Chop Shop Lets You Turn Back the Clock 40 Years

Check Out the Burgers, Shakes and Onion Rings at Kentucky Avenue Restaurant

Fat Jack's Fare Doesn't Disappoint

No question about it. With a fan base spanning nearly 45 years, Fat Jack's Deli-Pub is a Lakeland fixture.

Video: Lindsey Alley Checks Out Pigfest

Pizzeria Valdiano a Good Choice for Mall Goers

If you're looking for a quick bite before a movie or during shopping, keep the Italian chain Pizzeria Valdiano in mind.

Crispers Davenport Goes Sophisticated with Dinner

A glimpse of the future can be had in Davenport, where Crispers has completed a remodel of its store at St. Charles Plaza on U.S. 27, and added a dinner menu with tableside service.

Why Recipes Are Tested Before Publishing

The story out of Chile was enough to make a publisher's blood turn colder than a liquid nitrogen milkshake. In late December, the country's Supreme Court ruled that the newspaper La Tercera had to shell out more than $160,000 to 13 victims who were...

Sioux Tribe Looks to Teenage Students to Revive Bison Demand

It seems an unlikely concept: teenagers forgoing the immediacy of a McDonald's Big Mac to don an apron, grab a meat patty and learn how to cook their own lower-fat version in the kitchen.

Lakeland Restaurant, Bar Owner Gerry McHugh Dies

When Gerry McHugh was looking for a place to open his own pub in the mid-1990s, he drove to Lakeland and fell in love. The city loved him back.

The Insider: Soup'r Cubans Coming to Lakeland at Former Hurry Joey Location

For Lakeland sandwich fans, the soups, salads and sandwiches of Soup'r Cubans in Auburndale will be coming soon to the area.

Cracker Barrel Meets Expectations

Cracker Barrel is what you'd expect from a down-home restaurant — but better.

New Girl Scout Cookie This Year Is a Lemony Savannah Smiles

They're back, and sporting a new weapon in their arsenal of sugary treats.

How to Use Ghee (A Rich Form of Clarified Butter)

Why not just use butter? Fair question, especially since ghee is going to be more trouble to find (it's hidden in your grocer's international or natural foods aisles) and you'll pay way more for it ($5 or more for a 7 1/2-ounce jar).

Burger 21 to Take Place of Press 101

Burger 21, an up-and-coming restaurant concept featuring gourmet burgers, salads and shakes, will open this spring at the site of the defunct Press 101 at Lakeside Village in Lakeland.

Attempting To Make the Bloodiest Mary of All

Molotov had his cocktail; I have mine — a fiery Bloody Mary, three parts tomato juice, one part vodka. Crumble in bits of crispy bacon, add a splash or two of horseradish and hot sauce for extra tingle. There's more to this classic drink, but...

Get Out of Winter Veggie Rut: Try Kohlrabi

In addition to being one of medieval Europe's busiest rulers, Charlemagne was a great promoter of obscure vegetables. Sometime between regulating weights and measures and legislating against serfdom, the Germanic emperor decreed that kohlrabi should...

Best Food Dishes in Polk 2011

Here, in random order, are a few of my most memorable meals while dining out this year on The Ledger's dime.

Southern Revival: Food Moves Beyond Bacon and Grits

It's not hard to get Emile DeFelice riled up. Just mention Paula Deen, the so-called queen of Southern food, who cooks with canned fruit and Crisco. Or say something like "You don't look like a Southern pig farmer." He'll practically hit the ceiling...

Spaetzle: A Blank Canvas for Hearty Meals

The first spaetzle noodles I ever tasted were the ones I made myself. I had gotten my hands on a vintage German cookbook and couldn't put it down, riveted by the descriptions of oily sausages, slowly braised hunks of pork and myriad ways with...

Create Your Own Marshmallows

Toasting marshmallows sounds so Fourth of July, doesn't it? You can practically hear the bug zapper keeping time with the fireworks in air perfumed by Coppertone, your mother's Parliament 100s and way too many beers. Really, though, marshmallow...

Floridino's Italian Kitchen Makes Breakfast Work with Pizza

Floridino's is a mix of traditional Americana breakfast food in the morning and calzones, pizzas, pasta and sandwiches for lunch and dinner.

Left Bank Bistro Offers a Southern Spread

Fresh from a four-year sojourn in Las Vegas, Hair opened the Left Bank Bistro in July on the ground floor of Lake Mirror Tower apartments on South Massachusetts Avenue in downtown Lakeland. For now, only lunch is served, but he is contemplating...

Posadas Tradition: Filled Dough a Holiday Tradition for Mexicans

Bilma Perez earns a living making tamales for a Lakeland restaurant. Day after day, in the tidy, chile-scented kitchen at Tapatio's South, she handcrafts hundreds of the small bundles made of dried masa harina, an instant corn flour, along with...

A Toast To the Roast: Holiday Stars Dressed for Success

A roast, gorgeously browned, perfectly cooked, is a culinary beauty that signals a celebration.

Panera Bread Offers a Delicious Spread

Panera Bread is a chain restaurant featuring soups, sandwiches, salads and bakery items.

Christmas Cookies to Shape, Bake and Decorate

For most of the year, I am happy to serve humble drop or bar cookies to family and friends.

Living the Sweet Life, On TV and Book Tour

Who says you don't have to work hard if you're the boss? Flashing a smile and his famous Italian charm, New Jersey baker and reality TV star Buddy Valastro, aka the Cake Boss, worked up a sweat hugging hundreds of fans at a book signing sponsored by...

Chicago Hub Restaurant Brings Diverse Fare to Winter Haven

What exactly does "Chicago-style" mean?
Is it good food in abundant portions, or more like belly-busting dishes that challenge your intestinal fortitude, requiring fistfuls of antacids?

Puffy ‘Sufganiyot' Are Growing In Popularity Nationwide

It might seem that getting eight nights worth of presents is the best thing about Hanukkah, but it isn't. The doughnuts are.

Betty Crocker Keeps Up With The Trends And Times

At 90, Betty Crocker is a hip gal, with a bacon martini in one hand, a caramelized pot roast in the slow cooker, tofu on the menu, Sriracha pickles in the refrigerator, vegan chocolate cupcakes for dessert and a penchant for locally grown foods.

Lakeland-Based Crispers Chain Begins Testing New Breakfast Menu

Selections range from traditional items to more elaborate fare, such as Mexicana quiche, puff pastry sandwiches and custom-made omelets.

Winter Haven Krystal Restaurant Opening Delayed

The opening of a Krystal restaurant in Winter Haven has been delayed until January.

Year's Best Ales for the Beer Lover in Your Life

It's been a good year for consumers of fine beer, with more and more product variety showing up on store shelves and pouring from taps at local public houses.

The Insider: Red Burger 'N Shakes at the Lakeland Square Mall

A new place to get custom-built burgers is coming today to the Lakeland Square mall on U.S. 98 North. Red Burger ‘N Shakes is an eatery opening inside the food court.

Five Guys Restaurant in Lakeland Reopens; Grills Fixed

The Five Guys Burger and Fries at 2641 S. Florida Ave. reopened Tuesday after three days of being closed while its grills were repaired.

Olive Garden Will Replace Macaroni Grill Restaurant

Darden Restaurants has submitted plans to demolish the current Romano's Macaroni Grill at Lakeside Village and to build the third Olive Garden in the county.

In The Kitchen With Ken: Leftover Turkey Potpie

What should you do with those Thanksgiving leftovers? Make a turkey potpie, of course. While turkey sandwiches are yummy, this little treat is even better.

Spicy Solution to Thanksgiving Leftovers

Yes, there's always the classic turkey sandwich on white bread, with or without some crispy bacon and tomato, to help solve the bird problem after Thanksgiving. Why not, though, get a little creative and transfer that sandwich into a soft taco?

Chateau Brieann Offers Superb Appetizers, Entrees

Much less virile is a linguine with mussels, shrimp and scallops, the latter utterly bland, as if steamed without a stitch of seasoning, then added to the plate as an afterthought. The sauce was not nearly as tasty as the concept of garlic, butter...

Food Portions Shrink to Satisfy Wallets and Waistlines

The economic downturn of recent years has given rise to a trend in wee portions, which are showing up more and more here in Polk County and throughout Central Florida.

Versatile Sweet Potato Can Be Used in Chowders, Desserts, More

The versatile sweet potato can show up from soup to nuts — or at least in a nutty dessert — during your Thanksgiving meal.

Research: Eating Meals Together Integral for Families

Could Taco Tuesday really deter a troubled teen? Are Monday-night meatloafs keeping adolescents from running the streets? Do frequent family meals help the overall rearing of a child?

Former Mario's Restaurant Changes Management

Richard DeAngelis to concentrate on the Red Door Wine Market.

In The Kitchen With Ken: Smoked Turkey

• 1 medium turkey breast
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt