As the title of this column suggests, don’t judge a restaurant by its ho-hum website or its unassuming strip mall location and décor.

Dining Out For Life is an annual fundraising event that began in Philadelphia in 1991.

After a hectic few weeks filled with work and life responsibilities, I was craving some quality time with a couple of my closest friends. So, when I received an invitation to check out OL’ Days in Fort Lauderdale, I immediately thought, "This is the perfect place for a girls’ night."

When I first heard about D’s Sports Bar, I imagined your usual game-day haunt: loud, casual, and beer-soaked. Yet, as I did some further research, and when I was invited to check it out, I realized that this is not your usual sports bar.

When one thinks of traditional Cajun cooking, a Chinese chef does not usually come to mind. But Chef Yu Bi is from Szechuan, China and the spice levels in that province are similar to those in Cajun cooking. At Cajun Boil, Chef Bi does traditional Cajun dishes but puts an Asian spin on them. 

There’s something so satisfying about finding restaurants that check all the boxes. And these are delicious food, a welcoming atmosphere, and a menu full of variety.