Ok, I am not our resident foodie but sometimes I am called in to lend a hand or, an appetite as it were, to try new restaurants. Trying means you have to sample several dishes (Note to Dr. Ronald Laracuente: this is the reason those pounds keep creeping up! It is a job issue, I swear!) and compare notes. This week has been unusual as it has been a true food-a-thon, even by magazine standards. Here’s where I went and what I found:
Monday: Atlantic Grill at the Seacrest Hotel, Delray Beach. Great menu with all your favorites (braised short ribs to lobster ravioli to grilled snapper) and very good food. We had the very cool private dining room which added a truly elegant feel to the evening. I loved the smoky corn chowder and grilled snapper.
Tuesday: III Forks in Boca was flat-out gorgeous for starters, and my pepper steak was melt-in-your-mouth perfect and flavorful. You cannot beat a great steakhouse and this one is tops. Not only is the space beautiful, but it has fried lobster, which is almost decadent.
Wednesday: Buddha Sky Bar, followed by Scuola Vecchia. The Sky Bar is very groovy and stylish but also has a great little menu (and they make their own soy sauce, which is a true bonus.) Loved the seafood shu mai dim sum. Scuola Vecchia (“Old School”) is a whole new concept: bright white tile and loud—with quite possibly the best pizza I’ve ever had. This is not, we repeat not, American pizza; it is authentic Neopolitan pizza that is light and fresh and wrought by hand by resident Neopolitan Franco. Swoon.
Thursday : Buccan in Palm Beach is famously cute chef Clay Conley’s latest venture and this is fun, fun, fun. Casual but sophisticated with lots of small plates and great service as well as imaginative menu items. We sampled our way like maniacs here and everything was brilliant. Here’s what we tried: spicy conch and octopus ceviche; Burrata with Florida heirloom tomatoes; the hot dog panini (don’t ask–just get it); short rib empanadas; Italian sausage and goat cheese pizza and grilled Florida corn with aioli, Mexican chiles. lime.
Hungry yet? Not to worry! Boca Bacchanal starts TONIGHT and the GRAND TASTING is Sunday at Mizner Park. I will be on water and arugula rations starting next week, but no one should miss this great foodie event this weekend.
Bon appetit!
