Check, Please! South Florida Returns with New Episodes and a New Look!

 

Tune in for all-new restaurant reviews…and a fresh new look on Check, Please! South Florida, beginning January 23^rd on WPBT2. This season, WPBT2’s popular restaurant review show will sport an updated graphic open, revamped logo, and even new theme music! 

Host Michelle Bernstein returns to the Emmy-nominated series, along with fifteen opinionated guest reviewers from all across South Florida.  Their dining picks run the gamut, from a colorful Colombian spot in South Miami to the chic and trendy Bistro Chez Jean-Pierre in Palm Beach.  Guest reviewers include a South Beach model, Hollywood golf caddy, and Palm Beach financial advisor.  One episode features local female impersonator, Miss Finesse, as one of the guest reviewers.  

The fun begins Monday, January 23, 2012 at 7:30 p.m.  Episodes repeat on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 5:30 p.m.

 

Season 7 is made possible by the generous support of Badia Spices, Whole Foods Market, Johnson & Wales University, and George & Helen Weaver.

 

 

SEASON 7 EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS:

Show #701- Premiere 1/23

Featuring La Brochette Bistro in Cooper City, Lifefood Gourmet in Miami, and Macita’s Colombian Restaurant in Miami.

Show #702- Premiere 1/30

Featuring 32 East in Delray Beach, Snapper’s Seafood & Wine Bar in Boynton Beach, and Taqueria Doña Raquel in Pompano Beach.

Show #703- Premiere 2/6

Featuring Hakkasan in Miami Beach, Ristorante Sapori in Boca Raton, and Candela Restaurant in Wilton Manors.

Show #704 – Premiere 2/13

Featuring Darbster in West Palm Beach, Bistro Chez Jean-Pierre in Palm Beach, and Geronimo’s Bar & Grill in Davie.

Show #705 – Premiere 2/20

Featuring Hy Vong in Miami, Café Seville in Ft. Lauderdale, and Lorna’s Caribbean & American Restaurant in Miami Gardens.

 

WPBT2 Premieres Season 6 of Check, Please! on Mondays at 7:30 pm Beginning May 16th.

Check, Please! South Florida returns for its sixth season on May 16 at 7:30 p.m. on WPBT2, with a fun, new twist on the typical show concept.  The season opens with three young foodies, local first and second-graders, joining host Michelle Bernstein around the Check, Please!  table to talk about what they liked and disliked about their dining experiences.  

“I thought it would be refreshing to have three kids on the show, talking very honestly (as kids are) about their favorite restaurants,” said host and celebrity chef, Michelle Bernstein. “Kids are just so innocent and untainted by what society thinks. They speak truthfully and straight from their hearts.” 

But, don’t expect a discussion focused on pizza and burgers.  “I was very surprised at the types of restaurants these kids recommended as their favorites,” said show producer Joyce Belloise.  The fact that we can discuss menu items such as sushi, tofu, and filet mignon on a kids’ show says a lot about how our children’s tastes are evolving.”

For now, fans of the show can expect a new line-up of restaurants and guest reviewers, representing dining spots from Jupiter to Kendall, beginning with the special kids episode on May 16th.   South Floridians are encouraged to apply to be a guest reviewer on the show by logging on to the website at www.checkpleasefl.com.

EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS:

SHOW # 601- Broadcast Date: Monday, May 16, 2011

*Our Special Kids Episode!*
See what South Floridians have to say about Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor & Restaurant in Dania Beach; Thai Cafe in Miami Lakes; and Café Abbracci in Coral Gables.

Guest reviewers:  Demi-Nicole Bernadotte, Second-grader; Jude Rivera, Second-grader; Frankie Sanchez, First-grader    

SHOW # 602- Broadcast Date: Monday, May 23, 2011

See what South Floridians have to say about Big Bear Brewing Co. in Coral Springs;
Café Sharaku in Ft. Lauderdale; and Tin Muffin Cafe in Boca Raton.

Guest Reviewers:  Jessica Stein, Art Teacher; Yoshi Kirsch, Car Exporter; Jerry Friedman, Chiropractor
    
SHOW # 603- Broadcast Date: Monday, May 30, 2011

See what South Floridians have to say about Jaguar Ceviche Spoon Bar & Latam Grill in Coconut Grove; Secreto Restaurant in Kendall; and Buena Vista Bistro in Miami.

Guest reviewers: Manuela Menendez, Psychologist; Angel Medina, Banker; Scot Marken, Nonprofit CEO

SHOW # 604- Broadcast Date: Monday, June 6, 2011

See what South Floridians have to say about Capt. Charlie’s Reef Grill in Juno Beach, CW’s BBQ in Hobe Sound; and Havana Restaurant in West Palm Beach.

Guest reviewers: Esse Asker, Manufacturer Representative; Tom Priester, Realtor; Maurissa Jones, Lawyer
   
SHOW # 605- Broadcast Date: Monday, June 13, 2011

See what South Floridians have to say about Moca Café & Lounge in North Miami; Bash Wine Cafe in Sunrise; and Sugar Reef Grill in Hollywood.

Guest reviewers: Rose-Philippe Coriolan, Radio Station Operations Manager; Bob Feinberg, Medical Sales Manager; Richard Miller, Fundraising Consultant

Check, Please! South Florida is Back with New Episodes!

Have any plans for dinner? Make a date with Check, Please! South Florida.  The popular restaurant review show is back with its new season.  Join Chef Michelle Bernstein and local foodies as they review and discuss their favorite local restaurants.

The new season premieres Monday, January 24 at 7:30 p.m. on WPBT2.  See what the passionate panel of South Florida foodies have to say about Perricone’s Marketplace & Café in Miami, Burger and Beer Joint in Miami Beach and 11^th Street Annex in Fort Lauderdale.

Check, Please! South Florida airs Mondays and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 5:30 p.m.

For more information, visit www.checkpleasefl.com.

 

Michelle Bernstein on WDNA

Michelle Bernstein, Host of WPBT2's Check, Please! was interviewed by Charlie Kaufman on WNDA 88.9 FM.   Check, Please! is the WPBT2 Hit Restaurant Review program and you can see why it is so popular as you watch the interview.  Michelle is charming, engaging and funny - in addition to being a great chef! Check out a portion of the interview. 

See more of Michelle and her guests' reviews on Check, Please! Mondays and Wednesdays, 7:30 on WPBT 2HD.

Just a reminder to enter the Check, Please! Contest to win a complimentary dinner at one of the featured restaurants.  Visit checkpleasefl.com for more details.

Cooking up Season 3 of Check, Please!

The Check, Please! South Florida cast and crew recently returned to the WPBT2 studios to shoot five brand new episodes of the popular restaurant review series.  Season 3 is scheduled to hit the air in January 2010.  Award-winning chef and host, Michelle Bernstein, was back to corral a group of talkative foodies, and to share some enticing new recipes of her own.  Sponsors for the upcoming season include Don Francisco coffees, Badia Spices, and Whole Foods Market.

Check, Please! South Florida Serves Up A Contest!

In conjunction with its Season 2 premiere on Monday, March 9th at 7:30 p.m., Check, Please! South Florida, is also launching a weekly contest, offering viewers the chance to win some valuable and fun prizes, including gift certificates to many of the restaurants featured on the show.

Participation is simple!!!  If you have internet access, live in South Florida, and can watch Check, Please! South Florida on 2HD, you can win!

Here's how it works.  Each Saturday (beginning March 7th), we will post a 'Question of the Week' on the Facebook fan page.  This question can be easily answered if you watch the show on Monday or Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.  Once you know the answer to the question, e-mail it to us at [email protected].  (Please mention "contest" in the subject line).  On Fridays, we will take all of the correct answers, hold a drawing for the prizes, and inform our winners.

For complete contest rules, visit the "Notes" section of the Facebook fan page.  And don't forget to tune in to the premiere of Check, Please! South Florida Season 2!

Michy's Second Season - from Miami New Times

 

By Lee Klein for Miami New Times

Michelle Bernstein returns as host of WPBT-2's popular television show Check, Please! South Florida, and Season 2, which premieres Monday, March 9th, promises to contain almost as many new twists as the latest episodes of Lost. On second thought, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit; there are really only two changes. First difference viewers will notice is the refurbished set (pictured in photos), donated and designed by IKEA Sunrise. No one will dispute that it is much snazzier than the former backdrop.

Read the rest here.

And the winner is....

Acclaimed South Florida restaurateur, and host of Check, Please! South Florida, Michelle Bernstein was recognized with the honor of a James Beard award this past weekend for Best Chef in the South.  In weeks leading up to the award ceremony, Michelle joked that she would likely be the Susan Lucci of the culinary world.  But not so!  This was her year to shine.  (It was her third nomination.)

And if you browse the nominees, it's also interesting to note her success in a profession dominated so heavily by men.

http://jbfawards.com/content/2008-nominees

Congrats, Michelle, from your Channel 2 family!

You can catch our own South Florida celebrity chef, as she stirs the pot and spices up the conversation, hosting the popular restaurant review series, Check, Please! South Florida.  Every Monday and Thursday night at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 5:30 pm

-- Joyce in Production

Check, Please! serves up video online

If you've been unable to catch Channel 2's hot new restaurant review show, Check, Please! South Florida, we're offering a second helping of the episodes online.  Just visit the website at www.checkpleasefl.com and click the link to 'watch online'.  You just may discover a new must-try dining spot. 

While you're at the site, you can also read in-depth restaurant reviews from our guests, stay up-to-date with the blog, and pose a question to Michelle Bernstein for her soon-to-be-launched podcast.  And don't forget to tune in tonight at 7:30 and Saturday afternoon at 5:30 to catch the episode featuring South Florida's very own "pasta nazi."

--- Joyce in Production

Michelle Serves Up a Taste of Check, Please!

Check, Please! South Florida brings together all different types of people, from all walks of life to discuss their favorite subject: FOOD.  And for me, it's kind of like meeting new friends.  It's great!  There is nothing better than food to bring family and friends together....so called 'breaking bread' as they say. 

We're all so busy in our lives.  My life revolves around my restaurant, and to be able to meet these people on the show and to get to sit down with them for an hour to chit chat about their lives and the food they like to eat was a truly enjoyable experience!  I feel like I have made friends for life.....and I have found restaurants for life!

Living in Miami, I very seldom get to venture to Palm Beach or the Northern parts of Fort Lauderdale to visit new restaurants, especially some of the tiny, little, hidden-away places we featured on the show.  As I stopped in at each of these places, I discovered there are such beautiful stories - and histories behind these restaurants.  It would be a shame not to find out a little bit about that history.  Through Check, Please! South Florida, I get the opportunity to sit and talk to some of the chefs and managers, behind-the-scenes in their own restaurants -- something I very rarely get to do.  It was great to witness the unbelievable passion and drive that exists in the people who make the magic happen.

I find that owning a restaurant is almost like producing a play -- you all are the audience, and we are behind the curtains preparing all day.  Finally, when the curtains open, we are on stage all night long.  But, for me, to get in there and see the backstage of a restaurant is always fascinating.

On Check, Please! South Florida, I hope that you'll discover some restaurants that may have fallen under the radar, perhaps because of their size or location.  I'd never even heard of some of these spots before, and now that I've gone to visit, I have fallen in love with the places, as well as the people who work so tirelessly, and often so thanklessly, behind the scenes.  I hope this show will reveal something new to you, as we whet your appetite for the great variety of cuisine that can be found all over South Florida.

Visit our website at www.checkpleasefl.com - where you can learn more about the series, apply to be a guest on a future episode, or just tell us what you think of South Florida's cuisine scene.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Bon Appetit!

-- Michelle Bernstein, Host of Check, Please! South Florida

NOTE: Check, Please! South Florida premieres January 28 at 7:30 p.m. exclusively on WPBT Channel 2 in Miami