Did you win the first edition of the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s new visual trivia contest, iSpy SoFlo? Keep reading to find out …
The premise of the challenge was simple: We published a photo of an item found in plain sight at a random location in South Florida — a restaurant, bar, entertainment venue, cultural site — and asked you to tell us what it is and where to find it.
The first installment of the feature was special, offering three ways to win, with photos taken at three restaurants in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. (Going forward, each edition of the contest will be dedicated to a single place.)
Below are the answers to the first challenge and the names of winners randomly chosen from entrants who correctly identified the pictured restaurant. The three winners will receive prizes such as a $25 gift card.
We’ve been asked why we chose these particular spots for the first edition of iSpy SoFlo. Again, simple — they are some of our favorite places in South Florida to dine, drink and just hang out. They are uniquely local, owned by people who enjoy their restaurant’s role as a hub for the surrounding community. Each deserves your time and money.
PALM BEACH COUNTY
The answer: Palm Beach Meats, 4812 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach
The winner: Melanie Wahl, Fort Lauderdale
The photo taken at Palm Beach Meats showed a closeup of the golden trophy the restaurant received last year from the Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association in Japan. The statue (and accompanying certificate) officially designated Palm Beach Meats as one of the very few restaurants in the United States (fewer than 100) certified to put genuine Japanese Kobe beef on the menu.
Carline Jean / South Florida Sun Sentinel
Eric “Wagyu Papi” San Pedro and wife Meghan at Palm Beach Meats in West Palm Beach. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Notwithstanding that lofty designation and their ambitious Wagyu dreams, the restaurant co-owned by the gregarious Eric “Wagyu Papi” San Pedro and wife Meghan remains a down-to-earth spot to hit for a lunchtime Wagyu burrito or a Sunday pop-up with one of the many local vendors they work with. Coming this fall will be a new location in Orlando. Visit PalmBeachMeats.com.
BROWARD COUNTY
The answer: Shuck N Dive Cajun Cafe, 650 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale
The winner: Erika Echavarria, Pompano Beach
Shuck N Dive, or just “Shuck” if you’re in a hurry, is a longtime favorite of downtown Fort Lauderdale dwellers looking for consistently flavorful Cajun favorites, killer burgers and a laidback bar where “les bons temps” are always rolling. Unlike the trophy at Palm Beach Meats, which sits prominently on the display case, you’d have to be an eagle-eyed regular at Shuck to identify the picture taken there. The image shows part of co-owner Danny “Staz” Stasi’s shrine to wife Meghan’s illustrious golf career. Meghan Stasi has been one of the most decorated amateur golfers in the country and represented the United States at the 2008 Curtis Cup (the women’s version of the Ryder Cup) on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland. What’s more, Stasi was named captain of the 2024 U.S. Curtis Cup team, which will compete Aug. 30 through Sept. 1 in England. Visit Shuck-N-Dive.com.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
The answer: Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop, 2545 N. Miami Ave., Miami
The winner: Barbara Klein, Fort Lauderdale
One of South Florida’s really good guys, former Miami firefighter (and Grambling football player) Derek Kaplan’s road to bakery glory began in his father’s apartment, where a 15-year-old Kaplan baked his first Key lime pie. For a decade, he was the cook for 20 firefighters at Station 1 in downtown Miami and in his downtime began baking to supplement his income, churning out a couple dozen pies a week. Two years after opening Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop in a small storefront in Wynwood in 2014, he left the department to bake full time. Kaplan’s inventive pies, cakes, cheesecakes and cookies have been a staple of annual best-of lists since he opened, and he now has locations in downtown Fort Lauderdale and Miami’s Coconut Grove. Visit FiremanDereks.com.
John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel
Derek Kaplan, of Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop, was a firefighter for 20 years before opening his store in Wynwood. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and Twitter @BenCrandell.