Longhorn

Lamb chops from Longhorn at Linton & Federal in Delray Beach

A Great Place: Sal's Hagen Ranch Rd

I've been here more times than I can count and have always had a tasty, economical meal. They have all the usual Italian fare and their pasta fagioli is exceptional!

Ask for your pizza "thin and crispy" and it will come to you exactly that way. One of my favorites is the "chicken scarpariello." Michelle loves the "chicken parm" with a dollop of ricotta cheese which makes a richer, sweeter flavor. It is definitely worth a try.

Seven dollar large pizzas on Mondays and Tuesdays or try my favorite "the New Yorker" and order it thin and crispy, just like the picture.

Shula Burger - Delray Marketplace www.ShulaBurger.com

Everybody knows who Don Shula is. The former Coach and owner of renowned Shula Steakhouse of course. The winning est coach in the NFL. And I am sure you have heard of the upscale hamburger chain that now wears his moniker also.

It was a balmy mid May evening when Michelle and I were trying to think of a place to pickup a quick hamburger when we decided to go to the almost newly opened Shula Burger in the almost newly opened Delray Marketplace on West Atlantic Ave and Lyons Road in Delray Beach. Live music softly filled the air and a slight breeze made the night super comfortable. Comfortable enough that we decided to order a couple of burgers and drinks; and eat at one of several vacant tables which adorned the sidewalk in front of Shula's.

Since it was 9 pm, we didn't have to wait. Michelle grabbed a flavored water from the cooler on the counter and proceeded to order her "make your own" cheeseburger as she took a sip of her drink. I was still pondering my selection.

"My drink is warm" she stated to the young man taking our order, "could I have a cup with some ice, please?"
"I'm sorry," he replied, "we are out of ice."
"Then I don't want the drink," said Michelle
"But you already opened it!" Marcus replied.

We had a little argument and as I was ready to walk, when an older, wiser, and more business like, 18 year old jumped in and appeared with a cup of the "very last bit of ice" in the building. I ended up ordering the "French Onion" double burger and we selected a table outside where we waited for our burgers on this magnificent evening.



French Onion Double Burger

Our burgers were delivered in a short time and tasted just as good as they looked! Michelle said this was the best burger she ever had. I enjoyed mine just as much. We were both very happy with our selections and we will be sure to return. The prices were moderately high, a bit more than the average burger joint, but should be expected for the quality and taste of the burger.

Make Your Own Burger with Multi Grain Bun



Turn offs: When a place is out of something, like ice, they should bend over backwards to accommodate a customer request, rather than argue with them. Because it was within an hour of closing time the staff were scattering about doing their side work so they can hit the highway as soon as possible after closing time. The bathroom looked like it hadn't been attended to all day.



Ruven's Restaurant & Deli Delray Beach

I tried the Corned Beef/Pastrami Combo

Ruven's is in the Publix shopping center at the NE corner of Jog and Lake Ida in a spot that has been a curse to several restaurants in the past. I have had so many bad experiences in that same location that I was a little reluctant to even try Ruven's thinking that it would be more of the same.

I pulled on my big boy undies and decided I would give it a try and I have been back three more times. My first visit was encouraged by a friend who suggested I should give it a try. He said he heard a lot of good things but had never been himself.........

Grand Tavern Delray

I had my first opportunity to try out the Grand Tavern that recently opened on East Linton in Delray Beach. It is in the old Lucille's Bad to the Bone location. I came across a coupon at Money Saver Coupons for $5 off $25.

Cucina Mio

This was not my first trip to Cucina Mio nor will it be my last. They have the best hook of any restaurant. And the hook is that their food is just unbelievably good! There is usually a pretty long wait during the dining hour but on this Saturday night, when we arrived at 8:45 pm, we were instantly seated.


Michelle tries the Pasta Fagioli at every Italian restaurant we go to



Lindburgers Gourmet Burgers

When you read the history about Lindburgers you will see that they have been serving great burgers in Delray Beach since 1983. I was lucky enough to have tasted their burgers in late 1985 for my first visit and little did I know that I would be moving to Delray seventeen years later. Now I can go whenever I want!

Nino's of Delray

I've been to Nino's several times and after my last visit I knew I needed to add them to the blog. They have consistently good food and service and I am always looking forward to a return visit.

Michelle and I dropped in here late on a Tuesday night. Once we were seated our waitress brought a basket full of garlic rolls as we studied the menu. Of course we started with a bowl of pasta fagioli and it was a good choice.

La Bamba Mexican & Spanish Restaurant

Bienvenidos! Michelle & I were in the mood for some South of the Border food the other night so I suggested we stop in at La Bamba on West Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach. I have been here many times in the past and have never had a bad meal. La Bamba is a small chain with five stores in the Broward/Palm Beach area.

Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza

"Our Pizza is Well Done," is what the motto says. But it could say "Our Pizza is Done Well!" Either way you slice it their pizza is a delight. Now me, I'm a thin, crispy crust pizza lovin' kind of guy. Even at the regular pizza joints I go to I always request thin and crispy. At Anthony's it's what they do best.

Cici's Pizza "Almost Too Good to be True!"

Have you ever tried Hawaiian Pizza? Ham and pineapple toppings? I know it's not an Italian thing but sometimes you just have to get past the pepperoni and sausage and have a little fun.

That's what's happening at Cici's Pizza. I went to a little shindig for Joey, my grandson, in recognition of his reaching the ripe old age of 5.0. No he's not FIFTY, he's five.


Joey at his Big 5.0 birthday

Jack's Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant

Tonight I had a really unique experience. Michelle and I met Ellie, Aunt Harriet, Lynn, Gladys, Miriam and Chris. Aunt Harriet set up the reservations for 5:30 at Jacks Pizzeria on the SW corner of Military Trail and Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach.

Big Al's Steaks

Since living in Delray Beach I have taken the tour of downtown Atlantic Avenue about 100 times, more or less. Everytime I passed Big Al’s I promised myself that I was going to sample some of his original philly cheesesteak sandwiches. So when I finally ventured into the sidewalk venue I was more than happy to sample one of the best philly cheesesteaks I have ever had and vowed to return.

3G's Gourmet Deli

When I moved to Delray Beach, back in June of '02. one of the restaurants we scoped out was 3G's on Atlantic Ave. We had moved from Davie, where we were used to eating in restaurants amid diners of all ages and we were quite taken aback at the average age of the customers at 3G's. The aisles were a traffic jam of walkers and wheel chairs. The patrons were rude and abusive and the wait staff retorted accordingly. After my second visit I took this place off my radar and didn't return.

But I think I made a mistake. Last week Michelle checkout a store in the same strip center and suggested that we give 3G's another chance. And so we did.

Xtreme Eatery

Originally this place was named Heartstoppers and being a food fanatic, it went to the top of my list of places to go. I had seen a spot on tv about a similar place way out west