New York: Your pizza has competition

Sometimes, when completing your quest for the ultimate cuisine experiences in the state of Florida, you must do some crazy things. Me, being a total anti-higher educational establishment critic, has decided to run into Gator Country and try one of their more popular restaurants. Satchel’s Pizza is a result of many years of pizza-making experience from the owner and transformed a little speck of land outside the Gator Circle into a very successful commodity. Their specialty is pizza (obviously) and also their calzones, which they claim is very addicting. Located in the quieter area of Gainesville, Florida, I was joined by my brother and my cousin, my filming staff and heavy pizza enthusiasts.



Background check on pizza: pizza is heaven, almost anytime. However, in tough times, all the pizza chains have been scaling back on the size and quality of their pies, resulting in many pizza fans having to search elsewhere for really good pizza. With New York City still having the best pizzas I’ve ever had (New Yorkers, appreciate your food), I am still searching for that one regular mind-blowing pizza that can match the heavenly goodness I experienced last August. Ricky T’s seafood pizza (in Treasure Island) was the best of the best in the state of Florida, because their mixture of alfredo with mozzarella cheese and pounds of seafood was damn amazing. But now, there is a new competitor.

Satchel’s Pizza is a nifty little joint, with a few vans that turned into tables and a crazy gift shop right next door. The building isn’t that big, and is quite hidden within the wilderness that is the outskirts of Gainesville. The staff was extremely friendly, they could not ask for a better staff. We ordered a calzone that contains pepperoni, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese. And then, the tour-de-force was ordered—the deep dish pizza with extra cheese, pepperoni, spicy sausage, and double bacon (Golden Rule of Bacon is tested once again). Let me just say though, the wait was quite extensive. After a two hour drive, we had to wait an extra 20-25 minutes for our food to arrive. We maintained entertained by crafting ridiculous conversations about how the NFL hates the SEC, Tebow will never have a chance to shine, and how skate core would be the next awesome trend of metal music. The people sitting behind us clearly noticed our…um…good behavior (That was not loud or rowdy at all........)..........


Pointless banter aside, we waited, and waited. Finally, it all arrived at the same time. The calzone was attacked first. This was definitely the best calzone I’ve ever had, even though it was way up there in the calzone price range (over 11 bucks). It was extremely cheesy, very rich, and the pepperoni despite not being crispy enhanced the flavor without overpowering it. It was not too greasy, so you didn’t feel like you were going to die of an immense heart attack after the meal. Even the outer crust was perfectly seasoned and buttered for extra goodness.





The deep dish pizza is where it’s at. A great pizza must do this: not require for you to use a fork and knife (with the toppings fall over), and also have a great crust. There is never any effort to make good crust, which is why I can’t enjoy thin-crust pizzas like most people do. This deep dish pizza accomplished both by providing an excellent blend of crust and toppings. There wasn’t too much sauce (which would actually upset the New Yorkers and Chicagoians)(Yes, that previous word was not a word), but it was still rich. However, it’s all about the flavorful crust and the toppings. The pizza was heavy in flavor, very thick, and just like the best of pizzas, can fill you up after a couple slices. The toppings were all well-cooked, and well-embedded in the pizza, with very little of it falling off the pie.

I was full with a quarter of a calzone and two slices of pizza, and you are talking to the man who can eat over a pound of cooked cheeseburger and fries in one sitting (See: Le Tub). My brother and my cousin both mentioned that this was probably the best Florida pizza they’ve ever had. In my opinion, the pizza was excellent, well-worth the drive. That being said, if I were to order the deep dish again, I would try to cut back on the toppings and focus strictly on the extra cheese and bacon. And also, the price is also a bit up there at 26 bucks. Now, compare this to the $18 seafood pizza from Ricky T’s, which clearly uses much more expensive ingredients----lobster, crab, shrimp. So, for the best value for your buck, if you love seafood as well as pizza, then Ricky T’s remains the best of Florida. Otherwise, if you aren’t a seafood person, then I will gladly place Satchel’s Pizza as the peak pizza place of the state of Florida. Yes, it is that good.

Bottom Line: The prior experience of the owner clearly paid off, as he provides a great place with wonderful pizza, great service, and an overall satisfactory experience. Located in a quiet area that is away from the usual hustle and bustle of the college atmosphere, it’s a nice place to enter, relax, as you anticipate food clearly made with plenty of love and care. The price is definitely up there (and only cash) and the wait might be a turn-off for those on-the-go folks, but it’s worth the price tag and the waiting associated with it. And trust me, when a person drives two hours for pizza and says it was worth a $26 price tag that is definitely saying something heavy.


Among the best pizza I’ve ever had, and among the best food you’ll find in northern Florida.



Satchel's Pizza
1800 ne 23rd avenue
Gainesville, FL 32609
(352) 335-7272

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World's Largest Checkers. Not sure they even care.

Checkers is one of the more underrated fast food chains in the country since its inception in 1986. With the best fries amongst all the fast-food joints, and amongst the best burgers amongst the chains, Checkers definitely has the potential to be a heavy-hitter. But, because of rather poor marketing, poor restaurant placement (at least in the state of Florida), and because of the nasty competition, Checkers (Rallys) has never been able to become a threat to reach the top of the burger world. But, another fantastic example of why Checkers has trouble standing out in the crowd can be found in the World’s Largest Checkers. Despite the decent food, this place can never truly rise in popularity (much like the franchise) because of overwhelming competition and a lack of effort to pack a stronger punch.

The franchise has been around for nearly 25 years, but the world’s largest Checkers has been around for at least 20. Very odd that they have not attempted to size-wise defeat the Sand Lake-International Drive Checkers after all these years. Either way, its right across from an even larger and much more popular McDonalds, that used to be the largest in the world—and now just settles for having the largest playplace. This Checkers isn’t very tall, but is quite long, despite having a rather small parking lot. In between a big gas station and an unpopular plaza, this Checkers has a lot of trouble standing out. You aren’t even aware it’s the largest in the world until you park the car right in front of the building.

Inside, there is a very small game room with a few games here and there. Years before they had Virtua Fighter 2, and fortunately for all of us, replaced it with Capcom vs. SNK. Video game criticism aside, the game room connects directing to the dining room. This is where Checkers fails most of the time---its total lack of a presentation. Aside from a few 50s pictures, there’s nothing else in the dining area, no pizzazz. Not even a jukebox, which is essential to any place resembling the 50s and/or 60s. No old-school music constantly playing like in Johnny Rockets. There’s just no effort to truly bring you to more than a restaurant but an experience. Not wanting to spoil my eventual review of the massive McDonalds, but that place has such a unique style, its definitely an out-of-the-ordinary visit every time you go there. In this Checkers, it’s a Checkers, just bigger, nothing more.





The menu is also the same, nothing added. But this isn’t an issue, for Checkers always offers a great variety of burgers. Their prices aren’t jacked up either despite its location in Tourist Country. I ordered the American Double Melt and also the Bacon Cheese Double Cheese.—part of their 2 burgers for $4 campaign. On paper, that sounds like a heck of a deal. Order some fries with that and you have yourself a meal. The burgers in this place take a little longer not because of the Le Tub Effect (slow cooking means aweeeesome results), but because the I-Don’t-Hire-Many-Employees Effect. After a short wait, I get my burgers and proceed to my table.

The patty melt was absolutely delicious, but like most Checkers items, are much too small. The meat patties are juicy, but not thick. The bread was good, but not enough. The Bacon Cheese Double Cheese was even better, but also quite small. This is where the World’s Largest Checkers also fails to build upon its status as the top---same sized burgers. If you are the biggest in the world, why not enhance the menu? Why not truly add some additional burgers? There are places around the country that became more popular after going crazy by making massive 4-5-6-7-patty burgers. Checkers can use this strategy for some added publicity. The food was definitely good, much better than your usual fast food fare, but the potential of this place is so great.



Bottom Line: I am a huge fan of Checkers, and I am also a fan of the World’s Largest Checkers. They have a great selection of burgers, and a great selection of good food overall. The Checkers in the Sand Lake-International Drive corner is full of good food, good service, and good prices. Yet, its lacking so badly in the presentation here, unless they change things, they can never measure up to the party house that is the McDonalds across the street. This place can truly be something special, something competitive. Add some old-school music, decorate the place a bit more, add more lights outside, extend the hours a bit more, and for goodness sakes, get a nice, classic jukebox. These are all little things that can really improve the overall experience. Otherwise, I’m eating your typical great Checkers food outside instead of inside.


Think about it, how many Central Floridians actually realize that the biggest Checkers in the entire world is in the easy-to-find International Drive in Disney Country?

World's Largest Checkers
6908 W Sand Lake Rd
Orlando, FL 32819-9303
(407) 248-9052

Dessert That Packs a Punch

Jaxson’s Ice Cream has received oodles and oodles of fame since its opening way back in 1956. Located in the lesser-known Dania, Florida, this place is well-known for its interesting look, and spectacular ice cream. It has been featured on the Food Network several times, and even had a headlining moment in Good Morning America. The infamous Zugat website rates it as one of the top locations in the country. So with all this fame and high reviews, I just had to give it a shot, despite being so far from Orlando. They have a nice lunch/dinner menu, but most people head over there purely and only for the sweets; from the popular ice cream to its massive merchandise shop full of candy (heh, go figure).





The location is a bit tough, since it’s in the middle of a busy street full of street lights with no turn signals. Annoying. Also, it’s located in the corner of an old plaza---connected to multiple buildings. From the outside you can tell it’s a family-friendly atmosphere, as it features a few little rides for small kids. You can order ice cream from outside or go inside to be seated. Once you step inside, the old-school flavor hits you immediately. There are license plates all over the place, and when you enter you are immediately greeted by a heavy assortment of candy---most of them I have never even heard of. It can get quite crowded and hectic. We get seated and were immediate treated to water and free popcorn.


My main draw to the place I will admit was the fact that their whipped cream is natural, made at the location. While this sounds rather picky, it shows attention to detail, and shows a love for their culinary art that you don’t find often in ice cream places. I went for the hot fudge sundae, which was their most popular item. Josh orders the root beer float. Michael orders a peanut butter equivalent of a sundae, which instead of hot fudge it’s a peanut butter topping. Kyle orders the strawberry milkshake. We wait a while as we drink our water and enjoy the scenery. Little did we know just what a challenge our dessert was going to become.


Josh’s root beer float was absolutely massive; it was absolutely intimidating and threatening. It was a huge cup of root beer, and the ice cream was sitting on top of the cup in a strategic way. To add to the mayhem was that there was a second cup of root beer just in case he needed more. Josh struggled so badly with his dessert I overheard another customer talking about us to another waitress (“Your root beer floats should come with an instruction manual”). He enjoyed his food, but was far from being able to finish the monstrosity. This place does not cut back on their ice cream, and it clearly justifies the mildly higher prices.



Kyle’s milkshake was a thick 24 oz. His milkshake was disposed of much better than the float, but it still challenged Kyle because of intense strawberry flavoring. He really enjoyed his drink though. Michael’s peanut butter sundae was a masterpiece. The peanut butter topping was extremely thick, very sugary, and had a pure taste of peanut the instant it touches your taste buds. The whipped cream and very creamy vanilla ice cream combined perfectly with the peanut butter. Michael was in temporary heaven as he barely could finish, but had such a great time trying. And, like Josh, Michael's order comes with a side of extra goodness---just in case all the sugar they infused to the dessert wasn't enough already.


My hot fudge sundae did not look intimidating, but is the very first dessert I could not finish since the unknown March Kitchen Sink disaster of Beaches n’ Cream in Disney World (Few souls know about this...let’s just say I was overwhelmingly defeated, and did not help that I had very little help). The hot fudge was spectacular (they gave me an extra cup of it...mmmmmmmmm), and like the peanut butter was very thick indeed. The whipped cream was very delicious, and is far superior to any whipped cream I’ve ever had. The vanilla ice cream was the tour-de-force of the evening though, as it was a very scrumptious mix of thick, creamy, soft, and yet fulfilling. It was only two scoops of ice cream, how could I not finish this? Well, you must come here to realize that it isn’t what it all seems—these desserts are heavy-hitters that truly delight the taste buds, but occupy the stomach much quicker than you’d assume.

Bottom Line: Jaxson’s Ice Cream deserves all its praise, deserves all its success, as it delivers one of the best dessert experiences I’ve ever had. While the location isn’t the best, once you find the place it will be a fantastic experience. We didn’t order anything from lunch nor did we try the popcorn, but in the dessert portion we are proud to say that it excels in all cylinders. The toppings, the whipped cream, the ice cream, and the overall presentation was phenomenal and if I am ever in the area again, I will definitely make a return trip here. But, don’t go here for lunch as well—because the dessert alone can really fill you up.

Jaxson's Ice Cream
128 South Federal Highway
Dania, FL 33004-3695
(954) 923-4445

Le Tub. Round Two.

There comes a time in a man’s life when he must complete a specific activity before he can truly be considered a man. This activity is entering Le Tub in Hollywood, Florida, and take on their cheeseburger. Now, I have written about this place before, but I decided to give this chance a try for three reasons: 1) I truly love their cheeseburgers, they are definitely the greatest in the planet, 2) I want to see if they can remain consistent with their magical burgers, and 3) to see if its just me that loves these morsels or if this love and enjoyment over a cheeseburger can be transferred to other people—a.k.a. my filming crew. Now, most online restaurant websites have given this place scathing reviews over its poor service and overrated burgers. So was I just nuts the first time I went? Was I lucky? Or is it a case of sheer jealousy and/or total lack of preparation for the old-school and laid-back behavior of this institution? A repeat visit to Le Tub will answer all these questions.




Le Tub is a place that skyrocketed in fame decades after its original opening because of the one-two punch of GQ Magazine and Oprah. The magazine hailed it as the location with the best cheeseburger in the entire country (and mentioning that it’s a mystery why a place with such a run-down look can contain such beauty), and the Oprah Winfrey Show paid a visit to the joint. Now, everything Oprah touches turns to gold, just ask Obama. In August 2009, I was joined by my lovely friend Brittany, as we paid a visit to the place, a year after I planned to drive four hours to give the place a try. To this day, we talk about that experience, and I am sure our friendship became 20 times stronger after Le Tub. This place is so good, it can even strengthen friendships. This time, I was joined by my brother Michael, my cousin Josh, and their very good friend Kyle (who is as unpredictable as a disgruntled comedian on PCP).


I warned them that they take 30 minutes to make the cheeseburgers, and on busy days you sometimes have to wait almost two hours to get your meal. Good things never come easy, and Le Tub is another example of this fact of life. We all ordered medium-well cheeseburgers and waited. And waited. And waited. Unlike what the nasty reviews online state, we had delightful service from a couple of delightful Hispanic women with smiles on their faces. After some waiting, the burgers arrived. They looked great, they smelled great, and the outdoor flies began surrounding our table like Vikings ready to pillage a village (Unless they are from Minnesota, and yes, I just went there. Drop your old quarterback, Vikings!).






They all fell in love, I will reveal this right now. They all said it was the best cheeseburger they’ve ever had. They mentioned its thickness, its juiciness, its size, its quality meat, and its overall impact in their world of burgers. My brother said he can never have another burger the same way again, as Kyle calls his parents to tell them that their food is no longer good, because he truly had a taste from heaven. Josh couldn’t describe his happiness, but I am pretty sure I saw tears. This time, I was armed with a camera, ready to take pictures of this epic event. Their faces were absolutely priceless, they absolutely forgot the fact that we had driven for several hours just for lunch.


I on the other hand---just kidding, I fell in love all over again. It’s just like when you run into an old ex-girlfriend and suddenly realize that you still have strong feelings for her. I compared the cheeseburger to relationships, yes I did. I had forgotten just how good they were until I took my first bite. And just like back in August of 2009, it was juicy, meaty, and spectacular in every single way possible. The burger was the main event, as the fries we had (although good) were not even necessary.


Bottom Line: So yes, Le Tub is spectacular in more than one instance, I did not get lucky, this place is legit awesomeness. Like I have stated in the past, this place is extremely old-school, and the look and laid-back atmosphere will not be everybody’s cup of tea. But if you can adjust, come here for the cheeseburger, because I can guarantee you that even if you don’t think this is the best burger ever, it will easily at LEAST be in the top 3. The location is perfect as its right next to the beach and the food is just all-around delicious. The place is mildly pricy, but totally justified when you take a bite of that burger. I recommend this place to the absolute highest degree imaginable, no questions asked.




Stop reading this. Start prepping a trip. Now.

P.S. I had a second burger—so did Josh. Also delicious.

P.P.S. I can still taste the burger, and it has been over 9 hours.




Le Tub
1100 North Ocean Drive, Hollywood, FL‎ - (954) 921-9425‎