Forget the Home Cooking, Leave it to Uncle Julio

Most people have at least one person in their family whose food sets the standard for all other food comparisons. We’ve all said, “Oh, this is good but not as good as Grandma’s/ Aunt May’s/cousin Jim’s.” Well, except in my family. We’re decent cooks but as my grandparents grew up during World War II, their memories of rationing still maintains today so they hoard canned food and don’t use a lot of fresh and seasonal ingredients. Fortunately, there is Uncle Julio. Okay, I don’t have an Uncle Julio, but fellow frugal foodies can join me and afford an Uncle Julio.

 

 Uncle Julio’s Fine Mexican Food, located in Boca Raton’s Mizner Park, has launched a new happy hour featuring discounted beverages and appetizers. For $3, order a domestic beer like Miller Lite, Michelob, Bud Light or an import such as Tecate, Dos Equis, Modela Especial. Upgrade a dollar to a house wine for $4. If you want to get really happy at happy hour like I do, order a $5 margarita, including the popular Frozen Swirl, Frozen Sangria and Julio’s Gold, $6 premium liquors or $7 Patron Silver cocktails like the Cosmo Rita or Skinny Margarita. 

Of course, if you’re drinking alcohol you must have some great munchies, too. Appetizer specials include $3 queso or guacamole (or $4 for a combo), a half quesadilla of spicy grilled shrimp, chicken or beef for $6, a half-order of nachos for $5 or my favorite ceviche for $7. Ceviche choices are the Rica with shrimp or the Royale with shrimp, scallops and tilapia. 

Cheers, Uncle Julio!

The Deal:  Discounted drinks and appetizers

Monday–Friday from 3-7p.m.

Uncle Julio’s

449 Plaza Real

Boca Raton

561-300-3530

http://www.unclejulios.com/

Here’s a Toast to Free Drinks

I like to think nothing tastes better than free food and drink, but sometimes a complimentary glass of lukewarm beer and a bowl of stale pretzels don’t make the grade. Fortunately for the fashionable crowd, Boca Raton hot spot Philippe by Philippe Chow celebrates great savings and high quality. Excellent drinks, savory fare and stellar service are on the menu during several of the restaurant’s deals, including a daily happy hour that also features discounted appetizers and Thursday’s Ladies Night. 

If you like to relax at the end of a long work day as I do, you can enjoy an all-night happy hour at the outdoor Fountain Bar from 4p.m.-close with promotions of $4-$6 dollar cocktails. Try the refreshing mango iced tea made with Absolut Mango, mango puree and fresh brewed green tea. Pair that with appetizers like Maine lobster spring rolls, wok-fried mayonnaise prawns or glazed spare ribs which are specially priced from $5-$7. If you prefer to stay cool, the main bar inside features the same promotions until 7 p.m.

Known for its trendy clientele, single ladies can gather with friends on Thursday to check out Boca’s best bachelors. If that wasn’t incentive enough, ladies drink free from 4-8 p.m. Who knew saving could be so fashionable?

The Deal: Half-price cocktails and bar bites

Daily at The Fountain Bar from 4 p.m.- close and The Main Bar from 4-7 p.m.

 

Ladies Night- free drinks

Thursday 4-8p.m.

Philippe by Philippe Chow

200 East Palmetto Park Road

Boca Raton, FL 33432

561-393-4666

www.PhilippeChow.com

Respect the Ravioli!

Is it just me or did it seem St. Patrick’s Day was being celebrated the entire first half of the month? Now that the corned beef and cabbage, green beer and shamrocks are finally gone, its time to focus on one of America’s most beloved cuisines—Italian—especially since today (Tuesday), is National Ravioli Day.

Many of us share the same memory of our first taste of ravioli: a few floppy squares of pasta swimming in blood-red sauce from Chef Boyardee. That’s not ravioli- that’s an abomination! BRIO Tuscan Grille knows ravioli and has perfected the art of creating the perfect billowy pasta in addition to the pairing of sauces and fillings.

To celebrate the occasion, BRIO’s most popular ravioli dishes will be half-price today. I suggest you start with an appetizer of ravioli caprese topped with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of cilantro pesto ($5.25). Make sure to bring a date as you’ll have a hard choice deciding between entrees likes mushroom ravioli baked in a signature alfredo sauce and topped with toasted parmesan bread crumbs and tomatoes ($8.45), or the lobster and shrimp ravioli with crab insalata with a lemon vinaigrette and a Limoncello butter sauce ($9.98). Salute!

The Deal: Half price ravioli dishes

Tuesday, March 20 2012

Brio Tuscan Grille

5050 Town Center Circle

Boca Raton

561-392-3777

14576 SW Fifth St.

Pembroke Pines

954- 431-1341

600 Silks Run

Hallandale Beach

954- 362-1600

www.brioitalian.com

Erin go Bragh at The Pub

Americans like to celebrate everything. Nothing makes me more aware of this phenomenon than the over-the-top festivities of St. Patrick’s Day. Born and raised in Scotland, I was not even aware of my Celtic neighbor’s national day until I moved to the United States. 

My best friend Cristen met her Irish fiancee at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York and has spent the last few years living in Dublin. The outpouring of Irish pride and excitement that occurs here in the States shocked her fiancé Mark; as everywhere else, including Ireland, March 17^th is just another day. 

This week, I’ll be finding you the best deals from Irish and British pubs as well as the schedules for St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday. 

For starters, The Pub in Pembroke Pines is a quintessential “American-ized” British pub with wood furnishings, portraits of the royal family, a kilt wearing staff, a menu of traditional fare (curry chops, Shepherd’s Pie, Bangers and Mash and Tipsy Laird) and of course, drinks like Guinness, Belhaven (a “Scottish milkshake”) and Strongbow cider. Being a Scot, you know I need to take an advantage of a good deal and The Pub delivers with a happy hour, late night happy hour and promotions including half-price fish and chips on Mondays, $4 pints on Tuesdays, half-price bottles of wine on Wednesdays and $3 Smirnoff martinis during Ladies Night on Thursdays. 

This Saturday, the St. Patrick’s Day events begin at 10a.m. and features live entertainment, food and drink specials with $3 green beer; $5 Guinness, Smithwicks and Harp; $5 Car Bombs and Jameson shots; $3 Jello shots; and $3 cans of Bud Light.

The Deal: Happy Hour Specials

Monday- Friday 3-7p.m.

Late Night Happy Hour

Sunday- Thursday 10p.m.-close

St. Patrick’s Day Specials

Saturday March 17 10a.m.-close

The Pub

237 SW 145^th Terrace

Pembroke Pines

954-430-4230

www.ExperienceThePub.com

Art with a Side of Meatballs

Forget Jersey Shore! Italians should not be known for faux tans, tattoos and binge drinking. Italy is the pinnacle of cooking and art in the Western world, so I advise you to turn off the television and head to downtown Fort Lauderdale for a gourmet taste of culture.

SoLita Italian Restaurant and The Parlor Lounge has partnered with Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale for the perfect culture meets cuisine offering: Get $3 off adult admission to the museum with a SoLita dinner receipt and enjoy the exhibition Offering of the Angels: Old Master Painting and Tapestries from the Uffizi Gallery. For those dining after the exhibit, a complimentary meatball appetizer will be rewarded with an exhibit ticket.

Curated by the director of the Uffizi Gallery, Antonio Natali, the Eucharist-themed exhibit showcases 45 works of art from masters including Sandro Botticelli (The Birth of Venus), Alessandro Allori (Christ and the Samaritan Woman) and Luca Giordano (Allegory of Divine Wisdom).

Of course, masterpieces can also be found on the plate and SoLita’s house made meatballs with fresh tomato, basil sauce and ricotta cheese are the perfect way to start or end a day of culture.

The Deal: $3 off museum admission or complimentary meatball appetizer

Through April 8^th 2012 (the museum is closed Mondays)

SoLita Italian Restaurant and The Parlor Lounge

1032 East Las Olas Blvd.

Fort Lauderdale

954-357-2626

www.SoLitaItalian.com

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Cheese Please Louise

“I said, “Please, Louise,
Won’t you pass me the cheese?
Won’t you pass me the cheese?
’Cos I’ve got the bread and butter,
But I don’t have the cheese.”

– British Cheese Council

As a child in Scotland, my parents always liked to sing that old British Cheese Council jingle to me at the dinner table. Even today, after a particularly pathetic joke, my friends will revert to calling me ‘Cheesy Weezy.’ However, my love and appreciation for cheese isn’t just because of a play on phonics. Cheese makes everything better! I blush in shame as I confess that I have had to have a nibble (or two) of queso añejo in the grocery store parking lot as I just couldn’t wait to get home. Alas, City Cellar Wine Bar and Grill can now satisfy my cravings with Cheesy Thursdays!

City Cellar, the upscale bar and grill located in West Palm Beach’s popular City Place, has a selection of more than 40 local and imported cheeses from France, Spain and Italy. Of course, cheese needs a companion and the bar has an award-winning wine list offering more than 400 bottles from around the world and luckily for me, all price points, too.

Every Thursday, fromager Jeremiah Bennett perfectly pairs vinos and cheese for a five-plate, five-glass special for only $30. If you’re a craft beer fan, you may be lucky and get some beer pairings, too.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to restrain myself from stopping for a car snack on the way. City Cellar, here I come!

The Deal: Five cheeses paired with five beverages for $30

5-11p.m. Thursdays

City Cellar Wine Bar and Grill

700 S. Rosemary Ave, West Palm Beach, FL 33401

561.366.0071

www.CityCellarWPB.com