Featured Restaurants

A Creek couple brings family-style Italian fare to Coconut Creek at Sette Mezzo Ristorante Cooking was in Franco Filippone’s blood from the very beginning. “Being Sicilian, you get to work at a young age,” he says with a laugh. “I started cooking when I was 14, and the rest is history.” Filippone’s father was a

The Pubbelly Boys have been busy. In the last year, the four restaurateurs who collectively go by that name opened locations of Pubbelly Sushi at Brickell City Centre and Aventura Mall. They also debuted Habitat, an upscale beachside restaurant at 1 Hotel on South Beach. In addition, they renamed their group Food Comma Hospitality. Though

Ke-uH Where: 2278 Weston Road, Weston Phone: 954.900.2278 Website: keuhrestaurant.com A Little Help From Friends: Ke-uH (pronounced Ke-oo) is a twist on a slang Spanish greeting, que hubo? (“what’s up?”), which has been the introductory exchange between the restaurant’s eight partners for about 20 years. They’ve been friends since they attended high school together in

Carmela Coffee Bar Where: 7967 N. University Drive, Parkland Phone: 954.906.5155 Website: carmelacoffee.com   1. The back story: The friendship between co-owners Rainier Abreu and Rafael Baretta spans 25 years. They met in high school in Venezuela and, later, both earned chemical engineering degrees at Simón Bolívar University. In 2016, Baretta contacted Abreu (who has

Prezzo Where: 5560 N. Military Trail, Boca Raton Phone: 561.314.6840 Website: prezzoboca.com 1. History revisited: It’s been nearly 20 years since restaurateurs Burt Rapoport and Dennis Max sold Prezzo, their beloved Italian outposts in Boca, Aventura and South Miami. At the time, the duo had some 14 restaurants in their stable, so the offer for

Lenore Nolan-Ryan’s food career began with brunch. It was 1974, and she was 19, studying voice and piano at Butler University in Indianapolis. She loved brunch, but there weren’t many options. She could dine at the top of the Hyatt or the Pancake House, but her already-refined palate craved quiches, confitures (similar to fruit preserves),

Lifestyle Change: Michael Hopkins regularly had stomach issues as a child, but it wasn’t until 2010, when he was 50, that he was diagnosed with celiac disease—an adverse reaction to eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. A car and Harley Davidson dealer for 25 years, he called on his childhood love

1. In the Beginning: The concept began to take shape during a Fourth of July family barbecue in 2010. Cousins Otto Othman and Nedal Ahmed talked about opening a fast-casual restaurant focused on Latin street food—and starring Brazil’s popular kebabs, known there as espetinhos (in Spanish, kebab is pincho). 2. Mom Knows Best: Othman’s mom,

La Nouvelle Maison: Arturo Gismondi’s ode to sophisticated French fare guarantees an evening to remember. Menu highlights include twice cooked Jurgielewicz Farms duckling, Holland Dover sole, roasted rack of lamb—and artistic dessert creations (like the soufflé) that have to be seen to be believed. (455 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, 561.338.3003) Caffe Luna Rosa:

1. Taste of Athens: Authentic Greek cuisine finds a modern translation at the recently opened Oliv Pit Athenian Grille. The casual restaurant inside the Shoppes at Village Pointe is the brainchild of Emmanuel Vlahos, the son of Greek immigrants, and Marcos Alexandridis, a Greek native who played soccer for the Costa Rican team Saprissa. 2.

Chef-owner Giovanni Rocchio and his team are bringing a little creative flair to Fort Lauderdale. Now in its second year, One Door East (620 S. Federal Highway) blends worldly flavors with an undeniably hip community vibe. “There really isn’t anything like it in Fort Lauderdale,” Rocchio says. Being well-versed in the culinary scene through his

Coconut Creek with a Western twang. That’s the best way to describe the new Texas Roadhouse that opened in November on Lyons Road. But before you say, “Oh, just another steak house,” think again. You might be pleasantly surprised to know that starting early in the morning, well before Roadhouse opens its doors at 3