Comments on: The Hungries: The best of local dining

By: Jenice Delano

Jenice Delano — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 01:41:42 +0000

We just ate aat the above mentioned Zagabondi. We ate there last year too. We think it is just amazing. Everything delicious. The fish was outstanding…salads great…pasta super home made…and even a son who is allergic to flour had a great meal…
only thing is don’t go for the 6:00 setting, as you do feel a bit rushed.

By: vince

vince — Sat, 08 May 2010 23:21:34 +0000

Please tell me that whoever charlie is, he doesn’t get paid!! This list of restaurants is definitely the worst I have ever seen in Palm Beach County. Let’s just take it for what it really is advertising dollars spent on this joke of a paper!

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:34:30 +0000

Michelle Bernstein deserved a mention. The wine list at Omphoy is brilliantly selected and the pricing is outstanding. It opened to late to make this list, but the best newcomer is Vagabondi at the corner of Belvedere and Dixie. Outstanding.

By: Foodie

Foodie — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:45:30 +0000

Just found a new hidden gem in Delray, Jimmy’s Bistro off of Swinton. Small, intimate (6 tables) restaurant that will rock your taste buds. Stumbled upon it Friday night and I predict that you will not be able get a reservation in 30 days.

By: Ed

Ed — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:22:24 +0000

I liked the dining reviews way better back in the GoPBI days. You could choose by price, location, type of food, cruise. These reviews seem way biased and way high priced!

By: MARY GAMBINO

MARY GAMBINO — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:05:30 +0000

go to the hog snapper in tequesta..sooooo good
(owners former carmines ocean grill employees!(chef & bartender)

By: C. Carbone

C. Carbone — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 01:48:17 +0000

As promissed I returned to Figs for the irresistable Fig and Prosciutto pizza. However, this time when I went to place my order I asked for a diet coke and they said they were out, in fact , they said they miss ordered and ran out. What the Fig? How does this happen at a Todd English rest.? Anyhow no offer to get it or to offer cans, but the food was great. I would not order the calamari again as it was just ok. The wedge salad, was tasty and fresh. Still a place to go once or twice. This week we will try the Secrets Piano Bar.

By: Charles Passy

Charles Passy — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:57:52 +0000

Hmmm… My pick for Best Breakfast, The Pelican Cafe, does a good job with huevos rancheros, though I wouldn’t say that’s their specialty.

I’d be curious, though, if any of the local taquerias are open for breakfast and serving it…

By: pbfoodie

pbfoodie — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:44:06 +0000

Way to go Charles.. Talay deserves the praise, Soo’s consistency and quality has been there from the start. While I appreciate that Bernstein did not impress you at first blush, she is serving some of the most creative food in the county and probably deserves another few looks. I go down to her places in Miami as often as I can, and it is a treat to have her food up here.

I have to disagree with the other poster on Vic and Angelos.. the food is reliable and it is a good place to bring people from out of town to show off a cool environment and food that you can count on.

I’m interested in hearing your opinion on where the best Huevos Rancheros is in our hometown? Any places stand out?

By: C. Carbone

C. Carbone — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:33:32 +0000

SO far so good with reviews, Figs was a hit,great pizza, great atmoshpere. We tried the Fig and proscuitto pizza, the sicillian, and the chicken sausage. All tasty!! I dnt want to forget mentioning how good the greek salad is, fresh, fresh oh and fresh! Will return.

By: Charles Passy

Charles Passy — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:49:50 +0000

You’ve got good taste, Jerry. That was our Best New Restaurant for 2008.

By: Jerry Davidow

Jerry Davidow — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:48:32 +0000

I don’t get around all that much, but that having been said, the best meal that I had in 2009 was at Dolce di Parma on the wrong side of the tracks in West Palm Beach. Not cheap but worth every penny!

By: Deanna

Deanna — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:16:46 +0000

NO DOUBT about Talay Thai! A MAZ ING!!!!!!

By: Charles Passy

Charles Passy — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:54:18 +0000

Well, technically speaking, three restaurants are close to where I live — specifically, Talay Thai, Paddy Mac’s and Mr. Gyros. I wouldn’t say I’m biased toward restaurants in my immediate vicinity, but I do tend to be more aware of them from driving past them now and then. I try to stay up on the dining scene county-wide, but I also depend greatly on suggestions from readers about what’s new and/or what’s good (or bad) — otherwise, I learn about openings from reading other Web sites or from the restaurants themselves (you’d be surprised how few contact me). For example, I barely knew anything about DeVine in Wellington and it definitely seems like a place worth checking out.

I should make clear that the restaurants spotlighted for the Hungries are just the places I visited in 2009 for TGIF or the Food section — that qualifier was in the print edition of the story, but not online (see below). In other words, this is not the best in dining overall, but the best for 2009.

That said, Michelle Bernstein’s was not included for a very good reason — it failed to impress. (As I said in my review a few weeks ago, service was beyond disastrous on one of my visits.)

Freakerdude (my favorite all-time commenter on the dining pages): I might disagree with you about Grease — it’s more than a mere bar, but a Palm Beach County incarnation of NYC-style meatpacking district burger bar. But your other remarks are well taken — hopefully, we can do more with ethnic dining, though as you know, the pickings can get pretty slim in these parts.

Anyhow, thanks all for reading. Look forward to continuing to hear your thoughts and suggestions — you may always contact me directly at cpassy@pbpost.com.

And here’s the missing intro, too:

“And the Hungry goes to…”
OK, so maybe we don’t have a formal ceremony for our year-end dining awards – aka The Hungries. But we do take these honors very seriously. After all, when you spend an entire year eating your way through South Florida, you want to celebrate the best.
As always, a key rule applies to The Hungries: The restaurants under consideration are limited to those I have visited in the past year for reviews and stories in TGIF and the Wednesday food section. While that’s still a very large list – at least 75 places – it’s by no means representative of the local dining scene in its entirety.
But the good news is that I’m already lining up places to visit in 2010. And I’m as hungry as ever.

By: eatwell

eatwell — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:36:43 +0000

What in the world happened this year??…. OK Charlie Soo’s Taley Thai does deserve some great recognition and his food is wonderful, but who in the hell even goes to Palm Beach to eat anymore… Cafe L’Europe…come on! This years review just goes to show the belly up for food in our county…WOW what a disappointment, But Congrats to Marcello’s La Sirena !!!

By: HardeeHarHar

HardeeHarHar — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:24:34 +0000

Yes, his home in Delray, his home in PBG, his home in West Palm, his home in…well you get the picture…jealous are we?

By: Charlie's Always Hungry

Charlie's Always Hungry — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:43:27 +0000

Funny how most restaurants cited here are within waddling distance of Passy’s house.

By: potatoes

potatoes — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 09:29:30 +0000

DeVine Bistro and Bar in wellington is really good. They opened up this past year, plus its an open kitchen. Its the former chef from Café Chardonnay and off the vine.

By: freakerdude

freakerdude — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:16:14 +0000

There are too many high end places represented here. The average joe diner doesn’t eat at these places except on a rare occasion. How about the mid priced places? Best meal for under $20?

Grease Bar as best burger and honorable mention for best concept? The concept is pure bar with bar food and nothing more. Big Time gets WAY too much credit here. Shorty’s as most improved? Come on.

There are too many chain and corporate places on this list and not enough privately owned representation.

Where are your ethnic hungries? You don’t even offer any categories for them, thus leaving out an entire selection of restos. We want best mexican, chinese, thai, vietnamese, cuban, bbq, italian, mediterranean, etc.

Next year please take note on what you have missed with this list.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:20:53 +0000

I think that voting Vic & Angelo’s best anything is a stretch. The atmosphere was snooty, at best. We were pretty much ignored because we aren’t “regulars” and the “regulars” are not someone I’d want to be associated with, as they were quite rude, bumping into my chair to get to the table behind us to stand behind me and talk. But I can’t blame the restaurant for the rude guests. I can, however, blame them for overpriced food that is just barely good. And I doubt they make everything fresh because when my husband asked to have something left out of his pasta he was told it wasn’t possible. Premade sauce anyone?

By: Margaret

Margaret — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:47:42 +0000

FYI- Grease hand chops and makes their own patties. They do not come pkg’d from another purveyor. So delicious!!!

By: InTheBiz

InTheBiz — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:14:58 +0000

Good round-up. I think Michelle Bernstein at Omphoy should have also been mentioned, but Charles is right on with his assessments even tho clematis has more than just the Big Time guys. No question they brought good quality and the right formula to the street though, at a time when other string concepts took root because of faith in what the waterfront will bring, and all the effort being made in the area. Is Bellagio too old to have made this cut? It’s still really delicious and a special experience.

By: restaurant guy

restaurant guy — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 01:46:05 +0000

Charles – best burger grease burger bar ?? are you kidding – i am really disturbed that you are a critic with the post and have no understanding of the restaurant business, grease burger bar doesn’t even make their burgers – they come from sysco or some other purveyor

By: restaurant guy

restaurant guy — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 01:36:50 +0000

Big Time Restaurant Group ??? are you kidding Charles Passey ?? your talking about the group that keeps closing one restaurant after another, if it wasn’t for Rocco there would be no BIG TIME restaurant Group – i don’t know who is greasing your palm but lirim Jacobi owns and operates 7 restaurants in palm beach county and has teamed with celebrity chef Todd English and lirim doesn’t walk around boasting the name of his company – he us just focused on good food and entertainment – in the latest Jupiter magazine article i didn’t see one person mentioned from BIG TIME restaurant group but i did see Lirim Jacobi – one thing i do know is The palm Beach Culinary Scene and i didn’t see one mention of Michelle Bernstein – are you kidding me ? i think its time for a new critic —–

By: AJLind

AJLind — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:30:42 +0000

Ian’s in Jensen Beach can give Cafe L’Europe a run for it’s money and then some. Beside the wonderful food, there are beautiful views and Martin county is beautiful, classy, and more laid back.