Editor's Note

Editor’s Note January 2012

Tobin Bennison

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Features This Month

Dan Reiter

Photo: Ezra Millstein Haiti: A Land Forgotten By Dan Reiter Last November, I took a charter flight into the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with Habitat for Humanity’s annual Carter Work Project. Our mission: to build 100 homes for Haitian families displaced by the 2010 earthquake. The quake —... [Read more...]

JACK BAKER’S LOBSTER SHANTY Being a contrarian has its undeniable drawbacks, but when it comes to dining, the attitude can open up new worlds of possibility. I’m glad, for instance, that I never heeded the advice of friends to avoid restaurants like the Cliff House and Alioto’s when... [Read more...]

Tobin Bennison

MIKKI KRAGELUND  This January 12, beachside resident Mikki Kragelund and friend Nina Oosterveer — the “Sunny Cyclers” — will be biking the length of New Zealand to raise $5000 for the World Skin Cancer Foundation. Mikki, whom many here know as “Michelle,” was diagnosed... [Read more...]

Tobin Bennison

Silvestro’s By Tobin Bennison Photos by Rich Sullivan  Since taking over last September, the new owners of Silvestro’s have had their work cut out for them. There’s no delicate way of putting it: prior to their arrival, the restaurant was fraught with problems — exorbitant prices,... [Read more...]

Word On The Street

News of the people, by the people, for the people...

Local Scribes

150 Generations of the Amazingly Ancient Culture Right Here On Our Island By Rick Piper A gentleman from Palm Bay representing the agenda of the country of Spain and a group with interests in the upcoming 500 year commemoration of the naming of Florida, is trying to assign a map name for our barrier... [Read more...]

M. Alberto Rivera

IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AND WE’RE GONNA MISS IT By M. Alberto Rivera Shopping in bulk feels like preparing for the apocalypse. Surely I can’t be alone in this sentiment. And while I feel as though our pantry is sufficiently spacious, I don’t think it was conceived with BJ’s,... [Read more...]

Rick LaClaire

AND YET MORE RANDOM NOTES  By Rick LaClaire “Capitalism is the exploitation of man by men. Communism is just the opposite.” — Nikita Khrushchev Yes, another year has passed. They sure go fast, don’t they? It seems like only yesterday I was shaking out my leisure suit, looking... [Read more...]

Previous Restaurant Reviews

Tobin Bennison

Concepts On Highland If there’s one overriding problem with the current state of much contemporary cuisine, it would have to be its reliance on intellectualized “concept” over actual delivery. Add to that some insufferable, self-important chefs, and you’re left with some highly... [Read more...]

By: Tobin Bennison

In one of the most referenced, praised, and unread books in the world of literature, Marcel Proust’s “Remembrance of Things Past,” it’s the chance bite of a madeleine, a small, scallop-shaped cake, that spurs the author on a 7-volume rediscovery of his youth. The episode proved... [Read more...]

Tobin Bennison

Merritt’s Table By Tobin Bennison Merritt’s Table, the newest and most exciting addition to the local culinary scene, opened this past October in what some might say is the perfect spot for its refreshing approach to dining. It took owner Laura Farrelly and chef Chris Bolton two years of... [Read more...]

Tobin Bennison

Sun On The Beach • Tobin Bennison • Taken at face value, there’s not much to distinguish Sun on the Beach from other east coast Florida diners, hundreds of which pepper the shore that stretches from Fernandina Beach to Key West. You’ll notice that it is closer to the ocean than most... [Read more...]

JACK BAKER’S LOBSTER SHANTY Being a contrarian has its undeniable drawbacks, but when it comes to dining, the attitude can open up new worlds of possibility. I’m glad, for instance, that I never heeded the advice of friends to avoid restaurants like the Cliff House and Alioto’s when... [Read more...]

By: Tobin Bennison

One of my favourite customers from my bartending days was a man named John Phillips. As a retired Philadelphia fireman who served during the ‘50s and ‘60s, you’d figure John would have some great stories about raging infernos, near-death experiences, and improbable rescues. But like many a modest... [Read more...]

By: Tobin Bennison

THE 1st ANNUAL COCOA BEACH WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL On March 13, Lori Wilson Park will be transformed into an international tasting village as part of the inaugural Cocoa Beach Wine & Food Festival. Conceived by Cocoa Beach attorney Tony Hernandez III, the Festival has been three years in the making,... [Read more...]