This week on check, please.

South Florida, a Brazilian hotspot in Oakland Park.

What came to.

My mind was Alice in Wonderland.

Fine Indian cuisine, and Pembroke Pines.

It was like an explosion of flavors and a party in my mouth.

And Dynamic Sushi Creations in Fort.

Lauderdale.

Just a great, great overall experience.

Cultural culinary secrets and global flavors.

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

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I was like, wait, if Tennessee was a drink, this is it.

Everything was meant to be a certain way and it was beautiful.

It just tasted very light and milky and delicious.

Nice food, spicy food.

And the beignets were the best.

Honestly, like the best shot I've ever had.

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, surgeon Nicholas Tanaka says that he has been hooked on sushi ever since his medical school days, and that this pick has risen to the top of his list thanks to their remarkable quality and wallet friendly prices.

Get ready for some inventive creations at this Fort Lauderdale spot.

Attorneys Saman Gonzalez says that her pick always delivers on quality and delicious flavors, with a carefully curated menu featuring authentic Indian cuisine.

She says this Pembroke Pines spot has the right spices for everyone to enjoy.

But First, Health Care Vice President Manny Ferrer wants to invite us to his cozy pick that's serving food with heart.

He says that this spot has brought the joyful spirit of Brazil to South Florida.

Thanks to their creative menu, authentic presentations, and mesmerizing rainforest decor.

Get ready for delicious pão de queijo at this feel-good spot located in Oakland Park called Bulegreen Cafe Yard.

BA ba ba ba ba da ba ba.

Hi, I'm Wagner de Cali.

I'm Carlos Roberto de Castro.

And we own Bulegreen Cafe.

Bulegreen Café was created five years ago because we want to offer a different experience to people.

The menu is created by the diversity of cultures.

Any place that we visit before we try to catch all these flavors and combine.

And of course we are Brazilians.

We are creating a Brazilian flavor as well.

We serve the best cheese, bread balls and South Florida that is made by Carlos mother.

We fall and make the place looks like a garden.

Feel like a garden, a yard where you can have this cozy, quaint ambiance.

Bulegreen represents a place that you feel good.

What is bulegreen bule is the Portuguese word for coffee pot.

Okay.

And they serve.

Freshly ground coffee strained tableside.

The best coffee you'll have all day.

My goodness, that sounds so good.

All right.

Tell me when you walk into this place.

Because I know that they have really interesting decor and everything.

Yeah.

So when you from from the outside, it doesn't look like anything spectacular, like many of our South Florida restaurants.

But once you're in, you are in.

Their world.

Right?

This huge garden, um, and they've set this outdoor area full of tables.

And at the back of the dining area, there's like this little trailer that's been converted to almost like a, a coffee dispensary.

So they brew fresh coffees and lattes and smoothies and fresh fruit juices.

It's just a really, really great experience for brunch right before Dolphins game.

Okay, well, I love it.

So man, tell me when you first walked in, like, what did you think?

Um, what came to my mind was Alice in Wonderland.

I thought that the decor was beautiful, but I didn't understand how it all worked together.

But aesthetically, it was very pleasing, you know?

And it was really cute.

Like he said, you see it off of a major street.

You would have no idea that what existed behind the fence.

And then you walk in, you're like, whoa, where am I?

And we had gone on a Sunday brunch.

So we got to experience see people with their friends.

It's a great hangout place to go and just chill on a Sunday.

So it was a it was a really cute, cozy experience.

Nicholas.

First thoughts.

First thoughts again, pretty much as already been said, it's nondescript from the outside, but once you step in, you're in a nice garden setting.

I just would wonder how it would be though.

In a very hot, humid day.

Okay, because it is outdoors, very open.

It is very open.

But they do have fans so that I think that would help.

Luckily we went on a Saturday morning early, so it was very pleasant to sit out there and great service.

Well, Manny, I'm ready to talk food with you.

What did you have this last time you went?

So we had to start with their cheese balls.

So the Bella Gabriel.

Yeah.

Absolutely wonderful.

Fresh baked.

Baked to order.

So by the time it gets to the table, the cheese inside, it's still nice and ooey gooey.

It's a little.

Love that it's gluten.

Free.

It is gluten free.

And tapioca.

Yes.

And so it's a little salty too.

But it pairs wonderfully with the bule coffee that's brewed right there at the table sets.

It's a great little contrast of flavors.

Okay.

And then I had the brisket sandwich on croissant, which was pretty neat.

Think of like a Philly cheesesteak, but with brisket on a croissant.

It's really neat.

My wife had the pink chicken salad, the pink chicken salad.

Pink, you.

Know, so that's what we asked.

And they graciously told us that the chicken is actually marinated in this concoction that contains beet juice.

So the new beets coming in somewhere, of.

Course, but it gives it this great little sweet taste to this chicken salad that you would just not expect.

I'm not a chicken salad guy, but this was probably the best ever.

Okay, I like it.

Saman tell me we ordered the same dishes that you guys had.

Yeah, all the same stuff.

So my husband got the brisket sandwich.

Okay.

And I got the chicken tuna salad.

It's like one scoop of chicken, one scoop of tuna.

But we also enjoyed their churro waffles, which was amazing.

And of course, we had to have churros.

Or did they?

So it was like a cinnamon waffle with a dulce de leche sauce and I think some bananas on it.

And I had the rose latte.

So if anybody likes coffee, this is definitely a place to go and experiment.

Rose water with actual rose.

It's pink.

It has little rose petals on it.

It's a gorgeous, intense.

You definitely have to appreciate the flavor of rose to like that.

So I love rose.

You have to love Rose.

Nicholas, tell me about your experience.

Well, I had the bule coffee as well, so it was a nice little touch, you know, to see it dripping right in front of you a little bit on the lukewarm, which they warn you about when you sit down.

Why?

Is it because of the filtration?

Exactly.

And you're sitting outdoors, even though they're pouring the, you know, the hot, boiling water, by the time it gets to fill your cup, it's a little bit on the lukewarm side, but still very tasty.

I ordered the breakfast pillow, which is a tortilla wrapped scrambled eggs with sausage, perfectly cooked scrambled eggs.

I just.

Wish.

All right.

Yes, those were delicious and I could have just stopped right there and not order anything else.

I mean, I'm a sucker for.

The cheese one.

Oh yes.

Yes.

Yeah yeah yeah.

Yes.

That we could have been the whole.

That could have been the whole meal when you were.

I would have been happy camper.

Just with that in the coffee.

Yeah.

Manny, talk to me about this Reston a little bit, because, you know, the only real Brazilian restaurants we have in South Florida are steakhouses.

So tell me a little bit about the ambiance, about why this place is so important.

I think part of the reason why they've been so successful is that they've they do this like a fusion.

Right?

So you don't get items on the menu that you can't.

Pronounced necessarily right.

So they're always paired with something that seems familiar.

Um, so I think it very much approachable.

Um, and so that's, that's really what you get.

You get a really good brunch place, really good coffee, if that's your thing.

Definitely recommend showing up a little early before the sun gets too hot, but it's just a great place to go.

Hang out.

Just take in the Sunday morning and and get ready for your workweek.

Nicholas, how are prices?

Prices were actually very good and reasonable.

I'm dying to go back and try their luncheon menu because they're only open for breakfast and lunch.

Well, Manny, Bulegreen Cafe Yard was your pick.

Sum it up for me, please.

Bulegreen is a great place to go and have brunch, enjoy a great cup of coffee, lattes, fresh juices and just sit back and relax with your loved ones.

All right.

Saman, it's definitely out of the box experience for what we're used to in South Florida brunches, so I definitely recommend it to try an eclectic menu and great coffee to check it out there.

Nicholas.

Good service, very good food.

And in my back yard.

For heartwarming dishes with some bossa nova on the side, you can visit Bulegreen Cafe Yard located at 3299 Dixie Highway in Oakland Park.

They are open Tuesday to Sunday for brunch.

Reservations are not accepted.

Average price for brunch without drinks is about $35.

Pão de queijo or cheese bread.

Brazilian cheese bread is delicious and it has a really interesting texture.

It's really chewy because of the tapioca flour rather than a regular flour, which is why I love it because I try not to eat too much flour.

We're going to start out by making by warming a little bit of milk and vegetable oil together.

Just a little bit of a simmer.

Now once this comes to a little bit of a simmer, what I have in this bowl is tapioca flour only.

Okay.

I'm just going to add a little bit of salt to that tapioca flour and mix it up while I'm waiting for the milk to heat up.

I'm just going to do this little mixture real quick.

I've got eggs, scrambled eggs here.

I'm going to add that to cheese.

Now the cheese can be any of your favorites.

I've got a little parmesan and I have some cheddar here.

So let's go ahead and just mix that up really well.

I'm going to bring my bowl front and center.

Okay.

So once this is warm as it is go ahead and pour that warmed milk and oil into the tapioca flour.

Now you can do this in a stand mixer but I personally prefer it using my hands.

It is quite a bit of massaging to get this into a dough, but it's actually really good for the muscles.

So let's go ahead and start mixing this together.

It's going to look like it doesn't want to come together, but believe me, it actually does.

So once you see this all really coming together, go ahead and add your cheese egg mixture to it.

And then you just keep working it and working it.

And trust me, you will eventually get a dough.

All right.

So go ahead and set the temperature in your kitchen oven to anywhere from 375 to 400.

I noticed that it doesn't really make a difference.

And obviously with a higher temperature you get a little bit more color and you need to cook it a little bit less with a lower temperature.

You just have to cook it a little bit more.

Place it on a cookie sheet like this one.

I like to cook it on parchment paper.

Actually, this morning I cooked some without the parchment paper because I forgot didn't stick at all.

I think it has enough oils from the cheeses and the oil itself that I had no problem with it.

And this is what I came up with.

Gorgeous cheesy bread called pão de queijo.

You have to try it.

It's delicious and the kids love it.

Now, attorney Saman Gonzalez is ready to defend the spice level of her pick.

You'll be won over by the expansive menu.

Meticulous customer service of this suburban gem.

It's located in Pembroke Pines and it's called mantra fine Indian Cuisine.

My name is Nikhil Seth.

I'm the co-owner of Mantra Fine Indian Cuisine.

Me and my partner Bharat Malhotra.

We were very passionate about the food industry and we started this business because it was something that came to us from within.

We wanted to do something from the modern and aesthetic as well, and that is how we chose that.

We're going to do something a little bit different than what normally people do.

Most popular items.

I would say starting from the drinks is mango lassi.

Then we have the appetizers samosa.

Then coming on to the entrees we have the butter chicken, chicken tikka masala lamb Andhra.

You know the list keeps going on and on and on.

Since we are so diversified in the menu.

So people love everything that we are serving.

Mantra fine Indian cuisine is authentic flavours and fine dining in the city of Pembroke Pines.

Okay.

Saman.

You really.

You love this place like you gave them ten out of ten?

I did, I did, you know, I love Indian food.

I eat it wherever I possibly can.

I have different experiences with different Indian restaurants, and I really appreciated the authenticity and the flavors.

Many tell me about what you thought when you came in.

Absolutely.

My favorite restaurant.

Oh.

Do you know it?

I never been there before, but it was just.

Thanks so much.

Thank you.

Yes it was.

I refer them to everybody.

Nicholas, I think you enjoyed yourself as.

Well, correct?

Oh.

Tremendously.

I mean, this was only the third Indian restaurant that I've ever been to, and I was and ever.

And I was floored.

I would drive to that place from the East Fort Lauderdale all the way down there, almost on a daily basis, if I could, if it wasn't for the traffic.

Wow.

Starting off with the butternut soup, it was like a an explosion of flavors and a party in my mouth.

All right, we'll get to your.

Food in just a second.

Let's start with you.

Saman tell me.

Tell me a little bit about what you had.

Oh, what didn't you have?

Maybe that would be a shorter list.

Um, so we started off with the appetizers.

They have, like, a mixed appetizer, pakora.

Samosa, which is like the Indian version of the empanada.

Every culture pretty much has some type of deep fried bread with carb inside of it, you know, as a type of starter.

Let's talk about the lamb biryani.

Yeah.

That's something that you have to eat when you go to an Indian restaurant.

Yeah.

Because it's about it.

You know, the rice is cooked in a way that each kernel has its own flavor to it.

So it's not like compacted rice.

Manny, tell me what you had.

So we had the samosa, uh, as well, but it's I think they referred to it on the menu as street style samosa.

So it was like a deconstructed samosa.

Absolutely phenomenal.

Just absolutely delicious.

And everything we had.

The lamb vindaloo was great.

Just enough spice and of course, they ask, tell me about your butter chicken.

I love butter chicken.

Butter chicken was absolutely classic.

Classic what you would think of butter chicken.

But the chicken itself was nice and tender.

Flavorful, not overly spicy or hot.

My daughter, she doesn't like hot food, so they came down the heat for her.

But I've got to say, my absolute the star of the evening was the kulfi.

Pistachio.

The pistachio ice cream.

Okay, um, you've never seen four people attack a little plate of ice cream like you.

We just absolutely devoured it.

You can always order another one.

I know, I know, but the four spoons were.

They were just, you know, competing over enough ice cream, but absolutely delicious.

And you can tell they made it right there on the spot.

The pistachios were nice and fresh.

The ice cream itself, it was just I've never had pistachio ice cream.

Absolutely delicious.

Nicholas, let's dig in.

What did you have to start?

We started out with a butternut soup.

Uh, delicious.

And then when I go to a restaurant, if I see lamb on the menu, if I'm Greek, you know, I got to judge a restaurant by its lamb.

Yes.

You do.

So the owner, again, very accommodating, ask about the spice level.

And he says, listen, everybody orders the lamb.

Bring honey biryani.

He says, try the Andhra which is their chili one.

It's a curry.

And I, it's a curry.

Um, and he asks about the spice level.

I said, I literally like it very spicy.

He says, may I suggest medium plus, which he did, and he brought me some extra sauce that they make home in-house to add to the spice level.

This way my wife could actually even try it.

Like I said, she.

Also had the pistachio ice cream that.

That was better than any gelato that I've ever had.

Huh?

All right, I like it.

Did you have dessert this last time, too?

Yes, we.

Had the pistachio, and we also got gulab jamun, which are these basically deep-fried pancakes with syrup on top.

So you eat that with the pistachio ice cream.

And then we had mango lassi, too.

Manny, tell me about service, the.

Most attentive people you can possibly imagine.

How was parking?

Phenomenal.

It's it's part of a huge plaza.

So parking was never an issue.

The only thing is that the signage is a little bit obscured because of the trellis right in front.

So you have to really look for that name.

You have to know where you're going.

Yeah.

And prices prices are very good.

I mean better than most a decent wine list as well.

That's very reasonably priced.

Saman mantra fine Indian cuisine was your pick.

Sum it up for us please.

Well, I think that the name states it perfectly when you walk in.

It's a mantra experience with fine dining meals.

Manny.

Absolutely one of the best Indian, uh, restaurants I've ever been to in my life.

Everything there is absolutely phenomenal.

The spice level matches exactly what your tolerance level is, so I just think that they go out of their way to find out what the diner wants.

Nicholas.

Phenomenal food.

And I'd walk to that place if I could.

I might walk with you for a fine and serene dining experience.

You can visit Mantra Fine Indian Cuisine, located at 15953 Pines Boulevard in Pembroke Pines.

They are open Wednesday to Monday for lunch.

And dinner reservations are accepted, with the average price for dinner without drinks is about $45.

Finally, surgeon Nicholas Tanaka is ready to expose all the reasons for why you should visit his crowd pleasing pic featuring potent drinks and sushi creations that are beyond standard.

You won't want to put your chopsticks down at this fantastic spot.

Located in Fort Lauderdale.

It's called Kaizen Sushi Bar and Grill.

Hi, my name is Quin Lam.

I'm the chef and owner of Kaizen Sushi Bar.

I'm originally from Cambodia.

I came to America when I was eight years old.

Even though I've been working in restaurants for so many years already, from high school to college.

I didn't really get into sushi until 2010.

I just liked how I could create something so simple into something so good that everybody truly love and appreciate.

I want this to be more like a local restaurant.

I want everybody to come at least one time a week or two times a week with the family.

That's what I'm trying to achieve over here in this small community.

Kaizen is continuous improvement in Japanese.

If it's not broken, don't fix it.

But if you can fix it for the better, by all means go for it.

So you are really an ardent sushi lover, is that correct?

Yes.

Okay.

I got introduced to it by one of my classmates when medical school in Miami, right on federal highway near um, lower campus, and fell in love with it ever since.

So we've been trying sushi restaurants all over the place, and I've been to some upper scale sushi restaurants.

And you leave with an empty wallet and an empty stomach.

This one.

You fulfill all of the above.

Lovely, good food and reasonably priced.

Manny.

First class.

Yeah, my.

First thought is that it's a great local sushi joint.

Um, a lot of families, you saw a wide variety of patrons.

So you had friends getting together for happy hour.

You had families getting ready to go home.

Um, just a neat little establishment.

Okay.

Saman.

Yeah, definitely.

I could tell that a lot of the patrons there knew the employees.

It was a very welcoming environment.

They were like, hey, we'll see you next week.

I was like, okay, this very local.

Yeah, well, Nicholas, tell me what you had this last time.

This last time we started off with several appetizers so we can try.

We've had the gyoza, fried excellent.

Gyoza.

Japanese dumplings.

Japanese dumplings.

Pan fried.

Yes, with a dipping sauce with pork.

We've had their firecracker, which is a shrimp chip with Toro on top and a little caviar.

Sounds yummy.

Delicious, Manny.

So we started with the gyoza as well.

Pan fried chicken, pork filling.

Classic yields of what you would expect.

My wife had the Korean beef.

I had the Mayan roll, which was the chef's recommendation.

This was just absolutely perfect.

It had.

Salmon.

Avocado, it had.

Sam and it had avocado and the unagi sauce as well.

Which is like a.

Sweet soy, a.

Sweet little soy.

Just a great pairing.

Came with miso soup, which was fine.

A side salad with the ginger dressing again, you would typically expect at a local sushi joint.

Saman Yes.

So I love trying a variety of sushi rolls, even though they're not necessarily appetizer.

We did get the garlic shrimp, which was cooked really well.

It needed a little bit more.

We were looking for a little bit more in that garlicky.

But it was, it was it was cooked really good.

We did have a variety of sushi rolls, and I think we had the Mayan roll too.

And they have a roll that's named after the restaurant to Caucasian roll.

That one was very, very delicious.

I think it had like some volcano of lobster and seafood.

Tell me about your dessert.

Dessert was the multi-layer crepe.

That's Japanese.

And that was grape cake.

It's a crepe.

Cake.

Do you know that?

That's my favorite dessert in the world.

That's what I get for my birthday every year.

Yeah, with.

Wonderful whipped cream on the side and a nice lychee martini to chase it with.

It was delicious.

Manny, you had the same thing.

No, I.

Didn't, I actually just had an espresso martini for dessert.

Okay.

And it was one of those things.

That's good.

Not on the menu.

But I asked the waiter, and they're like, we can whip it up for you.

And surely enough, there was a beautiful espresso martini.

That's a good finish to it is.

How about prices?

The prices were very reasonable.

Um, the the sushi price ranges were also reasonable, especially for the quantity that you were getting.

Okay, Nicolas, bring it on.

My favorite sushi restaurant.

It's a place that you can go have the wonderful sushi without breaking the bank.

Manny.

Yeah.

So I would say sushi 100%.

I would stay away from the hot food.

I'd stick with the sushi because that was absolutely fantastic.

Okay, Saman.

Definitely fresh sushi, cozy environment, very comfortable, local.

And they make you feel that you're right at home eating their food.

For delicious and fresh Japanese cuisine, you can head over to Kaizen Sushi Bar and Grill, located at 5640 North Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale.

They are open for dinner Monday to Friday and for lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday.

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

We've had a wonderful time.

I want to thank my guests Manny Ferrer, Nicolas Chronakis and Saman Gonzalez 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 check.

peaceful.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 on check Please South Florida.

I'm Michelle Bernstein.

Salut.

And I'll see you all then.

Thank you everybody.

Thank you, thank you.

Cheers.

Cheers.

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