Monthly Archives: January 2016

Florida, Food Finds, Local Eats

Riggins Crabhouse and Seafood Market

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My mouth waters just thinking about this place…

It was the scene of the best date ever, one for the books. Not just for the company, of course, but also because of the atmosphere and the menu fare. Seafood. And seafood. And so much good juju packed into a small place that you really can’t help but stay all night.

Great beer, for starters. And the friendliest staff you could ever meet. Probably because it is one of West Palm’s most loved family owned establishments for over 20 years. Specializing in Maryland blue crabs, they are so well known for their crabs that there is always a steady stream of patrons at the back door where their little hole in the wall seafood market (counter 🙂 keeps a busy pace.  But we go for the love… where Mama and the kids who tend bar, cook the crabs, wait on the customers will all slide into our booth at one point or another to exchange hugs, kisses and lots of laughs. We love this place, inside and out.

Tuesday nights are all you can eat garlic crabs and I will get seriously cranky if we don’t get there pretty early because it takes time to eat garlic crabs. I enjoy the family so much, I just want time to hang out, like going to a family function or your best friends house. It’s always a good time and you are always stuffed when you leave.

It’s also a place where you can still get one of Florida’s specialties: frog legs. I won’t try to convince you if you have never had them or aren’t a fan but if you are… oh. my. ga.  I once ate so many frog legs I made myself sick one night and never regretted it for a minute. It was really due to the gorgeous garlic butter that Riggins is really known for, but you just can’t help yourself when the frog legs are done this well.

Another thing to try if you love fries… are their curly fries. Not just an ordinary fry, but one of their famous sides that will come with your entree or crabs.

Can’t say enough good things about this place, but as a closing note and worth consideration is that if you can’t finish your all you can eat crabs, guess what? Mama will pack them up to go… No lie. Leftovers here, rule and it will keep you coming back time and time again. Date or no date, I promise you that. And any date that brings you here, you better know that they are a keeper!

Riggins Crabhouse
607 Ridge Rd
Lantana, FL 33462
United States

Florida, Food Finds, Produce

Greenacres Farmer’s Market

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For the love of tomatoes, go here!  Now these are not your average tomatoes. These are the famous beefsteak tomatoes you get at one of my all time favorite Greek restaurants, Cris’ Taverna on Lantana Rd.  Cris, as you probably know if you’ve ever been there, serves the most impressive beefsteak tomatoes in its famous salads. They are so impressive, I had to ask Mama where they get them. She smiles proudly and patiently tells me in precise detail just where to go to find them. Tsunami makes a note in his phone and we carry on with our meal.

Greenacres Farmer’s Market, it turns out. I didn’t know the name of it until I finally made my way to the place, having only Mama’s crossroads description and GPS at hand. Lo and behold, it’s right in my neighborhood where we do almost all of our produce shopping. It will easily fit into our rounds and I’m so excited it’s so close to where I live.

Happily, I meander the aisles and I ask the cashier if I can get the tomatoes from Cris’ here. She smiles and says enthusiastically, “Of course!! Everyone comes here for our tomatoes. We take great pride in our tomatoes.”  As you should, I think to myself, just tickled and thoroughly excited to find the ones I’ve been dreaming about for weeks.

These are some of the best tasting storage tomatoes I’ve come across. I know they are grown locally and usually I will buy about 5-6 lbs at a time but the cashier recently told me that if I just buy them by the case, they were a lot cheaper. I buy enough, according to her to make it worth my while. So that is exactly what I did the last time I went and sure enough, for about $23 I walked away with a lot more than 5-6 lbs and it turned out to be roughly $1/lb. A super steal of a deal for these beautiful tomatoes.

No longer pressed to get it right in my own garden, I have a backup plan until I finally get my green thumb back on track.

Greenacres Farmer’s Market
3091 Jog Rd.
Lake Worth, FL
561-968-5782

Florida, Food Finds, Local Eats

Catfish Dewey’s

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Definitely a go to… Catfish Dewey’s is technically in the Fort Lauderdale hood, but given that Fort Lauderdale’s Hollywood airport is about a half hour drive from my house, it didn’t seem to be much of a stretch to drive there for some good eats.

And by good eats, I mean all you can eat seafood kind of good eats.  One of my all time favorites, Riggin’s Crabshack is still my number 1 for all you can eat garlic crabs and of course, our family friends who own and run this well known local establishment. However coming in at a close 2nd is Catfish Dewey’s. Primarily because their all you can eat daily menu changes focus and regardless of which night, and which all you can eat menu is being highlighted that night, you can always get all you can eat catfish.

Took the kids here last week as an after New Year’s treat to test the waters with them and see if they liked it as much as we did. Asked if they wanted to go back sometime, it was a resounding heck yea… All you can eat Alaskan Snow crab for $35 is a bit hard to beat, especially with 2 bottomless teenage boys in tow.

When you order all you can eat specials, you get the added benefit of getting the rest of the lower priced all you can eat items as a bonus. You simply can’t beat a table loaded down with snow crab, fried catfish, fried oysters and clam strips, peel and eat shrimp and crawfish. House rule is that there is no sharing but when you order 3 all you can eat menu items, they usually lose interest in holding you to that rule. If you don’t even put a dent into what they considered an all you can eat attempt, they will usually be gracious and load up a few to go boxes as well, especially if it’s closing time.

Just show up hungry… It’s a great family atmosphere and the place is packed every time we go. If you really have a craving for seafood, their seasonal Stone Crab all you can eat is really a special treat. However, now that I’ve found the stone and Jonah’s crab claw fishermen in Jupiter, I save the stone crabs for something we do at home. Anything else though, plan on a visit to Dewey’s. You simply won’t be disappointed and you sure as hell won’t leave hungry. Great for get togethers, special events or something fun on a week night.

Catfish Dewey’s Location:
4003 N. Andrews Avenue
Oakland Park, Florida
954-566-5333

Catfish Dewey’s Dinner Menu