This week on "Check Please, South Florida", a spot for German beer and bratwurst in Broward county's horse country.

I've had it before but never as good as that.

[michelle] A tequila connoisseur's paradise in Dania Beach.

You just wanted to savor every bit of that dessert.

[michelle] And a culinary journey to Africa in the heart of Miami Gardens.

You got a homelike atmosphere, I felt like I was almost in someone's living room.

[announcer] Cultural, culinary secrets and global flavors.

We have a passion for blending ingredients and seasonings from around the world.

[narrator] Additional funding for "Check Please, South Florida" is provided by George and Helen Weaver.

And the Friends of South Florida PBS.

I was actually really surprised by how tasty it was.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

It was nothing like I've ever had before.

It feels like a taste of Florida.

It was the size of a bathtub.

Hello, I'm Michelle Bernstein and welcome to "Check Please, South Florida", the show where regular people from all over South Florida recommend and review their favorite restaurants.

So this is how the show works, every week we have three guests.

Each recommends his or her favorite spot and then the other two go to check them out and see what they think.

This week, Attorney Mason Nettleton builds a solid defense for his choice for upscale PanLatin cuisine.

He says the sophisticated food and ambiance never disappoint, and the welcoming glass of bubbly is the perfect start to his evening.

And his fine dining pick is a tequila connoisseur's dream, hidden away in a Broward hotel.

Retired educator, Gary Gagle says his choice provides a multisensory cultural education wrapped up in a beautiful meal.

He says the visit will transport you to a country known for its fragrant spices, flatbreads, and stews.

There aren't many places in South Florida serving up traditional Ethiopian fair, but it's plentiful at his MiamiDade County spot.

But first, housewife, mom, and school volunteer, Shantelle Simmons says when she needs a break from her busy week, she heads to her hopping neighborhood sports bar.

Where the menu has a German accent and the fun family vibe always makes for a great escape.

It's in Davie and it's called Wunderbar Sports Bar and Grill.

My name is Stephanie Michalek and I am the Font of House Manager at Wunderbar.

The owner, Daniela has a love for cooking and she wanted to bring German food to Southwest Broward.

Our most popular menu items would be the J gerschnitzel.

You can do that with veal, chicken, or pork.

And then even our Americanized food, it's phenomenal.

Karaoke is every Saturday from 7:00 to 12:00, all ranges of ages, kids come and sing Disney songs.

Again, family oriented bar, so we've got families here all night long.

Parents, grandparents, dogs, everybody shows up, it's a great time.

Said I was Wunderbar is a great place to bring your friends and family and enjoy good food, and hear good music, and drink great beer.

I know that the spot gets a ton of foot traffic and I think it even gets some hoof traffic.

Are there horses around?

Yes, actually right across the road is a European sports practice, yeah.

Oh, how beautiful.

So tell me a little bit about the space.

Well when I walk in, first of all, I'm excited.

I am like, "The day is over, I am ready to just relax."

Immediately you're greeted, everyone's friendly.

It's sort of like walking into a German family picnic.

[michelle] Okay.

You'll see it's got picnic tables.

The last time I was there, I had the Frikadellen, which is basically handmade German meatballs.

Comes with a brown gravy and it's got onions in it and it comes with the red cabbage.

And then also of course the spatzle, the little German egg noodles.

[michelle] I love spatzle.

They're so good.

[michelle] So good.

I just put the gravy all over them.

Mason, tell me what stood out for you.

Yeah so when I arrived, they were doing karaoke that evening and immediately saw there was a large family atmosphere outside.

One of the things I noticed on the inside was it very much tracks a German beer hall mixed with a sports bar, also with a huge selection of beer and food.

So what did you have?

So I had the Black Forest Kielbasa.

It came with out warm German potato salad [michelle] Oh, delicious.

[mason] With just right amount of tang on it.

Yeah, it was very good.

[michelle] Was the sausage good?

The kielbasa?

[mason] It was, and it came also with a mini pretzel.

I also had the brie and mushroom cheese soup.

[michelle] That sounds light.

[mason] Kind of a cream of mushroom, homey style, but obviously with brie cheese so So tell me a little bit more about the karaoke.

There was everyone from an elderly gentleman singing to a nice young family.

So you really get a different flavor of anything from classic rock to R&B.

And they keep it outside so if you're not interested in the noise as much, you can certainly sit inside and have a nice quiet meal.

Shantelle you're nodding a lot, have you been there for karaoke night?

That's the best spot, yes.

Mind you not everyone can sing but it's great cause it's a people watching spot as well.

If you don't wanna partake in the karaoke, you're more than welcome to just watch and laugh and join in.

[michelle] And no judgment though, right?

No judgment zone, it's after work, no judgment zone.

Okay Gary, what did you think?

I enjoyed it.

My entree was less than good, but I think it was just a one off because I saw some other people ordering the same thing and it looked completely fine.

You had a Roulade was it?

Yeah, it was just a thin beef rolled and stuffed with chopped pickles and had mustard I think.

It was okay.

It was okay.

I was crazy about the red cabbage though.

[shantelle] I love it.

The red cabbage, I've had it before but never as good as that.

[shantelle] It's homemade, it's delicious.

Oh, it was amazing.

I was hoping one of you would've tried the schnitzel.

So my dining companion tried the schnitzel.

[shantelle] Okay, good.

[gary] And it was good.

Did they have the chicken or the veal?

It was veal and it was.

Perfect, I had that, my husband had it.

It was delicious.

Okay, perfect.

Good, I'm happy.

Did you have an appetizer or a dessert?

[gary] Yeah I had the potato pancakes.

[shantelle] Oh, how was that?

They were wonderful.

And they came with sour cream and apple sauce, which that's how they should come.

And they were small like little medallions.

I'm used to a little bigger but it was excellent.

So tell me about the service.

The service was great.

They were swamped the night I was there.

And I mean, I can't complain.

He did the best he could do.

And the runner, she made a mistake and had our dinner next table but she had a sense of humor, smoothed it over, everything was good.

Yeah we went on a busy Saturday night and I appreciate it that they were understaffed.

So I know knew they were doing the best they could.

They kept the drinks flowing though and that helped out.

[michelle] It does.

Yep.

And the drinks are strong, did you notice that?

I did.

They're very strong.

I was impressed by too, they had a large selection of German beers on tap and that to me, that was very impressive.

How about dessert?

Anyone?

Oh, I've got to talk about dessert.

[michelle] Okay.

It was deep fried cheesecake served in this huge margarita glass with a huge scoop of ice cream and whipped cream.

I didn't know fried cheesecakes could be so good.

We both were just like, "This is the best dessert ever."

How about you, Shantelle?

Would you have for dessert?

I had the apple strudel.

It's falls into layers and it's almost crepelike.

It's accompanied with like old fashioned ice cream.

[gary] The serving of the ice cream was huge.

Yeah, they do large scoops and I love that about the Wunderbar.

They understand that you're here to have a good time.

You skipped dessert.

[mason] I did.

But tell me a little bit about pricing.

You have a sports bar vibe when you walk in there but the food is so a much more quality and the menu is so much more expansive that I found the price used to be right there.

So Shantelle, Wunderbar was your selection, sum it up for us.

It has a wide variety, something for everyone.

And you will love the atmosphere.

Mason?

Anybody looking for a nice beer selection and a quality menu I would highly recommend it.

Especially if you're in West Broward.

Gary?

Yeah, extensive menu, delicious German beers on tap, and amazing dessert.

Well you can grab a bite and a brew at Wunderbar Sports Bar and Grill located at 4995 Southwest 148th Avenue in Davie.

Open daily for lunch and dinner, reservations are not accepted, and the average price for dinner without drinks is about $35.

So there are so many delicious side dishes that you could eat.

I thought, why not teach you how to make a beautiful German potato salad?

The first thing I did was I cooked this bacon that's right here until it was really golden and crispy.

And then I removed the bacon, but I left the bacon fat.

And that is what I cooked these little tiny diced onions in.

So let's jump over and do a little mixture and then we'll grab the onions to put them in.

I've got some Dijon mustard and you can use any kind of mustard you want.

And then a little bit of granulated sugar, as well as some kosher salt and pepper.

I'm gonna mix in apple cider vinegar, which is my personal favorite for this dressing.

And you really just wanna stir it until the mixture just looks like it's really well combined.

The next thing we're gonna do, we're gonna grab these delicious onions instead of using just regular oil, this is the fat that we're gonna use is the bacon fat.

So you really wanna push down all of not only the onions, but the fat that's in this pan and pour that into the mixture.

Let's go ahead and whisk that together.

So I actually love using warm potatoes for this recipe.

So here I have a pot of red bliss potatoes.

They've been cut into eights and we just cook them very softly until they're fully, fully cooked, but not broken.

And then let's just go ahead and fish them out and put them directly into this bowl.

I didn't add salt to the water because we don't want that to reduce and get very salty.

All right.

Once you have the potatoes in that emulsification, and this is where if you want to, you can mash some of them up a little bit and then keep mixing.

And the smell is just amazing.

You can smell the bacon and the mustard.

Now, all we have to do is add some herbs.

I've got some chopped Italian parsley.

I've got some sliced chives and let's mix that one more time.

And then all we're gonna do is serve that like so.

Now remember I'm serving this warm but it can be cold, but I definitely wouldn't let that bacon get cold because it'll lose its crispiness.

And voila.

Delicious German potato salad.

Yum.

Now attorney Mason Nettleton is ready to build a case for his newfound spot for fine dining with a Latin twist.

But he advises you not to judge this place on the menu alone.

The service, ambiance, and of course the tequila all add to create a memorable night out.

His pick is in Dania Beach and it's called Toro Latin Kitchen and Tequila Library.

My name is James Rogers, I'm the Executive Chef of Toro Latin Kitchen and Tequila Library.

Basically taking a little bit of Latin kitchen, Latin spices from around the world, Central America, South America, Spain and Europe, and putting it together on a plate with some fun ingredients that are American seasonal.

We're very local, which is good.

We're off the beaten path meaning that we're not in the middle of all of the tourism and things like that, which has its advantages but we like it because most people here that come to Toro Latin Kitchen are locals looking for a great place to eat with food and fun, and tequila, so I think it's a great spot.

Toro kitchen is flavor.

Mason, what are your impressions when you first walk into this place?

So immediately they have this large tequila bar to your left and then an open kitchen that goes out all the way back about 50 tables so [michelle] Wow.

Large space.

I happened to find it for a nice birthday dinner that I had with my parents and I loved it.

The last time I was there for a starter.

I had the classic ceviche, which they serve with a Leche milk.

Leche de Tigre.

Leche de Tigre milk.

Let's let everyone know that it's not milk.

It just all the juices that accumulate in ceviche.

So that's what we call Leche el Tigre but was it fish?

[mason] It was fish for actual filet of fish.

[michelle] Okay, gotcha.

So I would highly recommend that.

And then my companion also tried the smoke swordfish dip, which really tastes that smoky flavor if you're looking for that.

[michelle] What did they serve with that?

[mason] Either tortilla chips.

[michelle] Okay.

[mason] Or if you also wanted to try the plantain chips, we were kind of going back and forth between [michelle] Can you ask for both?

Yeah, of course.

Yeah but they actually did bring us both.

So we were going back and forth.

[michelle] As I would probably do.

And then for a main course, I had the Churrasco Steak.

They cook it just excellently.

They serve it with a side chimichurri and a house barbecue.

Quite frankly, I don't need the sauce.

I think it, I just love the way it comes.

The presentation there, they kind of go an extra mile on the food.

Yeah my dining companion also had the Churrasco and you can really taste the wood smoke and it was perfect.

And I do like the chimichurri sauce though.

[mason] Yeah.

[gary] That was really good.

[mason] Sure.

I opted for the cobia.

Cobia.

The cobia fish.

[michelle] A delicious local fish.

It came in a beautiful crust and inside was very moist, very tender.

And it was actually accompanied by cilantro white rice.

It was green and so don't be intimidated, but the taste was amazing with little marigolds on top.

What did you think when you first walked in?

I thought it was a bit too open for me.

I was expecting more of an intimate night with my husband.

[michelle] You mean cavernous almost?

Just open, really open no partitions.

Some people really enjoy that but for me, I was looking for more quiet night.

It was a bit loud when I went, which is a good sign, cause it means the food is delicious.

I think the open kitchen adds a little bit to that noise level.

They did play nice Latin music in the background and that was a nice touch I thought.

So did you get a little glass of champagne when you first got there?

Of course they had the ros that night, which I really enjoyed.

So everyone Mason gets a complimentary glass of champagne when they come in?

[mason] Yeah, that's my understanding.

[gary] Is that and it's delicious.

Yeah.

[shantelle] It is.

Very good.

That's wonderful.

All right so tell me what else you had.

My husband had Toro burger, which is I guess their classic.

It comes with for brioche bun, very large.

It was accompanied with some pickles.

I don't know what they did but they were amazing.

And overall it was rather large it's Buffalo meat and I enjoyed that.

Okay so you started with a squash soup, correct?

Yes, the Kabocha the Japanese Kabocha soup.

Oh my God, kudos to the chef it was amazing.

It has an underlying tone of wasabi.

It's not overpowering whatsoever.

The soup was so smooth and enjoyable, it was wonderful.

I should mention that he's not just a simple local chef like I am, Richard Sandoval is internationally known.

Nobody knows PanLatin like he does.

Yeah, it was amazing.

I mean really top notch.

Did you have braised short ribs was it?

Yes I did and it also had a nice sauce, but it also came with this squash that was pureed.

Delicious and just the presentation it was just, it was a good experience.

Did you have some wine with the braised short rib?

I mean...

I had, well the margarita and I think it had a simple syrup that was made with marigold.

It was very good, very different.

And you had a cocktail as well, Mason, right?

I did, I enjoyed the Southside Mule and it was with El Jimador tequila.

Certainly have a full selection of tequilas, Mescal.

I did wanna tell you guys, I had the traditional dessert, the stuffed churros and those were excellent.

I did see [michelle] What were they stuffed with?

[mason] Almost like a cream and cinnamon type filling.

And we finished every bite.

Mason, Toro was your choice so sum it up for me please.

Yeah, I highly recommend Toro for the Latin Asian fusion is the best part, I would say.

Shantelle.

I would not necessarily go there for the ambience or for date night but if I'm going with friends, it's a great spot for friends.

Gary.

For PanLatin American exciting twist, that's a place to go.

Well, you can try to create a Latin fair alongside a classic cocktail at Toro Latin kitchen and Tequila library located at 825 Griffin Road in Dania Beach inside the Le Meridian Hotel.

They're open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, reservations are accepted and the average price for dinner without drinks is about $70.

Finally retired educator, Gary Gagle wants to enlighten us on the cuisine of the dark continent at his choice for our hearty Ethiopian meal he says, it's all about sharing new flavors with friends and family.

So ditch the fork, grab some injera dig right into his pick.

It's in my Miami Gardens and it's called Awash Ethiopian Restaurant.

My name is Fouad Wassel, I'm the owner of Awash Ethiopian Restaurant here in Miami Garden.

We've been here for Miami Garden almost 20 something years with some other business.

So we decided we have to do something and making it a center with Ethiopian culture, with Ethiopian cuisine.

Ethiopian cuisine has been around for a long time I mean, it's in the history over 3,000 years.

And then it's a little bit exceptional with the food, the way we process it.

Awash champions always family, a traditional and cultural place to enjoy it.

So why is this a perfect introductory to Ethiopian cuisine?

Well it just has so many exciting flavors and for me it's [michelle] And textures too right?

And the whole eating experience, because you have to use your hands.

You use parts of injera to eat with, that's your utensils.

And it just makes it to me just more intimate experience with the food.

And it's a different experience that people don't normally get to enjoy.

This last time I had Awaze Tips, and it's a spicy kind of beef stew.

[michelle] Okay, are there vegetables in it?

Green peppers and onions and I think the spices maybe are heavy on ginger.

It's just very tasty and complex.

[michelle] And what else?

And also had some spice beets, they were very good.

And then also some red lentils, very tasty, very good.

Shantelle, you had the beef tips too, right?

Yes, I did.

I liked that they were savory, they were bite size.

So for them to hold so much flavor within such little pieces of beef was extraordinary.

You can taste all these little underlying tones, was delicious.

Very complex.

That's what, and your nose is just like... With all the spices when you get in, it just makes you ready to eat.

It smells so good in there.

Mason, is this your first venture into Ethiopian?

It was and I went in very openminded and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I did the Awash entree, which is the combo for two.

And it gives you a little bit of everything from a chicken and red sauce stew, which I loved.

They served it with a hard boiled egg, which I found to be interesting.

[michelle] Probably soaks up all the goodness.

Absolutely so, and then also a vegetarian dishes as well.

Everything from a squash puree to a green beans, and almost a pea and cabbage type combination that was delicious with the injera as well.

For an appetizer, I had the cold lentil and red onion mixture, it was Was it kind of like a lentil salad?

It was and I that's how I thought of it.

Almost their version of what the German potato salad but what they would serve almost for a side.

And it's something I'm gonna try and make at home because I found it to be such a great warm weather dish.

And also for while we're on appetizers, they had a delicious flaky pastry with either a beef or a lentil filling.

I think they're called sambusas.

I think everybody has an empanada but it's called something different everywhere.

The little triangular, they were so petite.

[michelle] Was there a dipping sauce too?

[mason] It's a little spicy.

[shantelle] Oh the sauce my goodness.

[gary] Yeah it was spicy.

Good, flaky and fresh.

So do they ask you if you can handle the heat?

Or they don't even ask it just...

I don't wanna remember them asking, they just bring it out No it's on the menu.

It is.

There's a little warning on the menu.

How was the service?

Did they help you through the menu?

[mason] Very much so.

Especially for your first time?

They were very helpful.

You got kind of a homelike atmosphere.

I felt like I was almost in someone's living room, and nice music.

It was a very warm, friendly place.

Did anybody have anything sweet?

I had the chocolate cake.

It was so much chocolate.

The cake was chocolate, the icing was chocolate, there was even covered in chocolate shavings.

So if you're into chocolate, it was a good dessert.

Gary, tell me a little bit about the coffee ceremony, how they do that.

They bring out this big tray with the ceramic coffee pot and then burning incense.

I love that how beautiful.

Did anybody have coffee?

I did and the way it's served, it's just wonderful.

The incense is paired with the aroma of the coffee and they just come together and I literally just took a moment to just inhale and the coffee was very smooth and rich.

Oh cool.

I went a different route than the coffee.

They have a juice bar.

[michelle] Sure.

So I tried their fresh lemonade and it was excellent.

[gary] Oh with the mint?

[mason] Yeah so I was gonna say [gary] That's amazing.

[mason] Delicious.

[gary] So refreshing.

[mason] Yep.

Especially with this type of food that has a lot of spices.

It's a bit heavy.

It really cleanses the palette.

[michelle] The juices really do.

Yeah.

[michelle] Easy to find?

Easy to find it's right off 441 in kind of a nondescript shopping mall.

Sure.

And from outside it's not that impressive, but once you go inside and hear the music and And it's quite large.

Right.

Once you go in my goodness, it's huge in there.

Well Gary, Awash Ethiopian was pick, sum it up for us.

Leave the passport at home and explore the exotic taste of Ethiopia.

Shantelle?

I enjoyed it from the smell, to the atmosphere, to the peacefulness I felt, and everything was delicious tasting.

Mason?

If you wanna have a delightful experience, tasting another side of the world I highly recommend it.

for exotic African flavors, you don't need a passport, just head to Awash Ethiopian Restaurant located at 19934 NW 2nd Avenue in Miami Gardens.

Open every day but Monday for lunch and dinner.

Reservations are accepted and the average price for dinner without drinks is about $30.

Well, we've had a wonderful time.

I wanna thank my guests Shantelle Simmons, Gary Gagle, and Mason Nettleton.

For more about the restaurants and recipes featured in the show, or if you'd like to apply to be a guest reviewer, visit us checkpleasefl.com and as always, you can find us on Facebook and Instagram.

Join us next time for three new guests recommending three of their favorite restaurants right here on "Check Please, South Florida".

I'm Michelle Bernstein and I will see you then.

everybody.

Sending you kisses from all the way over here.

[announcer] Cultural culinary secrets and global flavors.

We have a passion for blending ingredients and seasonings from around the world.