This week on Check, Please!

South Florida, an old Florida Steakhouse serving up the classics in Fort Lauderdale.

Everything, like melts in your mouth there.

Korean street food with a twist in Boca Raton.

It's this combination of like spicy and savory and sweet And a romantic date night spot with a menu that will surprise your palate.

It's my favorite restaurant.

And I'm so fortunate that it's in our backyard.

[producer] 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.

I was actually really surprised by how tasty it was.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

It was nothing like I've ever had before.

It feels like a taste of Florida.

It was the size of a bathtub.

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, fundraiser Roberta Kjelgaard is launching a campaign to get the word out about her favorite spot for Korean street food fair.

She says it's an unassuming treasure in Boca Raton, but once you find it, you'll be returning for the decadent portions of addictive flavors served up by a friendly staff.

And wife, mom and recovering lawyer, Lillian Archbold, loves to sample food from around the world, but she doesn't have to go far for an experience that never fails to impress.

Her favorite eclectic bistro in Boca, serves up a seasonal menu that she calls sophisticated and surprising.

But first fruit tree farmer, Darren Anselmo, says his favorite steakhouse is rooted in tradition.

With high quality meats served up at a good price.

This community institution offers a throwback dining experience, but there's a reason it's still packed with patrons who are passionate fans of the consistent food and warm friendly service.

It's in Fort Lauderdale and it's called Tropical Acres.

Jack Studiale, owner Tropical Acres Steakhouse.

In 1949, my uncle was vacationing here, and he thought this was a great place to establish a steakhouse, so he did.

And it was much different then, but it's grown.

And then our family, my parents, my mom and dad came here in 64 and they took over.

And then I came in 73 after college and been here ever since with the rest of my family.

We feature Steaks, of course, and we use certified Angus beef.

We don't cut corners.

Our purveyors know what we purchase and they never substitute.

The customer expects it, they have to get it.

We're not the traditional new fad, we're here for the long haul.

We've been here for over 70 years, and what we're doing has been working and the customers, they prove it.

Tropical Acres is where the locals dine.

Oh, this place has been around forever.

Yes it has, and they're still on US one, if you're driving toward the airport in Denia, they have the little neon sign with the arrow that says like "Tropical Acres" and it's pointing that way.

Yeah, it's really cool.

They have a lounge when you first walk in, to the right.

Remind me of like a old mob place, you know?

So tell me what you had this last time you went.

I had the signature filet and it's wrapped in bacon.

I had that too.

You had that too?

I Liked it.

I like my bacon a little crispier, so he did that for us, it was amazing.

[michelle] That's nice.

And what else did you have?

[darren] Well, I had onion ring, of course, wherever I go, [michelle] Well of course.

[darren] I have to have the onion rings for the appetizer.

[michelle] You're like my husband, he has to have an onion ring everywhere.

And Lillian had some as well.

I did.

And well, it was, my boys ordered it as an appetizer, but not greasy.

They were not very thick, but they were just right.

And we also had the fried mozzarella, [michelle] Were they crumbed?

[lillian] Slightly breaded, my kids were expecting the sticks, but it was nice mozzarella.

[michelle] It was real.

[lillian] Yes.

So what else stuck out for you?

The service was unbelievable, I'm from South Florida and I've heard the name Tropical Acres for years and years and it is iconic and it is an institution and I'd never been there.

Very, very festive a lot of people celebrating birthdays and anniversaries.

So it's that type of a celebratory happy place where you feel comfortable.

I'd heard of it and I had never been, the name pops up all the time, [michelle] Of course.

And it's an institution.

So it was really fun.

[michelle] What did you have?

Well, the Signature Filet.

[michelle] Yep.

And then my date also had the mahi, which was wonderfully cooked and I agree, the service, they do something where, you know, you have a team of servers, that work in tandem to satisfy every need that you have.

Any starters?

[roberta] We had this appetizer sampler, which comes with the fried mozzarella and grits.

Everything that's fried is really nicely done.

The coconut shrimp, fried zucchini and the stuffed mushroom caps, which were my favorite done with a little hollandaise Sauce.

It was really, really good.

Oh, I wanted to add that we had the escargot and the escargot was out of this world and very, very reasonably priced.

What else did you have Lillian?

Well, I took a different route.

I had the broiled seafood platter, the crab cake was spot on.

The shrimp was cooked just right.

There was a bite of fish, I took a couple bites of Fish.

I think the dining experience overall, for what you get, is just a great, great value.

Did anybody hear the, the piano player that night?

I did.

Yes I did.

I was actually videoing him and this guy that was sitting in front of him, I guess he thought I was videoing him.

And he like looked at me and gave me this crazy look and all that.

So I was like, oh, let me put it down, but he was really good.

He was playing Beatles music.

Lovely, anybody have wine, to speak of?

Yeah, we had wine.

I mean, the list is uh serviceable, it's not extraordinary, but again, it's a great value.

You had a cocktail, right Lillian?

I had an old fashioned.

[darren] Oh good, they're great.

So, who had dessert?

Did all of you?

I hope all of you had.

No, I didn't have any Lillian, come on.

I'm not a dessert person either.

Gloria and I shared this apple pastry and they put like cinnamon and brown sugar.

The pastry like melts in your mouth.

Yeah.

Roberta, what'd you think of the prices, because it is basically a Steakhouse.

I thought it was an incredible value.

I mean, we had a full meal for just maybe $125.

It was extraordinary and very very good.

Easy to find, easy parking?

There was a lot of cars there, but we found parking easily.

When we left, the parking lot was pretty well lit.

So we felt really safe there and everything, so.

Oh good, okay.

Well Darren, Tropical Acres was your choice.

Sum it up for us.

Well, great place.

It's been there forever and amazing service.

And it's just a good place to go and enjoy yourself.

Lillian?

Definitely, I am part of the cult now.

I can see why so many people like it.

It truly is a great value, a wonderful experience, and I would highly recommend it.

Roberta?

I think it's just amazing that some place has been around for that long, you know, they're doing something right, and they really are.

Well, you can go back in time at South Florida's oldest Steakhouse Tropical Acres located at 2500 Griffin Road in Fort Lauderdale.

Open for dinner every day but Sunday.

Reservations are accepted and the average price for dinner without drinks is about $50.

Now, fundraiser Roberta Kjelgaard has cultivated a craving for her pick, where the menu is playful, but the food is seriously good.

She says it's a perfect introduction to Korean food, thanks to the huge selection and the ample portions.

And the staff is as excited about the food as she is her pick is in Boca Raton and it's called Tacowa.

My name is Eun Mi Kim, I'm this restaurant owner.

I'm Jong Lee, I'm the husband of my wife.

And I'm just employee.

I was a sportscaster in my country, South Korea, but in 2019, my older son had a shooting accident in the Douglas High School.

after that my family and my son wanted me to stay with family.

So I quit my job and we started something what to do.

So my wife and my mother-in-law was the restaurant owner in Korea.

So we decided to start my business like Korean restaurant.

The most popular item is the bibimbap, because bibimbap means mixed rice or a vegetable, a very healthy vegetable and some of the meat like beef or pork or chicken, or even tofu.

Tacowa is about tradition, family and good food.

Very simple, we are serving good food.

I love the name.

Yeah, I do too.

I think street food should be easy, it should be fun.

And I think Korean cuisine is amazing because it's combination of like spicy and savory and sweet and tangy it's just really, really good.

We started with the scallion pancake.

It's not on the menu anymore, but you can order it.

And it's full of green onions that are just sort of starting to get a little sweet.

It comes with this dipping sauce, It's soy based It just sends it to a whole new level.

What else?

[roberta] I love their kimchi fries.

It's kind of like a Korean patine.

It's French fries loaded with bulgogi, the beef [michelle] Oh wow!

And kimchi on top and cheese and a little cilantro.

Its more than just gravy.

[roberta] Oh yeah.

Okay.

Better for you I think.

Uh maybe .

Darren, this is your first time eating Korean food, right?

Yes.

What'd you think?

I think it was good, I don't know.

I've never had Korean food, I'm not gonna tell a Korean guy, hey, go there, it's-- No, but you know, but if you liked it, that's all that really matters.

If you would go back.

I would go back.

You don't have to know any cuisine to like the cuisine and, and to try it.

So tell me what you had.

I had the honey garlic chicken.

I feel like the chicken was a little too breaded and fried, but the rest was great, I had fried rice.

So I'm thinking, coz I'm used to just Chinese food right?

You get the Chinese food.

Sure.

They brought this bowl with like rice with this egg on the top.

And I was like.

Was that your wife's Bibimbap, or was that?

No, the Bibbidy Bop I thought I was in, I was like, I'm in Disney World.

I'm like Bibbida Blibbida blah blah blah?

[michelle] Bibimbap Yeah but she was calling it bibbily bop and the ladies [michelle] And chicken.

Were agreeing with her, and she said "Oh yeah, we know we know what you want."

But I tried some of that, that was great.

My daughter ordered the, she's a vegan, my daughter.

So she ordered the tacos with the tofu.

I ate it and that was amazing.

I loved it.

Lillian, what'd you think?

So I've driven past there many, many times.

I always thought that the logo is very distinctive.

It's a taco with chopstick in it.

So when I had the opportunity to visit, it was great.

We had the steamed dumplings and they were very flavorful.

I had the bibimbap and I'd never tried it before.

[michelle] Did they give you the chili paste.

The gojuchang on the side so you can mix it in?

[lillian] Yes.

[michelle] What'd you think?

[lillian] I thought it was delicious.

[michelle] Did you add it all in or little by little ?

No I like a little kick, not.. [michelle] Understood.

Kicked, kicked under, but it was delicious.

And then my husband had his in the stone hotpot and I liked getting to the bottom of the pot and just having that crispy sizzling rice at the bottom.

That was something I was, the rice was like, like burnt sort of at the bottom, like crispy.

Well [darren] So I said.

Its supposed to.

Oh, I didn't know that and I asked the lady.

[michelle] That's the best part.

I was like, I could get that at home, my wife burns everything.

So I was Like-- Well, maybe she means to.

[darren] No.

So the treasure of bibimbap or any of these dishes is that they bring you out a clay pot and it's very hot.

And so whatever gets stuck to the bottom is actually the treasure of the dish and that texture difference between that and the more cooked rice on the top that feels softer to your mouth is, is the best part.

So, now instead of complaining, when I'm at home, I'm like, ooh, I'm getting to the treasure part now.

[michelle] Yes, treasure.

But yeah, that was, I learned something about Korean food with that.

I worked in, in Seoul for a little while, cooking.

And so I learned a lot about the cuisine there and ever since I brought it back with me that love for all that beautiful food.

You know, you had some entrees you haven't even talked about yet.

We haven't even touched the service with you.

Yeah, so the entrees, we did get a soft corn taco with the spicy pork and the beef, it was good.

And the other entree we had..

I actually tried the Squid, which I had never tried before.

Barbecue, it comes with these little dishes.

They give you kimchi, they give you fish cake.

They give you potato salad and then you get to kind of mix and match everything.

[michelle] Sure.

[roberta] It's fun.

Sure, Lillian, tell me about service.

They have tables outside and they have tables inside.

and it was, I mean, they were turning tables over, service was really great.

Anybody have dessert?

I did, I had green tea cheesecake, it was delicious.

[darren] I wanted that but they were out.

[michelle] Ooh!

The whole time I was there I'm like, Ooh, green cheesecake, green tea cheesecake.

So, I got some other thing.

It was like some ice cream.

What was your other thing?

[darren] Mochi, yeah, I was calling them emojis and my daughter's like, no it's Mochi, but they're these ice cream balls with like dough over 'em.

It's made with Tapioka, It has a fun gummy time texture on the outside and then you find the ice cream.

So Roberta, Tacowa was your choice.

Please, give us a little summary.

The food is delicious and it's a great place to explore Korean street food.

Darren?

I loved it, it was easy to get into, great service.

It was amazing and the food, it was great.

Lillian?

I would definitely return next time with more people so that we could sample more of the menu because the menu is very, very extensive.

Good idea.

You can give Korean food a try at Tacowa, located at 159 East Palmetto Park Road in Boca Raton.

They're open for dinner every day, but Wednesday and for lunch every day, except Sunday and Wednesday, reservations are not accepted.

The average price for dinner without drinks is about $30.

Hi everyone, So I'm dying to teach you a new dish.

It's called bulgogi.

You actually start out with an Asian pear You only need a little bit, the rest you're gonna wanna eat.

Trust me they're delicious.

Go ahead and grate the Asian pear into a mixing bowl like so, to that we're gonna add some white sugar, finely grated ginger, some finely grated garlic, some scallions that are just sliced up, sesame oil, and finally some soy sauce.

Go ahead and mix that up.

This marinate, look at it.

It's really chunky, but it's really just delicious.

And what you do is to cut the meat really thin.

This is a New York strip and we actually just froze this overnight.

And the reason why we froze it is because it's easier for me to cut really thin pieces out of it.

And you put them in the marinade and..

I love it if you keep it in there overnight, it's even more delicious.

I'm gonna go ahead and heat a pan on high heat.

I made us a little bit of white rice, just simple white rice to go with this.

I also have some julienne white onion, some scallions and some toasted sesame seeds.

All right, I'm gonna add some vegetable oil and you really want that to be hot.

So we're actually looking for smoke to come up.

The first thing we're gonna add are the onions and a little bit of scallion.

It's gonna be a lot easier to cook with chopstick to separate the meat because it's so finely shaved and we really wanna get these nice and soft.

All right, the onions are becoming translucent.

Let's go ahead and start cooking the bulgogi.

You don't wanna overcrowd your pan.

So you wanna work quickly and using the chopsticks, go ahead and just keep separating the meat.

So as you can see, it's forming a sauce in the pan.

You see how beautifully saucy it becomes.

I'm actually gonna pour the whole thing onto the plate because I want all of this delicious gravy.

And there you have it, Korean bulgogi.

And finally, wife and mom, Lillian Archbold is a stickler for good service and her pick never lets her down.

She says the husband and wife team at her favorite local bistro, will make you feel like a VIP.

And the ambiance makes it a perfect destination for date night or for a sophisticated family dinner.

It's in Boca Raton and it's called Twenty Twenty Grille.

Ron Weisheit, chef owner of Twenty Twenty Grille.

I'm Rhonda Weisheit and I run the front of the house.

We actually owned a bakery up in Newburyport, Massachusett for about eight years.

I grew up down here.

We knew that we were gonna move back to the area.

And after working for other people, we decided that we should do it ourselves.

And that's how we got started.

We call it contemporary American, but we pretty much jump into whatever we decide.

So one could be Peruvian, Thai, middle Eastern.

It's just really whatever whim we sort of follow at that time.

No one knew we existed, we're tucked in a courtyard.

No one knew where we are and now, they come and see us.

People know what to expect when they come to Twenty Twenty Grille now, versus when we first opened up.

At Twenty Twenty Grille, we would like our guests to feel at home and experience a foodie event.

You really sing praises about this.

I mean, your notes were incredible.

I can't say enough.

It's the restaurant, my favorite restaurant.

And I'm so for that it's in our backyard.

So Twenty Twenty, 20 seats on the outside 20 seats on the inside of the restaurant, it's a husband and wife team.

[michelle] Intimate.

Yeah.

[michelle] Really intimate, right?

As soon as we arrive, we're greeted right away.

Servers are energetic and passionate about the food.

The menu cycles out every eight weeks.

So, and a lot of this Interesting though, isn't it though?

Not a lot of restaurants here are seasonal.

And I think it's because we don't have a very visible change of seasons, but there is a change of seasons for the ingredients.

So that's exciting, so what did you have this last time that you went.

Well this last time we started off with the duck duck taco cooked in an orange gastrique with very thinly sliced pieces of duck.

You had that as well, didn't you?

I loved that.

I mean, I would go back in an instant.

[michelle] Just for that.

Ugh!

It was so good.

I mean, everything is so great.

Everything is house-made, they have fresh bread, their butters are made in house.

So you might go and you might have a root beer flavored butter.

And then the next week.. [michelle] How fun.

Or two you might have a bananas foster.

They constantly keep you on your toes.

Yeah.

The one other hook that they have, the chef will send out a spoonful of sorbet and he will try to stump the guests.

four ingredients in the sorbet.

Try to guess what the four ingredients are.

And I think the closest we've ever gotten is three ingredients.

So what else did you have other than the duck duck taco?

My husband had the Peruvian steak, just cooked to perfection very tender pieces of steak.

And I had the grilled diver sea scallops that were served on a bed of rice pudding with some wasabi.

And it was just, the service is unbelievable.

It's the kind of place where you feel valued as a customer you're waited on hand and foot.

I was in awe because it was like a special place.

They had artwork on the wall, this big fork thing, everything was like, so like picturesque, I guess.

I don't know.

It looks like something you could see in like a magazine.

I had the meyer lemon salmon because I sell meyer lemon trees.

So I was like.. Do you really?

Yes.

Do you know that they're my favorite.

[darren] Oh, are they?

Oh, we need to talk later [darren] You gotta come by and get one.

Oh, I would be amazed, yeah.

So, It was amazing.

Roberta, you had that as well, didn't you?

I did, the seared salmon I don't know how he does it, but somehow the coating of the salmon is just a little taut and then it's so moist underneath and in the sauce it comes on a bed of lobster risotto, which is delicious.

Same right, exactly the same dish?

Yeah.

Okay, Roberta, you had lamb, I believe?

Yeah the lamb chops, comes with broccoli lamb and this wonderful homemade rosemary gnocchi, how do you pronounce that?

Gnocchi [darren] Gnocchi [lillian] Oh my gosh broccoli and lamb is actually my favorite dish.

The lambs is just like, yeah, melts like butter.

Yeah.

Anybody have dessert?

My husband ordered the cream brule, which was perfect.

And I ordered the apple crisp.

It was done in a way that was incorporated berries and it was kind of in, in a compote.

[michelle] Oh, Delicious!

[lillian] So it was very interesting.

Combinations are very intriguing though.

And I love that you all had food that is very of the season.

[darren] It looked like artwork, like, the food was like, The plates themselves?

Seriously, I was like everything was like artwork on, like they're bringing art to ya.

And they're so proud of it.

It's like, and you're like, wow, this is amazing.

That's lovely.

It is really a labor of love, I mean, everybody that works there is invested.

It's very personal.

You really feel like their only job is to delight you and surprise you.

That's great, but Lillian, Twenty Twenty Grille was your choice.

Give us a summary please.

It is never the same restaurant twice, but the consistency, the service and the hospitality and the love is genuine and it will keep me returning for many, many years to come.

Darren?

I thought it was amazing, I'll definitely go back.

I'll definitely recommend it.

Something I never experienced before, so it was great.

Roberta?

Yeah stellar recommendation for me too.

It's in a walking distance of my home, they've been there eight years and I had never gone.

It's a very romantic spot.

The food is spot on and the service is great.

Well you can sit back and enjoy the evening at Twenty Twenty Grille located at 141 Via Naranjas in the Royal Palm Plaza in Boca Raton.

Open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday, reservations are accepted and the average price for dinner without drinks is about $75.

Well, we've had a wonderful time.

I wanna thank my guests, Darren Anselmo, Roberta Kjelgaard and Lillian Archbold.

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

Join us next time for three new guests recommending three of their favorite restaurants.

Right here in Check Please!

South Florida.

I'm Michelle Bernstein.

Salut everyone, and I will see you then.

Bye y'all, thank you everybody.

Thank you.

[producer] Cultural culinary secrets and global flavors.

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