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Review | Food doesn't thrill at Grill on the Alley

The Grill on the Alley, a Beverly Hills landmark and growing chain that opened a link at Aventura Mall late last year, has that cozy, retro, supper-club feel down pat. Coffee-colored leather banquettes, curvy Deco fixtures and waiters in trim-fitting white jackets contribute to the dapper feel. Unfortunately, the fare is more off-the-rack than bespoke.

The Grill's interpretation of American classics includes lots of burgers and chops, steaks and butter-sauced fish, ribs and creamy pastas, onion rings and potatoes sliced, diced and spiced every which way. We relied on our enthusiastic young waiters and the vast menu's ''signature specials'' for a read on what they do best. Not surprisingly, the choicest choices are from the grill.

A perfectly fine boneless rib-eye and a juicy prime New York steak (both nicely butchered 16-ouncers) were competently seasoned and seared, but lacked real depth of flavor. Likewise, a double-cut Kurobuta pork chop was sawdusty. A platter of bony short ribs in a sauce as thick

Review | Duffy's raises the bar for sports bars

When you're watching the game (make that games) at the new Duffy's Sports Grill in Plantation, you can count on the essentials: TV (there are 75), cheap drinks (happy hour lasts for hours) and killer wings, along with better-than-average bar grub.

While other restaurants and bars are packing up, Duffy's has been expanding a 24-year-old Florida chain that stretches from Melbourne to its 20th site at The Fountains shopping center (its other Broward link is in Deerfield Beach).

Now owners Paul Emmett and Carlos Morrison can claim another victory: On Wednesday, Duffy's was named the official sports grill of the Miami Dolphins, which means you can expect lots of hoopla come football season.

Review | Basilic a delightful Vietnamese experience

The light, fragrant, healthful cuisine of Vietnam is perfect for South Florida, yet we're only beginning to embrace it. The love affair is bound to heat up with the opening of Basilic Vietnamese Grill in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, likely the only spot east of U.S. 441 specializing in dishes like pho, shaking beef and Vietnamese crepes.

Open two months, Basilic offers a large, intriguing menu that's exotic without being intimidating. Young, friendly American servers make the timid feel at ease. A few items are tweaked for the masses -- the banh mi (sub sandwich), for example, replaces classic ptés and hams with grilled chicken, beef or meatballs -- but the food is delicious and affordable.

Another value: $3-$4 beers, including China's Tsingtao and Thai's singha and wines mostly $17-$30 by the bottle and under $10 by the glass.

Easy cake recipe is a keeper

Q: Do you have a simple muffin or snack cake recipe that will use up that last handful of chocolate chips, nuts or dried fruit that we all seem to have?

Sandy A: This has been my stand-by recipe for a quick treat since a reader contributed it to the column in 1985. You don't even have to wash a mixing bowl, and you can make it even if you don't have butter, eggs or milk.

The variations are nearly endless, including a yellow version, so throw in that last handful of chips, the melted candy bar, etc. This is similar to what is known as Wacky Cake or Ration Cake, but less dense.

Dress for success with marinades

Think of a marinade as a ''dressing'' for meat. Like a salad dressing, it's typically composed of an acid (vinegar, citrus juice or wine) and a little oil, with herbs and aromatics added to punch up the flavor.

And like a salad dressing, a marinade should be thought of as a seasoning. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't tenderize meat. (If you made it acidic enough and applied it long enough to loosen the protein bonds, you'd end up with meat that was soft and gummy rather than truly tender anyway.)

A marinade will penetrate only the outer 1/8- to ¼-inch of the meat surface, but that's fine. Grilling almost always calls for smaller pieces of meat, so you'll still get some of the marinade's flavor with almost every bite.