Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Frankie’s sweet potatoes and blueberries a hit
Q We recently ate at Cafe Frankie’s in Boynton Beach and had the most wonderful sweet potato dish I have ever eaten. It was simply called sweet potatoes and blueberries. I am hoping you could get us the recipe for this. I hope to add it to our Thanksgiving menu. -- Hank Fuld, Boynton Beach
A. You won’t find sweet potatoes and blueberries on the daily menu at Café Frankie’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria (Ocean Plaza, 640 E. Ocean Ave., Boynton Beach, 561-732-3834, cafefrankies.com). As owner Anthony Calicchio explained, “Our side dishes change daily based on what’s available and in season. My chef, Winston Telesfort, started making this dish several years ago and it’s been a big hit. It’s an unusual combination of flavors that just really works well together. People love it.”
Originally from Brooklyn, Calicchio relocated to South Florida in 1990 looking for a change of pace. He landed on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach as chef at Claudio’s Trattoria before accepting a position at Café Frankie’s in 1996. A year later he bought the business and kept the previous owner’s name.
When you visit Café Frankie’s, don’t be surprised when you’re greeted at the door by a parrot named — you guessed it — Frankie. “Frankie became part of the family business in 1999. We’re all family here. My sister Nicki and niece Sofia help out and some of our wait staff has been with me over eight years,” Calicchio said. In a business known for its high turnover rate, that says a lot about the management and establishment. A big thank you to Nicki for the recipe assist.
Q My friends and I were at the Isle Casino and I ordered the cabbage soup. Well, it was the best cabbage soup I ever ate and would be so happy if you could get me the recipe for it. We all loved it. It didn’t have a lot of cabbage in it but had a little spicy taste. -- Norma Isaacs, Fort Lauderdale A. Of the six dining options at Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park (777 Isle of Capri Circle, Pompano Beach, 954-642-0325, pompano-park.isleofcapricasinos.com), you’ll find the sweet and sour cabbage soup at Myron’s Delicatessen — but only when it is featured as a special. It’s not on their regular daily menu.
Myron’s was established in 2007 by Bernie Goldstein, founder of Isle of Capri Casinos. The deli is named after Myron Cohen, a nightclub entertainer popular in the Catskills “Borscht Belt” who made a name for himself on the television talk show circuit in the 1960s and 1970s.
Goldstein was born and raised in Rock Island, Ill. He and his wife would visit his parents in Hollywood. During these visits to South Florida, they searched for a good delicatessen and comedians performing in the area.
Myron Cohen was the Goldsteins’ favorite and the deli concept was conceived to honor “Myron’s wonderful sense of humor and the delight of a good pastrami and corned beef sandwich. It is a tribute to Jewish tradition, a belly of laughter and the best sandwich around.”