This week on "Check, Please!

South Florida": A South American gem in Weston.

It was unlike anything that I've ever tasted.

[Michelle] A farm to table bistro in Fort Lauderdale.

I feel like we really got that extra attention.

[Michelle] And a spot for Mediterranean barbecue in Hollywood.

We felt like we were like in a little Middle-Eastern palace.

[Advertiser] Cultural culinary secrets and global flavors.

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

[Narrator] Additional funding for "Check, Please!

South Florida", is provided by George and Helen Weaver, and the Friends of South Florida PBS.

You just wanted to savor every bit of that dessert.

It's delicious.

The best tiramisu I've ever had.

There's nothing else like that in South Florida that I know about.

You'll pull the cheese and it'll be all the way up to here.

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 beautiful 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, University of Miami grad student, Annalise Iraola says that her pick has created a perfect blend of authentic Middle Eastern flavors and traditional American barbecue.

She says you will have a great time exploring the ever evolving menu of this downtown Hollywood spot.

Ice Arena Manager Keith Bernek says that his pick will have you spinning with delight, offering delicious homemade pasta and inviting decor, this family owned farm to table Italian bistro will have you saying, "More, please."

But first, nonprofit executive director Stephanie Ankus, wants you to take a trip to South America, via Weston, for her pick.

She says this spot is the perfect destination for hearty soups, delicious entrees, and fresh baked goods.

It's located in Weston, and it's called "La Pequena Colombia".

Ooh, I love that you went to La Pequena Colombia.

What makes it so good to you?

Oh, my gosh.

You feel like you're being transported to Colombia.

I love, my favorite food is the ajiaco, which You wanna tell everybody what ajiaco is?

'Cause I love, I make ajiaco.

Oh, you do?

I do!

It is delicious.

And actually, the small is like a large, it really is a meal in itself.

So, it's chicken soup, and it actually also comes with capers, and some cream and rice, and you mix it all up together, and it's just fabulous.

[Michelle] But it's so much more than just chicken soup.

There's a lot in there [Stephanie] That is true.

[Michelle] Chuckfull of all kinds of yummy stuff.

It certainly is.

We actually started with something I had never had before, the chicharron.

Mmhmm.

[Stephanie] And that was a treat.

I've always seen it and I never tasted it, so that was a first for me, actually.

And an empanada.

[Michelle] Which was filled with what?

[Stephanie] Meat.

That was actually the carne empanada.

[Michelle] Carne.

Carne.

So tell me a little bit about the location, and walking into La Pequena.

So the location is in a little Weston strip mall.

It's a hidden gem.

And they do a pretty big takeout business as well as a restaurant, as well.

And gosh, I think it's been there for many, many years.

And the cortadito is the best on the planet, oh my gosh .

Everybody needs that.

Keith, was this your first venture into Columbian cuisine?

First time, yes.

It definitely was.

And your pronunciations are scaring me , 'cause I can't do that.

You don't have, I'm actually really impressed, as well.

So what did you think?

Walking in, were you a little scared?

No, I mean it is hidden, definitely.

The drive there, it's like you go behind a main street, and then all of a sudden there's a strip mall there.

And I went on a Sunday evening, and the place was packed, actually.

It was so welcoming and warming.

Annalise, what was your first thought when you walked in?

Yeah, definitely.

I mean, I feel like sometimes it's those unassuming restaurants that have just like, the best staff, and like, the best environment when you go and you just feel like it's home.

You don't feel like, out of place, and that was really the vibe that I got from it, as well.

It was just really comfortable, like, good energy [Michelle] So Colombian comfort food at its best, I guess?

[Annalise] Exactly, yes.

Yeah.

[Michelle] Do you remember what you had this last time?

[Annalise] I had the fish filet with some rice.

I believe that there were some plantains That right.

That were done, you know, just right.

They were perfect.

So what do you think makes a cortadito so good at a Columbian restaurant, which is usually, you know, a more Cuban staple?

You know, I've been wondering that, myself.

[Michelle] They must use good coffee.

[Stephanie] They must use good coffee.

But for whatever reason, theirs just seems to be outstanding, and I crave it.

I could have it every day .

So Keith, tell me a little bit about your new love for Columbian food.

What did you have?

I can tell you, she's gonna have to pronounce it for me .

[Michelle] I can also help you.

The soup.

The soup was incredible.

[Michelle] Was it?

Oh, you had the ajiaco.

[Keith] It was incredible.

I mean, it was unlike anything that I've ever tasted.

And you know when you [Michelle] Did they have plantains in it, and all kinds of different Chicken, all kinds of different things [Michelle] Yeah.

And you know when you're trying to figure out what something's gonna taste before you taste it, so just I'm thinking, chicken noodle soup.

Right.

[Keith] And it didn't taste like that.

And it was More exciting, right?

[Keith] It was really such a treat, oh my goodness.

It was so good.

Yeah.

[Keith] I was mad I didn't get the bigger one at that point, too.

So tell me about your bistec a caballo?

[Keith] It was really good.

I know, I just remember enjoying mixing the whole rice that it was cooked perfectly.

It really was.

The steak was?

[Keith] Yeah, it was cooked perfectly.

And the service, everything there made you feel invited.

You order at the register there, you sit down.

Everybody there was extremely helpful.

I think they could tell I was a little bit lost on what to order.

[Michelle] The gringo needed help with the menu.

Yeah, definitely.

And I needed help with the soccer, as well.

But it was really, I really enjoyed my experience there.

The whole thing.

The beef was cooked perfect.

Everything was great.

Oh good.

Did you have a dessert?

Yeah, I did.

I'm glad that you asked, because I don't know the name of it.

It's like oat milk Arequipe.

Okay.

I didn't know what to expect, again.

And then I bought a dessert to take home, as well.

The arequipe I [Michelle] Perfectly pronounced.

[Keith] I would love to order that on a daily basis.

[Michelle] Oh, my goodness.

[Keith] It was so good.

It was Not too sweet for you.

Right.

But it wasn't, like, I'm a sweetaholic, so, but it was just like, perfect.

It like, didn't overkill, you know?

It was just the perfect texture.

Everything was good.

It was the first time I ever had it, but it was awesome.

It really was.

And Annalise, I think you had one of your favorite desserts, arroz con leche?

Arroz con leche, yes.

Yeah, you know, I'm a little bit partial, because I'm used to the Mexican style version of it, but I mean, theirs was just, it was done so well, and with the texture of it, was really great.

Wasn't too soupy, wasn't too, you know, didn't have too much rice in there [Michelle] Don't you hate when they overcook the rice Exactly, yes.

Too much?

[Annalise] Yeah, absolutely.

[Michelle] So you could feel the grains?

Yeah, no, it was perfect, texture was just, it was just delicious, yeah.

Is there any outdoor seating?

[Stephanie] There is a little bit of outdoor seating right on the sidewalk, but generally, I think most folks eat inside, or takeout.

Like I said, their takeout business is pretty, pretty brisk.

[Michelle] And prices?

Very reasonable.

Yep.

Bang for your buck?

Yep, I thought completely reasonable Hundred percent.

For sure.

Stephanie, La Pequena Colombia was your choice.

Sum it up for me.

For delicious baked breads, authentic Colombian cuisine, and the best cortadito on the planet, as I mentioned, be sure to visit La Pequena Colombia.

Keith?

I'll definitely go back.

And actually, my mom's gonna be coming down.

I want to take her over there, and so, the staff, everybody was inviting, and I'm definitely gonna go back there and eat, for sure.

[Michelle] Annalise?

I mean, even if you're unfamiliar with Colombian food, they make you feel right at home, and it's easy to enjoy yourself there.

You can enjoy and some ajiaco, and a delicious empanada at La Pequena Colombia, located at 1300 SW 160th Avenue in Weston.

It's open daily, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Reservations aren't accepted, but the average price for dinner without drinks is about $35.

Now Ice Area Manager Keith Bernek suggests that you skate over to this family owned pick.

He says you'll fall in love with the fresh pasta, quaint home decor, and it's located in Fort Lauderdale.

It's called "Scolapasta Bistro and Pasta Shop".

Hi, I'm Denise Silvano, and I'm the owner of Scolapasta Bistro here in Fort Lauderdale.

Coming from New Jersey, I knew nothing about Fort Lauderdale and I had this vision of what I wanted.

Scolapasta is the colander when you shake the pasta.

I'm first generation here.

My father was from Salerno.

We always made homemade pasta, and that's how I started.

I did this all, really, by myself.

I wanted to make it, you're coming into my house.

I want it to be just like, you're going into a little trattoria somewhere in Italy and you feel comfortable here.

And that's that.

My motto at Scolapasta is, "A nice glass of wine, a good dish of pasta, and then you go home."

I did my job.

So you talk about how traditional this place is.

Explain to me why that is.

Well, first going in there, I like to try small places and it's in an area that you really have to kind of look for unless you live on the Galt Ocean Mile How did you find it?

Across from the condos.

There's a line of condos called Galt Ocean Mile [Michelle] Okay.

[Keith] On Oakland Park and A1A, and for years, there's been an area of that neighborhood across the street that has different kind of shops and restaurants and it's really just started to take off.

They've really done a good job fixing it up.

When you walked in, Stephanie, what was the atmosphere like?

Very warm and welcoming.

We had actually made a reservation for the evening before, and we had to cancel and they were so accommodating, they were able to take us the next night.

They said, you know, "Welcome, we knew that you changed your reservation.

Happy to have you."

And it was adorable inside.

Annalise, what'd you think when you walked in?

I mean, the same thing.

I didn't go at a very busy time, so I felt like it was, you know, we walked in and we had just all the attention on us.

I went with one of my friends from school, and so yeah, we had a really great time.

And just, you know, going at a slower time, I feel like we really got that extra attention to us.

Sure [Annalise] Yeah.

All right, Keith, so tell me what you had to eat this last time, 'cause I have a feeling you've been there a couple times.

[Keith] Yeah, it was fabulous.

The octopus was cooked absolutely to perfection.

The potatoes, the capers, the sauce that it's in is just really, really tasty [Michelle] It sounds fresh with all that lemon and caper and tomato.

[Keith] It really is.

You use the word enjoyable, but it really is with a glass of white wine, and it's a great way to start off the meal and I'll say!

And they do a great job with it.

It kind of opens up your palate and makes you hungry.

Absolutely, absolutely.

So then what did you have?

The or Orecchiette pasti?

Orecchiette.

Thank you.

Pasta?

Yeah?

Thank you for helping pronounce it.

You're welcome.

"Little ears".

Did you know that?

It means little tiny ears.

Did you know that?

Yeah, it does.

It means, I did know that.

It was cooked perfectly.

The sausage, and just the taste [Michelle] Do they make pastas fresh, or do you think it's dried pasta?

[Keith] No, they make 'em fresh there Wow.

Every single day.

I didn't even find that out until after like, maybe the third or fourth time I had been there.

Stephanie, how did you do?

My husband and my dining companions, they had the pasta.

I actually had the salmon, the grilled salmon, and that was hands down the best salmon I've ever had, ever.

[Michelle] That's a big statement.

It was a really [Michelle] Do you know how it came?

[Stephanie] The inside was nice and flaky, but the outside had this like, crust of spices, and it was just sort of crunchy on the outside and flaky on the inside, and perfect.

[Michelle] And I think it had zucchini noodles.

[Stephanie] It did.

It had the zucchini noodles with it.

We actually started off with the grilled [Michelle] Romaine.

[Stephanie] Romaine, yes.

[Michelle] I love grilled salads, yeah.

[Stephanie] I had never had that before.

[Michelle] It's so yummy.

[Stephanie] It's always cold.

I've never had it warm.

Yeah.

And I'm converted .

Tell me about your chopped Italian salad.

I mean, you can taste the difference in vegetables.

Like, they took the time, you know, picking them out, so it [Michelle] And I love that they have zucchini noodles.

I think yours was with shrimp and pesto?

[Annalise] Yeah, exactly, I know.

I didn't know that the pasta there was homemade, but next time I'll definitely have to check it out.

Anybody have dessert?

Yes , absolutely.

The cannoli.

Yeah.

Did you have the Yeah, yeah.

Oh, my gosh.

Were they good cannoli?

It's the only time I'll venture out for the, well, 'cause I went to the Colombia and I had dessert, too.

But yeah, the cannolis there are, I mean [Michelle] Are they the big ones or the little ones?

[Keith] They were, they're like mediumsize.

Regular size, okay.

[Keith] Yeah, but they're homemade.

[Stephanie] Very flavorful.

[Keith] Yeah, they're amazing [Stephanie] I think everything there is homemade.

[Keith] Yeah, everything there is, and that adds to it.

But the cannolis are outstanding.

They really are.

How are prices?

Very reasonable.

I mean, I think that the prices were as expected; not too terrible, but for fresh, homemade dishes, excellent.

Well, Keith, Scolapasta was your choice.

Sum it up for me, please.

For a great Italian restaurant, one of the best in Fort Lauderdale with homemade pasta and great service, I definitely recommend going.

[Michelle] Stephanie?

I agree.

I think for homemade pasta, fresh ingredients, it's a perfect date night.

[Michelle] Annalise?

Yeah, I mean, if you're looking for attention to detail, and people who really take their time to get your order right, I would definitely recommend it.

For a traditional Italian meal, you can make your way to Scolapasta Bistro and Pasta Shop, located at 3358 NE 33rd Street in Fort Lauderdale.

They're open Tuesdays to Sunday for dinner.

Reservations are accepted where the average price of dinner without drinks is about $60.

If you love salmon and you love zucchini, you will love this dish.

So I'm making, kind of like a salmon provencal.

It's all these flavors that just grow, or are caught, or harvested in Provence in the South of France, other than the salmon, I guess, of course.

But they all roast really well together.

So we're just gonna roast everything together.

So let's start layering some zucchini on a sheet pan.

Now, this is a cookie sheet layered with parchment paper and it has a little bit of cooking oil sprayed on it just to make sure that nothing sticks.

All right, so I have some Julienne red onion to kind of go on and in-between.

And then finally, I have some tomatoes that we'll kind of place in and between the zucchini slices, like so.

And everything will roast underneath the fish.

And we're gonna drizzle that with a little bit of olive oil.

We're gonna throw some slices of garlic over the top.

A little bit of dried oregano.

I'm gonna use some flaky salt and some cracked black pepper.

And then we're gonna place our salmon right on top.

I have skin on salmon, scales off, skin on, because I love to eat and cook salmon with skin on.

I find that it's a lot more moist afterwards.

A little drizzle of oil right over the fish.

Of course, we have to season our fish, as well.

A little salt and pepper.

And then right before it goes in, I'm just gonna squeeze some fresh lemon juice right over the top.

Let's go ahead and head into, I have a really hot oven ready for us.

For the toppings of the salmon, which I'm about to go get in the oven, I've got a beautiful yogurt mixture with some chilies called Aleppo dried chilies, and a little bit of olive oil and salt for the top, and of course a little bit of fresh herbs.

So we've got mint and dill.

So everything has softened quite a bit.

A lot of the juice has come out of that zucchini, it looks really delicious.

So let's go ahead and serve a little bit to ourselves.

I just love roast tomatoes with fish.

I think it's just a beautiful marriage of flavors.

And of course the zucchini just makes it.

It's still a little crisp, but juicy.

And we'll go ahead and drizzle on that yogurt sauce with the chilies in it, and add some fresh herbs to just finish it up so nicely.

Yay.

And there you have it.

Salmon with zucchini.

Well finally, University of Miami grad student Annalise Iraola, wants you to try her pick, which offers diverse Mediterranean dishes and traditional American fare.

It's located in Hollywood, and it's called "Shabo's Mediterranean Barbecue".

Hello, my name is Shabo Emara.

I'm the owner of Shabo's Restaurant in Hollywood, Florida.

Every chef have dream to open his own restaurant, so I used to work for one of the corporations for a long time.

So it was my dream to open my own restaurant when I move here in Hollywood.

So I figure out this really good area.

So beautiful.

So I decide to open my first location here in Hollywood.

So we open it since 2014.

We are Mediterranean, kind of, but not Mediterranean in the same time.

So we use the Mediterranean names, but I use my own recipe for everything.

The ambience we create here, actually, I want to make everyone come into Shabo's to feel home.

So we, that even the decoration we use here, it's kind of like simple and at the same time, charming, just to make everyone feel home.

Shabo's Mediterranean is like home.

We cooking like you eat at home.

We treat all our customer as a VIP.

So can you tell me a little bit about the location of Shabo's?

Yeah, so it's located in downtown Hollywood, so it's super easy to find and easy to get to.

It's in, you know, a hip, like, cool area.

So I feel like it's a great place to walk around.

Lovely.

Okay.

Tell me a little bit about walking in for your first time, Keith.

Walking in, it was like a Moroccan decor, I would say.

And it definitely fit the theme of the restaurant.

I mean, I looked around, and when I went on a Sunday night, so it wasn't really crowded inside, so I elected to seat outside.

What did you think about it?

Had you been there before?

I had never been there before.

Actually, my son had, and he was, he said, "Oh, I love that place."

[Michelle] Oh, that's great!

Which is great.

No, very welcoming.

We had made a reservation, and it was a Saturday night.

It was a little hard to park, but we found a garage, and indoor parking, no problem.

And they seated us, and it was beautiful inside.

We felt like we were like in a little Middle Eastern palace .

Tell me about your main course.

I believe you had chicken kebab with couscous?

[Annalise] Okay, yeah, absolutely.

Yeah, so the chicken kebab, I mean, I tend to be picky about where I order chicken from, so it was exactly what I expected it to be.

It was done just the way I like it.

Tell me about your molokhia.

I've always wanted to try that.

I have never had anything like it before.

It was so good.

[Michelle] So tell me a little bit about it.

So it's braised leg of lamb, I'm guessing.

[Keith] Yeah, it's braised leg of lamb.

[Michelle] Or is it shank?

[Keith] Yeah, it's braised leg, and it was absolutely, I keep saying things were cooked to perfection, but I've had lamb many, many times.

This was unbelievable.

[Michelle] Was it a pastry over it of some type?

[Keith] No, not at all, not at all.

[Michelle] Just stewed.

[Keith] Yep, just stewed.

And it was fabulous.

And the whole dish, I ended up taking like, half of it home.

I had to get it home and it was [Michelle] It was probably better the next day, almost, right?

It was almost almost better.

It really, really was.

Yeah.

It was so good.

It was one of my favorite lamb dishes that I've ever had, for sure.

Wow.

For sure.

That's so nice to hear.

I love that.

Stephanie, tell me about your dishes.

Well, this restaurant was so much fun because there were so many things I had never eaten before and I was excited to try them.

So we initially started off with the Meze platter, which had everything and anything on it.

I think it had grape leaves, and tzatziki, and tabbouleh, and [Michelle and Stephanie] Falafel.

[Michelle] Baba Ganoush.

[Stephanie] Yes!

[Michelle] Fresh pita bread, oh my goodness.

Did it ever end?

[Stephanie] No, and it was all delicious.

Especially the falafel.

I remember that, specifically .

That was really good.

And then I ordered, our server was fabulous, and she was trying to explain all the specials, and I ended up ordering a lamb maqluba.

Which is what?

Am I pronouncing that [Michelle] Yeah, you're saying it beautifully.

Okay.

[Michelle] I just don't know what it is.

Her pronunciations are amazing.

It's insane.

I know.

I agree.

So, the lamb maqluba, basically it means, I guess "maqluba" means "upside-down", so they cook it in like, a clay pot with [Michelle] But it's a rice dish.

[Stephanie] It's a rice dish with stewed lamb and vegetables, and Middle Eastern vegetables.

I'm not quite sure what some of them were, but they tasted incredible.

[Michelle] Was the rice a little crisp?

[Stephanie] A little crisp.

[Michelle] Yeah, so they actually cook it in like, a heavy skillet to get it caramelized and crispy.

[Stephanie] Oh, okay.

And then when they flip it, you get that caramelization, and that crunch from the rice.

[Stephanie] They flip it right at the table, so Oh, how yummy!

Wow.

So it was an experience, tableside.

Wow.

That's awesome.

It was.

The presentation was gorgeous and it tasted just as delicious.

I mean, it was really, really wonderful.

And my husband and friend, they actually got the [Michelle and Stephanie] Shabo's Grill.

[Stephanie] Yes.

And so that was sort of like a little charcoal hibachi at the table.

And that was fun, as well.

[Michelle] Was that different meats, or [Stephanie] Chicken, meat, shrimp, gyros Wow.

Yeah.

[Michelle] A lot of food.

A lot of food.

Oh, my gosh.

Almost too much, but we took it home, as well.

Well, Annalise, Shabo's was your pick.

Sum it up for me, please.

If you're looking for a cool combination of Mediterranean and American barbecue, this is the right place for you.

[Michelle] Stephanie?

For a fun experience where you can try all kinds of new Middle Eastern foods and walk around Hollywood a little bit afterwards, Shabo's is perfect.

[Michelle] Keith?

The food was outstanding.

It's great Mediterranean barbecue.

I'm so glad that you picked it.

It was fantastic.

Thank you for bringing that to the table.

Well, you can enjoy a barbecue platter and a kebab at Shabo's Mediterranean Barbecue, located at 1814 Harrison Street in Hollywood, open daily for brunch, lunch, and dinner.

Reservations are accepted, where the average price for dinner without drinks is about $40.

We've had such a wonderful time.

I wanna thank my guests, Stephanie Ankus, Keith Bernek, and Annalise Iraola.

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

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, now.

I will see you then.

Thank you.

Salud, everybody.

Cheers.

Cheers.

Salud.

Cheers.

Salud.

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