Email AuthorMelissa McCart
Featured Entry
December Openings and Closings
December 29, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
facebookBreathe Restaurant and Ultra Lounge?Despite the holiday rush, December saw no abatement in restaurant openings. Nice weather, tourism, and delayed fall debuts were the incentives. Most new restaurants fill a...
An Eclectic Asian Oasis in Lauderhill
December 28, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
Featured Entry
Get Your Piping Hot Pretzels
December 28, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
?Homemade pretzels and pretzel bread have made their menu debut over the past year, though these are the best I've had in Florida so far. The little footballs are served...
Featured Entry
Ten Tastes for 2011
December 28, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
?As much as a massive entre like homemade spaghetti and meatballs might satisfy hunger or evoke a delicious food memory, a big plate can be daunting. And the tenth bite...
Featured Entry
South Florida's Best Dive Bars
December 27, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
?While eating at Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza my second week in Florida, I met a yacht captain -- a younger, thinner, clean-cut version of the John Goodman character in The...
Featured Entry
Why Service Matters As Much As What's On the Plate (Or In The Glass)
December 27, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
?"Service is 60% of a diner's experience," a chef said who I'd met at a midweek happy hour. The guy having a couple of beers on his night off is...
Featured Entry
Elbo Room's Ground Floor Reopens After Renovation
December 27, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
?The tourist crowd thinned after sunset yesterday, leaving a handful of regulars strewn in seats around the bar. Elbo Room reopened its ground floor Thursday, after it was forced to...
Featured Entry
Water Is Back On, Just Don't Drink It.
December 25, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
?"The city should pay people back for spending Christmas money on bottled water," said a Walgreen's employee on Sunrise at the checkout. People snaked in lines throughout this store hoarding...
Featured Entry
Fort Lauderdale, Do You Have Water? Because We Don't.
December 24, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
?Fort Lauderdale to Oakland Park is experiencing low water pressure to no water pressure due to a water main break at 8 p.m. this evening. Lago Mar Resort reports no...
Featured Entry
Company's Coming: Places to Take Visitors for the Holidays
December 23, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
?Cheers!Here's hoping today you're in full on holiday mode. If that mode happens to be here, we've round up a list of places to appeal to every visitor, from the...
Featured Entry
Union to Open December 30 in Delray's Caliente Kitchen Space
December 22, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
Rich Achaia, executive chef of Union?Union: An Asian Gastro Lounge will have its soft open a week from tomorrow, says owner/restaurateur Scott Kennedy. He and partner Stephen Chin acquired the...
Featured Entry
Should Publix Use Styrofoam?
December 22, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
?Publix, the largest private company in Florida and the 15th largest retailer in the U.S., is again the focus of criticism from do-gooders. During the last year, Publix has been...
Featured Entry
New Times' Meaty Indulgences of 2011
December 22, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
?Whether you're in day two of Hanukkah or gearing up for a Christmas binge, now's the time for eating indulgences. Across the blogosphere, folks shout out to their favorite eats...
Featured Entry
Le Macaron French Cafe: Still Cute, But Less Annoying Than Cupcakes
December 21, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
Melissa McCart?Macarons are the new cupcakes in case you hadn't yet made the switch. About a year ago, even nerdy NPR declared, "Move over cupcakes: make way for macarons." Turns...
Featured Entry
Lester's Diner: The Place to Pull an All-Nighter
December 21, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
Melissa McCart?"How's it going, hon?" said Dawn to a regular who walked into Lester's at 5 a.m. "Still vertical and still employed," he returned. They continued the morning volley as...
Frank and Dino's, The Daisy Coffee House, and Other Restaurant Openings
December 21, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
Featured Entry
Kapow! Noodle Bar's Chef Roy Villacrusis Has Got A Problem
December 20, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
The wood-framed interior and an ocean of mural give the illusion of being on an old ship.?"I think I have a problem," said chef Roy Villacrusis of Kapow! Noodle Bar,...
Featured Entry
Decoding Coffee Talk to Make a Better Brew
December 20, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
Videocast #3 - Chemex/Pourover from James Hoffmann on Vimeo.What's the big deal about coffee? Coffee geeks have been nerding out over it for ages. It's only been within the last...
Featured Entry
Broward/Palm Beach County Noteworthy Chefs of 2011
December 20, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
chef Angelo Elia of Casa 'd Angelo?Being a chef has never been a glamorous job as anyone who's made it her life's work will tell you. The rise of cooking...
Featured Entry
Sunday Brunch: The High/Low Edition
December 19, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
?For today's post, we've got two photos for two venues. The meal? Brunch: It kills the day with the lure of cheap boozy cocktails, which result in drunkenness followed by...
Featured Entry
Ten Burgers for Under $7
December 19, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
?"Where can I get a $5 lunch burger that's not fast food?" Today's question has me stumped. To accommodate a range of burger deals, I've bumped the ceiling to $7,...
Featured Entry
Top Ten Local Food Stories of 2011
December 19, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
Jamie LongA blog post on a yogurt shop pushed readers' buttons.?What openings, closings, and local food news got your attention? Read on for the roundup on Clean Plate Charlie's local...
Featured Entry
Top Ten National Food Stories of 2011
December 19, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
?It's the roundup time of year. To kick off the a.m., we've culled the national stories on Clean Plate Charlie that got the most clicks for 2011. Read on for...
Featured Entry
Toa Toa Dim Sum, Toes and All
December 18, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
?"I have a craving for dim sum and I really can't go out for anything else," my friend joked, having trekked down from Lake Worth. I'm not a big brunch...
Dicey Rileys and Blue Anchor Pub: IT'S WTF YOU SHOULD GO FOR DRINKS
December 16, 2011 in Clean Plate Charlie
