Nowadays, thanks to social media, we can easily find well-executed, exhilarating dishes that aren’t necessarily prepared by a renowned chef in a massive metropolis. Smaller businesses can reach a wide audience with just a few clicks—word-of-mouth recommendations at a higher and faster level. I love supporting small family-owned restaurants and had seen several posts about a Mediterranean restaurant in West Boca tucked away in a Publix strip mall. So I ventured out to dine at DVASH.
Hebrew for “honey,” DVASH incorporates this ingredient into its dishes, honeycomb hexagonal décor and even its to-go bag with its “Honey I’m Home” tagline. The menu is a collection of Mediterranean fusion dishes, but owner and self-taught chef Cohen also curates daily specials (so make sure to wait for them before making final meal decisions) and caters to an array of diets, including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free.
The cocktail menu is a list of typical drinks like mojitos, Palomas and Old Fashioneds, but I was surprised to discover that these are cocktails from a can. Intrigued, I ordered the Espresso Martini ($12). While it wasn’t a standout, it could pass for a crafty cocktail with a smooth balance of coffee and sweetness. My only wish is that it would have come in an actual martini glass.
Three starters—Roasted Turmeric Cauliflower ($22), Shrimp Cargot ($24) and Truffle Fig & Goat Cheese Flatbread ($18)—all hit the table, and I didn’t know where to start. The cauliflower dish is a massive full head that’s been roasted with turmeric, but it’s the ultra-creamy beet tahina (or tahini) sauce, almond slices and golden raisins that elevated the dish. It was a lovely balance of sweetness, crunch and richness. The flatbread, while not necessarily flat but more of a ciabatta thickness, was gooey and drizzled with syrupy sweet honey. The star of the show was the shrimp take on escargot, which bubbled with Swiss cheese and was cooked in a shallot white wine cream in which we enthusiastically dunked the garlic ciabatta.
While I’d happily have a tapas dinner here solely on appetizers and hummus (there are five different types!), I did try a couple entrées, including the Mahi Mahi Shawarma ($37) and House Shakshuka with Lamb ($25). The generous portion of grilled fish was moist and tender and came with a choice of rice, quinoa or fries. The shakshuka, a classic Middle Eastern dish, is the perfect rainy-day comfort food, with its savory lamb topped with sauteed tomatoes, onions, feta and a poached egg. It’s served with warm pita for dipping and hummus—because you can never get enough.
The Cohen family, which previously owned Falafel Bistro & Wine Bar in Coral Springs for 15 years, is celebrating the one-year anniversary of DVASH this month. I’m just happy that chef Cohen is continuing to feed us his exciting seasonal dishes closer to home.
IF YOU GO
8208 Glades Road, Boca Raton; 561/826-7784; dvashboca.com
PARKING: Lot
HOURS: Tues.-Wed., 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Thurs.-Sat., 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun., 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.
PRICES: $7-$42
This article is from the September/October 2022 issue of Boca magazine. For more like this, click here to subscribe to the magazine.
