Restaurant Tipping Guide Around the World

Hello Foodies,

This blog should be of particular interest to those who have plans to travel outside of the good ol' US of A. I came across this handy webpage which provides customary tipping guidelines for 25 countries across the globe.

Bon Voyage and Buon Appetite!

http://huff.to/WorldwideTippingGuide


Until we eat again...
I send you delicious dishes, XO

Denise

The Pounded Veal Chop Marsala was "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" at Rosario's Ristorante

With so many restaurants to choose from, it was tough deciding on which one to select to mark the special occasion of my husband obtaining his Master's degree. Given the fact that Rosario's Ristorante in Royal Palm Place had recently been featured on the Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" show, I decided to check it out.

I called the restaurant to make a reservation and spoke to Chris Lanza, the son of Rosario, who himself is involved in the family owned and operated restaurant. Upon our arrival, we were greeted warmly and escorted to our reserved table- a nice round table nestled intimately in the corner beside large windows. Our waiter, Pietro, approached our table within moments of our getting settled in our seats. He was extremely pleasant and made us all feel very welcomed.

I had done my research and found that Rosario's was running a summer special that consisted of a three-course complete dinner for $26.95. This included an appetizer, entree (with a side), dessert & coffee. Now, I'm not talking about choosing from a limited menu here. They had not 3, maybe 4 entrees to select from- but 15! This ran the gamut from Chicken, Veal, Pasta, Steak & Seafood. And speaking of Seafood, they also had another special, which I found out is available every night, and that is the 2 pound Live Maine Lobster (served Broiled, Oreganata or Fra Diavolo). This special is served with salad & dessert for $26.95 as well!

My husband & I both decided upon the Pounded Veal Chop Marsala which was amazing, absolutely fantastico! The veal was pounded super thin and breaded and topped with mozzarella cheese, mushrooms & marsala sauce. When it came to deciding on which side to choose, I was torn between the julienned vegetables and the roasted potatoes. To make my life easier, Pietro offered to bring me some of each, which I greatly appreciated. My dad, who is pretty predictable when it comes to what Italian dish he typically orders, didn't disappoint us when he ordered the Chicken Parmigiana. My mom opted for the Lobster Special and ordered it Fra Diavola, which came with lobster, mussels & clams served delicately on a bed of pasta, and seasoned with the perfect amount of spice. Although we really didn't have room for dessert, we did sucomb to trying the Italian Cheese Cake, Tiramisu, and Chocolate Mousse Cake. All three were terrific, but I especially enjoyed the Tiramisu.

Rosario's is famous for serving up family style dishes for 2, but individuals can order up half portions if they so desire. The menu items are derived from Northern & Southern Italy as well as some Sicilian items from where Rosario himself was born. All items on the menu are prepared fresh, in-house and are cooked to order. They have an extensive award-wining wine list and have a full bar with many drink selections available.

I also learned that Rosario's has a Private Dining Room that can seat up to 30 guests. So, if you are looking for a great place to bring the family for a special occasion, a business presentation or meeting, give the folks at Rosario's a call and reserve their private room.

Rosario's Ristorante is located at 145 S.E. Mizner Blvd., in Royal Palm Place 561-393-0758

You can check out their website to view their complete menu and specials at: http://www.rosariosristorante.com/

Until we eat again...
I send you delicious wishes, XO

Denise

Mojo's Cafe & Market

Hello Fellow Foodies,

Heading to the beach and thinking about taking a picnic with you? I've got just the place for you. It's Mojo's Cafe & Market on E. Palmetto Park Road, just steps from the beach. Today I had the pleasure of trying their gourmet chicken salad served on a perfectly soft AND crunchy french baguette. They make their chicken salad fresh in house every day. I also tried the Angela's Salad, which came with fresh romaine lettuce, chopped just to my liking, a touch of gorgonzola cheese, almonds, fresh fruit of the day (today it had blueberries and grapes), tomato wedges and red onion. I ordered the balsamic vinaigrette dressing (which was devine), but you could also choose ranch or olive oil & vinegar. I didn't have one of their smoothies, but I've heard from others that they make some pretty amazing ones.

So, next time you're planning to take a trip to the beach, remember to give our friends over at Mojo's a call and they'll have your picnic packed up and ready to take with you.

They're located at 895 E. Palmetto Park Rd, Boca Raton 561-961-4622.
You can also visit them online at: http://www.mojosdelimarket.com/

Until we eat again...
I send you delicious wishes, XO

Denise

My pick for the best sandwich in town

My office had lunch catered today by Beany's Gourmet Sandwich shop in Mizner Plaza. I have to be honest, I've only had a few things from there before, because once I was introduced to their Signature Lemon Artichoke Chicken sandwich, nothing else seemed to matter. This award winning sandwich comes on a nicely warmed french baguette with garlic aioli, marinated artichokes, marinated grilled chicken and is topped with smoked provolone. I must warn you, this sandwich is addicting. I just finished it and already I'm thinking I can't wait to have it again- it's that good! Everything is fresh and cooked to order at Beany's and they specialize in a variety of soups, salads, and home baked desserts.

You can visit their website at www.BeanysofBoca.com to view their menu. They're located on NE 2nd St. in Mizner Plaza, just north of Palmetto Park Rd and one block east of Federal Hwy. in Mizner Plaza. 126 NE 2nd St. 561-392-1085.

Until we eat again...
I send you delicious wishes, XO
Denise

Could it be the best kept secret in Boca?

Hello again fellow Foodies,

For today's lunch, I decided to head on over to Boca Skewers, located in Mizner Plaza on the south end of Mizner Park. I ordered the Chicken Kebab lunch special, for $7.99 (served Monday - Friday 11am to 3pm), which included a small salad, white or lentil sweet rice, and soup. The chicken was cooked to perfection! The whole meal came together beautifully and what's more, it didn't break the bank.

The owners, Anna & Nick are Armenian and take great pride in serving up the freshest Mediterranean/Armenian Cuisine possible. They offer Take Out & Delivery as well as Catering for all occasions. They're open for lunch & dinner.

You can see their menu online at: www.Boca-Skewers.com

Until we eat again...

I send you delicious wishes, XO

Denise

It's LOVE at first bite at Cafe Amore Boca!!!

Hello Faithful Foodies,

I'm trying a new place for lunch today. It's called Cafe Amore and it just opened up on 1st Avenue, 1 block east of Federal Hwy, between 1st and 3rd Streets (a couple doors down from 4th Generation Market). Anyway, I've been eyeing their menu now for the past week trying to figure out what I was going to order first. I had been tempted to start one of my mornings off with their Nova Bagel, (with actual Nova and not the blended schmear) which for $4.99 sounds like a really good deal. Unfortunately, that will have to wait, as today it is a Prosciutto Caprese Panini sandwich on Ciabatta bread that was calling my name.

The sandwich comes with the fabulous Prosciutto di Parma, Mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, tomato, olive oil & balsamic vinaigrette. The generously sized sandwich was great; it came on its own, but there are a number of different sides to choose from if that is your thing. I took advantage of their Buy one Sandwich or Salad and get the second one for FREE! That offer's good until 7/28. So, for my second sandwich, I chose the Amore Italiano to bring home to my husband (the Italian sandwich Connoisseur) to try.

Cafe Amore is open 7 days a week from 7am to 6pm. You can check them out on line at: http://www.cafeamoreboca.com/. They're located at: http://bit.ly/CafeAmoreBoca

561-361-1518

Until we eat again...

I send you delicious wishes, XO

Denise

He had me at Oh-So (Good) Bucco

My hubby and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary last night and we decided to commemorate this special occasion by visiting one of our newest Boca Food Finds - Capri Ristorante.

This place exudes class. We sensed this the moment we entered the doors. A nice balance of woods, granite & slate with a beautiful bar, which my husband will tell you is a tell tale sign of a good restaurant.

We were greeted at the door by Joey "Capri", whose family owns 6 more restaurants by the same name in the Chicago area. The restaurant has a private area that can seat up to 50 people as well as the main dining section adorned with a beautiful piano. Joey cordially escorted us to a cozy booth in the main dining room where we were about to embark on the most delightful culinary experience.

Our waiter brought the bottle of wine we ordered with one of those fancy dancy decanter style contraptions affixed to the top of the bottle. (I'd seen that just a few nights earlier at the Fine Wine & Canines event over at Royal Palm Place). Kari, one of the owners of Capri, came over to say hello as our waiter was pouring our wine and she mentioned that she had also seen this "wine thing" being used at the Fine Wine event and was so impressed after tasting the difference, that she decided to purchase it for the restaurant.

As we were enjoying our wine, an antipasta plate, consisting primarily of a variety of olives, was brought to the table; followed by my pasta fagioli and a plate of sausage and peppers for my husband. (Of course we each tasted the other's selection). So far, so good. Everything was delish! Then, all of a sudden, Joey steps around the corner and delivers to our table an unexpected treat; He had prepared something himself especially for us - fried balls! (Hey now, get your mind out of the gutter) These balls were like little poppers; the first kind was a fresh breaded/fried mozarella ball and the other kind was fried green olives stuffed with Italian sausage. Both were amazing and I hear they are making their debut tonight on their regular menu. Speaking of the menu, I hadn't even begun to take a gander at it before our waiter announced their evening specials. Once he mentioned the Osso Bucco, I couldn't hear anything else. This was exactly what I was hoping for and let me tell you, Capri delivered. This was THE BEST Osso Bucco I have ever had. It's new name is "Oh So (Good) Bucco! This culinary masterpiece was sheer ecstasy on a plate. Thanks Chef Victor, you have won a place in my heart forever! The risotto was also amazing and complemented the veal perfectly. My husband enjoyed his beef braciole with pappardelle pasta. For dessert, we ordered the chocolate lava cake with fresh whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. This was also fantastic.

What a great place to celebrate our anniversary. We will definitely be back. Would you care to join us?

Capri Ristorante is located at 39 SE 1st Ave. Boca Raton, FL 33432 (a block south of Palmetto Park Road and 1 block east of Federal Hwy). http://bit.ly/CapriRistorante 561-391-8044


Until we eat again...

I send you delicious wishes, XO

Denise