As I explained in the opening part of this blog that appeared Tuesday, the culinary tour took us first to a Jamaican restaurant and then to a hip coffee house on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach.
By now, I was starting to feel full, but we crossed Atlantic Avenue to Cabana El Rey (105 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach), where we were served small bites of manchego, chorizo and olives, and then a Cuban sandwich empanada (yes, an entire small sandwich inside the dough pocket, including the mustard!) on top of avocado salsa.
This is a long-standing (by Atlantic Avenue terms) 12-year-old restaurant that serves Cuban, Caribbean and Spanish dishes. The bright neon colors punch up the inside space, which includes a private dining room for up to 24.
We were also served a very tasty sangria that contained three kinds of alcohol, which was just too good—delicious and potent.
On to The French Bakery & Café (814 NE 6th Ave., Delray Beach), where the bakery and savory products are all made in-house. We tried chocolate, pistachio and plain croissants, almond cookies and gluten-free coconut macaroons. The café also sells Pascale’s Jams, a locally produced, truly excellent Delray Beach product, as well as Wells Coffee made in Boca Raton.
Now we are all rolling, not walking, out of the stores and onto the bus, where we continue to Downtown Boynton Beach/Avenue of the Arts District. A stop at Amanda James art gallery shows us brightly colored artwork, clothing and textiles. The next stop is the Industrial Arts District, where we found three local artists hard at work. Thanks to the talented Michael Kupillas, Thom McAvoy and Dianette Doyle for sharing their passion for their art with us.
Speaking of this area of Boynton, on July 30, the 20-year-old Hurricane Alley restaurant is celebrating and hosting a Summer Sizzle event from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Located behind the Harvey Oyer buildings on East Ocean Avenue, there will be live music, a DJ, games and food.
But back to the tour where we now went for, yes, more food. We ended up atPalermo’s Italian Bakery (Forum Shoppes, 140 Congress Ave., Boynton Beach),where a huge assortment of pastries was waiting. Everything is made in-house, and they don’t use sugar. How does a bakery function without sugar? By using honey, which is how the original Palermo’s in Italy (started in the 1920s there) sweetens everything, too.
I enjoyed finding new places, learning about the area’s history and tasting the great food served in our neighborhoods. The only thing left is to find time to buy tickets and go on the rest of the tours to explore other cities.
Photos by: Lynn Kalber
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About Lynn
Lynn Kalber wasn’t born in Boca Raton, but she attended elementary through high school there, so she might as well have been. She’s a graduate of the University of Florida and has been in journalism most of her life, including 26 years at The Palm Beach Post. She’s written feature and food stories, and edited food copy among other jobs, including blogging about wine (The Swirl Girls). Her husband is writer and author Scott Eyman. They live in West Palm Beach with an assortment of cats and dogs.
