Mozart Cafe

“Next year we shall be in Jerusalem.” If you’re Jewish, or have an affinity with or towards the Jewish people you will know the meaning of those words spoken every Passover. Leaving behind the many other aspects of Jerusalem and its sister city Tel Aviv, one of the things they are quickly being known for is for being a ‘foodie’ paradise. A trip to Jerusalem however is a bit long for me right now. But fortunately Mozart Café of Hollywood is just a bit closer.

Mozart’s is a 100% kosher restaurant. If you can’t fit this food inside your kosher diet, you might as well just give it up. That’s just one reason why it is so popular with the residents of the Emerald Hills area of Hollywood, which has a very devout Jewish community.

Located right on Sterling Road, the restaurant might be easy to miss, but once you know where it is, you’ll never forget it. They are open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner until 2am every day except for “Shabbat” which is from sundown on Friday night to Sundown on Saturday night. 

The food here is simply amazing. In my younger days I associated the term ‘Kosher’ with uninteresting and boring food. Here however it is quite the opposite. 

I’ve been here with my co-partner in life Laura, and we’ve had breakfast and dinner. Their breakfast portions are quite large and could fill up a person so much that they might not miss lunch. It would be the perfect thing for those who get lost in a dessert for say 40 years. One of my favorite (breakfast) dishes is the Mediterranean Shakshuka, which has its own unique sauce, with roasted eggplant and feta and olives. This Israeli origin dish is sure to please.

They also have a large selection of Sandwiches and Panini’s. I was able to sample the spicy tuna Panini’s, which was made with regular tuna (not sushi tuna), peppers, coriander and a spicy tomato paste, black olives were added of course. On the side we shared a smoothie.

If you are not in the mood for sandwiches or eggs, you can always go for the kosher sushi. They have a large selection as you can see in the photos. Laura and my favorite selections include the spicy tuna, which could be just a tad spicier, the JB roll, and a salmon lover’s roll. You can check out their extensive menu on line at www.mozartcafehollywood.com or just stop on in. 

Be warned the service here is not quick, and inside with children it can get a bit louder than you might desire. But it’s worth it anyway. If you’re in a rush go to MacDonald’s, if you want to actually enjoy your food, and relax with loved ones then you need to come here. If you live a kosher lifestyle and haven’t been here yet, then this will certainly be your new second home. They are located at 4433 Stirling Road in Dania, FL, 33314.

Side note: I’ve been experimenting in Photoshop with “vintage film” borders for my photos. Let me know what you think about that on these photos.

The Age of Cheap Sushi…

So in a departure from the ordinary, I decided to talk a “long walk” and by long walk I simply mean a long walk, in this case according to our friends at google about 4.5 miles.  Now Broward can be a fun place at times, but it would be hard to find a place where you could still be urban and still be walking.

And that brings me to South Beach. South Beach is an ideal place to walk, and walk and walk. Oh, and watch all the other walkers and bikers and such. And that brings me to tourist central better known as Lincoln Road. Aside from the beach this is what South Beach is all about, exclusive dining, small boutique shops and people watching.

Naturally walking all around town one develops an appetite, but living the life of a poor but humble blogger, I decided to go off the beaten path (away from the tourists) and spend a little less for lunch.

All over South Florida the era of cheap sushi has arrived. Maybe it’s like the MacDonald’s of sushi but small little “hole in the wall’ places are seeming to pop up everywhere. And that’s a very good thing for those of us who are tight on our budgets or our time.

Less than a block south of Lincoln Road is a small sushi place whose name is perhaps Fuji Sushi. It’s not much on the eyes but it is good on taste. Very good in fact for its looks. For just a little more than $6 I have the plate here which is quite filling and as fresh as any higher end sushi place. There is a time for sushi socializing but my walk is calling me.

The next time you’re in South Beach just to be there and not for the party, stop in here and save the $$$ you would have spent so that next time you’ll have an even better time. Welcome to the age of cheap sushi!

Hiro Maru Sushi

Once upon a time in a little town called "Hollywood", there was the little train that could... deliver of course! And what did that train deliver? Sushi, because its South Florida and we don't need coal here.

You would never know it existed, as the small storefront restaurant is buried in the back of Park Sheridan Plaza, but finding it is certainly better than finding coal, in fact its more like finding gold.

They have some teriyaki available, but really its the sushi you want here and lots of it. They have some of the best in the area and whenever you are in the Emerald Hills part of town this is the place you want to go to, or even better call them for delivery. 954-987-1388. My (future) wife and I call this our second kitchen, and they know us well here.

Our favorites are the JB rolls, filled with salmon, and cream cheese, and the Spicy Salmon rolls, which are filled with, well, spicy salmon goodness. The prices here are very reasonable, and you can expect about at 30 min delivery wait.

They have lunch specials for those who actually still have jobs in South Florida, and a long list of house special rolls. Maybe you'll see us there!