This week on Check Please South Florida, you can go hog wild at this smoking spot for barbecue in Ft. Lauderdale.

An old school restaurant in South Florida, it's a staple.

[michelle] Everything's gonna be all right at this Jamaican gem in Pembroke Pines.

We ordered the macaroni & cheese, that was so good.

[michelle] And classic steaks, and old school hospitality are on the menu in Coral Springs I was floored, it was unbelievable experience.

[narrator] 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 we welcomed three longtime friends who love the show almost as much as they love to talk about food, Preschool Principal Barbi Fay will offer her assessment of one of our viewers' recommendations for authentic island cuisine in Broward, she wrote in to say it's a true Jamaican jewel, serving up the humble, but flavorful dishes that always satisfy and Poker Dealer Brian Fay says when he's craving a special night out, a visit to his local steakhouse is definitely in the cards, locals flock to this North Broward County establishment for the first rate hospitality and high quality food served up with professionalism and care, and the live piano music adds an elegant tone to the evening.

But first, Safety Manager Chris Maxfield is protective of his pick for a smoking good barbecued feast, this family owned spot has a longtime history of serving up big slabs of meats straight from the pit, alongside some old school charm, it's in Ft. Lauderdale called and it's called Georgia Pig Barbecue.

I'm Luke Moorman, the owner of the Georgia Pig.

We opened up on Friday the 13th, February 13th 1953 and we've been blessed ever since, I'm the third generation, me and my brothers are the third generation of the Georgia Pig.

Georgia Pig is known for it's chopped pork, so most people order it on a sandwich and we put our Georgia Pig sauce on it, and then we serve it up hot, and fresh, and the people love it, that with our sweet southern coleslaw, the two of those combined makes a perfect meal.

Here at the Georgia Pig, we try to do everything fresh daily, including our desserts, we're known for our banana pudding that we used to only serve on Friday's, now we serve it six days a week.

We're very excited when a customer leaves and said they had a great meal, great flavor and just enjoyed a nice relaxing atmosphere.

Georgia Pig, plain and simple is about family.

I actually grew up going there with my parents too, so I'm so glad you brought it here today.

It's a place that it's so old that the building still has the original smoker, I mean you could sit at the bar in the restaurant and you can see the brick building with the cast iron on there and they're just smoking up as much pork as they can get in there, it's amazing because it's so simple, they don't do anything complicated, it's a restaurant that just goes and sticks with what they do best, smoked pork.

And I think they've always done it like that, right?

I don't think the menu has ever changed.

Put it this way, three or four years ago, they finally started taking credit cards, they finally put root beer and sweet tea on the menu, they're just coming around to changing the little things here and there.

Okay, that's nice.

So, it's one of those places They must get asked for it a lot.

All the time, everything from baked beans to the basic barbecue stuff that they weren't always doing, because it's a small kitchen with just the classics and they do what they do well, last time I went in I had the pork ribs, which are fantastic.

[michelle] Are they spare ribs or baby [chris] They're spare ribs and they're just smoked, and they put a simple amount of the basic, I wanna say it's a Carolina type of sauce.

Is there only one sauce?

That's the part I didn't remember.

They only had one barbecue sauce that they supply, it was one of those things that was just really tasty [michelle] You had barbecue ribs as well right, Brian?

I did, I mistaked what I thought was another barbecue sauce, it was actually Tabasco sauce.

[michelle] Oh, goodness gracious.

So, they had Tabasco sauce on the table, they had their original sauce, and ketchup.

[michelle] Okay got it, so how were the ribs?

They were, they were decent, me and my wife shared.

Like he had to.

So, she had the ribs and I had the chopped pork sandwich, which was very good as well, so I guess it's their rendition of a pulled pork sandwich, so they chopped it up.

Yeah because they're sitting there chopping all day long, it's amazing, I never see them not chopping.

One of my favorites that they do is they do the chopped pork sandwich and if you ask them nicely, they'll chop off the outside bits and give you an outside bits sandwich.

[michelle] See, I love the crispy outside bits Same, it's one of those things that just makes it taste so much better.

So Barbi, what stood out for you?

I enjoyed the ribs, I really liked the sauce that they have there, I think it's probably mustardbased, so which I really enjoyed and the coleslaw, I did like their coleslaw with the creamy, so having like the creamy with the mustard, nice together.

So, it's easy to park, wouldn't you think?

Parking's relatively easy, when you get there at lunch, it can get very busy, this seems to be more of a lunch place I would say than anything.

[michelle] Then you come in through that funny side door still, right?

[brian] Yes, it was funny side door and then you have an outhouse, which is interesting because not many restaurants have outhouses, but they are indoors, but they're outdoors, it's It's not an outhouse They call it an outhouse.

Yes, they call it an outhouse, but that's part of the charm of the old restaurant, it's been there since the 50's.

I would say the place has definitely held it's classic theme throughout, it's been there forever, as I understand why they do what they do, they have their nostalgia on the walls and everything like that, but I would probably make it a little bit nicer, just in my own personal opinion.

I disagree, I think sometimes old school charm is just one of those things that sells it.

Going into a place knowing what you're gonna get and the same expectation, there's something to say about that too.

The waitstaff, I mean they've been there forever, right?

Same waitstaff?

[chris] They've had some turnover with COVID like every place, but they still have a few ladies who've been there and they're all fantastic.

Y'all had the same dessert, right?

[barbi] I had banana pudding, fantastic.

[michelle] You all had banana pudding?

Well, you tasted her banana pudding That's all I do is just, she usually goes right to desserts.

Absolutely, it's the first thing I look at, at every restaurant.

[brian] The first thing she looks at is the dessert.

Chris, prices?

I mean It's a $20 meal for one person with tip, at the end of the day, you could probably pull it off for 35 for two people, it's just fast, casual, that's the best way I describe it.

Chris, Georgia Pig was your pick, sum it up for me, please.

Georgia Pig is an old school restaurant in South Florida, it's a staple, I really believe it's a place that if you haven't been to, you need to give it a try and my best advice to anybody who goes is, it's a restaurant called Georgia Pig, don't order the beef, stick with the pork.

Brian?

Been around for over 50 years, great place to go get a quick lunch, affordable.

Barbi?

Very nostalgic, delicious food, good barbecue and great environment.

You can pig out at the Georgia Pig Barbecue, located at 1285 State Rd.

7 in Ft. Lauderdale, open weeknights for breakfast, lunch and early dinner, and for breakfast, and lunch on Saturdays, reservations aren't accepted and the average price for dinner without drinks is about $20.

Have you ever wondered how to make really good coleslaw?

Well, if you take cabbage and you basically mix it into mayonnaise with any flavor, the cabbage just doesn't soak it up right, so what we're gonna do is, we're gonna make a brine, so you take equal parts of apple cider vinegar and water, and you pour them into a pot, and add some sugar, about 3:1, 4:1 sugar to salt, and then I love fennel seed in coleslaw, so I add that in, heat that up, let the sugar melt, shut it off and let it just sit for a while, and let it totally cool in that pan, and what you get, is this beautiful mixture that is just delicious and it's a great pickling mixture, so if you're not making coleslaw, you can make anything, you can make pickles out of this, it's just really yummy.

So, what you're gonna wanna do is, you're gonna wanna reserve a little bit of this because we're gonna add a little bit of this to our mayonnaise, which I'm just gonna do right now, all right.

So, once this is room temperature, you're gonna pour it and remember you have to strain it because you have those fennel seeds in there, right?

So, pour this through a strainer onto some fresh cabbage, I would just cover this and throw this into your fridge, you can leave it overnight if you want to, it would taste delicious, but make sure you mix it around a little bit to get the flavor all through it and what you get left with is this, now check this out, look at the amount of that and look at the amount of this, this is how much water is in cabbage, so this has just been draining for a little while, look at all of this water, it's crazy.

So, this is your delicious, brined cabbage, okay?

And this is the beginning of coleslaw, I have a bowl here of mayonnaise with remember I told you to reserve a little bit of that delicious vinegar mixture, so we're just gonna add the cabbage to this, the now brined cabbage to the mayonnaise mixture and I love poppy seeds, so I'm gonna put some in there as well, I also really, really am a huge fan of celery salt, so a heavy pinch of celery salt instead of regular salt, all right.

Then you're gonna wanna take this and mix it around really, really well and what you'll find is that now that we have that cured, drained cabbage, that's when it starts picking up the creaminess of the mayonnaise.

All right, then we'll take a little tong and place our gorgeous, delicious cabbage in a bowl, notice, there's no juice on the bottom of this, that's because we brined the cabbage.

So, that's how you make the most perfect coleslaw imaginable.

Now, preschool principal Barbi Fay is going to give us the report card for her visit to a spot for spicy island fair, this place has garnered high praise from the locals for serving up the best Jamaican food in town, it's in Pembroke Pines and it's called Aunt I's Jamaican Restaurant.

My name is Marcia Cartwright, I'm a manager at Aunt I's Jamaican Restaurant.

Aunt I's was founded by my mother, my parents and my family moved to the United States in 1978.

Our number one seller is our ox tail, it's the tail of the ox and that's a Jamaican staple.

The Brown Stew Chicken and that's deep fried chicken, and then it's cooked down afterwards in gravy with you know seasoning and it has a sweet/savory taste, and people love that also.

I would describe our food as comfort food, Jamaican comfort food, it's very hearty and we want people to feel the down home taste of Jamaican cuisine.

Aunt I's is family.

You know that one viewer wrote in and she's Jamaican, and she wrote that this place was the best Jamaican food in town and so we sent the three of you there, so just tell me what you all thought about it.

I had never heard about it before.

[michelle] Have you had Jamaican food?

Love Jamaican food, ox tail and goat are definitely my favorites, so I ordered the goat and I was very impressed that it wasn't very boney, it wasn't very spicy, so which was good and I got the rice & peas.

First of all, I love you for ordering goat, I think that's just awesome that you love goat, there's a lot of people that won't eat goat, so it just makes me happy.

It was really good, we ordered the macaroni & cheese as well, that was so good, it was like a macaroni & cheese pie, it was, you missed out, it was so good.

Yeah, it's a bake for sure and like I gotta say the macaroni cheese was just like probably one of the best mac & cheese I've had in a long time.

So good, it was really good.

[michelle] Oh, that's awesome.

Chris, what'd you think?

I'm sad that I didn't have the macaroni & cheese, the restaurant, when you walk up to it, it's just a strip mall place right next to a gym, so I didn't know what we were walking into and it was really interesting, but once we sat down, the staff, they were super friendly and the food was amazing, I've been to a lot of Jamaican restaurants in South Florida where it's hit or miss, but everything they put on our plates was spot on and tasty.

[michelle] So, what'd you have?

[chris] I had the jerked wings because on the menu it says South Florida's best place for jerked chicken wings, so [michelle] And?

[chris] They were fantastic, cooked perfectly and they tasted great, and my wife had the combo meal with roast beef, and Aunt I's chicken stew, it was amazing and they gave us the rice & peas, and she was so nice, she came back with some ox tail gravy to put on top of the rice & peas, and of course you know the way to my heart right there.

Was anything spicy?

Like spicy, spicy?

The curried goat was a little spicy on, I had the combo as well, I had ox tail and curried goat, and it had a kick to it, but it was the right amount.

Same with the jerked chicken, it was just that right amount of spice, not too much, just perfect.

It's mainly to go restaurant, right?

I mean you see a lot of people picking up orders?

Yeah, I think so because when we were there, there was nobody inside, it was really quiet, but once we were sitting down inside, there probably was say 10 to 15 people coming in, getting to go orders, I mean they were popping them out quick.

Yeah I think it's really what people pick up to eat for dinner and that could be dinner for two days, three days and it sits really well.

[chris] They try to kill you with the food.

The plantains were good too.

So, how's the mall when you drive in?

Is it easy to park?

It's super easy to park [brian] Yeah, plenty of room.

Yeah, plenty of room off to the side, it's just a weird thing when you pull up to a strip mall and you see the gym next door, and you go, "Do you wanna go to the Jamaican restaurant next to the gym?"

[michelle] What's wrong with that?

It's like putting an icecream parlor next to a gym.

You guys are ridiculous.

Did anybody have like a ginger beer or anything fun to drink?

I can't say the word of the drink that I had.

Sorrel?

[michelle] Oh, you had the Sorrel drink?

[barbi] Yes, yes and it was really good, I really enjoyed it.

[brian] Hibiscus, ginger [michelle] So, it's Jamaica flower?

[brian] Yes and it was [barbi] I'm not really a big fan of ginger, but I really did enjoy that drink.

They had a bunch of juices that you could pick from.

And they're all made there it says.

[brian] And they're all made there.

[michelle] They're made there?

That's what it says, it says that they're homemade juices and they have their own little label on the front.

[chris] My wife had the Grapefruit Ting, which she fell in love with and now we have to go look for that.

[michelle] Oh, yeah that stuff is the best.

[chris] She was shocked at how good it was.

[michelle] Oh yeah?

Why didn't anybody have dessert?

They didn't, the only dessert that they had available They were out, so I guess they make a certain amount per day and it's gone.

Yeah, I wanted the bread pudding, but it was gone.

They had other desserts, but I will be honest, I couldn't eat any more after I ate that meal.

I mean honestly, to get a rum cake or a bread pudding at Aunt I's is worth it.

So, how would you sum up your experience at Aunt I's?

I would sum it up as a little diamond in the rough, didn't know it was there, but now that I do, I'll be going more often for sure.

Chris?

Go inside, give it a try, the food was a lot better than the place looks on the outside.

And skip the gym.

[chris] And skip the gym, of course.

Okay, Brian?

When you get inside it, actually the decor happens to be really nice, so you don't judge it from the outside, food was fantastic, probably some of the best Jamaican I've had.

Well, you can enjoy an island feast at Aunt I's, located at 10111 Pines Blvd.

in Pembroke Pines.

Open daily for lunch and dinner, and for breakfast on Sundays, reservations aren't accepted and the average price for dinner without drinks is about $25.

Finally, Poker Dealer Brian Fay says there is always a full house at his choice for an upscale neighborhood meal, he loves the perfectly cooked steaks and fresh seafood, served up by a staff that's knowledgeable and warm, it's in Coral Springs and it's called Runyon's Steak, Seafood and Piano Bar.

My name is Joe Kelleher, General Manager of Runyon's Restaurant in Coral Springs.

Runyon's was established in 1984, October 9th by a gentleman by the name of Jack O'Connell, he sold Runyon's to his son in law and daughter in 2016, and still today it's family owned.

We are classified as a steakhouse, we do specialize in prime rib and steak, but we also excel in other dishes such as shrimp, chicken, fresh fish.

What we would like the guest to leave with is an experience unlike any other, we take unbelievable pride in our guest satisfaction and we'll stop at nothing until they are absolutely satisfied, we want them to leave, you know go out the front door and say, "Wow, I can't wait to come back."

So, is it like a draw for locals?

Is it tourists?

What is it all about?

I would say it's definitely a draw for locals, I've known about it, always passed by it and recently within the last three or four months, I went there for my first time and I was just, I was floored, it was unbelievable experience, it was really good.

You walk in the door, you're immediately greeted, you have the general manager there or one of the owners there, you have two very well knowledged servers at every table, it was an incredible experience.

[michelle] So, what did you eat this last time?

[brian] For an appetizer we had the escargot, which you can never go wrong with escargot and garlic [michelle] Especially with bread to dip into it.

[brian] And they had also soft shell crab.

[barbi] The soft shell was amazing, it was so good, it just broke apart so nice and the flavor, it wasn't really super like fishy or anything, it was really good.

Anything that you get there is just cream of the crop.

Barbi, what's it like when you walk in?

You just feel a comfort when you walk in, the people there are so nice, like he said as soon as you walk in like they're immediate to greet you, the owner is there, he walks around to the tables or his wife does.

[michelle] So, what else did you have?

[barbi] I had the swordfish, I had it grilled and it was delicious, I had the wasabi mashed potatoes with it, delicious.

Chris, do you make a reservation to go?

About an hour beforehand and we were only able to get a hightop table next to the bar, right in front of the piano.

[michelle] Okay, that can't be bad.

It wasn't horrible, some people sitting next to the piano liked to talk louder than the piano, which kinda made it a little disappointing, but once we mentioned something to one of the managers, they came over and they went to the other table, and said, "Hey guys, keep it down."

That was excellent.

Oh, that's great.

[chris] Sometimes it's just about the service and a little extra effort.

Obviously they weren't locals.

Obviously.

What did you have?

[chris] Bonein Prime Rib Special that they had, they apparently have to put the order in way in advance otherwise they sellout every day.

[michelle] What did you eat with it?

[chris] It was actually mashed potatoes, but it was just simple, they had bacon and chives, and cheddar on top, and fresh cooked bacon tossed in with mashed potatoes, and that along with that prime rib was like mm, tasty.

Very exciting.

I will give massive credits to the bartenders over there, they've got a monster alcohol selection on that wall and Rico the bartender was super cool, and they came over, and made my wife just a random drink that she'd never had before and she loved it.

[barbi] Think it was called The MobyDick, what she had?

[chris] Yes, he came over, explained what the drink was about, how they came up with it and then when I asked him for a bourbon, he came over and gave me a sample of something that he thought was excellent and turned out, he was right.

[michelle] How were the fried green tomatoes?

Were they yummy?

[chris] They were so tasty, it's a pleasant surprise in South Florida because you don't find it on the menu enough down here.

Dessert, anyone?

[barbi] Always.

[chris] Yeah, that was a trick question.

I had the fruit basket, the you know it's a dark chocolate basket filled with fruit, this time it was strawberries and you can't go wrong with chocolate, and strawberries [michelle] Do you eat the basket with the fruit?

Oh, how lovely.

[barbi] And it's so good, I don't know what kinda chocolate that they use, but it makes my tummy super happy.

Anything else for dessert?

We have a tendency to always ask a restaurant, "What is in house main versus what's ordered out?"

And they made an apple cobbler that was just to die for.

[michelle] That's actually perfect after a prime rib, to have something with apple in it.

Cocktails, tell me what you got.

I had a Guys & Dolls.

[michelle] Ah, what's that?

[brian] I don't know, but it was good.

Did you have a drink as well, Barbi?

I had a Sangria, which was very good, I think it was more maybe citrusbased and then to finish I had a chocolate martini.

[brian] And I had a spicy margarita.

[michelle] You had a margarita?

Yes you did.

So, talk to me a little bit about the piano.

It's really nice, it's I would say more of the classics that you would have in a restaurant.

[chris] One of the funnest things I ever do was ask him to play a Disney song.

They do take requests.

[michelle] Oh, they do?

Yes.

[michelle] Well, obviously.

They played a Disney song, just for Chris.

[chris] Just for me.

So, I keep hearing about very expensive ingredients, how are the prices?

[chris] This was a little bit of an expensive restaurant, but I'm a big believer if the food is worth it, I'll pay for it.

Understood.

All right Brian, well this was your pick, sum it up for us.

Great place to take your family, it's pricey, but you have some of the best food in town.

Barbi?

A little on the expensive side, but well worth it, definitely good for a nice occasion.

Chris?

It's a really great restaurant that aims for quality and class, and we don't have enough of those in Broward, I really appreciate the effort and the food was amazing.

You can make a date to try Runyon's Restaurant, located 9810 West Sample Road in Coral Springs, open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, reservations are accepted and the average price for dinner without drinks is $75.

We've had a wonderful time, I wanna thank my guests, longtime friends and fans of the show, Chris Maxfield, Barbi Fay and Brian Fay.

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, 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, hello everybody, right here on Check Please South Florida, I am Michelle Bernstein and I'll see you then.

Thank you.

Cheers.

[michelle] I love you guys.

[narrator] Cultural, culinary secrets and global flavors, we have a passion for blending ingredients and seasonings from around the world.