Mr. Zhang's for traditional Chinese-American dining in Palm Beach Gardens

Mr. Zhang’s

4650 Donald Ross Rd. Suite 116

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33418

Lunch and dinner

Sun-Thurs: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri-Sat: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

561-624-2946

http://www.mrzhangchinese.com/

Take out also available

Enter zipcode in search box at right to find more restaurant reviews

By Jane Feehan

For those with a hankering for “authentic” Chinese-American dishes -- Chow Mein, Egg  Foo Young, Chop Suey,  Happy Family,  General Gau (or Pao) Chicken,  or egg rolls -- it’s all at Mr. Zhang’s.

A sophisticated décor accented with tablecloths, an attractive full bar, and ample seating both indoors and out, places an elegant touch on an otherwise pedestrian eating experience.

Combination platters, overloaded with rice, average about $9.  House specialties such as Rose Shrimp, Sizzling Mongolian Delights, and Roast Duck run about $15-16.

A good vegetarian lineup, a wide seafood selection, and a variety of lo mein, and fried rice dishes should satisfy most cravings for Chinese-American food. Mr. Zhang's is not gourmet but the prices are right, the service good, and the atmosphere, above average.

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Food Network's egg roll recipe here or at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sara-moulton/egg-rolls-recipe/index.html

Tags: Chinese food Palm Beach Gardens, Chinese food Juno Beach, dining in Palm Beach Gardens, dining in Abacoa, Chinese food Abacoa,

Sukho Thai, Fort Lauderdale: where tradition meets quality and price

CLOSING

Sukho Thai

Gateway Plaza

1930 E. Sunrise Blvd.

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

954-764-0148

Dinner: Sunday-Thursday – 5-10 p.m.; Friday – Saturday: 5-10:30 p.m.

Lunch: Monday-Friday: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Takeout also available

http://www.sukhothaiflorida.com/

By Jane Feehan

Tucked away in the Gateway Shopping Plaza, Sukho Thai may be easy to miss. An unassuming entrance belies the charm of its interior and the yum factor of its food. Working hard to please patrons since 1990, owner Susie Komolsane and son Eddie Watana reign as consummate hosts over this pearl of a Thai dining experience.

The kitchen presents all the elements of Thai cuisine – sweet, salty, spicy and sour – in an array of dishes that appeals to those seeking a traditional Thai jolt. A selection of spicy curry sauces complements seafood, meat and vegetables. For those who shy away from spicy fare, the menu also offers a wide choice of palate-pleasing sauces infused with plenty of flavor without the fire: baby corn, broccoli, sweet and sour, garlic, cashew, peanut …

Sweet and sour chicken and vegetables with a hefty serving of rice for me and chicken and vegetables with basil (each for about $8) for dining partner was more than we could eat on a recent lunch visit. Spring or summer rolls and a variety of rice noodles, soups, salads and traditional deserts at reasonable prices places Sukho Thai at the top of Thai restaurants to dine at in Fort Lauderdale.

To “sweeten” the Sukho Thai dining experience, summer specials include $2 price cuts on many food items as well as a daily Happy Hour (5- 7 p.m.) with 2-for-1 drinks (beer, wine and sake) and “your favorite bottle of wine” at half price.

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See Bobby Flay's recipe for Thai Red Curry Mussels

Tags: Fort Lauderdale Thai restaurants, good Thai food in Fort Lauderdale, casual Thai cuisine in Fort Lauderdale, Happy hour dining in Fort Lauderdale, summer dining specials in Fort Lauderdale, 2 for 1 summer specials Fort Lauderdale

"Ode" to lunch at Carmine's LaTrattoria - Palm Beach Gardens

Lunch at Carmine’s La Trattoria and Pizzeria

2401 PGA Blvd.

Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410

561-775-0186

http://www.carmines.com

Lunch served daily until 4:30 p.m.

By Jane Feehan

Lunch it was this visit to Carmine’s La Trattoria;

mid-day meal, I opine, is their best of the dia.

Salads, soups, sandwiches for less than ten dollars

may draw some fans with good-natured hollers.

Chicken meatballs and marinara on Italian bread

was more than one could eat before turning red.

That and the Milano, a grilled chicken with earthy roll,

induced us both to follow lunch with a long stroll.

Good food for two, great service for less than a twenty,

Will bring me back often while I shout out to many,

that lunch at La Trattoria is a better buy

than their disappointing dinners that leave one asking why.

Tags: Lunch in Palm Beach Gardens, Italian restaurants in Palm Beach Gardens

Florida History: Of tour boats and South Florida waterways

Waterway sightseeing boats

For more about Intracoastal history, see:
http://janesbits.blogspot.com/2011/04/florida-history-intracoastal-waterway.html

By Jane Feehan

It’s hard to miss the iconic tour boat Jungle Queen berthed at Bahia Mar when driving the length of Fort Lauderdale beach. If it’s not there, the bright neon Jungle Queen sign above the ticket center grabs attention. Many who visit or live in the area have taken the cruise up the New River through downtown to an island in the river’s south fork but few know about other Fort Lauderdale tour boats that entertained sightseers throughout the years.

The Jungle Queen began touring in 1935; it wasn't the first. The Abeona, docked at the Andrews Avenue Bridge began excursions in 1933 and continued until the mid 1960s. Between the 1930s and 1950s, about 20 sightseeing boats operated on the waterways, offering food, entertainment and bits of history about the area.

In more recent times, the three-decked, sternwheeler Paddlewheel Queen, built in Mississippi, docked off Oakland Park Boulevard. It operated off and on until a few years ago. Hidden Harbor in Pompano housed the Showboat, which cruised south to Dania Beach. And once operating off Singer Island near the Palm Beaches, the Island Queen now tours Miami waterways.

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Sources:

Palm Beach Post, Sept. 21, 1984, p. 78.

Gillis, Susan. Fort Lauderdale: The Venice of America. Charleston: Arcadia (2004).

Historical Commission of Broward County

Tags: Fort Lauderdale history, South Florida sightseeing boats, waterway cruises, Fort Lauderdale waterways

H2O Café - Offers more than a good view of Fort Lauderdale Beach

H2O Café

101 South Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

954-414-1024

Open daily: 7:30 a.m. – 11 p.m. (12 a.m. weekends)

http://h2ocafe.net/

By Jane Feehan

As with the other Peter Beck eateries - Aruba Beach Café and Casa Blanca Café  - H2O Café claims a beachside spot with a great view of the Atlantic - here from what’s left of the 1930s art deco Lauderdale Beach Hotel. With a self-described “modern Italian” menu, sophisticated interior bar and dining room and expansive patio, H2O is a cut above the other two restaurants in the Beck collection.

Breakfast (until 11:30 a.m.), lunch and dinner are served daily with the same menu available for the afternoon and evening meals. On my visit, they offered a two-pound lobster for $19; for $5 more it came stuffed with crabmeat - excellent. Warm and cold antipasti from $9 to $13 can stand in as mini meals with choices such as Shrimp Cipria - shrimp sautéed in cognac with cherry tomatoes, pine nuts and mushrooms. Sandwiches, including a Little Havana Cuban sandwich of pork, ham, cheese and pickles, are all served on toasted Cuban bread – a welcome alternative to boring buns.  

View from the patio

A variety of pasta and risotto dishes round out the Italian offerings and join a good selection of steaks and chops, chicken and fresh seafood.  Their full bar, good wines and a great view make H2O a perfect place for a sunset drink or evening out. Good service. Garage parking is available with access to the restaurant – good for those humid, rainy days.

 Tags: Fort Lauderdale Beach dining, Fort Lauderdale waterside dining, Italian dining in Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale's Bahia Mar Yacht Lineup

Yes, they're here even during summer ...

For more Fort Lauderdale yachts, see: http://tinyurl.com/8wnkcl5

For Bahia Mar history see:
http://tinyurl.com/czth5wg


Tags: Fort Lauderdale, boating, yachts

Kelly's Landing, Fort Lauderdale ... ice cold or boiled Maine lobster & things Boston

Kelly’s Landing

1305 SE 17^th Street

Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33316

Open Monday-Thursday: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.

Friday, Saturday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Sunday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Sunday Brunch: 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

954-760-7009

http://www.kellyslandingseafood.com/

By Jane Feehan

Kelly’s Landing, serving New England seafood, is proof that good food can overcome a not-so-good location. This eatery opened nearly 25 years ago at the west end of a shopping center on SE 17^th Street. It remains when other businesses, including restaurants, have closed or moved. If you didn’t know it was there, facing Cordova Road, you'd miss it.

Kelly’s has built a huge following serving up Maine lobster, chowders, Ipswich clams, scrod dishes and, well, all things Boston, including Boston sports TV.

I lunched on a lobster roll ($16), served with piping hot fries and a generous helping of excellent cole slaw. The scoop of lobster was fresh, ice cold and tossed with a minimum of dressing, a good thing. Dining companion ordered a fresh and tasty mahi mahi sandwich (about $10) with the same sides.

The caveat for dinner is to stick with the lobster and fried seafood dishes. A broiled Kelly's medley of scrod, shrimp and scallops was watery (once frozen) and fairly tasteless. They also don't know much about blackened fish or scallops--clearly not their specialty.

Kelly’s also entices repeat customers with beef, chicken and pasta dishes.  When I visited, daily specials included a prime rib hoagie. Neighboring diner, a regular, was pleased with a comfort meal of meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

Other specialties, averaging $20, include fried seafood platters, sea scallop scampi, chicken scampi, and clam bake. Prices range to fit different budgets; there are lunch specials and appetizers under $10 to lobster scampi at $25 and Maine lobster at market prices.

Wait staff told me Kelly’s is a great place to work; it shows in their friendly, excellent service. It’s not surprising, then, that both customers and staff know each other by first name here … where Boston accents run thick.

Bar serves wine and beer.

Tags:  Maine lobster in Fort Lauderdale, New England seafood in Fort Lauderdale, Boston sports bar in Fort Lauderdale

Shrimper's in Stuart: More than shrimp ...

Shrimper’s

Grill and Raw Bar

4903 S.E. Dixie Hwy

Stuart, Florida

772-220-3287

Lunch seven days: 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Dinner: Sunday-Thursday: 4-10 p.m.

Friday and Saturday: 4-11 p.m.

Happy Hour, Monday: Friday: 3-7 p.m.

http://www.prawnbroker.com/floridaeast/Shrimpers/

By Jane Feehan

Located on the water at Manatee Marina, Shrimper’s should be on everyone’s A-list of inexpensive, open air eateries to visit in the Stuart area.

Specialties include shrimp (of course) cooked eight different ways, Crunchy Grouper, and fried lobster baskets.  They also serve a Cracked Conch Platter, not often available in this part of Florida, and a number of other fresh seafood dishes that make this place a favorite among locals.  Chicken, hamburgers and other meat selections are available for non-seafood eaters.

I sampled the fried Florida lobster – fresh bite-size pieces in a light, tasty batter served with a garlic tinged sauce – and it was delicious ($11.95). For a dollar more (and instead of fries), it came with huge, fried onion rings, also served with a sauce, and a small side of bland cole slaw.  Fellow diner ordered a dolphin sandwich ($9.95) with sweet potato fries. The piece of fish was fine but the insipid hamburger roll it was served with diminished taste and presentation.

The raw bar is a big draw with its oysters, clam steamers, and peel-and-eat shrimp. With a good turn over of tables, even after the season ends, the raw bar items and fish entrées promise to be fresh.

Shrimper’s offers an array of dinner specials served 4 p.m. until “actual sunset” for $9.95 that include Crunchy Shrimp, Coconut Shrimp, Barbequed Shrimp, and more. This deal comes with a choice of New England clam chowder, Bahamian conch chowder or dinner salad and potato, rice or vegetable and includes one beverage. No question – this is value for the buck in a great setting. We’ll be back.

Service: good. Full bar with lots of seating.

Tags: Stuart dining, waterside dining in Stuart, seafood restaurants in Stuart, dockside dining in Stuart, Stuart raw bar