hope it was an off day. :(

Tags: South Florida dining, Delray restaurants, Delray waterside dining, Rapoport restaurants

MB's at Omphoy Ocean Resort falls short of Palm Beach standards

MB’s at Omphoy Ocean Resort

2842 S. Ocean Blvd.

Palm Beach, Florida 33314

561-540-6444

Breakfast, lunch and Sunday Brunch

http://www.omphoy.com/indulge/mb-terrace/

By Jane Feehan

The best thing going for MB’s terrace and patio at the Omphoy Ocean Resort is the ocean.  Lunch at this former Hilton property didn't make waves.

MB is short for Michelle Bernstein, acclaimed Miami chef who edged out Bobby Flay in a Food Network Iron Chef matchup. Breakfast, lunch and brunch are served on a semi-enclosed terrace that opens to the patio – and a fabulous view of the ocean.  Dinner upstairs at Michelle Bernstein’s also comes with an ocean view, and hopefully, better food.                                           

Lunch offerings had me turning the menu over to find more choices. Caesar salad, fish and chips, vegetables in cream sauce, burgers, roasted chicken and wild salmon seem pretty ordinary for a place claiming to house a chef that “bested” Bobby Flay. Stewed mussels and skirt steak (and the half roasted chicken for that matter) would have appealed to us for dinner but not a mid-day meal on an outdoor patio.

We ordered wild salmon a la plancha (cooked on a metal plate), which was good, not exceptional ($19) and fish and chips, terrible ($16).  Greasy and tasteless the fish was, with fries unfit for McDonald’s. A sticky, dirty bottle of Heinze malt vinegar was delivered as a condiment, the final blow.

For a resort that tries to capitalize on its Palm Beach address, the Omphoy has a long way to go to catch up to its neighbors, the Four Seasons and The Ritz Carlton. With bread crumbs covering table bases, missing salt and pepper shakers, sticky bottles, and mediocre food, I can't recommend lunch at MB's at the Omphoy. Service: fair. Very casual dress                 

Tags: Palm Beach dining, Palm Beach hotels, Palm Beach brunch, Palm Beach lunch, Palm Beach

Il Mulino Cucina Italiana in Fort Lauderdale - a steam-powered downhill slide

Il Mulino Cucina Italiana

1800 E. Sunrise Blvd.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

954-524-1800

Daily – Lunch 11:30 a.m. - 4 pm.

Dinner 4-11 p.m.

http://www.ilmulinofl.com

By Jane Feehan

Italian restaurants abound in Fort Lauderdale.  With stiff competition, most of them should be good. The popular Il Mulino Cucina Italiana disappointed recently.

I’ve enjoyed many meals here since it opened years ago but noticed a big slide on my last visit. First, no one was there to seat me when I arrived a little after 5 p.m.; I had to walk into the rear toward the kitchen to find a server, though there were plenty of seated patrons.  It was downhill from there.

After I was seated, a staffer decided to replenish wine racks in the dining room. He noisily hoisted a box of bottles onto a booth table, then climbed the seat and began stocking a few feet from my table.  Couldn’t he do this at 3 or 4 p.m. before dinner customers started to arrive?

Then the main course came less than two or three minutes after a drink, rolls (terrific garlicky creations) and a salad were delivered. Bad timing. I ordered Penne Trapanese ($13.95), a mix of pasta, asparagus and chicken in marinara sauce. Enough steam was lifting from it to power an engine. The pasta wasn’t rinsed with cool water, a basic in preparation, so it kept cooking while sitting. Pasta mush.  The “marinara” was more like a brown hoisin sauce served in a Chinese restaurant. Nothing tomato about it. I was ready to return the plate when I saw another steam cloud rising from a bowl of spaghetti, forcing the man who ordered it to leap aside. He paid his bill and left within minutes. Someone in the kitchen didn’t know how to cook - no sense in returning a dish to the void.

They claim pasta is house made. I doubt it. Who would go to the trouble and then not know how to cook it? No quality control on a Wednesday night in high season doesn't bode well for other days, other months. Let’s hope they do a better job with pizza. 

Service: Too fast is worse than too slow. Free parking in the rear of the building.

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Tags: Fort Lauderdale restaurants, Italian restaurants in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale pizza places, dining in Fort Lauderdale

III Forks in Palm Beach Gardens - They show the beef

III Forks

4645 PGA Blvd.

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33418

561-630-3660

http://www.iiiforks.com

Monday-Thursday: 5-10 p.m.

Friday and Saturday: 5-11 p.m.

Sunday: 5-10 p.m. (Closed Sundays July and August)

By Jane Feehan

 III Forks throws off a masculine aura with its dark woods and sophisticated, imperious-looking bar at the center of the dining room. The décor declares it’s a steak house and that business is conducted here.

USDA Prime steaks and a great selection of wines (there’s a walk-in wine room) serve as the two pillars of III Fork’s reputation. New York Strip, rib eye, filet mignon, rack of lamb and double cut pork chops headline the menu ($30-40). The kitchen does a command performance with meat. They claim the same expertise with seafood but that’s another matter.                                                              

Seafood ($28-32) includes lobster, salmon, sea bass, shrimp, scallops and other dishes. Lobster bisque is flat tasting, thin and devoid of lobster meat. Crab cakes don’t live up to III Forks’ claims of excellence. They do a fair job with fish filets but steaks and chops reign.

For the price conscious, there’s an interesting bar menu with popcorn shrimp, burgers, Kobe sliders, and salads. During the summer, III Forks offers complete dinners for $30 – a really good deal.

Full bar with a good choice of single malt Scotches. Quiet, understated sophistication earns my return visits.  Service: Good

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Tags: Palm Beach Gardens restaurants, Palm Beach Gardens steak house, fine dining in Palm Beach Gardens, Three Forks Restaurant 

Vic and Angelo's in Palm Beach Gardens - Grandiose Italian

Vic and Angelo’s

4520 PGA Blvd.

Palm Beach Lakes, Florida 33418

Brunch, lunch and dinner daily

561-630-9899

http://www.vicandangelos.com

By Jane Feehan

Vic and Angelo’s has that chain-restaurant look and feel with noise bouncing off white-tiled floors. It’s a modern departure from the neighborhood Italian eatery with its glass-enclosed kitchen decked out in bright pans hanging from the walls for effect.

Most everything about Vic and Angelo’s is bold, brash, dramatic. Crusty bread is delivered on long-handled boards fresh out of the oven. “Grand” pizzas are served in large rectangular pans. Salads are heaped high, appetizers are oversized. An Eggplant Parmigiano antipasto, slightly dry and short on sauce, is enough for two or three as a starter. Same goes for the more interesting ¼ lb. Shrimp Scampi Toast - a tasty choice.  

Main courses are huge, sharable – with prices to match. Traditional pasta dishes (excellent linguini and clams here) average $22, while beef, veal and seafood push well past $30.  Wine is a good buy. Italian varieties dominate the selection; they’re generously poured into a glass and a small decanter for one serving.

Vic and Angelo’s is as much about the experience as it is the food. It’s for special occasions but not romantic ones. A twosome would do better to dine at the bar inside or on the patio.

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Tags: Italian restaurant in Palm Beach Gardens, dining in Palm Beach Gardens, pizza in Palm Beach Gardens

Pan' e Dolce - That's Amore on Las Olas, Fort Lauderdale

Pan’ e Dolci

613 East Las Olas Blvd.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301

954-306-2028

(there’s another at Oakland Park and A1A, near Matoranos)

By Jane Feehan

Pan’ e Dolce Italian Bakery lured us inside with a beautiful display of sweets. This new (and much-needed) addition to Las Olas Boulevard should do well here. Across from the Riverside Hotel, they’re attracting nearby restaurant owners, shoppers, neighborhood residents and business types.

 

Sweets, edible pieces of art, are as delicious as they look.  I’m a fan of Italian desserts because they’re not loaded with sugar but rely on the richness of flavors from fruit, chocolate, liqueurs, nuts, creams held together with an array of understated pastry. Fellow shopper and I walked out with two bags of goodies and couldn’t find fault with any.

Pan’ e Dolce (bread and sweets) also bakes breads – olive, ciabatta - and serves simple panini (sandwiches). Espresso and an appetizing variety of gelato round out the offerings. Seating is limited but flavors loom large. The photos here say it all. Located near Le Café de Paris, parking is available in a lot behind the building. Seventy-five cents in the lot buys an hour, enough time to indulge in a little food art.

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Tags: Fort Lauderdale bakeries, Italian bakery in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale dining, Fort Lauderdale restaurants