12/30 Update

New posts coming after the new years. Anthonys runway 84, Isabellas Pizza and Pasta, and others

12/7 Update

I got a new puppy last week who requires a ton of attention, so I've been going home around lunchtime every day to take him out and have been eating at home. I should have some new updates coming sometime next few weeks.

15th St. Fisheries, 12/1

I went back to the downstairs, casual area, of 15th Fisheries at Lauderdale Marina 1900 SE 15th Street, Fort Lauderdale. While I don't particularly care for the supposedly fancy, upstairs dining area, the downstairs area by the dock is a great lunch place for this time of year when its not to hot to sit outside.I had my usual favorite, which is a crab cake sandwich $13,(pictured below) with excellent steak fries, served with a creole mayo. Top notch as always. The crab cake had the right amount of crab and not that much breading and filler. Although $13 is a bit more then I like to spend for lunch, this is worth it, given the food and the great setting right on the water. My co-worker had the chicken sandwich, pictured below, which was also very good. 8.5/10.

Don Arturo's 11/24

I ordered the 1/4 chicken with rice and beans and plantains today at Don Arturo's, a local courthouse favorite, located at 1198 SW 27th Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL. Previously reviewed a few months back. The food here is always solid, fast and they have a great waitstaff. Ask for the Chimicuri and Jalapeno sauce. Both are great on everything, especially the cuban bread.

Waxy O'Connors 11/20

For what most people just think is an Irish Bar, Waxy O'Connors also serves great lunch and dinner. The have a lot of the traditional Iris Pub fare but also a number of specialty items. Everything I have ordered their has been freshly prepared and I've never been disappointed.

Waxy's is located off of 17th Street Causeway, about a 1/2 mile east of US1.

Today I ordered the Ham and Cheese Toasty, which was a ciabatta roll with melted Cheddar cheese, ham, tomato and onions and came with a large portion of long freshly cut fries. Everything was good. The fries where just how I like them. Just a little crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. One of the better and most surprising lunch choices in the area. 8.0/10

Quick Coffee Suggestion

I'm not much of a coffee drinker but occasionally I'll grab a decaf in the morning on the way to work. This suggestion came from my mother and I tried it out today and it was really good.
7-11 stores have recently stepped up their coffee service and now offer many choices and flavors of good quality coffee and accompaniments. They also offer pre-made cappuccino. Fill your coffee cup about 1/4 of the way with the pumpkin spice cappuccino from the machine, then fill the cup the rest of the way with their regular coffee or decaf. Then add splenda and milk or whatever sweeteners you prefer. I think the 16 ounce coffee was like $1.49. Compared to Starbucks it's a steal.

photos 11/18

I went back to Joe's Diner in the the Harbour Shoppes off of 17th St. Causeway today and got the California Chicken Sandwich, pictured below. Everything from this place is always solid. Certainly not the fanciest place, but as previously reviewed, it is good typical diner fare. I've also included some photos of items I've eaten the past few weeks that have previously been reviewed. 1. California Chicken Sandwich with Avocado and Bacon from Joe's Cafe. 2. Asian grilled chicken salad from Gilbert's 17th St. Grill. 3. Tacos Al pastor from Taqueria Dona Raquel in Pompano.

Charm City Burger Co. 11/16

I had to go up to the Deerfield area yesterday, so after I was done, I stopped in at what I consider the best hamburger place in all of South Florida. Charm City Burger Company is located right off of Hillsboro Rd, just east of US1 at 1136 E. Hillsboro Blvd. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. It is a small, nondescript place that you could easily pass and drive by it all the time without ever noticing it. That would be a huge mistake as their hamburgers are fantastic. I was told the chef has worked in a number of high end restaurants and they do have other sandwiches on the menu besides hamburgers. I ordered the double cheeseburger, pictured below (Half eaten). For most people, the regular cheeseburger would be fine, but the double just brought it to another level. The fries are very good too. 9.0/10. That makes charm city the highest rated lunch place I have reviewed to date I believe.

Vito's Gourmet Pizza South 11/17

Today I went to Vito's pizza, which is located off of 17th St. Causeway in the same shopping center as Office Depot and Ross. They offer a few lunch specials and both regular and sicilian pizza slices. I've had the slices before and they are pretty good. Today I got the vegetable roll/stromboli. It was freshly made so it did take a little long to make, but that is understandable. It was stuffed with spinach and fresh tomatoes and came with a fountain drink for $5.95. As you can see from the photo, it was quite big and I actually only ate about 2/3 of it and took the rest home. I was very happy with the roll and will certainly be back again. 8.0/10

11/12 Update

I'm taking a short break from posting but I should be back in the next few weeks. I've been running out of good local lunch places to review. PLEASE LET ME KNOW OF ANY GOOD PLACES THAT I HAVEN'T YET REVIEWED.

Week of Nov 1

I only went to a few previously reviewed places this week so I'll just include some pictures:

1. Veal Milanese Sandwich from Giorgio's on 17th St. Excellent

2. Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Cole Slaw on top from Gilbert's 17th St. Grill. Very good

3. Large Deluxe Chicken Chop with yellow rice from the Natural Chicken Grill in the harbour shoppes. So so.

10/30 Updates

Nothing really new to report on this week. Everywhere I went to for lunch this week has been previously reviewed. I should hit some new places next week though.

Bravo Gourmet Sandwich Shop 10/26

Back to Bravo Gourmet Sandwich Shop, 2925 NE 6th Ave Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334. Previously reviewed. We split the ceviche and the Peruvian Country Ham Sandwich today. We ordered the ceviche spicy this time and it was excellent. Comes with sweet potato and 2 kinds peruvian corn. The sandwich was also good. The peruvian country ham was a roasted ham, similar to the kind of roast pork you would find on a cuban sandwich. Ask for the rocoto pepper creamy hot sauce to put on the sandwich.

Best Sandwich Under $10 in South Florida?

Something to think about over the weekend.
What are your favorite sandwiches under $10 in the South Florida Area.
I'll have my top 3 or 5 on Monday.

Chuck's Steakhouse 10/22

Just got the soup and salad bar deal $9.95 at Chucks Steakhouse 1207 SE 17th St, Ft. Lauderdale today. I had the roasted pepper and gouda soup which was very good. The salad bar is plentiful with lots of choices. A good place for a lighter, healthier lunch. They do have a full menu with many sandwiches and of course steaks, but I've never really been impressed with the menu items. If you keep it simple, this is a solid lunch choice. 7.0/10.

Pirate Republic Bar and Seafood 10/19

The Pirate Republic Bar and Seafood recently opened right near my office, in the place formerly occupied by Shirt-tail Charlies for many years. 400 SW 3rd Ave. Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315. It is right on the new river and they still have the wooden dock with tables all along it. Now that it is getting cooler outside, this is a nice place for lunch when the weather is right. The menu is fairly big and obviously contained many seafood items. I got the grilled grouper sandwich with sweet potato fries. ($14) The piece of fish seemed fresh and was a nice cut. Overall the sandwich was pretty good, but way to expensive for just a grouper sandwich and fries. My friend had a chicken sandwich with roasted peppers ($9) that looked pretty good. Again, the food was good, but not great, but as noted above, on a nice day, the setting is excellent. 7.0/10

Gilberts 17th St. Grill 10/16

I went back to Gilbert's 17th St. Grill in the Harbour Shoppes today. (Previously reviewed). I once again got the seared tuna with Asian slaw. I did remember to take a picture today. Tuna was good, but the slaw was excellent. Very friendly staff and service as usual.

Mr. Nicks 10/14

Back to Mr. Nicks, previously reviewed, for their excellent Chicken Cordon Bleu. Got the 12". Ate half for lunch and will have the other half for dinner. Another great sandwich. 1/2 of the sandwich pictured below.

Bravo Gourmet Sandwich Shope 10/12

I read about this place on www.chowhound.com and it sounded great. Bravo Gourmet Sandwich, is a Peruvian sandwich shop located just North of Wilton Manors on 6th St (Just South of Oakland Park Blvd). It is a small place with about 5 tables and has a menu consisting of about 10 sandwiches and a few appetizers.

I had the Lechon Pork sandwich which consisted of juicy roasted pork slices, criollo, olive and a creamy rocoto pepper sauce. It was really and excellent sandwich.
I also shared the ceviche appetizer which was served traditional peruvian style with the giant corn, toasted corn and sweet potato. Also very good.
I'll be coming back here many times in the future. 8.5/10
Sorry no pictures today.

New Orleans

We didn't get to spend a lot of time in New Orleans but we did manage to stop by the World Famous "Mothers" for the Ferdy Special, which was absolutely fantastic, and also got a muffelletta at the Market Cafe. Both Pictured below. The Ferdy's special at Mothers consists of their home cooked Ham, roast beef, cole slaw, and topped with debris and gravy. Debris is the pieces of the roast beef that fall into the drippings during the cooking. One of the best sandwiches I've had in quite some time.