Those of us who live in South Florida know that the New Times "Best of" Awards are not real awards. 2011 is no different. It's not like a bunch of experts get together in a room and argue until they're blue in the face over who the winners should be. The awards are about making nice with local businesses; they create silly categories so they can give kudos to places that don't really deserve any sort of praise in a real category. There's no way that they could do a very good job with such a large scale "award" program; there isn't anyone in the organization that has enough direct knowledge to make the choices. They have 10 or 12 "bloggers" that cover 2 counties, so they might know a couple of good places each. So the awards are just a mish-mosh of disjoint experiences.
You can't use their "Best of" to make your choices. Last year's "Best Restaurant in Broward" didn't get a single mention this year; are they no longer any good? It seems that if a restaurant is so good that you declare it the best restaurant in the county that it would still be pretty good this year. But like I said, their "awards" have nothing to do with the truth; it has to do with making stuff up to fill space in the blog.
Unfortunately, not everyone knows what's really going on over there. And what's even more unfortunate, is that some people may stumble upon the "awards" and make a choice based on them. It's a heckuva way to ruin an evening. Making matters worse is that New Times sends out an "award certificate", which restaurants hang on their walls as if they've actually won some award or something.
Some of their choices are so patently wrong that it can't possibly be a mistake. So in an effort to steer you right, we're going to critique their awards. We'll do a few each day; in a few days you'll have a better idea of what's good and what's not. I'm not all that familiar with West Palm, so I'll pass over some of the Best of Palm Beach selections. Nobody in Fort Lauderdale cares much about that anyway.
Best Restaurant in Broward
New Times' choice in this category was the Grateful Palate. I like the Grateful Palate, but I don't know anyone who thinks that it's the best restaurant on E17th Street much less all of Broward County. There's something uneasy about the place; it doesn't really feel like a restaurant. It's sort of like a banquet room where you can get served food. It can't be the best restaurant in town.
I'm not prepared to say what's the best restaurant in Broward quite yet. But this isn't it.
Best New Restaurant in Broward
This one they got wrong, and is prima facie evidence that they're not even trying. Rocco's Tacos is the best new restaurant in Broward by such a wide margin that it's not even a matter for debate. Rocco's is one of the coolest places in Fort Lauderdale. It has the most buzz. It gets the biggest crowds. You can't miss this one without going way out of your way to be wrong.
Best Steakhouse
New Times chose Cut 432, but I don't see any evidence that they've been there since 2008. I was there recently and it certainly better not be the best steakhouse. They have some really bad stuff and there's really nothing great about it; maybe the ambiance if it suits you. But Frankly, I'd Rather eat at Ruth's Chris than at Cut 432. The food is better, it's not as loud or crowded, and it's not as expensive.
You'll have to follow my Best in Fort Lauderdale article to get my pick for this. I'm still working on it.
Best Burger
This is one of their most ridiculous selections year after year. Once again, it's Big City Dogs, a hot dog place that doesn't know how to make a Chicago dog and that puts relish on an Italian Sausage sandwich. One of their editors has some evil contract or something with this place; but he's the only one I've ever heard talk about the burgers. The picture doesn't even look good; with dill pickle spears and thick cut tomatoes.
I've had a bunch of pretty good burgers, but as we learned from the Burger Battle, its more about what you put on it than the burger itself. You can get a good burger at any number of places. My highest rated Burger place is Charm City Burgers in Deerfield Beach. Charm City is far superior to Big City Dogs on every level.
Best Margarita
This one really cracks me up.They gave an "award" to Canyon for the Prickly Pear Margarita. Except they put up a picture of some other prickly pear concoction that they pulled down from the internet. It makes me wonder; has anyone at New Times even been to Canyon? You'd think that one person on their staff would spot the picture and point out that it wasn't actually a shot of the winning cocktail. I guess that's too much to expect.
I'm not a fan of the Prickly Pear. Canyon makes pitchers of them and seems to get ticked off if you order something else. I'd rather get a patron margarita at Rocco's myself.
Best Cheap Lunch
New Times gave this award to Bozo's Sandwich Shop, for no apparent reason. There are a ton of places in this town to get a cheap lunch, and Bozos is out of the way and no better than a lot of other places, and at $4/gallon for gas it will cost you a couple of bucks to get there. My choice for a cheap sandwich would be Mr. Nicks on Andrews. Darn good sandwiches with zero ambiance and cheap prices. Or if you're in the mood for cuban, Las Colinas, in a neighborhood just as creepy as Bozos, but a notch or 2 better overall.
Best Milk Shake
For this category the New Times crew felt the need to plug yet-another food truck; it seems that most of them eat most of their meals at Food Trucks, probably due to the meager wages they earn. But the problem here is that this is a Miami Food Truck that occasionally shows up at the Hard Rock, so it's hardly a "Broward" choice. At a time when gas is nearly $4 / gallon (or more if you drive a BMW or other car requiring premium gas), the concept of driving all over in search of a food truck seems misguided.
For great shakes, I'll give you 2 choices: CG Burgers or Steak and Shake in Delray and Davie. Between 2pm and 4pm the shakes are 1/2 price at Steak and Shake, and they are as good as they get.
Best Pizza
New Times' choice for this was Pizza Oceana, which is in Lantana and way too far from Fort Lauderdale to be considered. I can't say that there is one place in Fort Lauderdale that you can count on getting a great pizza twice in a row. Inconsistency reigns here. Luigi's is promising, but I've only been there once.
Best Beer Selection
New Times selected a place in Coral Springs, which just isn't on the radar of anyone in Fort Lauderdale. What is Coral Springs anyway, a place for people who can't afford to live in Boca? Surprisingly, there aren't a lot of Beer crazy places in Fort Lauderdale. To me, the "best beer selection" is a place that has a beer that I want; not how many they have.There's no place in town that has both Guinness on Tap and Turbo Dog, so I'm at a loss. Maguire's Hill would be my local choice. But I'm just getting the Guinness.
Best Taco
New Times blew this one big time, as their ridiculous bias towards giving plugs to food trucks continues. I didn't like Nacho Bizness at all, mainly because their taco shells suck rocks. They just fell apart and had a bad taste, which pretty much eliminates them as a choice for any award. If you want good, authentic tacos, go to Dona Raquel, or a bit closer to downtown, go to Alegria. Nacho Bizness isn't even in the conversation.
Best Place to Get Drunk
New Times choice for this is a movie theatre complex, which is more of a commentary on the age range of the people there than anything else. If I'm allowed to pick a general area rather than a single place; I'd have to say Himmarshee village. Getting drunk is part of the experience.
Best Place to eat Lunch Every Day
New Times gave this silly award to Charcuterie Too, which is a cafeteria inside the Main Library downtown. They serve pedestrian food in a crappy environment. I've been there twice and never think of going there even though I live nearby.
Obviously, the best place to eat lunch everyday is the Cheesecake Factory, mainly because they have every known dish from every corner of the world on their menu. And they serve booze too; who wants to eat lunch every day at a place you can't get a beer?
Best Chain Restaurant
New Times awarded 5 guys the best chain restaurant, but they're not even in my top 10. To me, five guys is just an alternative to McDonalds, where I'd never eat anyway. I'm at a point in my life that I don't have to eat with a bunch of peanut bags to save $2 on a burger.
My choice for best chain is Carrabba's; the italian arm of the folks who own Outback Steakhouse. Carrabba's isn't the best Italian food in the world, but it's a nice, comfortable place with a great wine by the glass list and good bread. It's one of the few "chains" that I'll go to again and again.
Best Pizza By The Slice
New Times got this one right, because the choice is so obvious. Mauro's in Hollywood serves a great slice of pizza. Just don't tick them off. And bring cash.
Best Cheese Steak
I can't kill them for picking Big Al's in Delray on this, but I wholeheartedly disagree. To me, Al's is more like a steak sandwich, which isn't what I want when I get a cheesesteak. There are a lot of good places in Fort Lauderdale to get a good cheesesteak. I've gotten good ones at Spanky's, Mr Nicks and Pat's in Hollywood. No need to trek up to Delray Beach.
Best Appetizer
New Times picked some crappy asian place for this, but the real answer is right under our noses here in Fort Lauderdale. Timpano's mussels is the best appetizer in this town. Hands down. Case Closed.
Best Place for Drinks, Not Food
New Times gave this dubious award to Rocco's Tacos, which is just wrong. The food at Rocco's is fine, and you REALLY want to get the guacamole if you're just hanging out. The best place for "Drinks, Not Food" is Mangos. Mangos has the best location for people watching and a somewhat pedestrian menu. If you can score a table outside on a weekend you're golden. At night they have some pretty good bands here also. If you must eat, get the Spin Dip.
What's funny is that New Times' choice for best Mexican Restaurant would be my choice in Boca for Best Place for Drinks, Not Food. The Baja Cafe is a pretty cool place, but the food is lousy.
Best Mexican Restaurant
Now the food at Rocco's Tacos isn't great food, but overall, its the best Mexican Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale. The best Mexican food is Eduardo San Angel, but it's not the kind of Mexican places that most tourists are looking for. Rocco's has the ambiance you want.
Best Takeout Chinese
This placed USED to be the best place in town, but no more. They've gotten progressively worse. Service has always been terse. But not they're using less mean and cheaper ingredients in dishes instead of the correct ones. See my Best in FortLauderdale list to see my choice for best chinese takeout.
Best Caribbean Restaurant
More misinformation from South Florida's greatest source of misinformation; giving Sheila's this (after naming them best BBQ last year) is just favoritism, plain and simple. Sheila's is a dump like Betty's here in Fort Lauderdale. And who the hell is going to drive up to Lake Worth for roadside,deep fried conch? More ridiculous is that there is an obvious choice, which is Calypso in Pompano Beach. The fantasic Jerk Wings are a good enough reason to make the trip there. If you don't feel like trying to find Calypso, Coconuts is a close second.
Best Chicken Wings
New Times chose this category to give Tark's a plug, but I wouldn't go there for wings; and I wouldn't send a tourist there for anything. If you're looking for something out of the mainstream, get the Jerk Wings at Calypso. If you're out watching a game, the wings at Bru's Room are the best around. Make sure you order them grilled. Bru's has a number of locations throughout South Florida.
Best Breakfast
I can't recommend Grampa's in Hollywood; the fact that they have a bakery in house doesn't impress me. I've done an article on breakfast in Fort Lauderdale. It's a complicated subject. But you should find the info you need in the article.
Best Sunday Brunch
I haven't been to the Pelican Grand Beach Resort brunch, mainly because it just seems too expensive. The concept of "it costs only $34" doesn't make sense to me, considering I could buy 3 breakfasts for that price and I'm not going to have 10 glasses of orange juice spiked with some cheap champagne. General consensus is that the Blue Moon Fish Company has the best brunch in town, although the rooftop brunch at Pier 66 is the ultimate special occasion spot.
Best Breakfast on the Beach
This is a perfect example of why you just can't trust New Times, because their choice of St Bart's is just plain incompetent. St Bart's is a coffee shop with bad coffee and dirty resin furniture. It's so far from the best on the beach that it's not even funny.
My choice is Via Luna in the Ritz Carleton, assuming that cost is not an issue. If cost is an issue, try Cafe Del Mar, where for $11. you can have a great ocean view and a pretty nice breakfast.
Best Value on Las Olas
This ridiculous choice from New Times just doesn't make any sense at any level. The concept that a small dish appetizer for $11.95 is a good deal is nonsense. The saganaki at Trata are good, but they certainly are no bargain.
The best value on Las Olas is a Big City Tavern pizza at happy hour for $6. They normally get a whopping $14 for a 12" pepperoni pie, but for $6 it's a real bargain. The trick is that they only give $1 off drinks for happy hour, so if you pair it with a $13 martini it ruins the euphoria of getting a deal on the pie. So have a tap beer to keep the costs manageable.
Best Place to Dine Alone
I'm not quite sure what New Times was thinking on this one; Texas Hold Em' BBQ isn't a place I'd want to dine alone or with a group. They have no tables inside, no TVs; you might as well just take home or eat in your car where you can choose your own music.
My choice here is a male choice; but my answer would be Duffy's. Because when you're surrounded by projection TVs showing sports, it really doesn't matter who you're with.
Best Place to Dine with Gramps
New Times picked the Floridian; I suppose because it's old and dingy. But I wouldn't take anyone I cared about there. My choice would Timpano on a Friday or Saturday night. With Jimmy Cuvallo cranking out old tunes it's a great place to take someone who grew up in the 40s.
Best Restaurant for Hotties
If you go to the Brickhouse looking for "hotties" you'll be roundly disappionted. Unless you like heavily tattooed women wearing outfits that don't compliment their figures. Hooter's is a better choice, but not much.
Best Neighborhood Bar
I'm not quite sure how Boo Riley's is considered a "neighborhood bar", since it's not really in a neighborhood. It's in a business district; the fact that it's all local regulars may be part of it. The bad news is that I think Boo Riley's is closed; their sign is bare and they didn't answer the phone at 6pm.
Best Barbecue
I knew that New Times was going to pick East Coast BBQ, because the guy that reviewed it declared it after the first time he went. I kind of liked the place when it first opened, but my second visit wasn't so good. They changed their baked beans recipe for the worse. There are 2 reasons why this can't be the best BBQ in Broward: they don't have babyback ribs, only spare ribs. Most people like babyback ribs better. And they don't have good baked beans. If you don't have babybacks or good baked beans, you can't win.
I don't have a go-to place, but I'd go to Scrubby's or Shorty's. Texas Hold'em is good but way too expensive. For a great value slightly out of broward county, my favorite is the Park Avenue BBQ grill in Boca Raton. Good ribs and good beans; a winning combo in my book.