There were only two breakfast places close to our hotel in Fort Lauderdale, one of which was Ocean View Delight. We dined here for breakfast twice since the other place,  Primanti Brothers, didn’t have the pancakes that  my four-year old son requested for breakfast both mornings.

The inside of OVD is very small with just a few small tables in the room which is mostly occupied by the open air kitchen. Fortunately seating is available outside for larger parties like ours. Service was a bit slow to acknowledge us and a little rough around the edges, but our food arrived fairly quickly.

French Toast

Both mornings I had the French toast, made with a  Croissant, topped with cinnamon sugar with banana slices on the side ($7.99). The price is a little high for what it is, but it is of good quality and tasted fine. Others in our group appeared to enjoy the omelette and my kids devoured their pancakes. Beware that a glass of water will set you back $.40 so only request one if you plan on drinking it.

We did have breakfast at Ocean View Delight two mornings in a row, but I would have preferred to eat elsewhere the second time if there more options around. The food was fine but it seems a little more expensive than I typically like to spend on breakfast.

While visiting Fort Lauderdale for my cousin’s wedding, we had a free night to grab dinner before the big events of the follow day. Some of my extended family said they were heading to the World Famous bar behind our hotel, the Sonesta, and so we followed them to the Parrot Lounge.

Inside

Inside the Parrot Lounge is very much a sports bar with TV’s covering nearly ever available space above the bar. There is also shuffleboard, darts, and a Wii console. They have an amazing selection of craft beer available, including Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA on tap during our visit.

Chicken Philly

For dinner I ordered the chicken philly ($8.99) and added onions, peppers, and mushrooms for $.50 each. The sandwich comes served with a bag of chips and fries were an additional $2. Phillys are served on  Amoroso rolls and smothered in cheese. I really enjoyed the sandwich.

Mahi Sandwich

My wife had the mahi-mahi sandwich (12.99) with sweet potato fries for $1 more. I didn’t try this sandwich as I’m not big on fish, but she seemed to enjoy it. The sweet potato fries were a little overdone for me, but still edible.

I really enjoyed our visit to the Parrot Lounge. Some members of my family had so much fun there this night that they went back again after the wedding the following night.

Going back to my night on the town I recently had with my wife a month ago, after staying the night at The Cincinnatian  we searched for somewhere to get breakfast before picking up the kids from their grandparents. I quickly found Cheapside Cafe, a place neither of us had gone before, and one that I had read about a handful of times before.

Inside

Cheapside is located on 8th Street at the intersection with Cheapside Street, between Broadway and Sycamore. It’s a part of town I don’t get to very often but is just a couple of blocks  from the front steps of the Horseshoe casino and just down the street from Arnold’s. The inside is casual and comfortable with an open view to the kitchen and large coffee bar.

Challah French Toast

The menu is on the limited side,  and  could be a problem for anyone who doesn’t eat eggs. I am not a fan of eggs, though I do enjoy the occasional French toast, which was just what I ordered. The challah French toast ($7) with candied pecans, whipped butter, and maple syrup was very tasty. I especially liked the addition of candied pecans.

Breakfast Sandwich

My wife had the breakfast sandwich ($5) with fried egg, bacon, and pimento cheese on multigrain. I did not try any of the sandwich, but she seemed pleased with her choice. However I do wish  that there were some breakfast sides to go along with these dishes. With that said there are sides available to go with lunch orders, so perhaps saving Cheapside for lunch would be best. The curried chicken salad sandwich does sound awesome!

A month ago my wife and I treated ourselves to a night on the town without the kids. After checking in to The Cincinnatian we walked up    Vine Street toward Over-the-Rhine to check out some of the recently opened establishments we had yet to visit. Though before getting too far north we decided to stop into Scotti’s Italian Restaurant, a place we had both wanted to try for quite some time.

Outside

Scotti’s has been a family-owned and family-run establishment since 1911. Inside was like nothing I have ever seen before. The quaint dining room walls are completely covered with random tiles along with old pictures and memorabilia.

Inside

Old Italian wine bottles hang from the ceiling, while other bottles can be found on  each  table holding  a  candle resting on a sometimes massive pile of old dripped wax. There is certainly a lot of charm inside.

Dripping Wax

Most entrées  include a cup of soup, an Italian salad, along with bread and butter. Garlic bread can also be ordered with fresh garlic, parsley, and olive oil for $2.50 per order. I’m not much of a soup person, but the minestrone style soup was actually very good. It was rich on flavor and had a ton of pasta rings floating throughout.

Minestrone Soup

The salad was our second course and it was also delicious. Most of the vegetables were shredded giving it a somewhat coleslaw vibe, while the dressing was  an overall sweet vinaigrette style dressing but it had an awesome tartness that I really loved.

Salad

For dinner I enjoyed the manicotti speciale ($21 including the above). The ricotta cheese was outstanding and the tomato sauce was of pure Italian style. The serving size was manageable, though I still have to stuff myself pretty good to conquer all three courses.

Manicotti Speciale

My wife went with the eggplant ala rusticana ($23.50 including the above and a side of pasta). The eggplant was a generously thick slice and was so soft it nearly melted in my mouth. While both meals were great, I think the eggplant stole the show.

Eggplant ala Rusticana

The dining room is small, so reservations are recommended. Though if there is room they will definitely do their best to seat any walk-ins like ourselves. Service can be very direct and to the point, but don’t be surprised at the occasional grin and chuckle. The only thing that needs to change are the restrooms downstairs, which are in desperate need for a renovation.

A couple of month’s ago I took a business trip back to my former stomping grounds of Denver, Colorado. It was the last week before my company would be moving offices from the far southern suburbs to a new office downtown. Therefore I didn’t have many dining experiences worth sharing, as most eateries out by our old office are of the nationwide chain variety. I did make it closer to downtown one evening to meet with some friends at the newer Atomic Cowboy on South Broadway.

Inside Atomic Cowboy

The Atomic Cowboy on East Colfax was a favorite of mine years ago, though I never tried their in-house pizza from Fat Sully’s. This time I was quick to grab a slice of their massive New York style pizza ($3.50 per slice plus toppings). The pizza was great, with a little spice to the sauce and plenty of toppings on a perfectly cooked crust.

Massive New York Style Pizza

One slice was enough for me, though I probably could have finished another though I would have been too stuffed to enjoy the Cowboys great selection of craft beers. Two slices are definitely the most you would want to eat, making Fat Sully’s a pretty cheap place for some excellent pizza and beers.

Our neighborhood has a new pizza delivery option thanks to Romeo’s Pizza, which has taken over the spot formerly occupied by Naked Pizza. While Naked Pizza was alright, my family and I only ordered from there a couple of times. Romeo’s has only been here for a couple of month, we have already ordered from them three times.

Specialty Pizzas

Our personal favorites are easily Romeo’s Deluxe (pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, red onions, and mushrooms) and Dante’s Peak (same as before but banana peppers instead of green and tomatoes instead of mushrooms). With a few common ingredients these two pizzas make a great option for    combining half on each side ($18.49 for large).

Kid’s Pizza

Romeo’s sauce is sweeter than it is spicy, and the toppings have always been piled high. They also sell pizza by the sheet (and half sheet) which are perfect for any parties. We ordered one on Halloween to share with our family members who came over to pass out candy at our house. Romeo’s is quickly becoming one of our favorite pizza delivery options.

Having just grabbed bagels our first couple mornings in NYC, I knew I wanted to sit down to breakfast to kick off our last day. Just down the street from our hotel in Murray Hill my family and I found Scotty’s Diner, a twenty-four  hours a day, seven  days a week diner that has been open for many years. We were greeted by a friendly man who easily could have been one of the brothers who owned the place. He also was our server for breakfast, which was served fast and always with a smile.

Monte Cristo

I ordered the Monte Cristo, French toast topped with turkey, ham, and Swiss cheese ($10.95). The serving size was massive and the portion of French toast alone was what you would expect in most restaurants and it was quite good. The turkey on the other hand was very dry and lacking much of any flavor. The ham was better and the cheese was thick and plentiful. Overall I think I would skip this in the future and just go with the French toast and a side of meat.

Belgian Waffle

The Belgian waffle was just as you would expect ($7.25)  though the price was a little higher than normal. Our son requested this and though he is just three-years-old, he nearly ate the entire thing. He is fairly picky with his food these days, so that is definitely saying something.

3 Egg Omelette

My wife went with a three egg omelette, the California if I remember correctly with avocado, mushrooms, and cheddar, served with potatoes and toast ($10.95). She seemed to really enjoy the omelette, so add that to the list of good choices. I stole a few bites of her country-style potatoes  and enjoyed them as well. Aside from the Monte Cristo, we had a great meal at Scotty’s with wonderful service and  would easily recommend it.

On our second full day in New York City, we wanted to try some New York style pizza. We were walking along 8th Avenue heading north from Times Square to Central Park and couldn’t find any suitable stops along the way. So we cut over to Broadway and immediately found 99 Cent Fresh Pizza. Yes, that is actually the name of the place.

Outside

The inside of this place is tiny and was packed full of customers waiting for their pizza orders. It seems this shop sells their pizza quicker than  they can make it, but the wait was just a few minutes for my order of four  slices. A slice of cheese pizza is 99 cents, but toppings can be added for a small charge.

Inside

We took our slices up to Central Park and had a little picnic with the kids. On first impression I though that I should have just stuck with cheese for all our  slices, as the sausage and mushroom topping were not pretty to look at. The mushrooms were obviously from a can and not really all that warm.  The sausage was slightly better, but I still enjoyed the cheese the best.

Pizza

The slices were fairly large. The cheese pizza was  actually pretty good,though I think it could have used a little more sauce. Definitely skip the toppings, but for the price it is tough to beat a couple of slices of cheese. Plus you can add a can of soda for 75 more cents to make one really cheap lunch.

Just around the corner from our hotel in Murray Hill we found Black Shack Burger for a late dinner during our recent stay in NYC.  Black Shack sits a half story underground and it really has a basement feel to it. The somewhat limited menu is posted above the ordering counter. After placing your order you can choose from a dozen or so booths and tables and your food will be delivered when it is ready.

Inside

I went with the western chicken sandwich with  crispy onions, pickles, and BBQ sauce ($7). The chicken  was cooked perfectly and the toppings went well together. The BBQ sauce was especially good and at least appeared to be made from scratch.

Western Chicken Sandwich

My wife tried the special of the day, pulled pork sandwich. This was really good and came loaded with coleslaw just the way I like it. The pork was well cooked and again the sauce was very nice. We also shared an order of fries ($2.50) and onion rings ($3). The onion rings were  better than the fries, which I think should be skipped. Maybe the sweet potato fries would be a better choice?

Pulled Pork Sandwich

There is no special kids menu so our two youngins split one regular hamburger and both seemed to enjoy it ($6.25). They liked that it wasn’t too thick and was cooked to a perfect medium temperature. Overall we had a nice dinner at Black Shack Burger.

After spending the better part of the morning and early afternoon at the amazing Rockefeller Park in Battery Park City, my family was ready for a late lunch. A friend had recommended that we check out the Hudson Eats food court inside the former World Financial Center building. Approaching from the north is a bit confusing with construction in the area, but we eventually found our way to the dining area.

Hudson Eats

My wife and I quickly decided to give Dos Toros Taqueria a try. This restaurant is very similar to Chipotle or other counter service burrito joints. They do offer quesdillas on the menu, which seemed to be the same as a burrito but without rice and beans. I really wanted to try their carnitas but I was told they were out of everything but chicken, so I went with the pollo asado burrito ($8.73).

Burrito Outside

The burrito size was very comparable to Chipotle and was wrapped in foil as you would expect. One thing I noticed right away during my burrito preparation that distinguishes Dos Toros is that they melt a slice of cheese onto the tortilla before anything else is added. I then added black beans, rice, salsa, sour cream and guacamole ($.92 extra). Overall the choices are a little more limited than I am used to at Chipotle.

Burrito Inside

The taste of the burrito was good overall. I really didn’t care for the melted cheese and would have preferred a loving scoop of shredded cheese mixed in. And I missed the fajita peppers and onions that I normally get from Chipotle. Overall I enjoyed the food at Dos Toros but I think I’d rather eat at Chipotle nearly every time.