Broward Palm Beach Food Blog

C. Stiles

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Check out the full slideshow of Georgia Pig here.
 
You can see it pluming up all the way down Davie Road, and south down 441: It's smoke. Thick ribbons of smoke, reaching up and over the busy highway from the soot-stained chimney of the Georgia Pig. Even with your windows up, you can't drive through that stretch of old State Road 7 and not feel drawn in by its rich scent, the perfume of smoldering oak and slowly rendered pork. 

As far as barbecue goes, it's one of the true purveyors of the craft, far more art than simple cookery. And owners Wayne and Joann Anderson know the trade inside and out -- they've done it nearly all their lives. A Fort Lauderdale institution, the Georgia Pig has remain nearly untouched since Wayne's parents Linton and Frances Anderson opened it on February 13, 1953, more than half a century ago. And it still packs up daily with folks looking for old-fashioned, stick to your ribs food.

Nearly everything is here old-fashioned. The central open pit is stoked every day, early in the morning. The staff is quick and kind and call you "hon" when they drop your pork platters. The walls are lined with black and white photos and yellowed newspaper clippings. The Georgia Pig is a true picture of Fort Lauderdale as it once was, and in some ways, still is.

We sat down to talk with owners Wayne and Joann about the restaurant's amazing history, its legacy, and what it is that makes damn fine 'cue.

Jacob Katel

Maggie Jimenéz enjoys being outside after almost three hours in a meat freezer.

​ Maggie Jimenéz is a rising culinary star with a popular lifestyle cooking show, ¡Qué Sabor!; an endorsement deal with Oscar Mayer; freelance writing gigs; and a cookbook in the works. She is a former fashion model who secured her show off the strength of a casting call for an anchor spot on another program.

¡Qué Sabor! airs weekly across the United States via the TeleFutura Network and Internationally via Univision. The show also plays out audially via affiliate radio stations and has a video-heavy website so you can watch online. [click] You can catch the show in Miami every Saturday at 10:30 a.m. on Univision, Channel 23.

Recently, during filming for an episode featuring Chef Sam Gorenstein of BLT Steak, the topic of meat came up. Maggie seemed so interested that Sam invited her to check out one of his purveyor's processing facility, Halperns' in Pompano.

Check out these behind-the-scenes pictures of the ¡Qué Sabor! segment Jimenéz and Gorenstein appear in as they take a tour given by Halperns' representative Jesus Perez.

Photo by Michele Sandberg

​Vegans beware: Fort Lauderdale's Chima Brazilian Steakhouse is perhaps your worst nightmare. But for those who enjoy copious amounts of meat carved table-side, you will find Chima to be practically food porn. That's why this week our cameras dropped by the restaurant to check out why we picked it as the "Best Steak House" in this year's Best of Broward/Palm Beach. Click here to view the full slideshow.

Photo by Michele Sandberg

​Philly may be far away, but that doesn't stop Big Al's Steak from serving authentic cheese-steak sandwiches to South Floridians. With locations in Coconut Creek and Delray Beach, the sandwiches are done so authentically that they even include the Cheese Whiz and include a simple ordering process to make sure you'll be eating quickly. This week, we take a behind-the-scenes look at how Big Al's makes the perfect cheese steak.

Photo by Michele Sandberg

If you haven't been to Chops Lobster Bar in Boca Raton, we don't blame you. It's not exactly the place most people can afford to go regularly, especially in this economy. Maybe that's why it was our Best Of Broward-Palm Beach 2007 pick for "Best Restaurant When Someone Else Is Paying." So enjoy the behind-the-scenes slideshow of the South Florida outpost of this Atlanta restaurant because it might be the closest you'll get to sampling the steak and seafood feast.

It's safe to say that every chef has dreamed of telling off a diner who sent back a meal. According to someone who overheard the exchange, this took place at Pilar in Aventura recently:

A woman in the dining room sent back her pasta, telling the food runner it was "ice cold." The runner tells the chef, and the chef responds by filling a bowl with ice. He gives it to the food runner and asks him to take it back to the table. Confused, the food runner asks why. The chef says to tell the woman, "This is what ice cold is."

Photos by Eric Barton

I'll take the key lime pie. Now go long.

The server was explaining this and that about the dessert tray at Truluck's in Fort Lauderdale when I made some comment about how perfect they all looked. "They're not real," he said. Then he slapped the chocolate cake. It made a sound like smacking a basketball.

I swear, I had no idea. My wife and I, dining there recently to write a review for Thursday's New Times, started poking the carrot cake and key lime pie. Sure enough, it had the feel of a Nerf football.

A couple of days later, I called back to Truluck's to see what's up with their dessert display. I've seen plastic desserts at places like cheap Chinese food joints, but they've always looked like something that might pop out of a Fisher Price oven.

Truluck's gave away its secret.

There's not another restaurant that works like Sublime. It's not just the vegan menu, but owner Nanci Alexander donates proceeds from the place to the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida. So we sent freelance photographer Michele Sandberg in to get a look at just how this place runs. Click here for a behind-the-scenes slide show.

Jacob Katel

Two Chefs cooking class of March 2009.

Two Chefs is a South Miami culinary mecca. They've been plating their innovations in contemporary American cooking for 15 years and are known for having some of the best souffles in town. Sous Chef Jose Guerrero leads a cooking class of up to ten people once a week on Saturdays. Two Chefs owner Jan Jorgensen says of Jose "he's one of my best proteges."

Chef Jose, who nine years ago started at Two Chefs, the first and only restaurant where he's ever worked, says "I was here peeling potatoes and washing dishes. Here's where I learned how to cut myself, how to burn myself, what it means to have an angry chef yelling in your face. I'm 26 now, once I'm more known I'll open a restaurant. This is the only kitchen I ever worked. I fee like my heart belongs here. I'm just a chef, I cook for a living, I have a good personality, and I love talking to people.

The cooking class is meant for anyone with a love for food. I joined on a recent Saturday and worked alongside a recently married couple who got the class as a wedding present and a couple of friend-girls who work together. We went behind the line with Chef Jose and cooked up and ate a feast. He said "See what I'm doing here? I'm improvising, being creative, going out of my bounds. This is what I try to teach my students. I motivate you to be more open minded."

Check out this slideshow to see how it all went down.