Top Stories and Reviews in Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and Delray Beach
Spotlight
City Fish MarketBuckhead Life is in the process of opening a restaurant in the old Jackson's steakhouse, so I wanted to check out another restaurant they own in Boca Raton. They claim that the Lobster Bar Sea Grill will be more casual with a lower price point, which exactly describes City Fish Market. I stopped in for happy hour 2 years ago; You can read that review at the end of this one.
I'd been trying to get here for lunch all week, but I always seemed to be running late. They serve lunch until 4pm, but I really didn't want to be sitting alone in a big restaurant at 3:30, so today I made an effort to get out early. It was 2:30 before I get to leave and I hit some traffic, so I ended up getting there at 3:15. At that point, I was the only customer in the restaurant. The good news is that I got any seat that I wanted; I took one by the water. [Full Article]
Fort Lauderdale
It's official. Buckhead Life, the restaurant group that runs Fish City Market and Chops Lobster Bar, will be opening a variation of the Chops concept called Lobster Bar Sea Grille in the old Jackson Steakhouse location. They filed their application and construction should begin as soon as their Plan Review is complete. Buckhead LIfe claims that The Lobster Bar - Sea Grille concept will be similar to Chops Lobster Bar with "more approachable"
If you haven't figured it out yet; The Royal PIg Pub is the new "it" on Las Olas. Teaming with ex-YOLO regulars, there's a new place in town for the grown ups to hang out, and it's taking Las Olas by a storm. Previously the Samba Room; The Royal Pig is a complete remake of the space, from a dark, clubby space with a smallish bar to a mega bar that runs from the rear kitchen to 20 feet from the front door. The Royal Pig is the first place
Tap 42 opened last fall and I went there just after it opened. Most people agreed that the service was terrible, and that chatter continued for months. They don't really have any dinner entrees, so I never thought of going there for dinner. I recently saw that they had a Beer Cheese soup, which reminded me of a place called the 56th Fighter Group on Long Island; the only place that I can remember on LI having it. So I thought I'd do lunch. Something
Anthony's is one of those places that presents a conundrum to me; it reminds me so much of Long Island that I want to stay away; the whole Gumba attitude; it's like an episode of The Sopranos without the gangsters. At night, this place can be a zoo, and it's one of those places where "friends" get preferential treatment. And there are a lot of friends. So you can see your 20 minute wait stretch to 45, as some VIP gets your table. It's enough so
Delray Beach
I'd heard about this place somewhere and since I was up in Delray Beach I figured I'd give it a try. It's a storefront in a strip mall; a modest place with typical pizzeria decor. But it is a restaurant with tables and booths, so you could eat in. I ordered a take out pizza, 1/2 sausage. I got there about 15 minutes afterwards and it was just coming out of the oven. One thing that struck me is that they really seemed to hope that I enjoyed
Boca Raton
Shake Shack opened in Boca Raton on Monday, and it was time to give it a try. On a beautiful Friday afternoon, the drive up to Boca is pleasant. Shake Shack was born in Madison Park in New York City, and the standard there is much higher than in most other places. New Yorkers don't put up with bad food. They move on to something else if they don't like what you're peddling. So I expected this to be a real treat. Looking at the menu; it's
Dickey's claims to be the largest BBQ franchise, which doesn't necessarily tell you anything. It means that there that they have a lot of locations. One good thing about franchises is that they're usually not dreary spaces that open with no printed menus and only part of their menu available; part of the franchise deal is usually decorations and posters, printed menus, and inventory. Dickey's is slightly subterranean; it's a small
Local News
I came across some pretty cool photos of construction of the new Second Ave subway line in New York. Whether you're from there or not, you can appreciate the enormity of this project. They're pretty amazing.
You can see more on the MTA's Flickr page. 
Normally I don't care about the downtown protests; there are a lot of them, but this one got in my way. I'm not sure how I can write anything about this without insulting someone, but I have to wonder who they were targeting by marching down Las Olas on Sunday afternoon? Were they hoping to get some sympathy from European tourists?
If you 
What are the chances of having news on Shucker's and Shooter's on the same day? InsideFortLauderdale has learned that a group associated with reknowned Chef Philiippe Ruiz and Zuma investors Arun Puri and Gerald Laben will be opening at the Shooter's location.
The restaurant group, LIPPI Restaurants, is planning on opening 2 restaurants, 
Advertised as "Newly Remodeled", a large deck in a restaurant in a Best Western Hotel collapsed during the Miami Heat game last night. 2 people were seriously injured and dozens where hurt as they were hurled into Biscayne Bay.
15 people were transported to area hospitals. The deck was over about 5 feet of water, so most people could stand Recent Openings
If you were wondering what was going into the abruptly abandoned space that was Energy Kitchen; we now have an answer. Salsa Fiesta.
One "Fresh" Mexican restaurant closes and another opens. Salsa Fiesta is yet another Fresh Mexican Grill serving up Tacos, Burritos and Fajitas. They call their version "Urban Mexican Cuisine". They have a "tortilla-less" 
In the space previously occupied by Lucky Hot Dogs, a gimmicky sandwich place where they have a Chinese menu with bread, meats and sauces. I guess it's better than having a fixed set of choices dictated by a bad chef.
I can't get excited about it. Coming Soon
If you were wondering what they were building on the SECOND lot next to Fresh Market; we're fairly certain that it's going to be a Giraffa's Brazilian steak and burger location. The casual eatery is opening locations throughout South Florida, banking on their "picanha" burgers and steaks. They have a number of locations in Miami, where the South 
When I first heard that Bokamper's was opening a new waterfront location in Fort Lauderdale, my first thought was that they were buying Shooter's. It made perfect sense, a big existing building with history. Shooters was always a half-assed sports bar. In fact it was a half-assed everything. But I guess building from scratch is a better option if Closed
Rosso Italia was so successful that they've closed. That's right, a Red Restaurant Group press release declared the Rosso Italia "test" a success, and that they'll be closing and looking for other locations.
So who builds a restaurant and closes a year later? Maybe they just thought it was a bad location? Or maybe it just wasn't good or interesting 
Closed again. "Renovations". Under New Ownership. Same as last year......
Since the review, the new owners have raised prices quite substantially. Most dishes are up $1-$2, but some are up as much as $5.
Review
Frankie & Johnny's re-opened recently under new ownership, and my initial impression was that it's going to be a