This week on "Check, Please!, South Florida," a spot for delicious Cajun style cuisine in Palm Beach Gardens.

I put, "Very appreciative."

It was more than enough for us.

[Michelle] A casual cafe with creative combinations in West Palm Beach.

To be able to go in and have to keep your eyes off of the pastries and look at the menu is really difficult.

[Michelle] And a tried and true favorite in Boca Raton.

It comes with so much food.

Like, you will not leave that place hungry.

[Narrator 1] Cultural, culinary secrets and global flavors.

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

[Narrator 2] 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 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, financial systems consultant, Ian Lali, says his pick is a quaint Cuban food lover's delight.

That is large portions of personality, and of course food, boasting with flavor, located in Boca Raton.

He says that their nofuss approach to traditional dishes will keep you going back.

Athletic coach Janice Joseph wants you to run over to her pick, which she says offers a diverse and satisfying menu as well as a relaxed and comforting atmosphere.

Go ahead and grab a delicious pastry at this West Palm Beach hub for locally-sourced goodness.

But first, public insurance adjuster Bernard Sarasohn ensures us that when he's in the mood for some southern delight, he heads over to the Louisiana style spot.

He says that with their delicious appetizers, main courses and cocktails, you'll never get enough of the Cajun flair, yummy.

It's in Palm Beach Gardens and it's called Voodoo Bayou.

Hi, my name's Curtis Peery.

I'm the owner of Voodoo Bayou.

Years ago I traveled the country, got to hear some great music, and got to work in a lot of great music cities, and eventually got to work a little bit in New Orleans.

I'm actually from Palm Beach Gardens.

So wanted to bring this food and this kind of cuisine and this whole atmosphere back home.

It's a really unique kind of cuisine that you really can't find anywhere else in the world.

We really like the actual building is what really drew us to this location.

Has really great 25 foot high ceilings.

We knew we could do a really cool second floor mezzanine, which is a great private event space.

We're definitely a family operation.

Yeah, my mother did paint some of the paintings on the wall back here.

My wife did all the interior design, and we worked together closely on that.

And it really is a family business, and we built it from the ground up.

It's always our goal to wow the customer.

If we wowed the guests with our food, our service, our ambiance, then we've achieved our mission.

Voodoo Bayou to me is a place that you're really immersed in the New Orleans feel, and when you walk from outside into the palm trees of Palm Beach Gardens, you're really transported to a whole nother dimension.

You say that the design, the decor is just fascinating.

Tell me why you say that.

Oh, it's like you just walked into New Orleans.

Like they really embrace the whole voodoo theme, and everything there from, like, the decor to the energy, to the live music.

It just, like, teleports you there.

So tell me a little bit about the last time you were there and the food that you ate.

We started off with the appetizer of their cornbread.

They call it their Famous Cornbread.

[Michelle] You had that as well?

No, I wish.

Oh, no.

[Michelle] Okay, next time.

Definitely, you got a reason now.

Okay.

Yeah, no.

It's called their Famous Cornbread, and it comes with honey butter and molasses.

And they just kind of drizzle it on there.

And it's kind of like this sort of, like, you take a little scoop of it, of the butter, and you break off a piece of the bread.

And you just go to town, and it's really, really good.

Janice, tell me a little bit about walking in to this place.

So walking in there were, like, three to four faces greeting you saying, "Hello, welcome!"

And my dad and I were like, "Whoa."

And this was, like, a dark area and you saw their pretty smiles.

They sat us down to the table, and it didn't take long at all.

The thing that stuck out for me was the rolling ladder that they had with the bourbon and whiskey, which was really cool 'cause I've never seen that.

So like, the ladder would roll to get the drink and then, you know, if the person would want it, they got it.

Yeah, it makes life easier.

We own bars as well and the only way to get to the top is by putting a ladder.

But you can't, you know Lift it every time.

Every time.

So rolling ladder is always wonderful and safe.

[Janice] It was so cool and I loved it.

Oh good.

Yeah.

Ian, what'd you think about the decor of the place?

I really liked it.

I went for lunch and it was [Michelle] I wonder if it's different during the day.

That's different.

Yeah, so it was very relaxed, and nice and bright 'cause all the light was coming in.

And you walk in and I could smell the wood fire oven.

So it was really welcoming.

How inviting.

I like that.

Yeah, yeah.

Really enjoyed the atmosphere.

It's probably a whole different personality though during the day.

Yeah.

Okay well, what'd you have Ian?

Well, I started off and it's a takeoff from where you were with the cornbread.

I had the Caesar salad with the cornbread croutons, which were really, really good.

Dangerous.

Yeah, very dangerous.

So that was Hey, he had salad.

He had greens.

[Michelle] Tell me about the grouper and grits.

Oh, that was special.

Yeah?

[Ian] Yeah.

I'm not a big shrimp and grits fan.

But the grouper that they made was unbelievable.

So what did you have after the cornbread?

I think that was where we dropped off.

Yes, yes, no.

So after we had that fabulous cornbread, I ordered their fried chicken sandwich with their seared green beans.

And that's the thing, for how big the cornbread was, he's very correct.

The entrees are perfect.

Janice, tell me about your barbecue shrimp soup.

I am a little...

I'm confused and intrigued and I can't wait to hear.

So, the menu said barbecue shrimp.

So I was thinking, "Okay, it's like gonna be a plate of shrimp, you know, just barbecue sauce on it.

Grilled, no problem."

She brought out a cast iron and the shrimp was inside, and it was like a soupy, brothy base.

And I was like, "Oh my gosh, this looks weird."

My dad was like, "What is that?"

I was like, "This is the barbecue shrimp."

And so That is by the way, that is classic New Orleans barbecue shrimp, is swimming in a pool Yes?

of usually a shrimp broth with a lot of Worcestershire Yeah.

is the base of it.

A lot of black pepper, rosemary.

Does that sound right?

It was so weird.

I'm looking at 'em like, "This is barbecue shrimp."

And they had, like, little baguettes on the side.

And so my dad and I split the baguettes.

And then we just, like Dipped.

dipped our bread, yep.

You made it right.

And it was so good.

So good.

Ian, how was the service?

The service was excellent.

I really love how they, at the end present with dessert, had the beignets and they bring them in a box.

[Janice] She brought it and I was like, "What?"

She was like, "That's how we serve it."

[Ian] Yeah.

I've had the beignets and as much as I love them, I wanted to try something I didn't have.

And this monkey bread just knocked it out of the park.

It was so flaky and just rich and tasty.

But if you get the monkey bread, you gotta get it, go the extra mile, with the bourbon praline ice cream on top.

Wow.

Wow.

Well, there's your alcohol.

Oh, it is just so good.

And it pulls it all together with the candied pecans and the caramel.

That was the magnum opus of the meal.

How are the portions compared to the prices?

What'd you think.

The portions were good.

I put, "Very appreciative."

It was more than enough for us.

Voodoo Bayou was your pick.

Sum it up for us.

It's a little taste of Louisiana, in good old South Florida.

Janice?

Nice food, spice food, and the beignets were the best.

[Michelle] Yay!

Ian?

Loved the atmosphere.

The food quality was superb.

We'd go back there.

You can enjoy creativity and rich flavors at Voodoo Bayou located at 11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave. And it's in Palm Beach Gardens.

Open daily for lunch and dinner with live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights, and brunch on Sundays.

Reservations are accepted, where the average price for dinner without drinks is about $45.

If you love shrimp and grits, well, then you're gonna wanna make this recipe.

It's really quick and simple.

Okay well, grits are never quick, but they are simple.

So I love about four to one ratio to make grits.

And that is four liquid to one grit.

So what I mean by that, and I love two different types of liquid.

I like a little bit of dairy.

So we're gonna take milk, and we're gonna take some chicken stock, and you could vary these up quite a bit.

So what you're gonna wanna do is heat up that liquid.

And when it gets really good and hot and starts to simmer, be careful.

You don't want milk to start boiling 'cause it'll scald the bottom.

So once it gets really good and hot, very slowly, you're going to want to add your grits into the pan.

Once this simmers, you're gonna wanna lower the heat quite a bit.

So I have some that have been cooking here for almost an hour.

It's been about somewhere between 45 minutes and 55 minutes.

And these are almost ready.

They don't have any flavor yet though.

So I'm gonna do two things at once.

I'm gonna cook some shrimp for the top.

So let's add a little bit of salt and pepper to the grits.

I'm gonna add a little bit of butter.

Okay, not so little.

About two, three tablespoons, let's do two of butter into the grits.

But I'm also gonna throw a tablespoon of butter over there for the shrimp.

To that pan, I'm also gonna add the tiniest little trickle of olive oil, just for flavor.

So right now we have about a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter in there.

Here's some beautiful shrimp.

I'm just going to go ahead and add the shrimp to the pan.

And they are gorgeous, big Florida shrimp.

And you're gonna wanna season them with salt and pepper like you did to your grits.

Now to the shrimp, I'm gonna add a little pinch of cayenne pepper.

To the grits, I'm gonna add some of my favorite hot sauce.

Beautiful.

And then finally, I've got some gorgeous aged white cheddar that I'm gonna add to the grits.

All right, I'm ready to put this into a bowl.

Go ahead and spoon as much or as little of these cheese grits.

And then of course with the shrimp, I would probably say about three, four shrimp would be just perfect in a serving of grits of that size.

Let's finish it with just a little touch of hot sauce right over the top.

There we go.

And there you have it, my friends.

A delicious plate of soul kissing.

I can't even imagine what kind of a warm hug this is.

Shrimp and grits.

Now athletic coach Janice Joseph is ready to get you to the finish line at her favorite spot.

With carefully crafted soup, salads, and sandwiches, she says this contemporary gourmet cafe offers delicious pastries and a perfectly relaxing atmosphere.

It's located in West Palm Beach and it's called Aioli.

My name is Michael Hackman.

I'm the chef and coowner of aioli.

Aioli has been open for just over eight years.

My wife Melanie and I wanted a small cafe, bakery that we couldn't find in the area.

So a place that we would want to go and enjoy.

So we created that.

We sell everything from baked goods to sandwiches, to soups, to come for breakfast, come for lunch.

So we wanted that family kind of like outspoken place.

The locals, the neighborhood, has been supportive 100%.

We couldn't do it without the people that come in here every day.

When I want people to come in and what I want them to think is I want 'em to see all the hard work that goes into it.

I want to see that it's made from scratch.

We did a wide open kitchen, the bakery is wide open where you can see us hand rolling croissants.

You can peek over and see that it's homemade.

So I want 'em to realize how much work goes into it and how much love and care that the whole team puts into it.

Aioli is scratchmade.

It is neighborhood family ran.

So you love this little gourmet shop right, Janice?

Every Saturday.

Every Saturday?

Oh my gosh.

It's like home.

It's like I go in, they're so welcoming.

Like, "Hey, welcome back."

So tell me what you had this last time.

[Janice] So the last time I went I had the curry cauliflower soup, which I have never had before.

And it was so creamy Hmm.

and it was, yeah, it was good.

Curry cauliflower was really good.

It was like chunks of cauliflower in it too, which is really nice.

And then to switch it up, instead of doing a normal tuna sandwich, I did a tuna sandwich, like, half a tuna sandwich and I put a roasted pear inside of it.

And that was really good.

Well Bernard, what'd you think when you first walked in?

So first thing I noticed about it that really stood out was, like, you could see the whole operation from the moment you walk in.

Everything is fresh, and you could taste that.

It was really, really good.

So what'd you go for?

So to drink, I started with a special drink they had called a limoncello latte.

Yum.

Yeah Wait, did there have coffee in there?

No.

There was coffee, no limoncello.

[Michelle] Okay.

But I guess the lemon comes from a lemoninfused cane sugar that they use when they're preparing the latte.

Oh yum.

That's sounds delicious.

And it's very subtle.

It actually was really And it worked well together?

Yeah, very much so.

Interesting, okay.

And what did you eat?

To eat, I had started with the quiche of the day, which had a little bit of tomato and spinach, and a little bit of Parmesan.

I can't remember the last time I had a quiche.

It was delicious.

And then for the main course, it was their breakfast sandwich special, which had like a coppa sausage and a frittata egg.

It was very layered.

I felt like it was a bit small, but then again, I have a big appetite, so.

I see that because if you were to have that after a quiche, that yeah.

That's a lot.

Oh, yeah.

[Michelle] Ian, what stood out for you?

What stood out for me is when I walked in the front door, it was like I was walking into Cheers.

And everybody was like, "Hi, what's your name?

Your first time here?"

You know, the owner's wife was standing there.

You know, it was just the friendliness and the welcoming of the establishment was great.

Besides keeping my eyes off of all the pastries.

What'd you start with?

[Ian] I had the biscuit and then [Michelle] Is it just a biscuit?

It was just a biscuit Okay.

because I was really hungry.

And I had that while I was waiting for my egg and bacon sandwich.

And the bread was awesome.

[Michelle] Do they make their own bread?

Oh yeah.

Yes, they do.

All of the bread.

Wow.

People would come in from work, grab a loaf of bread, and just head out.

[Ian] Oh yeah, I could see that, no problem.

It's so good.

The real shocker and surprise was the orange cardamom croissant.

It was like a muffin croissant.

Very light cardamom, very light orange.

It was just spectacular.

Whoa.

Did anybody take anything out?

I did.

I got two slices of their banana bread.

And I'm a sucker for banana bread.

And anytime I see it, I'm like, "Alright, I'm getting one."

How are the prices?

Very reasonable.

And you know, the portions may be small for some.

But everything is very reasonably priced, and the quality is there.

How about the location and parking?

Tell me about that.

Location, you'd never know it was there.

So if you're driving by it, they're not getting foot traffic in there.

The parking was plenty, but I think that the key is word of mouth.

Janice, Aioli was your pick.

Sum it up for us, please.

If you're looking for a cozy, comforting food spot, please go to Aioli.

Everything is made from the heart.

[Michelle] Bernard?

Whether sweet or savory, this bistro has whatever you would like.

Ian?

Love the pastries and bread.

And to be able to go in and have to keep your eyes off of the pastries and look at the menu is really difficult.

You can enjoy the casual atmosphere and delicious pastries from Aioli.

Located at 7434 South Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach.

Open Monday to Saturday for breakfast and lunch.

Reservations are not accepted, but the average price of lunch without drinks is about $35.

Finally, financial systems consultant, Ian Lali, says that his pick will make you feel like you're taking a step back in time.

With their abundant menu options and delicious cafecito, he says this haven for Cuban food is not to be missed.

It's located in Boca Raton and it's called Caribbean Grill.

Hi, my name is Arjuna Warner.

I am the chef and owner of Caribbean Grill.

Since I was a little kid, always even played having a restaurant and having little with my friends.

Opening up a can that was like five years old at least, you know, starting with a can of tune or something like that.

Taking orders, me being in the whole thing.

Just always liked it.

It's mostly, I would say, the best dishes of many land countries that we all live here in South Florida, right?

So it's a mixture of all of us.

The plato gaucho is an Argentinean dish.

It's comes with a picanha, which is actually Brazil's favorite cut.

Top sirloin, the cap of the top sirloin, right?

Chorizo, grilled chicken, and also some masas de puerco which is actually cumin.

So it's a mixture of an Argentinean dish mixed into different cultures into the one dish.

Caribbean Grill is a hole in the wall with food that compares only to very high end restaurants.

I love this.

And you've enjoyed this restaurant for years?

Yes.

I found this on one of these dining sites, and I said, "I gotta try this place."

Went there, very nondescript, at the end of a small shopping plaza.

It's a diner, if you ask me when you walk in, like, you know, you used to go to in the '50s and '60s.

[Michelle] Bernard, you said something about the menu was written on the walls?

Right.

So the thing that threw me off a little bit is that the menu is drawn on chalk on the walls.

They don't give you like a handout menu Okay.

for you to read and kind of analyze things.

So be prepared to ask a lot of questions if you go in there.

Why, is it all in Spanish?

Yes.

Okay, All right.

Well, they have English too.

They have English too.

Yeah.

A little bit, a little bit.

A little bit, a little bit.

[Michelle] What'd you think when you walked in?

The same thing, nondescriptive.

And as far as like the location goes?

Super small, cute shop.

And then also with the menus being on the wall was just like a... Like, I had to look around to see, like, what did I want.

[Michelle] It can be overwhelming, right?

Yes.

Yeah.

Tell me how you started.

Well, it's really neat.

They bring you some warm Cuban bread Which is the best.

Yeah.

And there's some butter on it.

And they have a couple of dipping sauces that they bring you.

So right off the bat, you know, you don't even have to ask.

[Michelle] And you had a house salad to start?

[Ian] Everything comes with a salad.

Oh, I love that.

Yeah, yeah.

So you don't have to order a salad separately.

And it's always fresh and it's usually really big, and so, oh yeah.

And tell me about your whole fish, your whole snapper.

I'm a lover of whole snapper.

So when they bring you the whole snapper and it's flaky Fried or grilled?

[Ian] No, it's fried, but not with a batter.

Flash fry.

Yeah, flash fry.

They just do it very, very well.

Tell me what you had.

Oh, I had the ropa vieja, which any Cuban cafe or restaurant I go to, I always get that.

It's always the best.

Get that with some plantains.

And then it comes with the salad and the yellow rice.

You definitely get your bang for your buck there.

Everything is top notch.

So the ropa vieja, which is very, very long stewed beef with all kinds of flavors and peppers and onions and things like that.

Was it very thinly shredded Oh, it was perfectly meat?

[Bernard] It was thinly, perfectly thinly shredded and Tender?

Yeah, tender.

And it's like tomato broth of some kind.

But even the broth was light, but it all worked so well together.

It was so good.

Janice, tell me about you.

What did you have?

So I had the flounder.

Okay.

[Janice] And the flounder had, like, onions and peppers and had, like, a light mild season on it, which I loved.

But you also had an appetizer?

Yes, I did.

Your theme of the day which is?

Shrimp.

[Michelle] Yes.

Ah.

[Michelle] And how were they cooked, do you remember?

The shrimp, so it was cast iron again, a cast iron shrimp.

But it was made in more so of like a tomato paste.

So a tomato paste, kind of like, seasoning in it.

And it was like a little oily, but also like really good.

[Michelle] All of you had a sweet tooth that day.

So tell me, Bernard, what'd you have for dessert?

I had to go for the tres leches, and a little bit of café con leche to go with it.

Wow.

Because why not?

Why not.

Layer on that sugar.

Janice, what did you have?

Did you have the same thing?

Debating between the tres leche cake or the cookie I think it was, like the cookie cake.

So they've just brought us out the ice cream, and it had, like, chunks of cake in it.

So it was like tres ice cream with like chunks of the tres leche cake in it.

Oh my goodness.

It was so good.

So good.

Wow.

So good.

[Michelle] Ian, how about you?

Well, after I ate the sweet plantains, I had to have some flan.

Because, yeah, why not?

It all goes together.

Well, the fruit, I had fruit with it.

How was the flan?

Oh, it was excellent.

Good?.

Very good, yeah.

[Michelle] Do they make everything inhouse?

Yes, oh yeah.

It's, yeah.

That's great.

All right, I like this.

So tell me a little bit about portions.

Well, they're perfect.

Okay.

You certainly get the, like I said, the most bang for your buck.

It comes with so much food.

Like, you will not leave that place hungry.

That's great.

Did you feel that way about the prices?

I agree.

The prices and the food portion went well, perfect... Well, not perfectly, but went really well.

Everything was just like, "This is enough for me.

Like, I can eat this right now and I don't have to worry about taking it home."

Okay.

Ian, Caribbean Grill was your pick.

Sum it up for me, please.

The place is excellent.

To your point and to your point, the food, there's plenty of food.

You're not gonna go home hungry.

It's quality made.

I think they cook with love.

Bernard, what'd you think?

You no longer have to go to Miami to get a perfect Cuban meal.

Great.

Janice?

Just enough in the right place at the right time.

Love it.

Me too.

Be prepared to be pleasantly surprised with traditional Cuban dishes at Caribbean Grill.

Located at 1332 Northwest Boca Raton Boulevard in Boca Raton.

Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

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

We've had a wonderful time.

I wanna thank my guests, Bernard Sarasohn, Janice Joseph, and Ian Lali.

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 always 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, and I will see you then.

Cheers everybody.

Cheers.

Cheers.

[Narrator 1] Cultural, culinary secrets, and global flavors.

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