​ROK:BRGR's new cocktail menu is in the works, a revamp of the current list that's focused on old-school recipes. The restaurant has been teasing Clean Plate Charlie for weeks on the menu redo, which is based around 30-plus bourbons new to the restaurant. We can't wait to sip some Bulleit over there.

Perhaps they're using  this print for inspiration, the elaborately beautiful map of 68 classic cocktails and their foundations. It's the prize for a giveaway over on Serious Eats, if you're into free stuff.

We'd also love for ROK:BRGR to test drive this recipe for The Millionaire Cocktail, a Maker's Mark 46 drink that pays homage to Mark Zuckerberg, the 27 year old whose Facebook IPO could net the founder over 28 billion dollars. Baking spices, egg whites, and bourbon are delicious. (We could do without the grenadine.)

Look for the change at the ROK:BRGR's bar in the next couple weeks and keep your eye on this space for updates.

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​Assaggio del Forno, an eatery positioned to "take diners on a food journey" around Italy, is scheduled to open February 20 in Regency Court in west Boca Raton. Patrick Broadhead, formerly at Max's Grille, has been named executive chef.

Translated as "taste of the oven," the west Boca restaurant will showcase Neapolitan pizzas with artisan ingredients as well as "our interpretation" of dishes from various regions of Italy.

Max asserts Assaggio as "more of a gathering place" than his recently opened Frank and Dino's, with an open kitchen and an old-school, train-station flapper board above the cook's line to display specials. The restaurant will seat 170 inside as well as include extensive patio seating.

In a phone call today, Max cited one of his first restaurants, the former Max's Place in Miami, which he had opened in the mid-'80s, as representative of his passion for Italian cuisine.


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John Castle says he didn't break a waiter's finger.

​Remember that time when multimillionaire John Castle allegedly got so angry at a waiter that he broke his finger in a senseless act of rage? It seemed like just another incident in which a server was mistreated by some rich person with a superiority complex. But there may be more to the story.

Castle has countersued waiter Paul Kucik for defamation and has begun a publicity campaign to claim that his name has been smeared and that the story was bogus.

Kucik, a 57-year-old waiter at Club Collette in Palm Beach, claimed Castle was infuriated simply because he brought the check to the table as Castle's wife, Marianne, had requested. Kucik said Castle called him "schmuck" and squeezed

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​Houston-based restaurateur Tilman Fertitta of Landry's Inc. has acquired 90 percent of Morton's shares, he announced Wednesday, reports Chicago Business. The purchase means he'll own Morton's without shareholders' approval. Shareholders had been trying to block the purchase because they believed the stocks were undervalued.

In Florida, Morton's resides in Boca Raton, Coral Gables, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, and West Palm. Eater reports that the Miami Beach location shuttered in today's news. Currently, there are more than 70 Morton's in 26 states.

Landry's started as Landry's Seafood House in Katy, Texas, and Willie G's Seafood and Steak House in Houston. It's the company behind the Houston and Denver Aquariums, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Rainforest Cafe, and Oceanaire Seafood Room in Washington, D.C. Most recently, the company bought McCormick & Schmick's.

Fertitta promised Morton's will be "refreshed and modernized" under his ownership. Yet we wonder if that's the case, considering the track record of the current holdings. In this area, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and Rainforest Cafe are not exactly beloved. 

Though we're not expecting a dazzling transformation, we can dream. That's what a wish list is for, right? After the jump, our five points.


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​Attention, health fiends and Meatless Mondayites: Energy Kitchen, a health-conscious concept in which no menu item is more than 500 calories, opens Friday.

Does under 500 calories mean healthy? Peruse a McDonald's menu and a slew of items fits that bill: a hamburger (250), cheeseburger (300), double cheeseburger (440), McDouble (390), fillet of fish (380), crispy chicken sandwich (420), the grilled Ranch BLT (380), and the McChicken (300) are all under 500 calories. Even the Big N' Tasty hovers at 440 calories.

Whole grains, egg whites, grass-fed beef, bison, and turkey differentiate this veggie-heavy menu from other fast-food chains. Burgers cost $6.50 to $10; wraps, salads, and smoothies run $5 to $10.

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Photo by Eric Barton

The Korean slider from Kapow! in Boca.

​Chef Roy Villacrusis made big news last week when he claimed he quit Kapow! Noodle Bar after the owners put sliders on the menu. So it only made sense that Clean Plate Charlie try these controversial sliders. And the verdict?

Nobody should quit over these sliders. In fact, these damned fine little sandwiches ought to be someone's source of pride.

But first, a bit of background. Villacrusis has earned a following from restaurant critics and foodies ever since he took the helm at More >>

In Belgium, when eating mussels, use an empty shell as a tool to eat the rest. from 43 Films on Vimeo.

Saturday night saw a full house at G&B Oyster Bar, the sibling to Coconuts from Elliott Wolfe, Luc Limage, and chef Merv Jonota. Despite the tourista location by the beach, lots of locals filled seats, from town doctors and vets to construction-company owners trying the place for a first go-round. Whether or not you're a solo diner, it's an easy place to meet people in this chatty crowd. Here's the lowdown with photos after the jump.


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​Taco Tuesdays are here to stay. On Friday, Treasure Trove hammered through negotiations with landlord Sophia Enterprises Inc. to allow the bar to remain open. The beloved dive has been a Fort Lauderdale institution owned by Jeff Rudd for 17 years.

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​As we wrap the week, Clean Plate Charlie wants to call your attention to a few things elsewhere on the site.

We broke the news that Michelle Bernstein is leaving the Omphoy. Our new news guy, Rich Abdill, follows up on the "terrifying" Omphoy owner, Jeff Greene.

Don't forget to check out the first Skillet Sunday at the Bubble, a joint project between DJs Mig and Andie Sweetswirl, the folks behind Green Room. Unlimited brunch buffet and drinks are only $15 between 2 and 4 p.m. Skip the food and show up later to drink with abandon for $10.

Don't miss the inimitable Alex Rendon, who posted on homebrewing 101 at the Funky Buddha Lounge and Brewery, where teacher and brewmaster Ryan Sentz leads a class on brewing Hefeweizen. During the course of the night, Rendon fixates on malt over hops, asking to snort it and making jokes about malt sacks. Check out the post here.

Speaking of beer: We're wrapping up South Florida Beer Week, which closes with an epic beer event in Jupiter, the Sixth-Annual Craft Brewers Festival, from 1 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Roger Dean Stadium. Tickets cost $31 online and $35 at the door. Arrive early to avoid sellout.

And that's a wrap. Hope you too are drinking a PBR (or Dogfish Head) as you read.

A light bite at Grateful Palate.

​As tiresome as the prevalence of small plates may be, it seems they're in response to a downsizing trend. In the past year, more people are cutting back on going out to dinner or are cutting out dinner entirely, reports Small Business Trendcast.

Restaurant News reports that 40 percent of consumers cut have cut back on dinners out. And if they're going out, more report to hitting up happy-hour deals. Seventy-one percent report skipping dinners altogether because of late lunches or lack of hunger.

The result, says Technomic's Dinner and Late Night Consumer Trend Report, is that restaurants are accommodating changing patterns by offering smaller plates, lower-cost ingredients, and late-night grazing items.

These stats contrast with this year's Zagat report that suggests diners' appetites for dinner out is healthy, with South Floridians to eat out 3.4 times a week, compared to Boston, where residents eat out 2.5 times a week, or New York, which is listed at three times a week. Perhaps this is because Zagat is reader-generated rather than a representative sample of a population.

After the jump, five happy-hour deals -- with small plates for grazing -- to save you weekend dough.

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