Pizza Heaven in Florida!

Fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes & basil pizza. 

It's been two days since my first encountered Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza in Fort Lauderdale, and let me tell you, I am still stuffed! The delicious flavors of the high quality ingredients and the crispiness of the crust still lingers as one of the best pizza's I've ever tasted. Started by Anthony Bruno in 2002, this South Florida institution has expanded to nearly thirty restaurants in  five states: Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware. I am so surprised that I've
never heard of this joint, but I have to thank my brother-in-law, Domenic, for introducing me to this gem.

The restaurant interior itself is nothing too unique for Italian joints - photos of Italian-American celebrities and local sports stars enjoying the pizza. However, one whiff of the pizza being served on pizza stands in the small dining room, one quickly forgets about the generic surroundings. I was impressed with the professionalism of the hostess/manager who was gracious and empathetic in telling us about the 25-30 minute wait. The service was friendly and I got a pretty good sense from the entire staff that they were very proud of their pizza. But the main show is really the "well done" pizza and from the looks of the crowds who waited in the rain during our visit, Anthony's is going to be around for quite awhile. Anthony, we need one in Grand Rapids!

The packed dining room at Anthony's Fort Lauderdale

Coal Oven Roasted Chicken Wings with Caramelized Onions and Focaccia

This was quite the pizza - Meatballs and Ricotta

I ordered a sid of Arugula Salad to top my pizza. An Italian classic

Eggplant Marino - the quarterback's favorite pizza made with pan fried eggplant,
tomato sauce, romano chess and basil

House Italian salad

Coal fired!

Yolo - Where the beautiful people are in Fort Lauderdale

I have to be honest here. I had very low expectations of Fort Lauderdale before arriving here for an extended weekend with my wife's family. I realize that Fort Lauderdale has made every effort to erase the stigma of college spring break capital - cheap hotels, overcrowded beaches and thousands of binge drinking, gyrating students living it up as if it's the eve of prohibition. Ocean boulevard has been cleaned up. Crappy hotels have been torn down and replaced with more expensive hotels. Restaurants have upgraded their menus though most of them are still targeting tourists. Not exactly my style.

However, about a mile west of Ocean boulevard is the more upscale shopping and dining district of Las Olas.  If you
were looking for the epicenter of the beautiful people in Fort Lauderdale, then Yolo (You Only Live Once) and the attached O Lounge is definitely the place to be. Judging by the Bentley's and Ferrari's paraded in the valet area, Yolo has already redefined the Fort Lauderdale stigma.

The hostess sat our party of five adults, two teenagers and three kids beneath the white lights; surrounded by tropical trees and flaming torches. Given that we were the only party in the entire restaurant with children, the beautifully clad restaurant staff treated us very nicely - certainly not what I expected from this glitzy place. Our Russian server was genuinely delightful and she made every effort to make us feel welcome.

We ordered two orders of the Szechuan Calamari to start. It was good but the garlic chili sauce reminded me to much of General Tso's in the mall - sweet with not enough Szechuan spice. However, every entree was very good. My wife's tuna was incredible with the seaweed salad. Contrary to what I would normally order, I selected the prime rib. It was also delicious. The pork chop my sister-in-law ordered was perhaps the best entree of the lot. Perfectly seasoned with bourbon glaze and apple chutney, it was a carnivore's delight.

O Lounge perfectly compliments the Yolo dining room. A small bar oversees the comfortable lounge setting while a dj spins a mixture of electronic and dance tunes to the delight of the sexy patrons in the room. By the time we were done with dinner, the O Lounge was hopping. It was a beautiful scene!

On your next trip to Fort Lauderdale, skip the touristy joints along Ocean boulevard and head straight to Las Olas and Yolo's where the best of the city stands up proudly on its own against the shadows of her neighboring city, Miami.

Al fresco dining

We waited about 45 minutes for our table

O Lounge

O Lounge

The canopied section of Yolo

Main dining room

A common site these days

Main dining room

Cocktail area

Dining under the canopy

Bar area seating

Szechuan Calamari $10

Spinach Salad $14

BBQ Pork Ribs $24

Double Cut Pork Chop $23.50

T's Prime Rib - $28

Tuna Sashimi $16

The Creative Class: Lynn Serulla

Lynn Serulla (right) and her friend staged this shot on a rainy day on

Fisk Lake in East Grand Rapids. 

My Hotel Life is proud to highlight designer and stylist, Lynn Serulla, as this blog's first Creative Class feature. A native of Grand Rapids, Lynn, along with her boyfriend Jason, just recently drove cross country to Los Angeles this summer to pursue their dreams in California.

Please contact me if you know of any creative personalities (artists, designers, architects, t-shirt artists, web
designers, performers) who would love to be featured on My Hotel Life. 

MHL: Tell us the time when you decided you were going to be a designer?

LS: Well , I would never categorize myself as a per say designer. I’d say I’m an artist.

I’m trying my hand as a wardrobe stylist, It’s coming along swimmingly.

MHL: Where do you get your design inspirations from?

LS: Everyday life, dependent on the project the inspirations can be  from many avenues.

Personally I love pulling from historical references especially the Rocco period . I love the weird and un typical. Siamese twins, animal/human beings and the boorish . I love the study of etiquette and the differences between cultures.

MHL: Who are your favorite designers? Brands?

 LS: As of right now, I’m really diggin Jeremy Scott.

MHL: How can a "small town girl" from GR make it big in LALA land?

LS: “All they can say is no” – My father

MHL: Where do you think your design is going to be in 10 years?

LS: I’m hoping to be doing costume design for the moving pictures! I just got done assisting in wardrobe on a film shot on the Universal lot. It’s happening… just have to keep at it.

MHL: What's the best part of studying in GR versus, let's say, NYC or Europe?

LS: You can have lifestyle in GR, It affordable. It’s a smaller community, so it’s easier to be recognized for your talents.You miss out on the events and culture that mold and shape artists.  High end galleries and designers are not as prevalent in GR as they are in say Milan, NY or LA.

Plus when you leave you have to start over with networking.

Grand Rapids is cheaper. I miss the Hot Dogs.

MHL: You just drove from GR to LA. Can you share some insights from your trip?

LS: It was Beautiful the west is something to be seen. And yes it is Wild, very very wild.

MHL: Would you ever come back to GR?

LS: I love Grand Rapids. It’s my home. I’ll be back, I don’t know when. Probably Christmas. 

Burma: The Last Frontier