This week on Check Please South Florida, a waterfront spot dishing out scrumptious stone crab on Hollywood.

Feels like a taste of Florida all wrapped up in one.

[michelle] Burgers and bites with some South Florida flare in Coconut Grove.

It's a great place to enjoy a great burger and a great cold beer.

[michelle] And Colombian comfort food served up hot in Doral.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it already.

[woman] Cultural culinary secrets and global flavors.

We have a passion for blending ingredients and seasonings from around the world.

Additional funding for Check Please South Florida is provided by George and Helen Weaver and the friends of South Florida PBS.

You will look at food differently when you eat.

One didn't really help the other.

You not just know it was the best.

It was just the perfect dish.

Prepared to perfection.

Hello, I'm Michelle Bernstein and welcome to Check Please South Florida, the show where regular people from all over South Florida recommend and review their favorite restaurants.

So this is how the show works.

Every week we have three guests.

Each recommends his or her favorite spot and then the other two go to check them out and see what they think.

This week, fitness trainer Leo Figueredo, is indulging in a cheat meal at his favorite spot in Coconut Grove.

He says, it's the perfect place to get a great burger made from high quality ingredients.

And regulatory food scientist, Carlos Morales, is surveying traditional Colombian cuisine at his Doral pick.

He says the food will make you salivate before the first bite and you can't go wrong with their refreshing house-made juices.

But first, travel specialist and adjunct professor, Shauna Lee, is giving us a lesson in seafood at her waterfront pick.

She says you can take in the lovely South Florida view of boats docking and playing music as the sun sets, all while enjoying their famous stone crabs and other specialty plates.

Located in the Intercoastal in Hollywood and it's called Billy's Stone Crab Restaurant.

My name is Michael.

I'm the manager/Maitre D' at Billy's Stone Crab Restaurant in Hollywood, Florida.

Background about Billy's Stone Crab, it was started about 45 years ago by Billy Hershey.

All our fish is produced at a BSC fisheries, which comes out of our fish houses on the Florida Keys.

Stone crabs are harvested from mid October to the beginning of May.

Their claws are broken off, they're thrown back in the water, and then they regenerate their claws to be caught at a later time to pick their claws again.

The meat is all in the claws.

And they come in five different sizes.

And depending on the sizes, it depends on how much meat you get in the claw.

One of our signature dishes is Key West style, which can be done with grouper, mahi, snapper, whichever fish that you choose.

It's done with jumbo lump crab meat, jumbo shrimp, avocado, and it's finished in a light white wine butter sauce.

We also have what we call our Seafood Tower here.

It comes with Alaskan King crab, stone crabs, lobster, clams, oysters, shrimp.

It's served actually in a tower and it's one of our most popular dishes here.

We serve it a lot as a dinner but we also serve it as an appetizer so everybody gets a little taste of everything.

When people come into Billy's Stone Crab, we try to make it like an in-home feeling like you're eating in your own house.

We bring everybody in.

A lot of our customers are regulars.

We remember everybody by their names.

We remember what they drink, what they eat, and it makes them feel comfortable.

It's like you were coming into my own house and sitting in my own living room and my dining room table, that's how we try to treat everybody that walks in here.

Billy's Stone Crab is just a fun, exciting atmosphere that's on the water that you can sit here, relax on a Sunday afternoon, you've got the boats going up and down the Intercoastal, you're on the water.

It could be whatever you want to make it to be.

So Shauna, educate us on Billy's Stone Crab.

Tell us what they're all about and why it's your pick.

It is my pick because my entire family loves to go there all the time.

Best seafood ever, stone crabs, king crab legs, steak, uh, any, any seafood you can think of, they have it.

The service is impeccable.

And on top of that, you have a beautiful view of the Intercoastal, you see the boats coming in and out, you can sit indoors or outdoors and we just love it.

We love the food.

They always give you a big uh, big serving of everything that you order.

So Shauna, what did you have this last time you went there?

This time I had the seafood marinara.

I decided to try something different and it was wonderful.

It was so much I had to bring some home.

Nice.

Nice.

Leo, how was your experience at Billy's?

Well, it was great.

I actually had stone crab for the first time.

Very good experience.

It was a little bougie for me, but you know, I liked it.

It um... [michelle] What do you mean bougie?

Uh, It was delicious.

The stone crab was bougie?

I guess it's- I felt like a celebrity, you know.

Well, you know what I considered?

It's like spoiling yourself.

You know, when you get to have some crabs.

Because the season is, is, goes by quick.

How about that?

So did you like the stone crab?

Yeah, definitely.

I'm glad I tried them.

I loved it.

It was a little, a little hard to like, you know, but I got the hang of it after the third one.

[michelle] Okay.

[leo] I really enjoyed it.

Gotta be patient- [michelle] And they served it with mustard sauce?

[leo] Yes.

That sauce was delicious.

[michelle] Yeah.

That sauce is good.

Carlos, you ate a lot of food.

I have a big list here for you.

Yup.

Yes.

You want to jump right in?

Well, it was not only me.

It was with other, with my wife and other uh, two friends.

So we started with appetizers.

So, I started with a New England Clam Chowder which was delicious, very creamy, big pieces of clam and potato.

So it was totally worth ordering that for an appetizer.

And then also we order for the center of the table, we got the stone crabs, we got the King Crab legs.

And then we also got some oysters there and some shrimp.

And it was great.

I mean, we enjoyed it.

Yes, it was a lot of food to start but it was totally worth it.

And you also had shrimp scampi, correct?

That is correct.

That was the main entree.

I didn't finish it all, to be honest.

The portion was great.

I mean, the shrimp was also the big size so it wasn't small shrimp, so it was totally filling, and it was a good portion and it was delicious.

The seasoning was also very very good.

Shauna, we all know that seafood can get rather pricey.

How were the prices at Billy's?

Uh, the prices are a little more than some of the other places that we went.

But you, it's, worth it.

The value is worth it.

[michelle] Mhm.

You get plenty of food.

It's fresh.

The service is very good.

So, I have never complained about the prices.

Yes, sir.

They're good.

Compared to what you get.

Shauna, is that, is it true that the, the store, cause Billy's has a little store, right?

That you can shop for, [shauna] Downstairs.

[michelle] And take, and that's downstairs, and the restaurant's up?

[shauna] Right.

But they do have a location where you can shop and buy fresh seafood, take it home.

Or they ship your food to, um, I'm sure they have a lot of fans who would like to have their food shipped to them and they do that.

Oh, I'm sure.

I'm sure.

Yeah.

Everybody wants stone crabs.

Well, Shauna.

Billy's Stone crab was your pick.

Can you sum it up for us?

Great food, great service, wonderful view.

It feels like a taste of Florida all wrapped up in one and it's just a delight to go there.

Leo?

Definitely great food.

Uh, a nice experience, the whole candle light type of feel.

And the views there is perfect, especially if you want to impress a date.

I recommend them.

Carlos?

High end seafood restaurant, worth visiting during stone crab season and off as well.

For some scrumptious seafood with a view, dock up at Billy's Stone Crab Restaurant located at 400 North Ocean Drive in Hollywood.

Open daily for lunch and dinner, reservations are accepted.

The average price for dinner without drinks is about $50.

This is my recipe for shrimp scampi.

It's really nice and simple, but always delicious.

And it goes on top of pretty much anything, toasted bread, pasta, you name it.

So good.

All right, I'm adding a little bit of olive oil to the pan and just a little bit of butter, probably like half a tablespoon.

And really, I'm looking for the foam to just cease.

This is a 16, 20 size of shrimp which means it's 16 to 20 shrimp per pound.

I find that a little bit smaller shrimp were always a little bit sweeter.

So let's go ahead and add the shrimp to the pan.

And I'm going to go ahead and season the shrimp now.

A little bit of salt, a little bit of pepper, some crushed chili flakes, To that, I'll add a little bit of minced garlic, A little tiny bit of white wine, The tiniest little bit of chicken broth or stock, the juice of about a quarter of a lemon.

My shrimp are cooked so I will remove the shrimp and place them on a plate.

And you do this so that you don't over cook your shrimp.

And then we're going to add a tablespoon of butter, allow that to swirl around, thickening up beautifully.

I'm looking for big bubbles, which I'm getting.

A little bit of Italian parsley, Shut off my heat, Swirl that in.

And that goes right over the top.

Yum.

And then finally, I always feel like some crunchy breadcrumbs over the top of your scampi will give you that little crunchy beginning to an absolutely delicious dish.

That was easy, right?

You can find this quick, easy and delicious shrimp scampi recipe at CheckPleaseFL.com.

Now, fitness trainer Leo Figueredo recommends you get moving to his pick for a high protein meal and a famous South Florida dessert.

He says everything he orders is fresh and made from scratch.

And the fun, energetic environment of the restaurant is a nice bonus.

It's in Coconut Grove and it's called LoKal.

Hi!

My name is Christie and I'm the marketing director for Kush hospitality.

And we're located here at LoKal in Coconut Grove.

LoKal actually was discovered by Matt and Priscilla, the owners of Kush hospitality, and they were on a trip in Germany and they stumbled upon the word 'Lokal' which is the word for pub, meeting place, and a bar.

And they decided to bring that home to Florida.

Right here at LoKal, you're going to find a lot of comfort food with a little bit of local infusion and always farm to table focused.

We have a variety of burgers here from the classic burger to our LoKal burger, which is our signature burger made with arugula and honey mustard.

We're very well known for our local alligator bites.

We get our gator fresh from Florida at Fagan farms.

We make our own special batter uh, in-house.

We fry them up and serve them on a bed of mixed greens with our delicious local vinegarette served with our housemate creamy garlic dressing as well as our homemade cocktail sauce.

Our award-winning key lime pie is one of the most popular desserts that we have.

It's made in-house daily from the Graham Cracker crust all the way to the fresh whipped cream that we top it with.

It's both sweet and slightly tart.

LoKal in Coconut Grove is nestled in the heart of the Grove which we feel is bohemian in nature, really friendly for families and dog walkers, and we feel like we offer a little respite in this community where you can easily get a casual but elevated dining experience.

Leo is a fitness instructor and trainer.

Um, you must really like watch everything you eat, right?

Are the burgers at LoKal considered a cheat meal for you?

They are a cheat meal.

And also I could keep my, my lifestyle depending on what time of year it is for me.

If I have a modeling shoot or anything, I could keep it clean or I could um, enjoy it, you know, and be normal sometimes.

I like the be normal part.

Uh, so what did you have this last time you went to LoKal?

I had the LoKal burger.

So, the LoKal burger has, the beef is grass fed beef.

It has avocado and the bread is like ooh!

Shauna.

You actually had the same thing as Leo.

You had the LoKal burger and you had the alligator bites.

Tell me a little bit about the alligator bites.

The alligator bites are scrumptious.

There were four of us.

So we had a number of things.

I'm kind of like Carlos with all the food on the table, but the alligator bites were seasoned well and the breading wasn't too thick.

It was a lightly breaded alligator bite.

It was good.

A lot of people didn't want to, you know, are scared to try it.

I would recommend it.

It was very, very good.

You also had one of my favorite things, the smoked fish dip.

How was that?

That was my favorite.

I liked the presentation, the little Tabasco sauce that they, they put the bottle in the middle and then you just take it out and kind of pour it on there.

It was very good.

I would go back there for that fish dip.

It was extremely good.

And then for dessert, I think you all had the same.

Did you all have the award-winning key lime pie?

Oh yeah, we did.

We did, yes.

How was that?

Shauna?

It was one of the best key lime pies that I've had and I've traveled the, traveled the state of Florida, got all the way down to the Keys and that was one of the best.

Nice and creamy, fresh.

You could tell it was a really good dessert.

That's a big statement.

Carlos, what did you think?

How was your experience?

It was great.

I, I'm a regular there so I really liked the, the environment there.

The local beers are the best.

So if you like a good restaurant to have a good beer, that's definitely a worth of the place going.

I got the, the classic burger.

I'm a purist when I eat burgers.

So I got the grass fed beef and then with onions, tomatoes, lettuce, just with regular French fries.

Delicious.

That sounds yummy.

How was the service Carlos?

Very, very attentive.

I mean, I think that the people there make sure that the customer feels uh, well served, and they enjoy the, their experience there at LoKal.

And how about the location and the parking?

So the location is pretty central.

So Coconut Grove is close to Coral Gables, it's close to Brickell, you know.

Depending where you're at in Miami, it's you know, pretty convenient.

Um, and uh, parking, they have a huge parking lot.

It's a little, it's a little far walk, it was like probably like a couple of, a five minute walk.

But you're always guaranteed to have parking there or you could park on the side streets.

Well, Leo, LoKal was your pick.

Sum it up for us.

For good burgers, the best in Miami, super fresh ingredients, Um, an artsy vibe to get that feel of, of Miami, it's the best place to go.

Shauna?

It's a fun, a fun night out.

A fun Friday night out.

Fresh food, good service.

Carlos?

It's a great place to enjoy a great burger and a great cold beer.

Run on over to LoKal to get your fresh burgers, local beer and award-winning key lime pie.

Located at 3190 Commodore Plaza in Coconut Grove.

Open daily for lunch and dinner, reservations are not accepted.

And the average price for dinner without drinks is about $35.

And finally regulatory food scientist, Carlos Morales, has done his research and found a place serving up great Colombian comfort food.

From their traditional daily specials to their friendly service, he says it's just one of those places that makes you feel welcome and leave happy.

It's in Doral and it's called, Patacon Pisa'o.

Carlitos, tell us a little bit about Patacon, where's it's located and if it's all traditional.

It is very traditional.

It's a small restaurant, tucked away in a local, typical South Florida shopping center right off the Palmetto here in Doral.

Um, you walk in and you feel like you are transported to a Colombian restaurant.

Um, I'm not Colombian but I feel at home.

Tell me what you had this last time that you went there.

So I started with the appetizer, I started with the empanadas.

They have very good appetizers.

The empanadas, they're filled with shredded beef.

Also they have potato inside and they serve it with a side of their little aji salsa.

So you cut them open, they're always steaming hot.

And then uh, you just put a little bit of lime and then you put that salsa on top and it's amazing.

Delicious.

Leo, tell me what you thought.

Well, that was a very good experience.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it already.

I definitely love plantains.

I could eat plantains every day.

Do you want to talk a little bit about the patacon?

Because obviously it's the namesake, right?

[leo] Yeah.

So, patacon, it's pretty much plantains.

I ordered all the toppings.

I had chicken, I had meat, I had cheese, I had the beans, I had the pineapple sauce.

[michelle] Wow.

I just had a party on my plate.

Speaking of parties, you finished it off with a tres leches and a figs with dulce de leche.

Talk about cheating!

Yeah.

Yes.

Yeah, my friend wanted the figs and I had a lech- what's it called?

[michelle] Dulce de- [leo] Dulce de leche.

That was good.

And also the tres leches, I grew up on, so it also brought me flashbacks.

So, Shauna, um, I think that you looked up the menu on the website, um, to look at the pictures, right?

Because listen, you go to a place called Patacon Pisa'o and I can only imagine not being a Latin, you know, person, what you might think.

So um, did it whet your appetite by looking at the pictures on the website?

And so, what did you order?

It whet my appetite.

It helped me to know what I wanted to order when I got there.

And, in case I couldn't pronounce something, at least I could show the picture.

Cause I went back on my phone once we got there and I was not disappointed with anything.

The pictures were perfect for what, what we were able to get when we, when we were there.

Nice.

So what did you have when you went?

I had the special with beef and egg on the top.

Also rice and beans, and arepa and plantains.

Very good.

Very good.

[michelle] Wow.

[shauna] Oh, and avocado.

It was also on the side.

Yum.

I think they called that the bandeja eh, paisa.

So it's basically, a bandeja is a tray.

So it's probably a tray of all their specialties.

I would imagine.

Well, I love them all and I ate them all.

That's wonderful.

Well, Carlos, Patacon Pisa'o was your pick.

Sum it up for us, please.

It's a great Colombian comfort food restaurant.

There's good value.

And you won't regret coming to this place.

You'll love it.

Leo?

For some good Colombian food, And, and if you have an appetite, definitely I recommend you to go there.

Patacon Pisa'o!

Yes!

I can't, I can't even say it that well.

Shauna?

I almost want to try to say it like uh, Leo said, but I better not.

I don't want to mess it up.

If you've never had Colombian food, that's a great place to start because the service is just so good.

They explain everything to you.

The food was extremely good and we had a lot.

We had so much, like I said, we couldn't even eat dessert.

I would highly recommend it.

For Colombian comfort food, refreshing house-made juices and friendly service, head on over to Patacon Pisa'o.

Located at 7902 Northwest 36th Street in Doral.

Open daily for lunch and dinner, reservations are accepted.

And the average price for dinner without drinks is about $30.

We've had such a wonderful time.

I want to thank my guests, Shauna Lee, Leo Figueredo and Carlos Morales.

For more about the restaurants and recipes featured on the show or if you'd like to apply to be a guest reviewer, visit us at CheckPleaseFL.com and remember find us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram feeds.

Join us next time for three new guests recommending three of their favorite restaurants right here on Check Please South Florida.

I'm Michelle Bernstein, mwah!

And I'll see you then.

Take care!

[woman] Cultural culinary secrets and global flavors.

We have a passion for blending ingredients and seasonings from around the world.