Second Chances Never Tasted So Good

 Watching Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares always makes me nervous; the shouting, the belittling comments, the slamming of doors and the complete ignorance of those who sign up for the show. If you haven’t seen Fox’s reality hit, Scottish super chef Gordon Ramsay confronts egotistical “chefs” and their usually indifferent and inexperienced staffs at a failing restaurant and transforms the restaurant’s design, menu and staff in a few days. It’s the same formula every episode with Ramsay being disgusted, the food is tragic, the kitchen is a mess, then a sob story, make-over, grand re-opening with a few hitches (to build suspense) with Ramsay pulling it off. Everyone lives happily ever after.

Gordon Ramsay with owners Elin and Andy Trousdale. After the transformation Ramsay says "The food is stunning!"

Well not all of them, several restaurants featured have closed after Ramsay’s novelty wore off However, some have risen to the occasion and appear to have benefited from Ramsay’s intervention. Enter Lighthouse Point’s Le Bistro, which was featured during the first season in 2010. A favorite of locals and critics, Le Bistro has now garnered awards and top ratings from regional publications like Gold Coast Magazine.

 This week, you be the judge. Le Bistro is offering a three-course menu for two for the low price of $60 including a bottle of wine. Appetizer choices include a goat cheese tart with tomato, olives and aged balsamic; braised beef brisket and a potato cake with pickled beets and horseradish; or my favorite appetizer- escargots baked in a garlic pesto butter.  For an entrée, pick either braised rabbit in pinot noir with fingerling potatoes and vegetables; a fish fry salad with a hearts of palm and tomato salad dressed with Dijon; or grilled seasonal local vegetables with aged balsamic. I’m not a big dessert lover, but I have to insist that my dining companion and I order share the Limoncello parfait with honey and lady fingers, or profiteroles with whipped cream and chocolate sauce (although I doubt it will be as delicious as my mother’s!).

Now, I just need to find a date …

          
        The Deal: $60 three-course dinner for two, including a bottle of wine

5-11p.m. Tuesday February 28- Sunday March 4

Must mention promotion to server

Le Bistro

4626 N. Federal Highway

Lighthouse Point

954-946-9240

http://www.lebistrorestaurant.com/com

Chef Andy plating during one of the many classes he conducts

Union: Delray’s Decadent Deal of the Decade

Nothing is more exciting to me than finding a great new restaurant. Although I’d love to keep this culinary find to myself, I know that word of mouth and press coverage will quickly make this Delray Beach gem the hottest spot in Palm Beach County.  Welcome to Union Asian Gastrolounge!

Entrepreneurs Stephen Chin and Scott Kennedy opened this new Asian Fusion gastrolounge concept on Atlantic Avenue in January. In a press statement, Chin and Kennedy say that Union creates a different neighborhood dining experience. “It’s an anything goes mentality with … Palm Beach County’s largest paneled flat screen wall display playing anything from cult movie classics  … astro turf on the patio and a mesmerizing selection of homemade vodka infusions.  If you’re looking for a totally unique and energetic take on dining, you’ll enjoy the atmosphere that we’ve cultivated here at Union.”

Sleek and glamorous restaurant-lounges usually intimidate me and drain my wallet but one taste of the food and a double-take of the savings makes Union one of my favorite new places.  Executive Chef Rich Achaia works out of a tiny kitchen to create Asian dishes available in small, medium and large plate sizes. My favorites are the Wonton Cones; a savory spin on dessert made of goat cheese, pistachio, cranberry chutney, balsamic reduction and micro arugula ($10) and tuna sashimi flatbread with avocado, cucumber, red onion, tomato and micro greens ($13). Other signature dishes include red curry roasted mussels topped with crispy pork belly ($13) and garlic blue crab and shrimp with garlic infused egg noodles ($15).

As well as an owner, Kennedy wears a second hat as “the mad scientist” of mixology by infusing vodka to make playful liquid desserts. The S’mores cocktail is a concoction of all my favorite things in the world: vodka, chocolate and nostalgia! The vanilla vodka is infused with marshmallow and served with a crushed chocolate and graham cracker rim.

Scott Kennedy

Now come closer, a little closer- everything on the menu is under $19! Okay, have you recovered from the shock yet? Here comes another surprise: ALL menu items are half-price daily during happy hour and select drinks are three-for-one including all well drinks, house wine, mojitos and margaritas.  Ahhh, dreams do come true.

The Deal: Three-for-one select drinks and half-price dinner menu

5-7p.m. daily 

Union

8 E. Atlantic Avenue

Delray Beach

561-330-4236

www.UnionDelray.com

Tacos by the Water

I love a waterfront view (hence my riverside apartment that I can’t afford) and nothing is more relaxing than kicking back outside while enjoying a cool drink and great food. Deck 84 in Delray Beach has all the bases covered with their updated Taco Tuesday Special; and believe me, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg (or risk getting evicted) to live this ideal Florida life.

Located under the Atlantic Avenue Bridge, boaters and locals can enjoy the sunset  while feasting on all-you-can-eat rojo chicken, chili braised beef or mojo marinated pork tacos for (drum roll please) only $13. If you’re like me and need a few drinks in order to relax, then order Corazon Tequila margaritas for just $6.

The Deal:  All-you-can-eat tacos for $13

$6 Corazon Tequila margaritas

Tuesdays 5-10p.m.

Deck 84

840 East Atlantic Avenue

Delray Beach

561-665-8484

www.Deck84.com

It’s Ladies Night!

With the amount of fantastic events and restaurant specials on Thursday nights, it’s surprising anyone is able to make it into work on Fridays. Would anyone like to sign my three-day weekend petition?

The Jupiter hotspot Guanabanas offers a ladies-only Therapy Thursdays to help you make it until the weekend. This weekly event makes you feel like you’re on an all-expenses paid bachelorette party in Tahiti. This stunning open-air restaurant honestly made me giddy when I walked in. The thatched roof hut, tiki torches and waterfront location made me feel miles away from deadlines and other obligations. And don’t get me started on the lush tropical gardens and winding walkways, which make every footstep an enlightening experience. I think it would be impossible for anyone to not have a good time here.

As the sun sets on the river, occupied by kayakers and paddle boarders enjoying a leisurely evening on the water, ladies are invited to enjoy trunk shows from local boutiques and designers on the tiki stage. This stage has also hosted national acts including Less Than Jake and Natasha Bedingfield.

What can top shopping with your girlfriends in a tropical paradise? Drinks! For only $3, choose from well drinks or house wine. The signature cocktail of the night is the Ultimate Theratini ($5) made with fresh blackberry lemonade, Ultimat Vodka and Triple Sec.  Therapy has never tasted so good or so affordable!

The Deal: $3 well liquor drinks and house wine $5 Theratini

Guanabanas

960 N. Highway A1A

Jupiter

561-747-8878

www.Guanabanas.com

Take a Bite out of Valentine’s Day

Chef Allen Susser needs no introduction but I’ll give you one anyway. This culinary icon has been a mover and shaker of the South Florida dining scene since 1980 when he moved from Brooklyn, New York to Miami. A winner of the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Southeast, Susser’s accolades are as numerous as his restaurant projects.

His latest project is Burger Bar by Chef Allen in Palm Beach Gardens. Opened since November, the eatery has attracted loyal fans of Susser’s cuisine as well as those who covet the almighty burger.

So for this Valentine’s Day, skip the fondue and candlelight and head over to try one of Susser’s signature burger sensations, like the Truffle Burger. Made from a combination of short ribs, brisket and prime chuck steak, this burger is nothing like its poor fast-food cousins. The burger is topped with house-made pickled sweet beets with champagne vinegar and home-made red wine demi-glace. It pairs perfectly with a side of truffle fries, hand-cut and garnished with sea salt and truffles!

The high quality ingredients and the prestige of Chef Allen Susser may have you thinking that this burger will break your bank but at only $14 this is the perfect Valentine’s Day gift to your stomach and wallet.

If you’re really looking to impress your valentine, then try the restaurant’s Gold Leaf Burger, which has become almost as famous as Susser, mainly because it’s topped with edible 23-carat gold.

The Deal: $14 Valentine’s Truffle Burger

Through February 18

4650 Donald Ross Road

Palm Beach Gardens

561-630-4545

http://www.burgerbar.com/

Slurp, Slurp for Savings

Well, we are officially a week away from Valentine’s Day, which means my odds at finding a date are looking slim. Last year’s Valentine’s Day was rather disappointing due to the fact that my then “love-of-my-life” passed out after too much Thai food in front of the television before 9 p.m. If I do find that special someone in the next couple of days, I plan on feeding him plenty of aphrodisiac foods like oysters!

A favorite hangout of locals, Dave’s Last Resort in downtown Lake Worth is popular due to its friendly atmosphere and promotions. With a menu featuring everything from conch fritters to mussels to lobster cakes and even gator tacos, its not surprising that this is the go-to place for fresh seafood, including my beloved oysters.

Get prepped for Valentine’s by heading to Dave’s today for “Oyster and Brew” featuring 79-cent steamed or raw oysters and $7 pitchers of domestic pitchers. If you can’t wait another week to get more seafood savings, then enjoy Wednesday’s Clam Jam promotion for 69-cent clams and Voodoo Juice, a combination of four Cruzan rums and exotic juices for just $4.50. The savings continue daily with Happy Hour specials. 

The Deal: Oyster and Brew 79-cent oysters and $7 domestic pitchers

Tuesdays 11a.m.-midnight

Clam Jam 69-cent clams and $4.50 Voodoo Juices

Wednesdays 11a.m.-12a.m.

Happy Hour: $2.50 domestic drafts, bottles, house wine and well drinks, $7 domestic pitchers and 69-cent wings

Daily 2-7p.m.

Dave’s Last Resort and Raw Bar

632 Lake Avenue

Lake Worth

561-588-5208

www.daveslastresort.com

Rock Out With Tacos

South Florida’s hottest spot for Mexican cuisine and the home of more than 200 varieties of tequila, Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar launches its fourth location tonight in Palm Beach Gardens with an opening party rivaling the festivities of Cinco de Mayo. Live entertainment includes mariachi bands, DJ Jeffrey Michaels and appearances by local celebrities; however the man of the hour is clearly owner Rocco Mangel. In a press statement, Mangel says “The Palm Beach community has wholeheartedly embraced Rocco’s Tacos so I’m thrilled to introduce a new location that welcomes loyal customers and new clientele.”

Rocco Mangel

With traditional Mexican hospitality, tonight Mangel will be pouring complimentary Patron whenever he takes his favorite spot; on top of the bar. If you’re like me and have bad spring break memories of tequila, then never fear as there will be an open bar sponsored by Grand Marnier, Stoli and Dos Equis from 7-10 p.m. As I’ve frequented the Las Olas location, I hope they’ll be showcasing my favorites: jalapeño rellenos, stuffed fried jalapeno poppers with cotija, lime cream and avocado ranch; esquites, which is Mexican stret corn grilled with cotija cheese, cilantro and chile d’arbol; and Rocco’s Tacos, mini tuna crudo tacos with avocado, lime, cilantro and pineapple salsa!  

Esquites!

If tonight you’ve already made a date with American Idol, then don’t worry the savings don’t end at midnight.  All locations offer a $1 discount on drinks seven days a week during happy hour, including Rocco’s speciality -- sangria!

The Deal: Open bar and complimentary bites

Wednesday February 1^st 7-10 p.m.

Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar

5090 PGA Boulevard

Palm Beach Gardens

561-623-0127

$1 off bar drinks

Daily 4-7p.m.

224 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach 561-650-10001

5250 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton 561-416-2131

1313 Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale 954-524-9550

www.RoccosTacos.com