Who doesn't love LEFTOVERS?

Our guest reviewers love when they have leftovers to take home from their favorite restaurants.  "I had leftovers for a day and a half!" you'll hear them proclaim on the show, as they gush over large portion sizes.

But, LEFTOVERS are especially exciting when it's a reference to the brand new companion web video series to the Check, Please! South Florida television show. 

Want to get a look beyond the broadcast? Craving another taste of the featured restaurants reviewed on the show?  We've got recipe demos from some of the season's best chefs and an extra serving of sound bites from restaurant owners and managers.  (We just couldn't let perfectly good scenes go to waste.)  Find out more about their life stories, learn the secrets behind some of the traditional menu items, or hear about their general food philosophy. 

For an extra serving of Check, Please! South Florida, check out the LEFTOVERS video series, posted on the show's YouTube channel.  Enjoy!

A new season AND a new look!

On Monday, January 23rd, a brand new season of Check, Please! South Florida will premiere on WPBT2....sporting a brand new look!  Yep, we gave the show a bit of a facelift - with some fun new music, colors, and graphics -  but you can still expect to see our host Chef Michelle Bernstein's shining smile and hear the honest and passionate reviews of local guest reviewers.  This season's restaurants include a lively mix of cuisines and cultures from as far South as Palmetto Bay and up North to Palm Beach.  Looking for dog-friendly vegan cuisine?  We've got a hidden away waterfront spot just steps away from Dixie Hwy.  (Who knew?)  Craving something creative and special without the upscale prices?  We've got a few chef-owned restaurants this season that will fit the bill.  From authentic Mexican street food (no burritos here!)....to a Vietnamese mainstay (smack in the middle of Little Havana!)....to a mom and her son serving up soul food near Dolphin Stadium (think tailgating grub!)...to some truly unique special occasion gems, we've got a whole smorgasbord of spots for you to check out.

Also new this season: a companion web series, called Check, Please! South Florida "Leftovers," will offer you another chance to meet the chefs or owners of some of the featured restaurants, hear more about their food philosophy, and even watch them make some of their signature dishes.  For these 'video extras,' stay tuned to our blog, Facebook page...or check out our YouTube channel.

Finally, last season's bus tour through Ft. Lauderdale - the Check, Please! Tasting Tour - was a huge success, and we've had lots of requests for another one.  So...there's a pretty good chance another exciting event will be right around the corner.  Stay tuned for details!

In the meantime, don't miss the bus on the brand new season, starting Monday, January 23rd at 7:30 p.m., brought to you thanks to the generous support our sponsors: Badia, Whole Foods Market, Johnson & Wales University, and George & Helen Weaver.

Bon Appetit!

 

Nominate your favorite FOOD TRUCK ROUND-UP!

We're coming up on the Production of Season 8, and we think it's time to feature the food truck frenzy that has swept over South Florida. But, rather than focusing on just one or two trucks, we'd like to hear about your favorite food truck meet-ups.  (They happen nearly every day of the week all across South Florida.)  You can also include info on which trucks at the round-ups are your go-to spots. 

If you'd like the chance to be one of our food critics-for-a-day, go to our website and click the "be a reviewer" link toward the top of the page.  That will launch the online application.  Fill it out and nominate any one of the local Food Truck Round-ups as your favorite 'restaurant' and you may be chosen to join us for the upcoming tapings in early February.  

A couple of restrictions to note: You can't be a food professional (food critic, food blogger, restaurant owner, or chef), and you can't have any financial ties to any of the food trucks, their related restaurants, or meet-up venues.

Let the nominations begin!

Restaurant Updates

Close to a hundred restaurants have been featured on Check, Please! over the past few years.  We thought it was time to give you a chance to send us updates on any restaurants that have changed hands, closed, renovated their building - or their menu...for better or for worse.

Sadly, several of the restaurants that have been featured have closed their doors for good, including Casa Bella of Dania Beach, DeVito's of Miami Beach, and Scorch of North Miami Beach.

Some, like our friends at Josef's of Plantation have closed their restaurants, but have big plans to re-open soon in a new location.  Others, like Pasta And... in Margate, changed ownership shortly after they were featured, but have stayed open in the same location with the same menu.

With all these changes taking place, we'd love for you to be our eyes and ears, feeding us news on our featured restaurants when you hear about it.  So here is a place to leave your feedback.  Loyal viewer, Jack Gilman, recently visited Boston's in Delray Beach only to find a completely renovated restaurant with a few new menu items as well.  His comments can be found below.

Beer Tasting Giveaway!!!

Calling all Beer Connoisseurs!  Sublime Restaurant & Bar (formerly reviewed on Check, Please! Season 2) has an exciting event coming up with your name on it.  From 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 20th, you'll get the chance to taste over a dozen craft beers from some of the country's best microbreweries.  Alongside the beers, enjoy Sublime's housemade kettle chips and pretzel bites. 

We've got two pairs of tickets to give away for this fun evening of brews!  Leave a beer-related comment on our Facebook page Wall between now and 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, 10/18, and you will automatically be entered into a drawing for a pair of tickets. (Only one entry per person.)

Winners will be announced on FACEBOOK Wednesday morning.

(Tickets can also be purchased here.)

Cheers!

Join us for the Tasting Tour!

After our exceedingly delicious - and very successful - tasting event in May at the WPBT2 studios, we heard from several viewers asking for an event in Broward.  (You know who you are!)  So, we have decided to take to the road with our next shindig.  The Check, Please! South Florida Tasting Tour will take place on Tuesday evening, November 8, 2011.

Hosted by chef Michelle Bernstein and Paul Castronovo of the Paul & Young Ron show, this progressive party will transport you to 5 different restaurants in the Ft. Lauderdale area, where you can taste some exciting menu items and sip on wines or specialty drinks, while mixing and mingling with dozens of other local foodies.  No need to worry about the hassles of driving and parking.  We've got two private charter busses reserved just for you (and 99 of your closest friends).

Tickets go on sale to the public at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, October 3rd.  (Check out a special episode of Check, Please! South Florida, which will air at that same time on WPBT2, to get the scoop on all the details of the event.)  Tickets are extremely limited.  They are $125 each and available only at checkpleasefl.com. 

All proceeds go toward the continued production of Check, Please! South Florida on WPBT2.  So kill two birds with one stone - enjoy an exciting evening of food, while supporting your favorite restaurant review show.  We want to keep bringing you the dish on South Florida's dining gems, recommended by regular people like you!

Participating restaurants for the Tasting Tour include Rocco's Tacos & Tequila Bar, Coco Asian Bistro & Bar, Canyon Southwestern Cafe, Sublime Restaurant & Bar, and the 11th Street Annex.  (The last stop includes dessert, coffee, and a street party put on by those lovely ladies who call themselves "the two ugly sisters."  They're longtime caterers, and we hear they know how to put on a party!)

Our sponsors for this fun-filled evening include the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, Miami-Dade chapter, Southern Wine & Spirits, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Terressentia, and El Carajo International Tapas & Wines.  We're grateful for their generous support and assistance in making this an evening to remember!

Now, all we need is YOU!  Hope to see you there!

Diary of a Guest Reviewer

 Recent guest reviewer Tom Priester blogged about his experience on Check, Please! South Florida.  Here's what he had to say:

As my readers know, I am passionate about real estate; I love each one of my clients and the challenges of finding the perfect solutions to each one of their real estate goals. Another thing I have a great passion for is food and this is one that both my wife and I share. One of our favorite shows is Check Please! South Florida starring Michelle Bernstein. Invariably every Monday at 7:30 will have us tuned to WPBT2 if there is a new episode to be enjoyed. My wife Lisa, kept telling me I should be on the show so eventually I visited their website and filled out the application.

I didn’t really know too much about the show, Michelle Bernstein, or what the entire process would be like and didn’t really dig further until I received the call about 2 weeks after my phone interview that I had been selected. Then I dig; I learn the show started in Chicago and that included on it’s guest list is Barack Obama (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oyTD6JGie0). I also learn the show is so popular in the Windy City that there is a waiting list with 27,000 names who want to be on the show as a guest reviewer. A few wise city’s have followed suit and now San Francisco, Miami, Kansas City and Phoenix each have their own versions. Now I am thinking what am I getting myself into?

Then I do a little digging into Michelle Bernstein who I always enjoyed watching on the show. A James Beard Award winner as Best Chef South in 2008 with multiple restaurants like Michy’s which Gourmet named one of the “Top 50 Restaurants in the Country” and tagged by Food and Wine as “Best New Restaurant 2006”. More restaurants follow; MB an open air restaurant at the Aqua Resort in Cancun, SRA Martinez in Miami’s Design District and Michelle Bernstein on Palm Beach at the incredible Omphoy Resort. 

As part of the application process you select three restaurants and go into great detail as to why you think they would be a good fit for the show. This would be part of a “northern” episode of the show and my three choices were Nonna Maria’s, Captain Charlie’s Reef Grill (Food Shack had already been featured in an earlier season) and I threw in CW’s BBQ in Hobe Sound. Even through the phone interview I was pushing Nonna’s as we love their food, ambiance, the owner’s and thought the exposure would be great for their business. Then I got the call we would be reviewing CW’s and I thought what the #$@%! Don’t get me wrong CW’s is one of my favorite spots. On Friday night their smoked prime rib is unbelievable and Chris the owner is an awesome chef but you need to know CW’s. You do not go there for the ambiance, or service, and if you do not know your way around it can be confusing; it is pretty much grab a table, pour yourself a glass of water, no alcohol and cash only. Now I find out two unknowns and Michelle Bernstein are going to venture where Check Please! has never ventured with a restaurant in Martin County that if they blink they might miss and if they walk in the wrong door they are going to end up in a pawn shop! I am hoping for the best.

So the next step is in about a 10 day period to visit each of the three restaurants selected for the show, enjoy a meal and write a detailed review and have it off to the show’s producers within 24 hours of my visit. The second restaurant on my list, Captain Charlie’s was also going to be on the show as it was the pick of another reviewer and finally a cuban restaurant in West Palm Beach called Havana Restaurant. You’ll have to tune in tomorrow at 7:30 to see how it goes from there.

It seemed like it took forever but a few weeks later we were scheduled to be in Miami for filming and I had gone over each of my dining experiences multiple times, knew the cute little one liner’s I would throw at Michelle and figured we would be in and out of the studio in no time. I never even thought that I may in fact get nervous. 

I am led to the “Green Room” and am the first of our group to arrive but there are two episodes being filmed that day and the first group is there. Great people and we start talking about real estate, food, you name it and new friends are made. I even learn that Michelle Bernstein was recently on Iron Chef America and emerged victorious in her battle with Bobby Flay. The rest of my group shows up and the conversation continues. These people are real foodies and the producers were present and kept reminding us that we are not to discuss anything about the restaurants or our experiences but I had already heard a couple barbs about CW’s and now I am a bit worried.

We are there for a long time; the first taping has been through make-up and will soon be filming. No sign of Michelle Bernstein just this “Green Room” and a bunch of people talking. Then someone grabs me; Tom it is your turn for make-up. Makeup? I don’t need no stinking make-up but there I go off to be powdered and pampered as they make their best attempts to make this balding, big nosed, chubby Realtor® presentable for the world of high definition TV. The make-up artist is awesome and we shoot the breeze as this is taking forever; it seems I am taking longer than the others to make presentable. I ask who is the most famous person they had “made-up” and I don’t even know who that is. Now I am getting nervous.

Finally after much powder, spray and who knows what else I am directed back to the Green Room as our final reviewer takes their spot in make-up and soon we will be behind the cameras. Now I don’t feel like talking as I don’t want to mess up any of the make-up that just took them about 30 minutes to put on. The producer reminds me this is the first season they are filming in high definition; great, just what I wanted to hear!

Finally, we are ushered through a series of halls and soon we enter the stage for Check Please! one that I had seen many times on TV even though some cosmetic changes have been completed since the previous season. It is cold, real cold, and for that I am thankful; at least I won’t be sweating. We are seated and wired as they conceal microphones and wires which takes enough time for me to finally notice all of the cameras and lights which surround us. In comes Michelle and we get started. Darn, I think I am nervous.

We were asked what kind of wine we would like but told not to drink any before the taping begins. The relaxing chat around the table that I envisioned wasn’t coming as easily as I had hoped, my cute little quips about each course at each restaurant were no longer at the tip of my tongue. Damn! Michelle asked questions, I answered them, I really do not even know what I said and am hoping for the best. I was happy to have my wine glass and halfway through the taping they stopped and filled them and I found out why. My fellow reviewer had emptied their glass! Guess I am not the only one with a little case of nerves. Tomorrow for the 1st time I will get to see how it all turns out; did I make a fool of myself, will Chris even let me back into CW’s after seeing this episode, did the make-up make me presentable, did I make a fool of myself? 

I will say the entire process was a lot of fun, Michelle Bernstein is awesome and I am now a huge fan of hers and hope one day I can get to each of her restaurants, the entire staff of Check Please! and WPBT2 were incredible, my fellow reviewers were tremendous and I found another new restaurant to call one of my favorites. My thanks to each and every one of them for allowing me to be a part of the process! And as we chatted Michelle thanked me for bringing CW’s BBQ to them as it is exactly the type of restaurant they are looking for!

So tune in tomorrow to Channel 2 at 7:30 and see how it all turns out. For those of you not lucky enough to call southern Florida home you can access the show through this link (http://channel2.typepad.com/checkpleasefl/series.html) after the episode airs. 

Wish me luck!

Always at Your Service,

Tom Priester  e-PRO

“Results Driven Real Estate”

Keller Williams Realty

561 308-0175

tom@tompriester.com

 

Taste of Check, Please!

On Thursday, May 19th about 250 food-lovers piled in to WPBT2's Studio A to enjoy food from over a dozen restaurants previously featured on Check, Please! South Florida.  Participating restaurants included B&M Market, Berries in the Grove, Dolores but you can call me Lolita, El Carajo, Imlee, Le Bouchon du Grove, Maroosh, Michy's, Schnitzel Haus, Sra. Martinez, Tap Tap, and La Camaronera.  Happy Wine donated some delicious Prosseco, Malbec, and Pouilly Fusse.  For those with a sweet tooth, delicious baked goods were provided by Pink Tiger Sweet Treats and a decadent taza by Valor Chocolates.  Badia and Whole Foods provided some additional beverages.

Sweet Flavor FL.com generously provided the beautiful disposable serving dishes, wine glasses, and champagne flutes (seriously, check out their website...their products are fantastic!)  And Bridgette B. Sharpton, local social worker, literacy proponent, and Founder of Walk the Walk, supported us from the very beginning.  (Her Bee Sharpton Literacy Network 5K Run/Walk is coming up this weekend....We hope you will consider supporting this important cause.)   The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association served as our Presenting Sponsor.

We thank you all for your support and enthusiasm...and we hope all those who attended the "Taste" had a great time. Thanks to you, we were able to raise much-needed production funds to keep Check, Please! South Florida going strong.  To see more photos from the Event, check out our Facebook page!

 

 
  
 

Kids' Cuisine

Tonight, the Check, Please! season 6 premiere features three local first and second-graders dishing about their favorite places to dine.  You may be surprised by their choices.  (I know we were.)  Tofu and sushi?  On a Kids' show?  What's the most surprising thing you've ever seen a child eat?  Do you think kids are making healthier choices today?  What do you think about the children's menus at local restaurants?  We want to hear from you!

We Need Your Vote!

Exciting news!  The Check, Please! South Florida blog has been nominated in the Sun Sentinel's Best of Blogs Awards!  Please click on the icon below, scroll down to the "Foodies" category, and cast your vote for South Florida's favorite restaurant review show!  (You can vote once a day.)  Thanks for your support!