I can count on one hand the things that are better than food. One of them is free food. Last week, Tilson Communications so graciously invited yours truly to the 152nd store opening of Bonefish Grill in Plantation. It was my first time entering a Bonefish Grill (shocking, I know), and believe me, I was not disappointed. In fact, I liked it so much I took it upon myself to build you your next Bonefish Grill menu selection, from appetizers all the way to dessert, so you can experience the greatness for yourself.

Bang Bang Shrimp. It's just amazing. That is all.

Appetizer: Bang Bang Shrimp

Yes, they are everything they are cracked up to be. Seven ounces of lightly breaded shrimp tossed in a homemade spicy cream sauce, the Bang Bang Shrimp has heat without making you gulp for air (or water). Not overcooked, not over-spiced, and definitely not over-powering, I would probably order this for an appetizer and an entrée, it is that good.

Fun fact: The employees at Bonefish Grill say that the spiciness changes with the seasons. During the hotter months, the spicier the sauce gets.

Cocktail: Ocean Trust Martini

It’s like saving a sea turtle every time you drink! Every time you purchase an Ocean Trust Martini – made with Absolut Citron vodka combined with freshly muddled mango and orange – $1 goes to the Ocean Trust Foundation. The year-old project donates money from all stores nationwide. In case you needed a deciding factor in drink ordering, take into consideration our loving ocean. Not only is the drink fantastic, but you’re also saving our ocean’s living beings. Good for you!

Dinner: Fontina Chop with Mashed Potatoes

Skip the apple sauce, Peter Brady, I’m a meat-and-potatoes kinda girl, and this chop is no exception. A tender boneless pork chop doused with fontina cheese, garlic, prosciutto, a mushroom marsala wine sauce and served with garlic mashed potatoes. Sorry, Alice, you can keep your homemade chops. Even General Manager Joe DeCaro says the meal is “one of [his] favorites” on the menu.

“We offer such a variety of seafood and that’s great, but people don’t always realize that the pork chops are delicious,” DeCaro says, who has been at Bonefish Grill for more than three years. That they are, Joe — that they are.

The gluten-free Macadamia-nut Brownie. Have I ever steered you wrong?

Dessert and After-Dinner Drink: Macadamia-nut Brownie and Espresso Martini

If you’ve been keeping up with my blog, you know my stance on desserts with nuts. Yes, I’ll say it again: I’m not a fan of brownies any other way than plain. So when the plate sat in front of me with nut-filled brownies, ice cream, whipped cream and raspberry sauce, it took me a minute to find a starting point. But since I’m in no place to judge a dessert by its nuts, I eventually started. The thing is, I didn’t really stop. Even with nuts, the brownie was moist, rich, and (thankfully!) not over-cooked, which is something I encounter a lot with restaurant brownies.

To make you feel better about yourself, the brownie is actually a flourless, gluten-free dessert. If you ignore the ice cream, whipped cream and raspberry sauce, the brownie itself may actually be good for you. Check out the rest of their gluten-free menu.

To make up for it, you can drink the amazing espresso martini. Made with Svedka Vanilla Vodka, Kahlua, crème de cacao, and made-to-order espresso, the dessert martini is the perfect ending to a great meal. Since it doesn’t carry the foam of a cappuccino or the heaviness of milk from a latté, it’s actually pretty light in taste… but that could just be from the vodka.

Still skeptical about Bonefish Grill? Check out the menu of the new Plantation location.

Don’t forget to follow Bonefish Grill on Twitter for up-to-date specials for your location, as well as reviews, news, and new menu features.

*Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on August 25, 2009 on worstpizza.com

Half-pepperoni, half-meatball pizza at Authentic Booklyn Pizza in Boca Raton

All good things come out of Brooklyn, don’t they? The Dodgers, my Grandma, and damn good pizza.

And eventually, all good things that come out of Brooklyn migrate somewhere else. The Dodgers went to Los Angeles, my Grandma went to Century Village, and Authentic Brooklyn Pizza came to Boca Raton.

Located just east of Interstate 95 on Palmetto Park Rd., Authentic Brooklyn Pizza (ABP) currently resides in a building that doesn’t even house its very title. Under the sign “Mario the Baker” – the name of the previous tenants – ABP is still getting settled in nearly three months after opening. They don’t need that much work, really, because the sign will eventually change. But the pizza – the pizza should stay exactly the way it is.

During my recent visit, I had the luxury of eating the pepperoni pie. Large slices of salty pepperoni with a light, slightly crunchy, thin crust. If I had more room in my stomach, I would have eaten more. That pizza was amazing.

Since I’m not a big fan of inordinate amounts of sauce, I’m glad Tony the manager isn’t, either. A very little amount of sauce – what some of the other pizza eaters considered too little – was absolutely perfect for me. My theory is this: if there’s too much sauce, then there isn’t enough pizza. This pie had a great balance of all ingredients.

Me and my other pizza-eaters that day had the opportunity to try to meatball pizza as well. Sort of like a meatball sub (but less sauce, thankfully), the pizza had sliced meatballs that were the same size as the large pepperoni pizza. They were a little spicy, but I actually thought that’s what made the pizza so tasty.

I give Authentic Brooklyn Pizza 7 out of 8 slices. Maybe if they get their name on their restaurant, I can reconsider my rating.

Sliced beef brisket

One of the most enjoyable parts of my religion is the amount of holidays we have. While some people avoid family get-togethers at most, if not all costs, I embrace them. Let’s be honest, it’s not really because I want to see my family, it’s because I want to eat my Grandma’s delicious brisket.

Surprisingly, she wasn’t born with the amazing talent of making the meal. Every few months, she likes to tell me how she wasn’t always the famed and respected cook I make her come out to be… and with good reason.

“When I married your Grandfather [in 1953], I couldn’t even boil water,” she tells me. “I would burn rice. I would burn everything. It took me awhile to get the hang of things.”

I’m glad I wasn’t around for the bad parts, because the good ones taste so much better. Other brisket recipes has been attempted, but never replicated to the level of this one. It stands as the family favorite, and always has.

I’m surprised she was so giving of the recipe. But for the love of Jewish fat kids everywhere (and with Rosh Hashanah starting on Friday night), she knew it was for a good cause.

Grandma’s delicious Brisket

Serving size: 10-12

8-10 lbs of beef brisket
3 large onions, sliced
5 lbs of potatoes, halved
1 lb carrots, cut into thirds
3-4 cloves of crushed garlic
1 pkg of Lipton onion soup (2 pkg per box)
1 cup of ketchup (approx)
½ bottle of Manischewitz Concord Grape Wine
2 tablespoons of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 15 oz can beef broth
Water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place sliced onions and crushed garlic evenly on the bottom of large roasting pan. Place meat on top of onions and garlic. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper, then sprinkle the onion soup mix over the meat. Spread ketchup on top of the meat. Pour beef broth and wine over everything, and then add water to completely submerge meat (amount of water varies on the meat. Use however much necessary to completely submerge the meat). Cover the pan with lid or foil and roast for two hours UNTOUCHED. LEAVE IT ALONE. Watching the NCIS marathon or something…

After two hours, remove from oven and put meat on cutting board. Let it rest for 30 minutes. Slice the meat approximately 1/8-inch thick (or to your preference) and return to roasting pan. Add the potatoes and carrots and roast for one hour covered. Now back to that marathon…

Remove, put in a container, and refrigerate overnight. Yes, overnight. Why? Because it always tastes better on Day 2 (no really, trust me on this one). On Day 2, pour all ingredients in roasting pan and heat at 350 degrees for one hour.

In South Florida, we have only two weather-related seasons: hurricane and non-hurricane. Because of this, we devote ourselves to other seasons. Case and point: football.

My previous experience in bars and restaurants has taught me that football is synonymous with two things: wings and beer. Personally, I don’t need the beer. But I do, in fact, love the wings. Luckily for us South Floridians, we all have many, many options for both.

So, for the good of the economy, take advantage of these specials throughout the season.

All season specials are for both college and professional games.

Duffy’s Sports Grill

Being a predominately Palm Beach County restaurant and bar, Duffy’s is slowly moving south with the Deerfield and newly-opened Plantation locations. With 20 stores spreading across the two counties, most Duffy’s locations support the home team Miami Dolphins. The Boca store says they cater to many New York Giants and New York Jets fans, as well as some Washington Redskins regulars.

• $7.99 domestic pitchers
• $2 beer of the month (it’s currently Blue Moon during September)
• 5-for-$9 domestic buckets
• $9.99 “touchdown” combo plate: ¼ rack ribs, chicken fingers and shrimp platter
• Happy Hour is always 4-7 p.m. and 9-cl with 2-4-1 on everything except shots and pitchers. This special includes premiums, top shelf liquors, and multi-liquor mixed drinks.

For daily specials on food, drinks, and how to become a MVP cardholder, follow Duffy’s on Twitter.

Bru’s Room Wings ‘n Things

It’s been 25 years since Buffalo native Eddie Hauck opened his first Bru’s Room in Fort Lauderdale, and seven locations later, they are one of my favorite places for wings. (Attempt to read their history here). Their recent opening in Coconut Creek has been a prime spot for some of my sports-related ventures, including a few UFC fights. With half a dozen jumbo-sized TV’s inside and out, along with two jumbo-sized bars, convenience isn’t just in the look, it’s in the drink specials, too.

Most locations have a mix of fans from all teams, but the Pompano location says they are “Gator central.”

• $3 Heineken, Heineken Light, Dos Equis, and Amstel Light
• $2 domestic drafts and domestic longnecks
• $5 Skyy vodka doubles, Bru’s spiced rum doubles and (get this) Long Island Iced Teas. (Hi, immediately drunk, party of one).
• No one at the Deerfield location could tell me about food discounts, but they have “daily food specials that also go on through the season.”

Quarterdeck Restaurant

With the Fort Lauderdale Cordova location being the first of now seven locations, it stands as the oldest QDeck – at 60 years young! – for your football viewing pleasure. With Broward and Palm Beach County locations, the original Quarterdeck plays host to Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles fans alike. Rest assured, though, the home team “gets the speakers,” that is – VIP TV viewing and listening for you Miami Dolphins fans while the others get to follow the closed captioning.

• Free pitcher of 60 oz beer of Bud Light or Bud Select with purchase of two meals http://twitpic.com/fzfpj
• Take-Out only special: $5 ½ rack of ribs; $5 BBQ chickens; $24.99 for 50 wings
• Silly side note: free cappuccino on Wednesdays at Ft. Lauderdale Las Olas location
• Their daily food specials mean they don’t really need to have season specials, since you can get a full rack of baby back ribs for $9.99 during your Sunday venture.

For more daily specials and up-to-date news on the restaurant, follow them on Twitter.

Check back throughout the season for more restaurant, bar and homemade specials.

Hungry Howie's large cheese pizza for just $5 on Wednesdays. Try the flavored crusts, too!

There are $5 footlongs, $5 combo meals, and even $5 cookies that are the size of small children. But nothing beats a $5 large cheese pizza from Hungry Howie’s for a mid-week hunger attack.

Every Wednesday, Hungry Howie’s offers a plain cheese pizza for the same price as a sub at one of those other places. Only in this case, you can feed more people than just yourself… unless you’re, of course, a super-size fat kid and can eat the entire thing.

Don’t do it. Get a pie, with some butter-cheese crust, and give some to a buddy. Even fat kids can share.

Toppings and goodies are extra, of course. With a $5 pie for the night, I’m sure you can splurge on some pepperoni, right?

On Twitter? Follow Hungry Howie’s.

I love you, Monster, no matter how ginormous you are...

Anything that’s named “the Monster” was obviously named for people like me. Rare roast beef, ham, and turkey… it’s like it was created from the Fat Kid Gods above.

Or maybe they’re not above. Maybe they’re the master meat slicers at Laspada’s Original Hoagies who toss sandwich meat like it’s a professional sport rather than building a sub.

But maybe that’s what makes the Monster so godforsaken delicious – the way it’s created. The meat isn’t pre-sliced and in a mini-fridge. It doesn’t sit in a metal bucket on ice. It sits whole, as if you’re at a deli counter, before meat-slicer man creates hoagie sub heaven with his own two hands.

Your special toppings are exactly that: your special toppings. Make it however your little heart desires. But remember the base is exactly like the top. The cut-to-order meat sets the foundation and closes in the extras on the hoagie. Making it, in fact, a monster. Or, in some cases, a bitch. Can you really stuff that that sucker in your mouth?

Exactly. But once you get started, monster hoagie craving takes over and you find yourself unable to stop. I’ve eaten a foot-long to the point of sheer expansion, on the brink of explosion. It’s not a sickness. In fact, I consider it a love – a love of food that only Laspada’s can provide. I’m OK with that realization, as long as the meat slicers keep creating sweet monster sub salvation.

I visit the Coral Springs location on Sample Rd., but click here to see which Broward County shop is closest to you.

If it were any regular cheeseburger, I wouldn’t have to talk about it.

But it’s the Cowboy burger from Charm City Burger Co. in Deerfield Beach, and it’s like it was made just for fat kids like me.

I get it sans-sautéed mushrooms, but that doesn’t take away from its awesomeness. It’s also loaded up with sautéed onions, cheddar cheese and thick-cut bacon because, as co-owner Mike Saperstein puts it, “people love bacon.”

That they do. And Saperstein attributes it to how it is prepared.

“It’s thick cut and slow-cooked in the oven,” Saperstein says. “If I’m holding it and it doesn’t stick straight up, it’s no good.”

I’m not going to argue with a man with such passion for bacon, because the man knows how to make a damn good burger. Meat arrives daily from their own meat company in Ft. Lauderdale, Green Range Farms.

But the bacon… don’t forget the bacon. Don’t ever forget the bacon. Because it’s delicious.

If you’re not convinced, follow them on Twitter and look out for their daily specials.