Sup

And the pizza cookoff winner is.....

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:56:08 -0500

Michael LaMonica took home top prize Tuesday night for his Vegetarian Nightmare, a pepperoni, Italian sausage and meatball creation. Not a vegetable in sight.

The Sun Sentinel and WorstPizza.com joined forces for the fundraising event at Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza in Aventura. Pizza makers and their guests donated $5 each which will be donated to The Dan Marino Foundation.

Almost 70 people sampled and then voted on five different pies. LaMonica, a mainstay of WorstPizza Tweetups is by day senior vice president of business development at Beber Silverstin & Partners in Miami. He brought with him a throng of supporters wearing "Here's the Beef" T-shirts.

Craig Agranoff, founder of WorstPizza.com, has a video of the evening posted on his site and below.

Michelangelo Mozzicato, the chef behind Anthony's 20 locations, conferred with each contestant to build their creation.

LaMonica received a $50 Anthony's gift card and a full car wax from The Ultimate Car Wash with locations in Dania and Parkland.

PHOTO: Michael LaMonica, third from right, and his Team LaMonica at the WorstPizza.com Sun Sentinel pizza cookoff. That's Craig Agranoff of WorstPizza.com on the far right. (Courtesy Blanca Stella Mejia)

T.G.I. Friday's half price appetizers

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:00:08 -0500

T.G.I. Friday's wants us to celebrate the holidays in one of its nearly 600 participating restaurants offering eight half price appetizers in the bar through Dec. 23.

Normally, price between $6 and $11, here are the eight appetizers: Sesame Jack Chicken Strips, Tuscan Spinach Dip, Fried Mozzarella, Pot Stickers, Crispy Green Bean Fries, Loaded Potato Skins, Friday's Tostada Nachos and Buffalo Wings.

Be sure to call the Friday's restaurant to be sure they're participating.

PHOTO: Friday's Tostada Nachos

Chick-fil-A's 13th annual cow calendar now on sale

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:00:08 -0500

The 13 annual Chick-fil-A calendar is now on sale.

Fans of the chicken chain look forward to the clever calendar's annual exhortation to eat chicken insted of beef.

The 2010 edition features 12 classic novels recreated as Great Works of Cow Literature.

Look for Steerlock Holmes, Salisbury in Wonderland, Three Brisketeers and A Christmas Cowbell.

The $6 calendar includes coupons for free Chick-fil-A food and drinks. You can buy them at Chick-fil-A restaurants or Chick-fil-a.com.

PHOTO: The cover of the 2010 calendar

More meal deals for veterans

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:40:18 -0500

Here are four more deals for Veteran's Day on Wednesday. The deals apply to both veterans and active duty military, but call ahead to make sure you have the correct identification.

Goofles Ice & Custard (1811 N. Pine Island Road, Jacaranda Square, Plantation, 954-533-8065) is giving one free Goofle, a combination of Italian ice and frozen custard. No purchase is necessary.

Krispy Kreme will give away one free doughnut of any variety. Call ahead to make sure your nearest store is participating.

Chima Brazilian Steakhouse (2400 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 954-712-0580) will give free Rodizio service to vets who purchase one Rodizio at full price.

Piccadilly Restaurants is giving a 10 percent discount to not just to vets and current military, but also their families. There are South Florida locations in Lauderdale Lakes, Hollywood and Hialeah.

If you missed Monday's post, click here for information on three other deals.

McDonald's buy one get second one for a penny

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:00:48 -0500

McDonald's is calling Thursday, Nov. 12 Customer Appreciation Day.

All day, when you guy a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder with Cheese at the regular price, you get the second sandwich for one penny.

The deal is good at all Mickey Dee locations in South Florida.

PHOTO: Quarter Pounder with Cheese

Taste of the Palm Beaches on Wednesday

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:00:08 -0500

It's not too late to order tickets for the 6th annual Taste of the Palm Beaches 5:30-9 p.m. Wednesday at PGA Commons in Palm Beach Gardens

Tickets are $35 in advance or $40 at the door and include tastings from nearly 50 restaurants and chefs along with unlimited wine, champagne and cocktail tastings. Children ages 6 and under will be admitted free of charge.

All proceeds benefit Big Heart Brigade, which has a mission is feed everyone in need for Thanksgiving. Last year, proceeds from the event along with independent donations made it possible to feed more than 51,000 people across South Florida.

PHOTO: Tasters from last year's Taste of the Palm Beaches

Free Chipotle burritos Thursday in Dania

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:00:08 -0500

From 5- 8 p.m. Thursday, the latest Chipotle Mexican Grill at 1780 Stirling Road in Dania Beach is offering a sneak peak free food giveaway.

Just walk in and they'll give you a free burrito.

The restaurant offiically opens at 11 a,m. Friday. Starting at 3 p.m. Friday, the first 100 customers to purchase a burrito receive a free T-shirt and free burrito coupon.

The new restaurant is at the intersection of I-95 and Stirling. Call 954-925-4381.

PHOTO: A Chipotle burrito

Meet the Pizza Cookoff contestants

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:52:41 -0500

Meet the contestants of the Pizza Cookoff hosted by Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza, Sun Sentinel and WorstPizza.com. From 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday these five pizza lovers will go crust-to-crust in a Pizza Cookoff that the public will judge.

The winner of the competition takes home a $45 car wax from Ultimate Car Wash, which has locations in Parkland and Dania Beach, and a $50 Anthony Coal Fire Pizza gift card. Sun Sentinel will be giving away several door prizes including Ultimate car wash coupons, Anthony's gift cards and cookbooks.

THE CONTESTANTS

Michael Katz: I am an amateur photographer and I run my own computer repair business.

One of my passions has always been cooking and devising new recipes that can take control of your senses, mixing the sweet and the spicy or salty with the sweet, combining textures to maximize the enjoyment of the food as well.

Michael LaMonica: First and foremost, I'm a rising star among the pizza cognoscenti. I'm a mainstay at Pizza Tweetups in 561, 954 and 305.

In my spare time, I'm Sr. VP of Business Development at Beber Silverstein & Partners (www.thinkbsg.com; Twitter handle @thinkbsg).

In my other spare time, I'm an award-winning photographer with two websites: www.LaMonicaProductions.com and www.MikesKids.com. I've been listed by Sun Sentinel as a “Fun Local to Follow” and in the The Miami Herald as a “Featured S. FLA Tweeter.”

Michael Suder: I am a foodie and Florida native, born in Hollywood and now living in Hollywood Lakes. After graduating from college, I worked as a consultant for the U.S. Navy on Andros island in the Bahamas. I then moved to Washington, D.C. to earn a master's degree in engineering management.

I have been involved in higher education since I moved back to Florida in 2004, working for Kaplan University and teaching online classes for several universities. I completed my master's of business adminstration in marketing from Barry University in May and I’m now working on a masters in higher education at Kaplan University. Just call me a degree collector!

I am very active in the community and serve on the Hollywood Lakes Section Civic Association as the Vice President and volunteer for several local community organizations. In what little spare time I have, I enjoy cooking, developing new recipes and mixing cocktails with exotic fruits. I am the pizza professor!

Stacey Varnado: I am a 1999 graduate of the University of Tampa with bachelor’s degrees in criminology and political Science and a 2005 graduate of Springfield College with a master’s degree in Human Services.

I’ve worked in social services for the past 10 years and currently work as a family therapist, counseling victims of abuse. I’m also the President of Community Focused Solutions of Florida LLC, a Florida-based training and consulting organization.

I am 32 years old and have been married to LeRone for five years. We reside in Jupiter with our two “kids” who just happen to be the most wonderful dogs in the world, Buddy and Kuma.

Sheri Roberts: I'm a native Floridian who graduated from Fort Lauderdale High School and works for the city of Fort Lauderdale.

I love my hometown and cooking for family and friends; trying new recipes. A regular at the Anthony’s in Weston, I will create my family’s favorite pizza for the judges and hopes to make it everyone’s favorite!

Free meals for vets

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:00:08 -0500

Veterans Day is Wednesday and here are three deals for veterans and active duty military.

Duffy’s Sports Grill: Choose one free meal at any of the 20 South Florida locations. "We recognize there are a lot of Veterans in our area and we are deeply grateful for the service they have provided to our country," Duffy's owner Paul Emmett said in a press release. Click here for more information.

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar Restaurants: Like Duffy's, the menu is wide open for vets. Click here for details on what kind of identification Applebee's wants you to show.

Outback Steakhouse: You're on your own for steaks, but Outback is giving vets a free Bloomin' Onion and beverage. Click here for details.

100 things restaurant employee shouldn't do: Part 2

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:18:00 -0500

Earlier this week, I directed SUP readers to the first installment of 100 Things Restaurants Emloyees Should Never Do from a New York Times blog.

Part 2 is now up. Read it here.

Here are three of my favorites;

- Specials, spoken and printed, should always have prices.

- Do not disappear.

- Never bring a check until someone asks for it. Then give it to the person who asked for it.

Hollywood bartender may be the country's best

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:28:00 -0500

If it sometimes seems like you can’t turn on the TV without seeing a celebrity chef, bartender Hillary Choo says that’s about to change.

Bartenders, she says, are the new chefs.

“It’s sort of like cooking, but with liquid,” says Choo, who tends bar at Plunge, the roof top boite at Gansevoort South Hotel in South Beach.

Choo, along with seven other bartenders from across the country, competes at 1 a.m. Sunday in the first of three episodes of NBC’s On the Rocks: The Search for America’s Top Bartender.

Sponsored by Absolut vodka, the reality show winner takes home $100,000. Choo and her competitors were flown to Las Vegas where judges picked a winner based on talent, knowledge, speed, accuracy and agility. Each episode tests such skills as pairing cocktails with food and mixing drinks appropriate to time of day and mood.

Choo, who turns 25 on Saturday, was a model for four years before her first job as a bartender at the Lobby Bar at the Fontainebleau Resort. Ten months ago she move to Plunge. Choo hopes to elevate her career choice not just through competitions, but also through the newly formed Miami chapter of the United States Bartenders’ Guild. Choo is treasurer.

“It connects bartenders,” she says. “It’s for bartenders in South Florida who take their jobs seriously and really enjoy their craft. We meet at least twice a month. We have tastings and training seminars.”

Choo says liquor companies often sponsor Guild events because they’ve “started to realize the importance of the people pouring the cocktails.”

Just as chefs have become entertainers, Choo believes bartenders are on the cusp of similar success. The recession has only advanced their star status because a creative cocktail is a relatively low-cost way for the bartenders to express themselves and customers to unwind.

Along with Choo, two Miami Beach bartenders will be competing: Cesar Romero, 37, of The News Lounge in Miami, and Sabrina Wainberg, 29, of Santo in South Beach.

While she says she doesn’t have a signature cocktail, her personal favorite is a Hemingway Daiquiri: light rum, maraschino liqueur, lime and grapefruit juice.

If Choo has one piece of advice for the cocktail set, it’s to look beyond vodka.. (She’s still not sure how a spirit without any flavor became so popular.)

“Try new things and experiment,” she says. “We’re trying to create drinks that have great flavor and great depth to them. If a bartender recommends gin or bourbon, try it. Keep an open mind.”

PHOTO: Hillary Choo of Hollywood competes in On the Rocks: The Search for America's Top Bartender at 1 a.m. Sunday on WTVJ-Ch. 6.

Chef Michael Schwartz on Rachael Ray

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:15:08 -0500

Check out Rachael's Vacation at 11 p.m. tonight on the Food Network when the chef highlights three South Florida destinations.

Ray filmed at Chef Michael Schwartz's Michael's Genuine Food & Drink in Miami's Design Distict. She also visited Chef Giancarla Bodoni of Escopazzo, the organic Italian restaurant in Miami Beach, and Paradise Farms , the five-acre organic farm where Gabriele Marewski grows greens, micro-greens, herbs, edible flowers, fruits and, vegetables.

In the episode called Farm to Table, Ray visits restaurants that use "just-picked ingredients straight from the farm," according to the Food Network Web site.

PHOTO: Rachael Ray and Chef Michael Schwartz of Michael's Genuine Food & Drink in Miami

Pizza cook-off Tuesday in Aventura

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:00:08 -0500

Want to be a judge of a pizza cook off and support a local charity?

From 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday at Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza in Aventura, five contestants will go crust-to-crust in a pizza cookoff.

The Sun Sentinel teamed up with Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza and WorstPizza.com to host the cook off. We asked potential competitors to tell us – in 100 words or less – what makes them a pizza star. We also asked them to create a pizza using a list of Anthony’s toppings.

We narrowed the field to five contestants and now we need you to be a judge.

You'll need to register by clicking here. Please remember to bring $5 in cash on Tuesday night. All proceeds go to the Dan Marino Foundation. Your $5 buys you a vote along with pizza tastings and drinks.

Winner of the competition takes home a $45 car wax from Ultimate Car Wash, which has locations in Parkland and Dania Beach,and a $50 Anthony Coal Fire Pizza gift card. We'll be giving away several door prizes including Ultimate car wash coupons and cookbooks.

PHOTO: A typical Anthony's coal fired pizza

Weekend Ribfest in Homestead

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:53:08 -0500

The barbecues will be fired this weekend for the third annual Ribfest, Saturday and Sunday at Homestead Air Reserve Park at Moody Drive (268 Street) and SW 122 Avenue in Homestead.

Along with a dozen teams competing for the best ribs title, there will be hay rides, a motorcyle rally, classic car show and live entertainment. Joan Jett and The BlackHearts and Blue Oyster Cult perform Saturday. Tracy Lawrence and Chuck Wicks are up Sunday.

Admission is $15 per person and free for kids ages 9 and younger. Parking is $5 per car.

For show hours and other information, go to the Web site.

PHOTO: Judges at last year's Ribfest

Suze Orman waits tables in Deerfield Beach

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:58:00 -0500

You read that correctly.

The queen of personal finance waited tables at The Olympia Flame Diner in Deerfield for a segment airing today on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

To read my colleague Linda Trischitta's story about Suze Orman's waitressing stint, click here.

PHOTO: Orman in the kitchen of the Olympia Flame Diner with Steve Vieta. (Courtesy Patty Miranda)