More: Directions to Amante’s, more
If you’re in South County, or North Broward, and you’re by the beach, Check Please has a place for you. Amante’s Italian, which is also known as Bob’s Pizza, has a wonderful, dressed-up interior, as well as outdoor seating for those who like the fresh air. It’s the kind of place where you can get a slice, or a real Italian meal:
Restaurant Listing: Reviews, directions, more
Some culinary tie-ins make perfect sense. Think baseball and hot dogs or the blues and barbecue.
But sex and steak frites?
In a sense, that’s what Carousel Can Can Café, one of the splashier eateries to open at West Palm Beach’s CityPlace in the past year, is all about. Karim El Sherif, who previously headed the now-closed Metronome bistro in Palm Beach Gardens, has wedded the naughty-girl spirit of France’s can can dance to a brasserie-style menu of French favorites — coq au vin, crepes Suzette and, yes, steak frites.
Food-wise, he’s delivering in a solid way — much as he did with Metronome. (It’s no wonder that El Sherif has also run a successful French restaurant in New York.) But conceptually, Carousel Can Can Café needs some tinkering. The place is apparently buzzing on Saturday evenings, but on slower weeknights it lacks a certain cheeky and amusing spirit that seems inherent in its vision. I’m not saying Can Can is Can’t Can’t. But some tinkering would go a long way in making this a uniquely special restaurant for our area.
A fully stacked pastrami sandwich is a must-have for those visiting Ben's Kosher Deli in Boca Raton. (Chris Matula / Post file photo)
David Sax was sure he’d find some of the best Jewish delis in the country when he came to South Florida to research his book.
“Unfortunately, what I found is there were a lot of places that were just good enough,” says the author of the just-released Save the Deli (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $24). “Good enough if you want to have a taste of deli. But there was nothing I tasted that I’m holding up as an example of what Florida is doing.”
Doesn’t he realize those are fighting words in a region with the third-largest Jewish population in the country?
“I know my audience,” says Sax.
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Tuna salad goes Thai with the inclusion of fish sauce, the pantry staple for all things Thai, along with fresh ginger paste and lime juice. (Photo by Pam Brandon)
Hey, don’t knock it ’til you Thai it.
We love the bright flavors of this spicy tuna mélange tossed with fresh chilies, crunchy peanuts and fresh lime juice. Fish sauce, the pantry staple for all things Thai, along with fresh ginger paste, replaces the calorie and fat-laden mayo of yesterday’s tuna salad while providing an entirely new lease on lunch.
With economy and skinny-mini style in the bag, you’re the Ms. Smarty Pants of the break room. Consumed with rampant, recession-born brown-bag envy, hungry co-workers shall beg you to share. Of course, this is entirely up to you. Yet, in the spirit of loaves and fishes, we recommend you divvy it up with whole-grain pita or Indian naan.
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When fat is cut from recipes, flavor can follow. That’s when spices become the key to making lighter foods taste great. And if you want to get the most out of your spices, it’s best to follow a few simple tips.
Whenever possible, buy whole spices, says Raghavan Iyer, author of 660 Curries. Spices get their flavor from the oils inside. Once the spices are ground, the oils lose potency, which means freshly ground peppercorns pack more flavor than pepper purchased already ground.
Whole spices also are a better value. Stored in airtight, glass containers away from heat, says Iyer, whole spices will stay fresh for at least a year. Ground spices last for only a few months.
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A wonderful comfort food, this Pulled Pork on Soft Polenta puts an Italian twist to pulled pork. (AP)
Spicy pulled pork over polenta only sounds like a culture clash. It oozes comfort and it makes more sense than you might think.
Polenta, which is made from cornmeal, isn’t all that far removed from the corn tortillas and chips that partner so nicely with the Mexican flavors used to season the pulled pork.
To keep this dish convenient, the soft polenta is made from a purchased prepared variety sold in tubes. Chopped and simmered with milk, this polenta quickly softens. Alternatively, you could skip the simmering step and instead oil and grill slices of the polenta.
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Consider soup when looking for a filling meal that has plenty of low-calorie vegetables and liquid. Toasted barley soup with Swedish meatballs adds whole grains and goes nicely with salad and whole-grain bread. (AP)
Soup as a main course is a great way to fill up on low-calorie vegetables and liquid, leaving you satisfied without feeling stuffed.
Choosing the right soup is the trick.
Canned soups can throw a few nutritional curveballs into this healthy eating plan. They’re usually loaded with sodium, and creamy soups can pack plenty of unwanted fat.
To make your own broth-based soup, be sure to start with a reduced-sodium broth, then add plenty of filling vegetables and beans.
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Artichoke hearts and mascarpone cheese create a sooper-quick bisque for those craving comfort food. (Photo by Pam Brandon)
What begins as an ordinary tale of when ‘tater-met-onion soup receives a plot-thickening twist from artichoke hearts and a heady dollop of mascarpone cheese.
Intensely rich, this triple cream dessert cheese is best known for its role in tiramisù, yet it also adds a creamy decadence to pastas, soups or as a spread for crackers or crostini. Sold in teensy tubs, mascarpone cheese is available in most supermarkets in the gourmet cheese aisle.
Try this souper-quick bisque when you’re craving comfort on the fly. With just six ingredients and a single pot for hubby to wash, your soulful bowlful is ready to spoon in just 20 minutes.
The Rosh Hashana meal can be a challenge for almost any Jewish cook.
Think an elaborate, multi-generational New Year’s feast — say, matzo ball soup and gefilte fish as starters, brisket or chicken and all the sides for the main portion of the meal and any number of cakes and cookies for dessert. Now, try to weave in the theme of sweetness, symbolizing the sweet promise of the New Year, into as many dishes as possible, be it the honey that goes into the honey-roasted chicken or the honey that goes into the honey cake.
A great burger should be big, messy and packed with flavor. A well thought out collection of ingredients and additions will put a gourmet burger on your plate in quick order. (AP)
A great burger should be a sloppy, messy, overflowing ordeal that leaves your mouth ringed with condiments. It should demand a fork and extra bread to mop up the drippings. It should be intensely flavorful and juicy.
But it should not take much time to build. After all, the hamburger is the icon of fast food.
Transforming a generic burger into a gourmet but still speedy experience is just a matter of lining up the right auxiliary ingredients.
For example, ditch the white bun for thick slabs of challah, replace American cheese with manchego, forgo ketchup for chutney and pile on caramelized onions and peppers, and you’ve got an intense burger for about the same effort as your typical cheeseburger.
To get you started, I’ve listed 10 suggestions for additions (things to mix into the burgers), buns, cheeses, condiments and toppings.
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