Catfish Dewey's in Fort Lauderdale: a little bit country, a whole lot of food

Catfish Dewey’s

4003 N. Andrews Ave.

Oakland Park, FL

954-566-5333

http://www.catfishdeweys.com

Open daily 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.

(Use search box at right to find restaurants by city)

By Jane Feehan

Sources tell me a few celebrities including Lee Majors (when he lived in Fort Lauderdale) and Whitney Houston (when in town) have been spotted dining at Catfish Dewey’s over the years. This restaurant is not on a trendy to-be-seen list; it’s more a fried-fish-fantasy hole-in-the-wall decked out in checkered tablecloths.

Whatever it is, their formula to keep tables filled with the famous and not-so-famous since 1984 works: reasonable prices, all-you-can-eat days with endless fried catfish, and a touch of country replete with baskets of hushpuppies and monthly music Hoe-Downs.

Dewey’s also serves Alaskan Snow Crab legs, and Florida Stone Crabs (when in season), fish cooked a few ways, and oysters, scallops, and lobster. Their baby back ribs, New York Strip, and chicken dishes also draw repeat customers.

Fried shrimp here are probably the best in town; they’re delivered piping hot with a light batter and plenty of cocktail sauce. A baked (not micro-waved) sweet potato, an ample side of Cole slaw and fresh hushpuppies completed my recent meal there.

Service: Very good. Full bar. Very casual.

_________________________________

Have a favorite restaurant recipe? See if its here at http://www.copykat.com

Tags: all you can eat, Fort Lauderdale dining, catfish, stone crabs, Alaskan snow crab, Fort Lauderdale restaurants

Dive Bar Restaurant in Jupiter: Tweak or thwack?

Dive Bar Restaurant

318 South U.S. Highway 1

Jupiter, Florida 33457

561-747-4767

www.divebarrestaurant.com

Open daily 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

(Use search box at right to find restaurants by city)

By Jane Feehan

It’s a mixed bag of offerings at Dive Bar Restaurant in Jupiter, the suddenly chic spot in town for those in their 30s and 40s.

Let’s start with the good.

With a large jellyfish tank taking center stage in the bar area and a gallery of televisions running sea-themed videos, Dive Bar’s visual concept smartly complements its seafood menu.  Doors on one side open to a great view of the Jupiter Yacht Club and Marina. Totally Florida.

But ... most tables are outdoors on a patio; there are only two or three tables inside. The interior is otherwise limited to bar or sushi bar seating. With an  ambitious, over-priced menu, Dive Bar’s outdoor dining won’t be popular when the weather turns ugly humid in late May and the tropical downpours begin in June. What were the owners (affiliated with the Quarter Deck, Flannigan enterprises) thinking?

 

The menu is large, dominated by sushi, which, what I sampled was good – not stellar. I know I have to cut a place some slack when it’s new, but the menu itself needs tweaking. Non-sushi dinner entrees run $18-29, a little pricey for a meal when seated at a bar or on a patio crowded with  drinkers. They need to take po boys off the list; with skinny hot dog-like buns and meager filling they were laughable. A hog snapper sandwich ($14), also lackluster, was drizzled with a candy-sweet citrus aioli. Thumbs down also goes to their lobster roll ($17), swimming in mayo or some kind of sauce and unattractively plated.

View from the patio

Retool the menu, pare it down (do we need five soups?), skip the upscale dinners, improve the sandwiches and they’ll have something. 

The crowd is older, more diverse, during lunch hours. Service is spotty but that’s to be expected until the dust settles – and right now there’s plenty of it, figuratively speaking. Parking is free and plentiful with valet service also available.

Tag

Jupiter on Dwellable

s: Jupiter night spot, Jupiter dining, Jupiter waterfront dining, Jupiter seafood, Jupiter restaurants,

Emeril Lagasse knows oyster po' boys; here's his recipe  

Wylder's Waterfront Bar and Grill - Looking for their groove in Tequesta CLOSED

CLOSED - AND NOT SURPRISED
Wylder’s Waterfront Bar and Grill

18701 SE Federal Highway

Tequesta, Florida 33469

Open 11 a.m. daily for lunch and dinner

561-744-7400                      

By Jane Feehan   (Use search box at right to find restaurants by city or zip)

(Other waterfront spots in Jupiter area)

Open about six months, Wylder’s Waterfront Bar and Grill is still trying to find its groove. It’s an outdoor place, configured around a pool with a great view of Hobe Sound.

Adjacent to the Jupiter Pointe Club and Marina, Wylder’s doesn’t have the food thing quite figured out. Twice in two days they ran out of items off a small menu. It’s hard to describe what’s served here but I’ll call it bar food: wings, burgers, nachos, fish sandwiches (about $10). Simple choices, which is OK, but it’s not good.

There’s live music but they need to crank up the tempo a bit. I heard 60s and 70s tunes played at half speed.  Wylder’s seems as tentative about the music as they are the menu. It may be because they don’t appear to know the kind of crowd they want to attract. Patrons include all ages, but families with kids dominate the day scene - an odd mix for a place with bar in its name.

All this said, Wylder’s view overlooking the beautiful aqua waterway is worth a visit. It’s almost good enough to make one forget about the mediocre food and foot-dragging music. Something tells me they’ll work it out; it’s still a new place.  They just need to hone the concept.

Other waterfront spots in Jupiter area

Tags: Jupiter area waterfront restaurants, Tequesta bars, Palm Beach County waterfront dining, dining on Hobe Sound

Corner Café and Brewery - A Review in rhyme to soften the blow, save time

Corner Café and Brewery

289 S. U.S. Highway 1

Tequesta, FL 33469

561-743-7619
http://www.cornercafeandbrewery.com

Sunday, Monday 7:30 a.m.- 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday-Saturday 7:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.

By Jane Feehan

At a place known as the Corner Café and Brewery,

locals gather for breakfast, lunch or to meet with the auxiliary.

The menu holds interest, and the food is not bad

but the way they keep the place is oh-so-sad.

Dishes piled high instead of carting them away,

empty wrappers, packets, dirty napkins left on the floor in display.

Tables outside on the patio are not much better,

only birds diving for morsels find glee in the litter.

How spiffy can the kitchen be if the dining area is not?

The owners and their help seem not to care about their spot.

My friends and I prefer to dine and drink

at a place that’s clean, clean, clean, including the sink.

Lest one think this was an off day or night,

Think again because this - the second visit to behold such a sight.

I’ll not make a three-peat because two chances are enough

To recognize this is NOT a diamond in the rough.

-------------------

Tags: Tequesta dining, Tequesta lunch, Tequesta bar, brewery

Uncle Tai's: Boca's best for classy Asian dining

Uncle Tai’s CLOSED

5250 Town Center Circle

Boca Raton, Florida

Lunch, Monday-Saturday: 11:30-2:30 p.m.

Dinner:  Weekdays 5-10 p.m., Weekends, 5- 10:30 p.m.

Take out and delivery available

561-368-8806

uncle-tais.com

By Jane Feehan

I’ve been to Uncle Tai’s in Houston (now closed) and was happy to see the same people open one in Boca Raton. It’s elegant dining, with a broad array of Hunan, Szechuan and other familiar styles of Chinese cuisine.

Operator Howard Tai (Chi Hwa), the consummate host, works hard to please patrons. He’s also good at remembering people. My sister hadn’t seen him for more than five years back in Houston when he called out her name at a Chinese New Year’s event at the Boca Town Center.

Since that fortuitous encounter, we’ve dined at Uncle Tai’s for special occasions. We usually begin our visits with a glass of wine in their cozy, wood-paneled bar. The columned dining room dominated by an expansive Chinese mural, and tables draped in white and red set the mood for what’s to follow.

The menu provides an impressive choice of typical and not-so-typical fare for a Chinese eatery. Venison and lamb join fresh fish and lobster, beef and poultry as meal possibilities.  Dishes are prepared beautifully with the spices that make Chinese cuisine one of the world’s most acclaimed. Sesame fried bananas with ice cream is my choice to top off a meal and clear the palate. Servers deliver all with the cool precision of professionals.

Uncle Tai’s draws corporate types as well as shoppers at lunch, where the patio is a popular spot. The patio is also available at dinner and just as welcoming as the indoor dining room.

Service: excellent. Reservations suggested on weekends.

  

Tags; Chinese restaurant in Boca Raton, fine dining in Boca Raton, upscale Chinese restaurant in Boca, South Florida dining, Asian dining, lunch in Boca

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