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Forgive Deanne Crosby and Russ Twining their swashbuckling ways, but they think piracy can be delicious, and the proof is in their new Fort Lauderdale pub with $1,000 rums and upscale American-Caribbean cuisine.

Black Jack’s Rum Bar & Grille dropped anchor in Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village on Monday, Jan. 26, with a gastropub menu of burgers, salads, prime-rib sandwiches and a rum wall stocked with 380 rare bottles. It’s Crosby and Twining’s second port-of-call in a year, after their flagship Black Jack’s debuted last January in Davie’s Zona Village apartment complex.

Aside from a Jolly Roger-inspired logo above the entrance, the pirate decor stops at Black Jack’s front door. Those expecting a dining room strung with ship riggings, rusty anchors and more buccaneer-chic theming will instead find a clean industrial space with wood-stained tables, flat-screen TVs, brass lantern lights and aquamarine epoxy floors that evoke the ocean. And that’s intentional, Crosby says.

“We decided we didn’t want it to feel tacky like a Disney attraction,” Crosby tells the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “I wanted people to feel like they’re on Exuma Island in the Bahamas. I wanted to elevate it and fill it with a menu with Caribbean influences, because most rums are made in the Caribbean.”

Black Jack’s expects to be docked downtown for a while, Crosby says. Her father, Fort Lauderdale restaurateur Ted Sabarese, originally signed a 10-year lease in 2023 for the freestanding building on Northeast Third Avenue, across the street from Peter Feldman Park, while it was under construction. (Sabarese, now 85, is semi-retired and leaves the day-to-day operation of Black Jack’s to Crosby and Twining.)

Twining and Crosby took a circuitous route to running a rummy pirate tavern. The son of a Baltimore minister, Twining was raised in a conservative Christian family and majored in classical voice and Bible ministry at Pennsylvania’s Lancaster Bible College. After graduating, he bartended for the next 16 years, which took him from California to Delaware to Florida.

Crosby, a New Jersey native, went from a career track in marine biology to breeding horses on her Davie farm while managing and bartending restaurants owned by Sabarese and his late business partner John Amodeo (The Drunken Taco, Giovanni’s Coal Fire Pizza, Margarita Cafe, Oasis Cafe). After Amodeo’s death in 2022, she took over her father’s restaurants, she says, but now she and Twining operate the two Black Jack’s locations exclusively.

The menu is identical to the Davie original, which brightens American gastropub fare with Caribbean flavors. Dishes include sous vide-cooked Baby Back Ribs, finished on the chargrill and coated in passionfruit rum barbecue sauce, and a 10-ounce Pacific Islander Grilled Pork Chop glazed with sweet-and-sour huli-huli, a piquant fusion of pineapple, sour orange, garlic and ginger. There’s also Ropa Vieja with fried sweet plantains and a 10-ounce churrasco-style steak accented with chimichurri.

Sides include Bahamian-style peas and rice, garlic mashed potatoes and jumbo asparagus.

Black Jack’s also carries Bahamian conch fritters, pork-belly chicharrones, chorizo paella, Argentine choripanes (grilled chorizo sandwiches), a chargrilled frita Cubana (a beef-chorizo blend burger topped with potato straws, lettuce and spicy ketchup) and Black Jack’s Fish + Chips (a 10-ounce snapper filet with coleslaw, steak fries and lemon-cilantro aioli.

Twining and Crosby say they will soon add weekly specials that mirror their Davie counterpart, including all-you-can-eat fish and chips on Mondays and a $25 prime rib-and-shrimp combo on Wednesdays.

“Fort Lauderdale is a carbon copy of Davie,” Twining says. “We’ve got about nine rum distributors and we carry pretty much everything. Aged and premium, white and unaged, rums distilled in pot stills and wooden column stills from Jamaica, Barbados and Guyana.”

Their most expensive rums? That would be the 30-year Flor de Caña, a Nicaraguan single-barrel that costs $160 per two-ounce shot (or $1,000 for the bottle); and Black Tot Last Consignment, a Caribbean blend created by the British Royal Navy, with notes of vanilla and black fruit with a woody tobacco finish. That’s $150 per two-ounce shot, Twining says.

There are 13 cocktails and six mocktails, from Davie Jones’ Locker (a blend of Martinique’s Saint James, Indonesia’s Nusa Caña and Barbados’ Planteray rums plus orgeat, flaming lime and pineapple) to the Monkey Bite (scotch, spiced pear liqueur, ginger beer and dehydrated pear) to a virgin cucumber gimlet (muddled cucumber, lime, club soda).

“At our core, we’re an American grill,” Twining says. “But everything is designed to be paired with a pirate’s favorite drink: rum.”

Black Jack’s Rum Bar & Grille, at 505 NE Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale, opened on Monday, Jan. 26. Go to BlackJacksRumBar.com.

‘The Right To Remain’ by James Grippando; Harper; 352 pages; $30

James Grippando’s novels about Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck offer a compelling meld of Florida’s legal system and contemporary issues, with domestic drama and the value of friendship added.

Grippando’s 20th Swyteck novel, “The Right To Remain” upholds his high standards, with a look at an issue many people may not be aware of — companies hired by police agencies to dispose of firearms. It is a nail-biting, suspenseful legal thriller.

Jack’s latest client, Elliott Stafford, is not what he was expecting, nor is the case as simple as it first appears. Elliott is accused of murdering retired FBI agent Owen Pollard, who was a partner in VanPoll firearms disposal. Owen’s death initially was ruled a suicide; his body was found in his kitchen by his wife, Helena. But Elliott, a member of VanPoll’s finance team, becomes a suspect after he is subpoenaed by a grand jury. The case begins with murky motives. Owen had a volatile marriage, as he and Helena often argued over the rearing of their 6-year-old son. Owen also didn’t get along with business partner C.J. Vandermeer, who is eccentric with a violent streak.

Defending Elliott becomes a challenge. He goes on a “speech strike,” refusing to talk to Jack or assist in any way with his defense. Elliott’s past and his link with the Pollards add to the labyrinth plot.

“The Right To Remain” moves at a brisk pace, as Grippando delves into the ethics of weapons disposal, gin trafficking, scams targeting couples desperate to adopt a child, and family relationships and identity. Jack and his wife, Andie, are a strong couple but wrestle with raising a bright daughter and maneuvering their big careers. Jack’s work as a criminal defense lawyer and Andie’s position as an FBI agent mandate they keep secrets from each other so as not to compromise their cases.

As usual, Grippando uses Miami as more than a background, showing readers the heat, history and demands of life in South Florida. Grippando, who lives in Coral Gables and himself is a lawyer, takes readers by the hand, leading them into the courtroom to show how the legal system works, or sometimes doesn’t, and the rivalry among lawyers.

Grippando keeps the plot of “The Right To Remain” as fresh as when he began this series with “The Pardon” in 1994.

Meet the author

James Grippando will discuss “The Right to Remain” in conversation with Oline H. Cogdill at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, in the Rubel Mystery Collection at the Pompano Beach Branch Library, 50 W. Atlantic Blvd.; 954-357-7643. The event is free, but registration is required at broward.libnet.info. Books will be available for sale, with 10% of proceeds donated to the Pompano Beach Friends of the Library.

We are coming up on jazz season in South Florida, when the typically fertile programming this time of year (thank you, snowbirds) will include the third Miami edition of the famed Montreux Jazz Festival, the 10th annual GroundUP Music Festival and a powerful visit from seven-time Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard.

Here is a chronological look at those three gatherings, followed by a quick list of other places to hear jazz and jazz-adjacent music in the next couple of months.

Terence Blanchard

A trumpeter and composer of rare intuition and inspiration, Blanchard will perform Feb. 20 in Miami as part of the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts’ acclaimed Jazz Roots series, returning to his iconic Malcolm X Jazz Suite with his band, The E-Collective, and two-time Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet. Created after he wrote the score for the 1992 Spike Lee biopic “Malcolm X,” Blanchard has over the years updated and expanded the suite, performed here as part of the ongoing centennial celebration of the slain civil rights icon. Visit ArshtCenter.org.

Montreux Jazz Festival Miami

Taking place at The Hangar in Coconut Grove and the Miami Beach Bandshell from Feb. 25-March 1, this third edition of the festival has grown by two nights to accommodate a lineup led by the multitalented Jon Batiste and Trombone Shorty’s New Orleans Celebration (which includes PJ Morton of Maroon 5 and Tank of Tank and the Bangas), Nile Rodgers & Chic, Toto, Bomba Estéreo, Makaya McCraven and more. The festival will open on Feb. 25 with the Miles Davis Centennial concert, featuring the Miles Electric Band, led by his nephew and longtime collaborator Vince Wilburn Jr., and the Kind of Blue Acoustic Band revisiting one of the most influential jazz albums of all time. Visit MontreuxJazzFestivalMiami.com.

GroundUP Music Festival

The 10th edition of the festival, founded in 2017 by Miami arts veteran Paul Lehr and Michael League, bandleader of Brooklyn-based jazz explorers Snarky Puppy, will happen at the waterfront Miami Beach Bandshell on March 13-15. Along with Snarky Puppy, which is performing all three nights, the always eclectic lineup will include Flying Lotus, Arooj Aftab, Bilal, Rickie Lee Jones, Isaiah Sharkey, Julian Lage, Patrice Rushen, Varijashree Venugopal and more. Visit GroundupMusicFestival.com. Pro tip: Get a head start on March 12, when Nu Deco Ensemble comes to the Miami Beach Bandshell, joined by the remarkable vocals of Arooj Aftab and Varijashree Venugopal for an evening that will include a commissioned work by Michael League, a reimagined orchestral suite of The Beach Boys, and Steve Reich’s minimalist masterpiece “The Four Sections.” Visit Nu-Deco.org.

All that other jazz

Here are 17 more recommendations (in 10-word tips) for live jazz over the next couple of months, from West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale to Miami.

Diego Melgar: Dynamic guitarist-composer at one of area’s hidden music gems. Jan. 31, Lagniappe House, Miami. LagniappeHouse.com

Glenn Miller Orchestra: A swinging night of greatest hits from 18+ musicians, singers. Feb. 1, The Parker, Fort Lauderdale. ParkerPlayhouse.com

Diego Figueiredo: Jazz guitar great with Nestor Torres, Shelly Berg, Sammy Figueroa. Feb. 4, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Fort Lauderdale. BrowardCenter.org

Michael Feinstein and the Carnegie Hall Big Band: Swinging show tunes from charismatic singer-pianist and iconic band. Feb. 4, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, West Palm Beach. Kravis.org

Faena Theater Jazz Series: Grammy-winning opener Catherine Russell backed David Bowie, Steely Dan. Feb. 4-June 24, Faena Theater, Miami Beach. FaenaTheater.com

Oigovision Superjam: Electric Kif, Lemon City Trio, Oigo, others hosted by Smurphio. Feb. 19, Miami Beach Bandshell. MiamiBeachBandshell.com

Rhythm by the River: Reggae, rock, but also Nina Simone tribute Ladies of Simone. Feb. 22, Esplanade Park, Fort Lauderdale. BrowardCenter.org

Chris Botti: Grammy-winning trumpet player is a longtime South Florida favorite. Feb. 23, Kravis Center, West Palm Beach. Kravis.org

Postmodern Jukebox: Jazzily reimagined modern pop opens Festival of the Arts Boca. Feb. 27, Mizner Park Amphitheater, Boca Raton. FestivalBoca.org

Pink Martini: Genre-defying orchestra returns, led by the incomparable Storm Large. March 3, Kravis Center, West Palm Beach. Kravis.org

Karrin Allyson: Gold Coast Jazz hosts five-time Grammy-nominated vocalist-pianist. March 11, Broward Center, Fort Lauderdale. BrowardCenter.org

Pat Metheny: Revered guitarist, friend of Jaco, releasing new album Feb. 27. March 12-13, The Parker, Fort Lauderdale. ParkerPlayhouse.com

Yusa and Friends: Havana-raised singer, extraordinary guitarist plays Global Cuba Fest 2026. March 21, Miami Beach Bandshell. MiamiLightProject.com

Bill Charlap and Brandon Goldberg: Jazz piano master and rising star unite in musical “conversation.” March 22, Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. AventuraCenter.org

Michael Kaeshammer: Pianist, singer, composer shares from eclectic album “Turn It Up.”  March 25, Broward Center, Fort Lauderdale. BrowardCenter.org

Nicole Henry: Stylish chanteuse, Miami-based, is a perennial South Florida fave. April 3-4, Kravis Center, West Palm Beach. Kravis.org

Walter Smith III Trio: Saxophonist’s Blue Note album “Twio, Vol. 2” due March 6. April 4, Arts Garage, Delray Beach. ArtsGarage.org

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell. 

This is “Small Bites,” a South Florida Sun Sentinel feature with tiny tidbits on the food and beverage scene — because we know that sometimes you just don’t have room for a long article. You want a little news brief instead, an amuse bouche of information, if you will. Enjoy!

WHAT: You can eat as much pizza as you want. There, isn’t that what you REALLY wanted to know?

That’s right, the first annual Pizza Fest at the Park will offer bottomless tastings from every participating pizzeria during the weekend of Feb. 7-8. The event at Fort Lauderdale’s Esplanade Park will also feature mozzarella-making demonstrations, a tomato sauce-making station and pizza-making classes (ticketed separately).

“In the last 10 years, we’ve had a lot of really good pizza places in South Florida, so the quality of pizza improved,” said Larry Mele, who co-owns the boutique brand of Pummarola Pizzeria Napoletana eateries with his brothers. “So you have … incredible pizza, but no one knows them. I mean, they can use more exposure.”

The Mele brothers fermented their dough-of-an-idea, presenting it to the city of Fort Lauderdale after opening a Pummarola location here and Emily’s Garden in the same neighborhood as Esplanade Park, where the inaugural Pizza Fest will be staged.

“The city really embraced it and it was a very easy to organize at Esplanade Park, which is great because you got the Broward Performing Arts Center and the Museum of Discovery and Science, so it’s a perfect location,” he added.

The Broward Center, MODS and Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale — all a part of the surrounding Himmarshee Village area — are among the event’s sponsors and will have information tents and activities. There will also be art/figurines for purchase, live music, a DJ spinning and kids’ activities.

WHEN: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 7-8

WHERE: Esplanade Park, 400 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale

COST:

• $26.75 for daily general admission (or four tickets for a discounted $80.25)
• $16.05 for daily admission of children age 12 and younger (with purchase of one general admission ticket); free for guests younger than 2
• $16.05 for Pizza Making Class by Pummarola
• $69.55 for daily admission to VIP Lounge (open bar, Italian appetizers)

INFORMATION: pizzafestival.us

THE PARTICIPANTS:

Talks are ongoing, but the plan is to have 16 pizza purveyors participating, eight each day. In addition to Pummarola and Emily’s Garden, here’s who has signed up so far:

• Pizza Craft Pizzeria
• Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
• ‘O Munaciello
• Unico
• La Leggenda Pizzeria Napoletana
• Luna Rossa Cucina Rustica
• Bruna Rossa Hand Made Pizza
• Napuleatan Pizzeria & Deli
• Beach Club Pizza
• Pizza Piez

Also participating will be On the Run Coffee Bar, Oggi Foods (gluten-free), Stay Fresh Icee, Arancinoos Italian, La Regina di San Marzano and Cerveceria La Tropical.

EXTRA TIDBIT

Speaking of Pummarola, the pizzeria was once again named one of the “50 Top World Artisan Pizza Chains.”

50 Top Pizza, an online guide that annually ranks the best pizzerias worldwide, placed Pummarola at No. 43 for 2025. The announcement was made at the European Pizza Show, which took place in London in November. They placed 45th in 2024 and 50th in 2023.

“It’s tough … especially because we’re competing with pizzerias that are way higher priced than us,” Mele said. “You know, we are an affordable concept, but we still want the best quality.”

The Mele brothers have Pummarola locations in Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach, Midtown Miami, Kendall (The Falls) and Coral Gables, with two more locations expected to open soon. There are also two in Spain. In the Neapolitan dialect of southern Italy, “pummarola” means tomato (the nickname given to their grandmother’s red sports car, which she was known for driving around Naples in the late ’60s and early ’70s). Visit pummarola.us.

The tragic story of the RMS Titanic has played out on the big screen, and in musicals, novels, exhibits, documentaries and TV miniseries. Now, it arrives in South Florida as a new immersive experience.

Starting Friday, Jan. 30, guests can climb aboard a lifeboat to experience the historic ship’s final moments — and watch from a passenger’s perspective, floating in the dark waters on a star-filled, bitterly cold night, as distress signals were being sent and Titanic disappeared into the ocean.

The experience is called “Titanic: An Immersive Voyage,” and it will be available through Tuesday, March 31, at the South Florida PBS Studios in Boynton Beach.

Guests may know the facts already — that the so-called “unsinkable” ship struck an iceberg and sank in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912, killing more than 1,500 people during its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City.

But this immersive experience offers an opportunity to take a trip through history: To learn about the ship with 3D views, video animations, life-sized reconstructions and narrative storytelling; view artifacts; and use virtual reality to go 2.5 miles below sea level in a deep-sea submersible to see the wreck site.

Titanic’s sister and rescue ships also get a featured spot in the multisensory journey, which takes from 45 to 90 minutes to complete.

Fans of James Cameron’s 1997 “Titanic” movie can even pose as passengers in an artificial intelligence photo booth to recreate the “I’m flying” scene between Jack and Rose on the ship’s bow.

This is the third immersive experience presented at South Florida PBS Studios, following presentations on Leonardo Da Vinci and Egyptian pharaohs.

Below, we obtained more details during a Q&A session with Jeneissy Azcuy, chief marketing and education officer with South Florida PBS, that’s been edited for brevity and accuracy.

Q: How did South Florida PBS find out about this experience and bring it here? 

A: Exhibition Hub [based in Atlanta] created the experience. We discovered it at last year’s PBS Annual Meeting, where several staff members were invited to visit the immersive experience and came away impressed. Knowing that PBS had produced excellent programming about the Titanic, with a new documentary from American Public Television scheduled for spring 2026, we saw an opportunity to bring the experience to South Florida. Our research also revealed a compelling local connection — several Titanic passengers had ties to South Florida, making it especially relevant for our community.

Q: Why is it important to learn about Titanic and keep its history alive, especially in an interactive way?

A: The Titanic represents far more than a maritime disaster. It is a profound human story that offers timeless lessons about hubris, class divisions, heroism and tragedy. By keeping this history alive through interactive experiences, we ensure that new generations connect emotionally with these lessons in ways that textbooks simply cannot achieve.

An immersive approach transforms the Titanic from a distant historical event into a visceral, personal experience. When you’re standing on a replica of the bow, sitting in a lifeboat or exploring the wreckage through VR [virtual reality], the 1,500 lives lost become real people, not just statistics. You begin to understand the human decisions, both wise and catastrophic, that led to that fateful night.

These interactive experiences also illuminate broader themes that remain relevant today: the dangers of overconfidence in technology and the life-and-death consequences of ignored warnings. By engaging with this history in such an immersive way, visitors don’t just learn facts, they develop empathy, critical thinking, and a deeper appreciation for how individual choices and societal structures can shape tragic outcomes. It’s this emotional connection that ensures the lessons of the Titanic continue to resonate and inform how we approach challenges in our own time.

Q: How is the virtual reality experience?

A: The VR aspect of “Titanic: An Immersive Voyage” is truly extraordinary. It takes you on a breathtaking journey to the ocean floor, where you encounter the haunting wreckage of the Titanic resting in the deep. As you explore the sunken vessel, you can observe the ship’s remains in stunning detail before the experience transitions, bringing you back in time to April 14, 1912. Suddenly, you’re aboard the magnificent ship itself, witnessing the tragic events of that fateful night unfold around you.

Q: What is your favorite part of the exhibit?

A: My favorite part is the immersive show, particularly the experience of sitting in the lifeboat. From that vantage point, you’re drawn into the unfolding drama as you learn about the critical messages being transmitted, some received, some tragically ignored. The experience weaves together the rich history of the ship, its crew and passengers, building a deeper understanding of life aboard the Titanic. Then, as the narrative progresses, you witness the heartbreaking sequence of events leading to its catastrophic end. There’s something profoundly moving about experiencing this history while seated in a lifeboat, which adds an emotional weight and sense of immediacy that makes the story feel incredibly real and personal.

Q: “Titanic” overlaps with the “Egyptian Pharaohs: From Cheops to Ramses II” immersive experience on display through Sunday, March 29. How do you fit each exhibit into the facility?

A: We’ve successfully separated the two experiences by utilizing different sections of our substantially expanded campus. Our recently opened, state-of-the-art Cornelia T. Bailey Cultural Arts Center, an 8,000-square-foot facility, hosts portions of the “Egyptian Pharaohs” experience across its immersive dome, Taylor Performance Hall and Innovation Lab. Our 4,000-square-foot immersive studio hosts the “Egyptian Pharaohs” immersive show.

For “Titanic,” we’ve transformed office space into a museum-style gallery featuring authentic Titanic artifacts, a replica of the ship’s bow for photo opportunities and the VR experience. The immersive voyage itself takes place in one of our studios, complete with a lifeboat where visitors can sit for added realism.

Each experience has its own dedicated entrance: Guests access “Egyptian Pharaohs” through the Bailey Cultural Arts Center, while “Titanic: An Immersive Voyage” is entered through the back of the South Florida PBS Studios.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: “Titanic: An Immersive Voyage”

WHEN: Jan. 30-March 31

WHERE: South Florida PBS Studios, 3401 S. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach

COST: $45 for adults; $35 for seniors, students, military and first responders; and free for guests age 12 and younger (not recommended for children younger than 5)

INFORMATION: southfloridapbs.org/titanic/

It’s a great time to be a kosher foodie in South Florida.

Besides the abundant markets, bakeries, ice cream shops and caterers, there’s a constant influx of new restaurants, cafes and food trucks.

Several establishments have opened since we published our last roundup of kosher restaurants in July. Below you will find some freshly minted and some older sites that have not made our previous listings. All meet the high standards of a regional certification agency, the Orthodox Rabbinical Board (ORB) of Broward and Palm Beach Counties, which has been supervising restaurants for more than 20 years to make sure they follow Jewish dietary laws.

These restaurants and food trucks close on Jewish holidays and the Jewish Sabbath, usually beginning Friday afternoon and ending Saturday night after dark; some don’t reopen until Sunday. So make sure to check their hours before heading out, and let us know if there are still more that should be included in future articles. Email me the information at AskLois@sunsentinel.com.

BROWARD COUNTY

A La Carte, 613 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd., Hallandale Beach; 786-309-7201; alacartemia.com

A La Carte offers fresh salads, bowls, wraps and sandwiches. A Za’atar Bowl, with quinoa, mango, cucumber, mint and salmon, goes for $25.95; a tuna and avocado wrap is $18.95. The eatery uses no seed oils, only avocado and olive oils. There are also dessert and kids’ menus, as well as a catering menu.

Abby’s Restaurant & Bar, 2721 N. Hiatus Road, Cooper City; 754-465-5026; abbyscoopercity.com

This eatery has a variety of creative offerings, from the Abby’s Breakfast Tower (two eggs, locally made Jerusalem bread, salad and dips, and choice of drink; $28) and the Vegan Avocado Smash ($16) to the Arancini (risotto balls filled with melted mozzarella and truffle, served over a tomato cream sauce with olives and shaved parmesan; $18) and the Salmon Schnitzel ($37). There are also pizzas, pastas and sushi.

Frena, 2700 Griffin Road, Fort Lauderdale; 954-459-7675; frenafood.com

The word “frena” in Moroccan Arabic refers to a delicious flatbread similar to pita, and also the communal oven where it is baked. This food truck offers a crispy-crusted, puffy bread and other Moroccan and American specialties. Try the Moroccan Merguez Bowl, with a choice of cilantro lime rice or quinoa, homemade sausage, lettuce, tomato, red onion and two sauces ($18.99), or the Frena Special Bowl with rice or quinoa, sliced entrecote and sausage ($24.99).

Panini, 5978 SW 40th Ave., Hollywood; 786-607-7878; paninifl.com

Paninis with everything! Brisket, burgers, pastrami, turkey, schnitzel: All can be ordered on the grilled sandwich bread. The eatery also offers salads and large catering platters. Cholent, a traditional overnight beef stew often served on the Sabbath, goes for prices ranging from $6.94 for a single serving to $32.99 for a VIP Plate. The restaurant also has a Surfside location at 9454 Harding Ave.

Subaba Subs, 4806 SW 28th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale; 954-589-5775; subabasubs.com

Online reviewers rave about Subaba’s combos, such as the Brisket Pastrami Sub ($19.55) and the signature Subaba Sub (turkey, salami and pastrami with fixings; $17.55.) As diner Rachel Renee Sabti posted in “Let’s Eat, South Florida,” the Sun Sentinel’s foodie Facebook group: “Was SO GOOD and worth the money. I know it’s a little pricey but it’s only because it’s kosher and super high quality.” Kosher shoppers will find this strip center convenient, as it also has a bakery, fish market and other kosher spots.

PALM BEACH COUNTY

Falafelim, 3775 W. Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach; 786-200-2430; Instagram.com/falafelim_

This falafel stand inside the kosher KC Market was just certified by the ORB in January. The fried chickpeas are served in pita bread with a choice of five toppings, with options such as cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage and fried eggplant ($12.99). To make a super creamy sandwich with a kick, don’t forget to ask for their silky tahini and spicy schug (a Yemenite hot sauce).

The Kosher Smoke Shack, 8214 W. Palmetto Park Road., Boca Raton; 561-594-4540; koshertexasbbq.com

No need to head for Texas when you can get smoked meats and Texas-style barbecue at this food truck parked in west Boca Raton. Try the Pulled Brisket Sandwich ($22.99) or the Smoked Chicken Wings ($12.99). A smoked hot dog, on a bun with condiments, costs $8.99. You can also order a full Sabbath meal to serve four people for $136, including chicken soup, brisket, a full chicken, turkey, rice, potato salad, grilled vegetables and a smoked apple dessert.

Grill Place, 265 NE Spanish River Blvd., Boca Raton; 561-334-2935; grillplaceboca.com

Middle Eastern and Eastern European comfort foods are on the menu here, including sabich, a pita bread filled with eggplant, hard-boiled eggs and salad ($16) and schnitzel, with hummus, tahini, spreads and salad ($20). If you don’t want to cook next Friday night, there are Sabbath packages for two people ($116) or five ($191) that include chicken soup and choices of main dishes, sides and salads. There’s also Glyk non-dairy gelato for dessert, $5 a scoop or $12.99 for a pint.

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr., AP Entertainment Writer

Super Bowl week will unfold across several days in the Bay Area, with the game itself serving as the final act in a tightly coordinated mix of sports, music, media and celebrity appearances.

From league-run press events to invitation-only gatherings in San Francisco, the jam-packed week draws athletes, entertainers and executives together in the days leading up the league’s championship game. Early programming sets the stage for nights headlined by figures such as Shaquille O’Neal and Dave Chappelle along with a variety of performances spread out through San Francisco by Kehlani, Post Malone and Calvin Harris.

High-profile stops like the Sports Illustrated celebration — tied to Tight End University collaborators Travis Kelce and George Kittle — help define the celebrity-driven stretch of the week before fan-focused experiences take over on game day.

For first-timers and returning visitors alike, Super Bowl week moves quickly.

Here is a day-by-day look at how each day takes shape starting Feb. 4:

Wednesday, Feb. 4: Power brunch and early arrivals

Super Bowl week begins with events centered on leadership, media and behind-the-scenes influence.

The day’s marquee event is the Sports Power Brunch: Celebrating the Most Powerful Women in Sports with attendees including Becky Hammon, Maria Taylor and Elle Duncan at the Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco. The invitation-only gathering brings together executives, broadcasters and athletes for panels and honors spotlighting women shaping the sports industry.

Thursday, Feb. 5: Bad Bunny, NFL Honors and big concert night

Thursday combines league-run programming with the first major wave of concerts.

The day begins with the Super Bowl halftime and pregame performers media event, hosted at the NFL’s media hub. Reporters and the public will hear directly from the game’s performers including Bad Bunny, Charlie Puth, Brandi Carlile and Coco Jones.

After that, attention shifts to the NFL Honors, hosted by Jon Hamm at the Palace of Fine Arts. There’s a red carpet followed by the awards show, blending sports with entertainment.

But the fun doesn’t stop, launching more into the concert calendar. Fall Out Boy performs an intimate show at The Regency Ballroom as part of the Wells Fargo Autograph Card Exclusives series, a ticketed event limited to cardholders. At Pier 80 Warehouse, Illenium hosts an album release show tied to his upcoming project “Odyssey,” opening one of the weekend’s largest warehouse.

Friday, Feb. 6: Shaq, Post Malone, Kehlani & Madden Bowl

In one of the busiest nights, you can’t really go wrong. Across San Francisco, multiple large-scale concerts and fan-facing experiences run at the same time.

Make your choices early.

At the Cow Palace, Shaq’s Fun House returns as a carnival-style nightlife event hosted by Shaquille O’Neal, who performs as DJ Diesel alongside a rotating lineup of DJs. The event is a ticketed experience with immersive activations ranging from an all-inclusive general admission for $249.99 to a shared VIP table ticket, which starts at $1,550.

Bud Light hosts a free, 21-and-over concert experience with Post Malone at Fort Mason Center, with access granted through a sweepstakes model.

Music continues across the Bay Area. Kehlani headlines a ticketed pre-Super Bowl block party at San Jose City Hall, one of the closest major concerts to Levi’s Stadium. At the Chase Center, EA Sports’ Madden Bowl combines football and music with performances from Luke Combs and LaRussell, athlete appearances and a livestreamed blue carpet, hosted by New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston and sports commentator Kay Adams. The social media channels will offer behind-the-scenes content with Twitch streamer Sketch who will host a livestream featuring athletes playing each other on “Madden NFL 26.”

The Palace of Fine Arts hosts Sting as the opening night of On Location’s Super Bowl Studio 60.

Pier 80 Warehouse doubles down on EDM with a joint performance from Calvin Harris and Diplo, anchoring one of the largest ticketed shows of the night.

Green Day, who will open the 60th Super Bowl with an anniversary ceremony celebrating generations of MVPs, will hit the stage along with Counting Crows at the FanDuel and Spotify party at Pier 29.

Saturday, Feb. 7: Dave Chappelle & Wale anchor Super Bowl eve

Saturday serves as the peak of celebrity-driven Super Bowl weekend activity.

Dave Chappelle headlines an already sold-out comedy show at Chase Center, one of the most in-demand tickets of the weekend. At the Cow Palace, Sports Illustrated hosts SI The Party, a ticketed and VIP event with performances by Loud Luxury and Frank Walker. The costs range from $450 to $1,750 VIP shared table tickets.

Rapper Wale will hit the stage at Pier 27, T-Pain and Sean Paul will have a show called R&B and Ribs at Pier 80 Warehouse while Chris Stapleton and Sierra Ferrell will perform at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.

Additional Super Bowl Eve performances include Dom Dolla at San Jose City Hall and The Killers at the Palace of Fine Arts as Night Two of Super Bowl Studio 60. Larry June, Hugel, Loud Luxury and Plastik Funk will perform at the Maxim Big Game Party 2026: Bay Lights & Football Nights.

Sunday, Feb. 8: Game Day and Fan Experiences

Game day opens with large-scale fan events leading into kickoff.

Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Tailgate runs for four hours starting at 11:30 a.m. PT, offering free general admission with registration alongside paid upgrades. The event blends live music, food and sponsor activations ahead of the game.

The Chainsmokers will perform at On Location’s Club 67, Champions Club and Touchdown Club pregame parties just outside Levi’s Stadium.

Also near the Stadium, The Players Tailgate delivers a premium pregame experience featuring chefs, NFL players and live entertainment. It’s a ticketed event just steps from the stadium.

Any “best of” list is subjective, dependent on who is doing the judging and on the criteria of the films being considered. Therefore, they are all highly subject to debate.

That’s why we’re giving you a few “greatest of all time” lists here to choose from, so you can judge for yourself. (The snarky comments in parentheses are ours; we couldn’t resist.)

The Buffalo Bill Center of the West

“Museum curators, historians, firearms experts and film buffs” selected by The Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyo., were given a list of 100 films from which to choose favorites. From those, the center compiled the 20 Greatest Westerns Ever Made. (Personally, I love that voters chose “Blazing Saddles” as No. 7.) See more at centerofthewest.org. (Note: Few of these are available to watch for free; most are rentals on the services listed, which may change without notice; check listings. May be shown on other sites. Current as of Dec. 15, 2025.)

The countdown:

No. 20: “Lonesome Dove” (1989), a miniseries (the center readily admits to breaking the rules to include this one), starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones. Where to watch: free with subscription to Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, Peacock and other streaming services.

No. 19: “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” (1948), starring Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston. Not rated. Running time: 126 minutes. Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video, Apple TV.

No. 18: “Once Upon a Time in the West” (1968), starring Henry Fonda and Claudia Cardinale. Not rated. Running time: 175 minutes. Where to watch: Pluto TV, or rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube and others.

No. 17: “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” (1949), starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford. Not rated. Running time: 104 minutes. Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube and others.

No. 16: “Winchester ’73 (1950), starring Jimmy Stewart. Not rated. Running time: 92 minutes. Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video, Apple TV and others.

No. 15: “Stagecoach” (1939), starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford. Not rated. Running time: 96 minutes. Where to watch: Free on Tubi, Prime Video and HBO Max and other services (with subscription), and for rent on Apple TV.

No. 14: “Dances With Wolves” (1990), starring and directed by Kevin Costner. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 181 minutes. Where to watch: Hulu, HBO Max, Prime Video and Apple TV (with subscription).

No. 13: “Quigley Down Under” (1990), starring Tom Selleck and Alan Rickman. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 120 minutes. Where to watch: Free on Tubi and Prime Video (with subscription), for rent on Apple TV and other services.

No. 12: “The Magnificent Seven” (1960), starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson. Not rated. Running time: 128 minutes. Where to watch: AMC+ and Prime Video, or rent at MGM+, Apple TV and other services.

No. 11: “McLintock!” (1963), starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. Not rated. Running time: 127 minutes. Where to watch: Free on Tubi, Pluto TV and Prime Video (with subscription), or rent at Apple TV.

No. 10: “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” (1962), starring John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart and directed by John Ford. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 123 minutes. Where to watch: Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV and others, with subscription.

No. 9: “High Noon” (1952), starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. Rated: PG. Running time: 85 minutes. Where to watch: Free on Pluto TV, with subscription on Prime Video and AMC+, and for rent at Apple TV.

No. 8: “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969), starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Rated: PG. Running time: 110 minutes. Where to watch:  Prime Video,  YouTube, Netflix and AMC+ (subscriptions) and for rent at Apple TV.

No. 7. “Blazing Saddles” (1974), starring Gene Wilder and Cleavon Little. Rated: R. Running time: 95 minutes. Where to watch: HBO Max, or for rent at Apple TV and Prime Video.

No. 6: “The Searchers” (1956), starring John Wayne and directed by (you guessed it) John Ford. Not rated. Running time: 119 minutes. Where to watch: For rent at Prime Video, YouTube and Apple TV.

No. 5: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), starring Clint Eastwood. Rated: R. Running time: 178 minutes. Where to watch: Prime Video, YouTube or AMC+ (subscription), or rent at Apple TV.

No. 4: “Unforgiven” (1992), starring Clint Eastwood, who took home Best Picture and Best Director Oscars for it. Rated: R. Running time: 130 minutes. Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video, YouTube or Apple TV.

No. 3: “True Grit” (1969), starring John Wayne and Kim Darby. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 110 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix, Prime Video or AMC+ (with subscription), or rent at Apple TV.

No. 2: “Shane” (1953), starring Alan Ladd and Brandon De Wilde. Rated: G. Running time: 118 minutes. Where to watch: Rent with Prime Video, YouTube and Apple TV.

No. 1: “Tombstone” (1993), starring Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott and Bill Paxton (and narrated by Robert Mitchum!). Rated: R. Running time: 130 minutes. Where to watch: Hulu (subscription, or rent at Prime Video, Apple TV and YouTube. “If I’m going to tell a person to watch a single Western, because it is all they can stomach, care about, muster, last day on Earth, there is a good chance it would be Tombstone. It’s your huckleberry,” said Danny M. of the Cody Firearms Museum in his vote. What he said.

Streaming services

When reading these, consider the source — meaning these all showed on these streaming services when the lists were published. (Cause I certainly don’t remember “The Last Son” from 2022 or “Bandidas” from 2006, and I’m betting you won’t, either.)

Hulu (Posted April 2025)

“Tombstone” (1993), about the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Ariz., in 1881. Starring: Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday and Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp. Rated: R. Running time: 130 minutes. Where to watch: Hulu (subscription, or rent on Prime Video, Apple TV and YouTube.

“3:10 to Yuma” (2007), starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. Rated: R. Running time: 122 minutes. Where to watch: Hulu, Prime Video and Peacock (with subscription), or rent on Apple TV.

“Dances With Wolves” (1990), starring (and directed by) Kevin Costner, and winner of seven Academy Awards. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 181 minutes. Where to watch: Hulu, HBO Max, Prime Video and Apple TV (with subscription).

“The Last Victim” (2021), starring Ron Perlman. Rated: R. Running time: 103 minutes. Where to watch: For rent on Prime Video and Apple TV; check listings for Hulu availability.

“Stagecoach” (1939), starring John Wayne. Not rated. Running time: 96 minutes. Where to watch: Hulu, Tubi, Prime Video and HBO Max (with subscription), and for rent on Apple TV.

“The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” (1966), starring Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach. Rated: R. Running time: 178 minutes. Where to watch: Prime Video, YouTube or AMC+ (subscription), or rent at Apple TV. Also on Hulu with Live TV add-on.

“The Last Son” (2021), starring Sam Worthington and Machine Gun Kelly. Rated: R. Running time: 96 minutes. Where to watch: For rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.

“The Old Way (2023), starring Nicholas Cage. Rated: R. Running time: 95 minutes. Where to watch: For rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.

“How the West Was Won” (1962), starring Gregory Peck, John Wayne and James Stewart. Rated: G. Running time: 164 minutes. Where to watch: Rent on Apple TV or Amazon Prime.

“Hostile Territory” (2022), starring Brea Bee and Matt McCoy. Rated: R. Running time: 94 minutes. Where to watch: Free on the Roku Channel and Tubi, on Prime Video (subscription) and for rent on Apple TV.

“Jane Got A Gun” (2015), starring Natalie Portman. Rated: R. Running time: 98 minutes. Where to watch: Free on the Roku Channel, Hulu, Prime Video and Pluto TV, for rent on Apple TV.

“Bandidas” (2006), starring Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 93 minutes. Where to watch: Hulu, and for rent at YouTube, Apple TV and Prime Video.

“True Grit” (2010 version), starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Hailee Steinfeld. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 110 minutes. Where to watch: Free on Pluto TV, and with subscription to Netflix, Paramount+, Prime Video and AMC+, or rent on Apple TV.

“Cry Macho” (2021), starring and directed by Clint Eastwood. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 104 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix and Max (subscription) and for rent on Prime VIdeo, Apple TV.

“Blazing Saddles” (1974), starring Gene Wilder and Cleavon Little. Rated: R. Running time: 95 minutes. Where to watch: HBO Max, or for rent at Apple TV and Prime Video.

“Open Range” (2003), starring Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner (who also directed) and Annette Bening. Rated: R. Running time: 139 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix, or rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.

“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969), starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Rated: PG. Running time: 110 minutes. Where to watch:  Prime Video,  YouTube and AMC+ (subscriptions) and for rent at Apple TV.

“Butcher’s Crossing” (2022), starring Nicolas Cage. Rated: R. Running time: 107 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix, Hulu and Disney+, and to rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.

Netflix (Posted Dec. 4, 2025)

“The Battle of Buster Scruggs” (2018), starring Liam Neesen, James Franco and Tyne Daly. (It’s a Coen brothers film, so buckle up.) Rated: R. Running time: 134 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix

“El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie” (2019), starring Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. (It’s a Vince Gilligan movie, so beware.) Rated: TV-MA. Running time: 122 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix.

“The Harder They Fall” (2021), starring Jonathan Majors and Regina King. Rated: R. Running time: 139 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix.

“The Highwaymen” (2019), starring Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson. Rated: R. Running time: 132 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix.

“Mudbound” (2017), starring Mary J. Blige. Rated: R. Running time: 135 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix.

“The Power of the Dog” (2021), starring Jesse Plemons, Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst. (Jane Campion won a Best Director Oscar for it). Rated: R. Running time: 128  minutes. Where to watch: Netflix.

“Concrete Cowboy” (2021), starring Idris Elba and Caleb McLaughlin. Rated: R. Running time: 111 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix.

“Train Dreams” (2025), starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 103 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix.

Viewer reviews

From Rotten Tomatoes’ Top 100 best-reviewed Western movies of all time. (Although the site says it only chose “classical period films,” the animated “Spirit” from 2002 is No. 100, so do with that what you will.) For the other 90 on this list, go to rottentomatoes.com.

No. 1: “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” (1966), starring Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach. Rated: R. Running time: 178 minutes. Where to watch: Prime Video, YouTube or AMC+ (subscription), or rent at Apple TV. Also on Hulu with Live TV add-on.

No. 2: “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” (1948), starring Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston. Not rated. Running time: 126 minutes. Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video, Apple TV.

No. 3: “High Noon” (1952), starring Gary Cooper. Rated: PG. Running time: 85 minutes. Where to watch: Free on Pluto TV, with subscription on Prime Video and AMC+, and for rent at Apple TV.

No. 4: “Stagecoach” (1939), starring John Wayne and Claire Trevor. Not rated. Running time: 96 minutes. Where to watch: Hulu, Tubi, Prime Video and HBO Max (with subscription), and for rent on Apple TV.

No. 5: “Rio Bravo” (1959), starring John Wayne and Dean Martin, directed by Howard Hawks. Not rated. Running time: 141 minutes. Where to watch: Rent on YouTube, Apple TV, Netflix and Prime Video.

No. 6: “Hell or High Water” (2016), starring Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine. Rated: R. Running time: 102 minutes. Where to watch: Hulu, Prime Video, Paramount+, or rent at Apple TV.

No. 7: “True Grit” (2010), starring Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 110 minutes. Where to watch: Free on Pluto TV, and with a subscription to Netflix, Paramount+, Prime Video and AMC+, or rent on Apple TV.

No. 8: “Unforgiven” (1992), starring Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman. Rated: R. Running time: 130 minutes. Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video, YouTube or Apple TV.

No. 9: “My Darling Clemetine” (1946), starring Henry Fonda and Linda Darnell. Not rated. Running time: 97 minutes. Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video or YouTube.

No. 10: “The Searchers” (1956), starring John Wayne and Natalie Wood. Not rated. Running time: 119 minutes. Where to watch: Netflix, or rent at Apple TV or Prime Video.

Here are 20 shows coming to South Florida stages in 2026 that have put tickets on sale in the past several weeks (or are about to), including A$AP Rocky, Pitbull, James Taylor, Bruno Mars, Luke Bryan, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, Miranda Lambert, Charlie Puth, Bush and Madison Beer — all recommended in an efficient 10 words.

We Belong Here: DJ festival featuring Tiësto, Kaskade, Lane 8, Elderbrook and more. Feb. 27-March 1, Historic Virginia Key Beach Park, Miami. WeBelongHere.world

Miranda Lambert: Native Texan brings the hits and her feisty, freewheeling style. March 12, Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. Ticketmaster.com

Kodak Black: The headliner at “I Got My Tickets” Spring Break Concert. March 13, Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise. Seatgeek.com

Barry Manilow: Rescheduled date for January concert postponed due to cancer diagnosis. March 14, Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise. BarryManilow.com

Diana Ross: Hear 60 years of hits from Motown legend, entertainer supreme. March 19, Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. Ticketmaster.com

Gladys Knight: “Midnight Train” or “If I Were Your Woman”? Favorite? Discuss. April 2, Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. Ticketmaster.com

Goose: Not your Dad’s jam band, with indie, funk, electronic élan. April 14-15, FTL War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale. Seatgeek.com

Bush: Rossdale and band share old favorites (“Machinehead,” “Glycerine”), new music. May 12, Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. Ticketmaster.com

Pitbull: He’ll open I’m Back tour here. Did he ever leave? May 14, iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach. LiveNation.com

Charlie Puth: Major stardom written all over him. New album March 27. June 5, Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. Ticketmaster.com

Evanescence: Amy Lee and band open 2026 tour in South Florida. June 11, iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach. Ticketmaster.com

Summer Walker: Two Grammy nominations for R&B hit “Heart of a Woman.” June 14, Kaseya Center, Miami. Seatgeek.com

A$AP Rocky: Actor, entrepreneur, stylist titled prescient(?) new album “Don’t Be Dumb.” June 15, Kaseya Center, Miami. Ticketmaster.com

Madison Beer: Pop siren’s got a following, new album “locket” just out. July 2, Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. Ticketmaster.com

Rob Zombie/Marilyn Manson: Gloom-rock gods share malevolent mirth on a co-headlining tour. Aug. 20, iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach. LiveNation.com

Blues Traveler/Gin Blossoms/Spin Doctors: Listening to the radio in Mom’s Camry in the ’90s. Sept. 3, Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. Ticketmaster.com

Luke Bryan: Summer night with “That’s My Kind of Night” — the best! Sept. 12, iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach. LiveNation.com (General on-sale Feb. 13.)

Bruno Mars: Charismatic song-and-dance man now a stadium-sized talent. Sept. 19-20, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens. Ticketmaster.com

James Taylor: His smiling face is a welcome remedy in dark times. Sept. 26, Hard Rock Live, Hollywood. Ticketmaster.com

Five Finger Death Punch: Hard-rock hellraisers joined by outlaw country singer Cody Jinks. Oct. 11, iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach. Ticketmaster.com

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell. 

Two years after setting up their French-style brunchery on the picturesque banks of Fort Lauderdale’s New River, young Parisians Estelle Bellegy and Benjamin Amsallem are betting they can deux it again in west Broward County.

Café Bastille, their casual breakfast-lunch spot at 1660 Market St., debuted in the Weston Town Center on Friday, Jan. 16, with 54 seats indoors and 18 more on the patio. At 2,200 square feet, it occupies a high-traffic storefront in the open-air mall’s northwestern corner, and is painted in soothing olive greens with yellow flowers wreathed around its striped awnings.

Here, the menu brims with scratch-made fare du jour: trendy Dubai hot chocolate and crème brûlée croissants, triple-stack pancakes crowned with pistachio pieces and blueberry coulis, and French toast accented with kiwi slices and whipped-cream dollops resembling white roses.

It’s the fourth Café Bastille for Bellegy, 33, and Amsallem, 34, who cut their teeth at Michelin-recognized restaurants in the luxury hotel Le Royal Monceau-Raffles Paris. And now their burgeoning brunch brand is in expansion mode, they say, with a fifth location expected this spring in Miami’s MiMo neighborhood, followed by a kitchen commissary in Miami Gardens this summer, where fresh pastries will be made daily and shipped to all locations.

The couple also say Café Bastille has earned word-of-mouth buzz — commenters rave about it constantly on food groups — for their famously large portions that keep pace with viral trends.

Menus are refreshed every six months, Bellegy adds, roughly the life cycle of a TikTok food trend. Last year, Red Velvet pancakes sold like, well, hotcakes. Now they’re out, and here’s what’s in: Sweet Potato Waffles with maple-pecan butter, candied pecans and raspberry coulis.

“Instagram and TikTok have a bit of influence on what we do,” Amsallem says. “So we always look for the fun Instagram-friendly ideas that can bring people together and convince them to travel to our locations.”

Offerings, identical at all locations, include scratch-made Nutella croissants, alongside dulce de leche pancakes topped with bananas and cookie crumble, crispy French toast bites, plus iced tiramisu matcha lattes served with a ladyfinger biscuit. Even the specialty cocktails seem primed to explode on FoodTok, including a crème brûlée espresso tini “made with tequila because … Miami,” per its cheeky menu.

On the savory side, there are French breakfast burritos (spoiler: in crepes, not tortillas), plus truffle croque madames with truffle bechamel, ham and Gruyere on fresh brioche, a filet steak and eggs bowl, and Bae’s Shakshuka with three eggs, feta and a Jerusalem bagel (a sweeter, oblong, baked bread that’s distinct from New York-style boiled bagels).

The chefs in charge of menu testing are director of operations Francisco Aristy (ex-Biltmore Hotel Coral Gables, Nikki Beach) and administrative director Javier Tome, who also help develop new pastry recipes and have “the same mentality and ambitions we have,” Amsallem says.

The couple’s plan was always to open in Weston — especially after the runaway success of Café Bastille in Fort Lauderdale, which opened in late 2023 as a touristy, youthful magnet on a tranquil stretch of the New River, Bellegy says. The riverfront eatery still commands hourlong wait times for customers traveling from Sunrise, Plantation and neighborhoods west of Interstate 75, which convinced the couple to pick a suburban outpost.

“There aren’t tourists coming to Weston, so here, we’re attracting families,” Bellegy says. “Each location really has its own personality, so if Fort Lauderdale is a hidden gem, this one is an all-day cafe where people come after yoga and Pilates, have their coffee, the smoothies, their eggs. But the common thread is we believe that brunch has to be generous. If brunch is not generous, then it’s boring.”

Amsallem and Bellegy first made it their mission to make brunch less boring as front-of-house directors for two restaurants, Matsuhisa Restaurant and the Michelin-starred Il Carpaccio, both at the luxe Le Royal Monceau-Raffles Paris hotel. They bonded over a shared love of brunch, something they had no downtime to enjoy while working in hospitality.

“In our industry, you’re never off Saturdays or Sundays,” Bellegy says. “Nobody is. So we decided to leave France, because America is better. The mentality is different in America. Here, age is just a number. If you work hard, and have a good ethic, you can move up the ladder very fast. And we could do that with brunch.”

After immigrating to Miami pre-pandemic, they took over an existing French restaurant in downtown Miami and morphed it into a brunch house while keeping the same name, Café Bastille. They opened a Miami Beach location in 2024.

Now they think their casual restaurant has the potential to fit in any American city.

“We think there’s space everywhere for Café Bastille,” Amsallem says. “Depending where we are, we can be a destination for tourists but also a great choice for locals who don’t mind spending a bit extra for brunch.”

Café Bastille Weston, at 1660 Market St., debuted Friday, Jan. 16. Go to CafeBastilleDowntown.com or call 786-425-3575.