Last week the Miami Herald ran a story about all the local restaurants that have closed as the slow summer season comes upon us. It’s not any different in our little corner of paradise, and before summer ends it will likely only get worse. Here’s a short list of some of the local eateries that have recently gone to that great dumpster in the sky. . .
Chowderheads, West Palm Beach. This New England-style seafood shack with the cute cottage decor couldn’t overcome its lousy location on hyper-busy Okeechobee Boulevard. On my one lunchtime visit there, it was mostly empty. The Jupiter parent remains open.
Cabo Flats, Palm Beach Gardens. A huge hit when it first opened, its recent closure reportedly has more to do with ambitious expansion plans that include new outlets intended for CityPlace, Jupiter, Miami and Doral, joining existing Flats in Delray and Stuart. (The CityPlace Flats will replace Tequila Cowboys, a chain outpost that turned out to have the half-life of bacteria.)
The Island, Lake Worth. The restaurant woes continue for spots in this town known for its artsy vibe, multitudinous problems and persistently unrealized potential. Bizaare Avenue Cafe managed to survive for years in this location before imploding but a charming tropical decor and Caribbean grub didn’t have the same staying power.
Green Fields Organic Bistro, Delray Beach. Robert Greenfield didn’t have any better luck with this iteration of his healthy-organic eateries than he did with two locations of DIG (Doing It Green) in west and downtown Delray. And now the latest owners of DIG have shut it down, to be replace by something called Free House (will look into that and report back to you).
264 The Grill, Palm Beach. Forty years is several lifetimes in the restaurant business but every life comes to an end and so this stalwart of “The Island’s” dining scene is no more, reportedly due to the sale of their building. A new restaurant is said to be planned for the site and the owners intend to reopen in the same general area.
Darbster, Boca Raton. The Boca outpost of this well-regarded raw-vegan eatery has closed but supposedly only for the summer, with plans to reopen with a revamped decor and menu. We’ll see if it does. The West Palm Darbster, however, is still open.
