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Florida Restaurants
Tolf's Picks - Aug. 2006
TALAHASSEE
Manna
3507 Thomasville road | 850 668-1968
Fifty feet of eye-popping deli counter, full service bar and shelves stacked with the wonders of the gourmet world. Make your own meal, choosing from such toppings as chicken, steak, grouper or tuna, among others. Popular appetizers include tuna nachos and mango-BBQ-wrapped shrimp.
Lunch entrees, $8 to $10.
Dinner entrees, $12 to $22.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH
The Garlic
556 E. Third Ave. | 386-424-6660
garlicnsb.com
Master chef John Bauer is in charge of the menu, featuring lamb lollipops, mussels in sambucca-spiked fennel broth, rack of lamb and seafood Italiano.
Dinner entrees, $13 to $40.
TAMPA
Jasmine Thai
13248 N. Dale Mabry | 813/968-1501
The devoted staff diligently follows the strictures of fresh, be it cilantro, chilies, lemongrass, mint or the various vegetables that go into their masaman and panang curries -- clearly some of the best Thai tastes to be found in Florida.
Lunch entrees, $6 to $9.
Dinner entrees, $9 to $13.
GAINESVILLE
The Yearling
14531 E. County Road 325 (Cross Creek) | 352/466-3999
Named after Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' Pulitzer Prize-winning book and featuring some of the recipes and back-country fare defi ned by her while living in these Cross Creek parts -- her home is nearby. The Yearling is closed Monday through Wednesday, and lunch is served Saturday and Sunday.
Lunch entrees, $8 to $11.
Dinner entrees, $15 to $29.
FORT LAUDERDALE
By Word of Mouth
3200 N.E. 12th Ave. (Oakland Park) | 954/564-3663
bywordofmouthfoods.com
What you see is what you get in this unique New American gem, with its display cases loaded with the choices of the day and its staff charged up to deliver wellinformed and enthusiastic descriptions, advising you to save room for one of the impossible-to-resist desserts.
Lunch entrees, $13 to $18.
Dinner entrees, $18 to $35.
